Walter William Skeat

“ For, so as nothing ne may ben thought 30
bettre than god, it may nat ben douted thanne that he, that
nothing nis bettre, that he nis good. Certes, resoun sheweth
that god is so good, that it proveth by verray force that parfit
good is in him. For yif god ne is swich, he ne may nat ben
prince of alle thinges; for certes som-thing possessing in it-self 35
parfit good, sholde ben more worthy than god, and it sholde
semen that thilke thing were first, and elder than god. For
we han shewed apertly that alle thinges that ben parfit ben
first or thinges that ben unparfit ”

“ Consider now yif that by thilke
thinges, by whiche a man weneth to geten him blisfulnesse, yif
that he may comen to thilke ende that he weneth to come by
nature. For yif that moneye or honours, or thise other forseyde
thinges bringen to men swich a thing that no good ne fayle hem 10
ne semeth fayle, certes than wole I graunte that they ben maked
blisful by thilke thinges that they han geten. ”

“ Now is it cleer and certein thanne, that
blisfulnesse is a parfit estat by the congregacioun of alle goodes;
the whiche blisfulnesse, as I have seyd, alle mortal folk enforcen
hem to geten by diverse weyes. For-why the coveitise of verray 15
good is naturelly y-plaunted in the hertes of men; but the miswandringe
errour mis-ledeth hem in-to false goodes. Of the
whiche men, som of hem wenen that sovereyn good be to liven
with-oute nede of any thing, and travaylen hem to be haboundaunt
of richesses. And som other men demen that sovereyn good be, 20
for to ben right digne of reverence ”

“ Now is it no doute thanne that thise weyes ne ben a maner
misledinges to blisfulnesse, ne that they ne mowe nat leden
folk thider as they biheten to leden hem. But with how grete
harmes thise forseyde weyes ben enlaced, I shal shewe thee
shortly. For-why yif thou enforcest thee to asemble moneye, 5
thou most bireven him his moneye that hath it. And yif
thou wolt shynen with dignitees, thou most bisechen and
supplien hem that yeven tho dignitees. And yif thou coveitest
by honour to gon biforn other folk, thou shalt defoule thy-self
thorugh humblesse of axinge. ”

“ Certes, nay. For that thing
nis neither foul ne worthy to ben despised, that wel neigh al the
entencioun of mortal folk travaylen for to geten it. And power, 70
oughte nat that eek to ben rekened amonges goodes? What
elles? For it is nat to wene that thilke thing, that is most worthy
of alle thinges, be feble and with-oute strengthe. And cleernesse
of renoun, oughte that to ben despised? Certes, ther may no
man forsake, that al thing that is right excellent and noble, that it ne 75
semeth to ben right cleer and renomed. ”

“ O! a 5
noble thing and a cleer thing is power, that is nat founden
mighty to kepen it-self! And yif that power of reaumes be
auctour and maker of blisfulnesse, yif thilke power lakketh on
any syde, amenuseth it nat thilke blisfulnesse and bringeth in
wrecchednesse? But yit, al be it so that the reaumes of mankinde 10
strecchen brode, yit mot ther nede ben moche folk, over
whiche that every king ne hath no lordshipe ne comaundement. ”

“ Thanne seyde I thus: 'I delyte me,' quod I, 'nat only in the
endes or in the somme of the resouns that thou hast concluded
and proeved, but thilke wordes that thou usest delyten me moche 90
more; so, at the laste, fooles that sumtyme renden grete thinges
oughten ben ashamed of hem-self;' that is to seyn, that we fooles
that reprehenden wikkedly the thinges that touchen goddes governaunce,
we oughten ben ashamed of our-self: as I, that seyde that
god refuseth only the werkes of men, and ne entremeteth nat of 95
hem. ”

“ Thanne is soverein good the somme and the cause of al
that aughte ben desired; for-why thilke thing that with-holdeth
no good in it-self, ne semblaunce of good, it ne may nat wel in 160
no manere be desired ne requered. And the contrarie: for
thogh that thinges by hir nature ne ben nat goode, algates, yif
men wene that ben goode, yit ben they desired as though that
they weren verrayliche goode. And therfor is it that men oughten
to wene by right, that bountee be the soverein fyn, and the cause 165
of alle the thinges that ben to requeren. ”

“ How greet syknesse and how grete sorwes unsufferable,
right as a maner fruit of wikkednesse, ben thilke delices
wont to bringen to the bodies of folk that usen hem! Of whiche 5
delices I not what Ioye may ben had of hir moevinge. But this
wot I wel, that who-so-ever wole remembren him of hise luxures,
he shal wel understonde that the issues of delices ben sorwful
and sorye. And yif thilke delices mowen maken folk blisful,
than by the same cause moten thise bestes ben cleped blisful; 10
of whiche bestes al the entencioun hasteth to fulfille hir bodily
Iolitee. ”

