[INCIPIT LIBER QUINTUS.]
[DIXERAT ORACIONISQUE CURSUM.]
She hadde When Philosophy had thus spoken, and was about to discuss other matters I interrupted her. seid and tourned[e] þe cours of hir resoun to
somme oþer þinges to ben tretid and to ben ysped.
B. Thy exhortation is just and worthy of thy authority, but thou saidst that the question of the Divine Superintendence or Providence is involved with many others—and this I believe. þan seide I. Certys ryȝtful is þin amonestyng and ful [4296]
digne by auctorite. but þat þou seidest som tyme þat
þe questioun of þe deuyne purueaunce is enlaced wiþ
many oþer questiouns. I vndir-stonde wel and proue it
by þe same þinge. I am desirous, however, of knowing whether there be such a thing as Chance, and what thou thinkest it is. but I axe yif þat þou wenest þat hap [4300]
be any þing in any weys. and if þou wenest þat hap be
any [thing] what is it. P. I hasten to fulfil my promise and to show the road to your own country. þan quod she. I haste me to
ȝelden and assoilen þe to þe dette of my byheste and
to shewen and opnen þe wey by whiche wey þou maist [4304]
come aȝein to þi contre. But although these things you question me about are profitable to know, yet they lead us a little out of our way. ¶ but al be it so þat þe þinges
whiche þat þou axest ben ryȝt profitable to knowe.
ȝitte ben þei diuers somwhat fro þe paþe of my purpos.
And by straying from the path you may be too fatigued to return to the right road. And it is to douten þat þou ne be maked weery by [4308]
mysweys so þat þou ne mayst nat suffise to mesuren þe
ryȝt weye. B. Don’t be afraid of that, for it will refresh me as much as rest to know these things in which I am delightfully interested. ¶ Ne doute þe þer-of no þing quod I. for
forto knowen þilke þinges to-gidre in þe whiche þinges
I delite me gretly. þat shal ben to me in stede of reste. [4312]
Syn it nis nat to douten of þe þinges folwynge whan
euery side of þi disputisoun shal be stedfast to me by
vndoutous feiþ. þan seide she. þat manere wol I don
þe. and bygan to speken ryȝt þus P. I will then comply with thy requests. ¶ Certys quod she [4316]
yif any wyȝt diffinisse hap in þis manere. þat is to seyn.
DEFINITION OF CHANCE.
If we define Chance to be an event produced by an unintelligent motion, and not by a chain or connection of causes, I should then affirm that Chance is nothing and an empty sound. þat hap is bytidynge y-brouȝt forþe by foelyshe
moeuynge. and by no knyttyng of causes. ¶ I conferme
þat hap nis ryȝt nauȝt in no wise. and I deme al [4320]
outerly þat hap nis ne dwelliþ but a voys. ¶ As who
seiþ. but an ydel worde wiþ outen any significacioun of
þing summittid to þat vois. What room is there for folly and disorder where all things are restrained by order, through the ordinance of God? for what place myȝt[e] ben
left or dwellynge to folie and to disordinaunce. syn þat [4324]
god lediþ and streyniþ alle þinges by ordre. For it is a great truth that nothing can spring out of nothing. ¶ For þis
sentence is verray and soþe þat no þinge ne haþ his
beynge of nouȝt. to [the] whiche sentence none of þise
olde folk ne wiþseide neuere al be it so þat þei ne [4328]
vndirstoden ne moeueden it nauȝt by god prince and
gynner of wirkyng. but þei casten as a manere foundement
of subgit material. þat is to seyn of [the] nature
of alle resoun. Now, if anything arises without the operation of a cause, it proceeds from nothing. and ȝif þat ony þinge is woxen or comen [4332]
of no causes. þan shal it seme þat þilke þinge is comen
or woxen of nouȝt. But if this is impossible, then there can be no such a thing as Chance, as we have defined it. but yif þis ne may nat ben don.
þan is it nat possible þat þere haþ ben any swiche þing
as I haue diffinissid a litel here byforne. B. Is there nothing, then, that may be called Chance or Fortune? ¶ How shal [4336]
it þan ben quod I. nis þer þan no þing þat by ryȝt may
be cleped eyþer happe or ellis auenture of fortune. Is there nothing (hid from the vulgar) to which these words may be applied? or is
[* fol. 34.] þer ouȝt al *be it so þat it is hidd fro þe poeple to
whiche þise wordes ben couenable.
P. Aristotle defines this matter with much precision and probability. Myn aristotul quod [4340]
she. in þe book of his phisik diffinisseþ þis þing by
short resoun and neyȝe to þe soþe. B. How? ¶ In whiche manere
quod I. P. So often as a man does anything for the sake of any other thing, and another thing than what he intended to do is produced by other causes, that thing so produced is called Chance. ¶ As ofte quod she as men don any þing for
grace of any oþer þing. and an oþer þinge þan þilke [4344]
þing þat men ententen to doon bytideþ by som[e] causes
it is ycleped happe. As if a man trench the ground for tillage and find gold, then this is believed to happen by chance, although it is not so. ¶ Ryȝt as a man dalf þe erþe by
cause of tylienge of þe felde. and fond þere a gobet of
golde by-doluen. þan wenen folk þat it is fallen by fortunous [4348]
bytydyng. but for soþe it nis nat for nauȝt for
it haþ hys propre causes of whiche causes þe cours vnforseyn
and vnwar semiþ to han maked happe. For if the tiller had not ploughed the field, and if the hider of the gold had not concealed it in that spot, the gold had not been found. ¶ For
yif þe tilier in þe erþe ne delue nat in þe felde. and yif [4352]
þe hider of þe golde ne hadde hidd þe golde in þilke
place. þe golde ne had[de] nat ben founde. These, then, are the causes of a fortuitous acquisition which proceeds from a conflux of encountering causes, and not from the intention of the doer. þise ben
þan þe causes of þe abreggynge of fortune hap. þe whiche
abreggynge of fortune hap comeþ of causes encountrynge [4356]
and flowyng to-gidre to hem selfe. and nat by þe entencioun
of þe doer. For neither the hider of the gold ¶ For neiþer þe hider of þe gold.
nor the husbandman intended or understood that the gold should be found. ne þe deluer of þe felde ne vndirstanden nat þat þe
golde sholde han be founde. but as I seide. But it happened by the concurrence of these two causes that the one did dig where the other had hidden the money. it bytidde [4360]
and ran to-gidre þat he dalf þere as þat oþer hadde hidd
þe golde. Chance, then, is an unexpected event, by a concurrence of causes, following an action designed for a particular purpose. Now may I þus diffinissen happe. ¶ Happe
is an vnwar bytydyng of causes assembled in þinges þat
ben don for som oþer þinge. but þilke ordre procedynge [4364]
by an vneschewable byndynge to-gidre. This concurrence of causes proceeds from that order which flows from the fountain of Providence and disposes all things as to place and time. whiche þat
descendeþ fro þe wel of purueaunce þat ordeineþ alle
þinges in hire places and in hire tymes makeþ þat þe
causes rennen and assemblen to-gidre. [4368]
4294 seid—MS. seide, C. seyd
þe—by
4297 som tyme—whilom