“ Which is
the manere or the gyse,' quod she, 'that richesse may dryve awey
nede? Riche folk, may they neither han hunger ne thurst?
Thise riche men, may they fele no cold on hir limes on winter?
But thou wolt answeren, that riche men han y-now wher-with they 65
may staunchen hir hunger, slaken hir thurst, and don a-wey cold.
In this wyse may nede be counforted by richesses; but certes,
nede ne may nat all outrely ben don a-wey. ”

“ What thing is
thanne thilke power, that though men han it, yit they ben agast;
and whanne thou woldest han it, thou nart nat siker; and 45
yif thou woldest forleten it, thou mayst nat eschuen it? But
whether swiche men ben frendes at nede, as ben conseyled by
fortune and nat by vertu? Certes, swiche folk as weleful
fortune maketh freendes, contrarious fortune maketh hem
enemys. And what pestilence is more mighty for to anoye a 50
wight than a familier enemy?
Pr. V. 3. C. perpetualy; A. perpetuely. 7. A. realmes. 8. C. auctor; A. auctour. 10. A. realmes (om. the) . 11. ”

“ A. For if it so be that he that is most out-cast that most folk dispisen. or as dignite ne may nat maken shrewes worthi of no reuerences. than maketh dignites shrewes more dispised than preised. the whiche shrewes dignit (sic) scheweth to moche folk. and forsothe not vnpunissed; Ed. for if a wight be in so muche the more outcast, that he is dispysed of moste folke, so as dignyte ne may not maken shrewes worthy of no reuerence, than maketh dignite shrewes rather dispysed than praysed, the whiche shrewes dignite sheweth to moche folk. ”

“ For though this nede,
that is alwey gapinge and gredy, be fulfild with richesses, and axe
any thing, yit dwelleth thanne a nede that mighte be fulfild. I 70
holde me stille, and telle nat how that litel thing suffiseth to
nature; but certes to avarice y-nough ne suffiseth no-thing. For
sin that richesses ne may nat al don awey nede, but richesses
maken nede, what may it thanne be, that ye wenen that richesses
mowen yeven you suffisaunce? 75
Pr. III. 2. A. om. youre biginninge. 15. C. ataynt; A. a-teint. 24. A. that (for And) . // A. om. nat that ... for. // A. thou lakkedest; Ed. ”

“ Boece. 'What seyst thou thanne, yif that a man coveiteth
to geten alle thise thinges to-gider?'
Philosophie. 'Certes,' quod she, 'I wolde seye, that he wolde
geten him sovereyn blisfulnesse; but that shal he nat finde in 95
tho thinges that I have shewed, that ne mowen nat yeven that
they beheten.'
'Certes, no,' quod I.
'Thanne,' quod she, 'ne sholden men nat by no wey seken
blisfulnesse in swiche thinges as men wene that they ne mowen 100
yeven but o thing senglely of alle that men seken.'
'I graunte wel,' quod I ”

“ He yaf the men to the erthe; he yaf the
sterres to the hevene. He encloseth with membres the soules 5
that comen fro his hye sete. Thanne comen alle mortal folk
of noble sede; why noisen ye or bosten of youre eldres? For
yif thou loke your biginninge, and god your auctor and your
maker, thanne nis ther no forlived wight, but-yif he norisshe
his corage un-to vyces, and forlete his propre burthe. 10
Me. VI. 4. A. Ed. hir hornes; C. hyse hornes. 5. C. menbrys. 8. Ed. ye loke; Lat. spectes. // A. thy (for 1st your) ; Lat. uestra.
Prose VII.
Quid autem de corporis uoluptatibus. ”

“ Now torne and flitte the eyen of thy 105
thought; for ther shalt thou sen anon thilke verray blisfulnesse
that I have bihight thee.'
'Certes,' quod I, 'it is cleer and open, thogh it were to
a blinde man ”

“ Now yif that dignitees thanne ne mowen
nat maken folk digne of reverence, and yif that dignitees wexen 65
foule of hir wille by the filthe of shrewes, and yif that dignitees
lesen hir shyninge by chaunginge of tymes, and yif they wexen
foule by estimacioun of poeple: what is it that they han in hem-self
of beautee that oughte ben desired? as who seyth, non;
thanne ne mowen they yeven no beautee of dignitee to non other. 70
Pr. IV. 2. C. honorable, glossed ironice. 3. C. lordshippys; A. lordshipes. 5. A. om. ne. // A. wikkednesses (twice) ; Lat. nequitiam. 6. C. om. to bef. shewen. 7. ”

“ But certes, yif ther be
any good in gentilesse, I trowe it be al-only this, that it semeth 35
as that a maner necessitee be imposed to gentil men, for that
they ne sholden nat outrayen or forliven fro the virtues of hir
noble kinrede.
Pr. VI. 4. A. Ed. he; C. she (!) . 6. A. om. the bef. poeple. 9. C. of (for or) . 15. A. ne encresed. 19. A. parties of the erthe; Lat. parte terrarum. 23. C. remenbred. 24, 26, 29. C. gentellesse; A. gentilesse. 26. C. refferred. 30. A. decert; Ed. desertes. 32. A. folweth; C. folueth. 36. C. inposed.
Metre VI.
Omne hominum genus in terris. ”

“ For al-be-it so that thy lordshipe strecche so fer,
that the contree of Inde quaketh at thy comaundements or at
thy lawes, and that the last ile in the see, that hight Tyle, 5
be thral to thee, yit, yif thou mayst nat putten awey thy foule
derke desyrs, and dryven out fro thee wrecched complaintes,
certes, it nis no power that thou hast. 8
Me. V. 1. C. wole; Ed. wol; A. wolde. 4. C. thath (!) . // A. contre Inde. // A. comaundement. 5. A. leest (for last) ; Lat. ultima.
Prose VI. ”

“ Ne non ordinaunce nis bitaken to thinges, but that
that hath ioyned the endinge to the beginninge, and hath maked 30
the cours of it-self stable, that it chaungeth nat from his propre
kinde.
Me. II. 3. A. om. the. 8. A. om. betinges. 9. C. horyble. 11. A. that (for 1st and) . 13. A. to-teren. 15. A. Iangland. // A. this (for 2nd that) . 16. A. inclosed. // C. streyht; A. streit. 17. C. pleynynge; A. pleiyng; Lat. ludens. 19. A. Ed. agreable. 24. C. bent; A. bente. 27. A. in-to (for to) . 30. C. hat; A. hath.
Prose III.
Vos quoque, o terrena animalia. ”

“ Me. X. 3. A. Ed. Here; C. He. 6. A. deceyued; C. desseyued. 10. A. Ed. Hermus; C. Herynus (!) . 12. C. grene stones, i. smaragdes; with the whyte, i. margaretes. 14. Ed. derkenesse; C. dyrknesse. 16. A. by the whiche. 17. C. eschueth; A. chaseth; Lat. uitat. // A. derke; C. dyrke.
Prose XI.
Assentior, inquam.
Boece. 'I assente me,' quod I; 'for alle thise thinges ben
strongly bounden with right ferme resouns.'
Philosophie. ”

“ Pr. VII. 12. A. om. an. 15. A. Ed. euery; C. euere. 18. Ed. Euripidis; C. Eurydyppys; A. Euridippus; Lat. Euripidis (gen.) .
Metre VII.
Habet omnis hoc uoluptas.
Every delyt hath this, that it anguissheth hem with prikkes
that usen it. It resembleth to thise flyinge flyes that we clepen
been, that, after that he hath shad hise agreable honies, he fleeth
awey, and stingeth the hertes, of hem that ben y-smite, with
bytinge overlonge holdinge. 5
Me. VII. 1. C. A. anguisseth. 3. C. om. 2nd that. // A. the bee (for he) .
Prose VIII.
Nihil igitur dubium est. ”

“ Yit this
wikked Nero hadde gret lordship, and yaf whylom to the 5
reverents senatours the unworshipful setes of dignitees. Unworshipful
setes he clepeth here, for that Nero, that was so wikked, yaf
tho dignitees. Who-so wolde thanne resonably wenen, that blisfulnesse
were in swiche honours as ben yeven by vicious shrewes? 10
Me. IV. 2. A. kembed; apparailed. 5. C. lorshippe; A. lordship. // C. Ed. whylom; A. som-tyme. 6. C. reuerentz; Ed. reuerent; A. dredeful; Lat. uerendis. 8. A. tho; C. Ed. the. // A. om. so. 10. C. vysios; A. vicious.
Prose V.
An vero regna regumque familiaritas. ”

“ C. maryes, i. medulle. 86. Ed. seete; C. feete (!) ; Lat. sede. 87. Ed. is; C. is is (sic) . // C. stidefastnesse. 88. C. om. the bef. destemperaunce; Ed. has it. 91. C. pupllisen; Ed. publysshen. 94. ”