Walter William Skeat

“ And to
the maladye of him god putteth remedie, to yeven him richesses. 210
And som other man biholdeth his conscience defouled with sinnes,
and maketh comparisoun of his fortune and of him-self; and
dredeth, per-aventure, that his blisfulnesse, of which the usage is
Ioyeful to him, that the lesinge of thilke blisfulnesse ne be nat
sorwful to him; and therfor he wol chaunge his maneres, and, for 215
he dredeth to lese his fortune, he forleteth his wikkednesse. To
othre folk is welefulnesse y-yeven unworthily, the whiche overthroweth
hem in-to distruccioun that they han deserved. ”

“ For which it is, that alle thinges that ben put 75
under destinee ben, certes, subgits to purviaunce, to whiche purviaunce
destinee itself is subgit and under. But some thinges
ben put under purviaunce, that surmounten the ordinaunce of
destinee; and tho ben thilke that stably ben y-ficched negh to the
firste godhed: they surmounten the ordre of destinal moevabletee. ”

“ In
this sheweth it wel, that to goode folk ne lakketh never-mo hir
medes, ne shrewes lakken never-mo torments. For of alle thinges
that ben y-doon, thilke thing, for which any-thing is don, it semeth 5
as by right that thilke thing be the mede of that; as thus: yif
a man renneth in the stadie, or in the forlong, for the corone,
thanne lyth the mede in the corone for which he renneth. And
I have shewed that blisfulnesse is thilke same good for which
that alle thinges ben doon. Thanne is thilke same good purposed 10
to the workes of mankinde right as a comune mede ”

“ I weve to thee resouns y-knit by ordre.'
'As it lyketh to thee,' quod I, 'so do.' Tho spak she right as
by another biginninge, and seyde thus. 'The engendringe of
alle thinges,' quod she, 'and alle the progressiouns of muable 30
nature, and al that moeveth in any manere, taketh his causes, his
ordre, and his formes, of the stablenesse of the divyne thoght;
and thilke divyne thought, that is y-set and put in the tour, that
is to seyn, in the heighte, of the simplicitee of god, stablissheth
many maner gyses to thinges that ben to done ”

“ And thilke thoght renneth by the cercle of the sterres, in alle
places ther-as the shyninge night is peinted; that is to seyn, the
night that is cloudeles; for on nightes that ben cloudeles it semeth as
the hevene were peinted with dyverse images of sterres. And 15
whanne he hath y-doon ther y-nough, he shal forleten the laste
hevene, and he shal pressen and wenden on the bak of the
swifte firmament, and he shal ben maked parfit of the worshipful
light of god. ”

“ Thanne, what-so-ever thou mayst seen
that is don in this werld unhoped or unwened, certes, it is the
right ordre of thinges; but, as to thy wikkede opinioun, it is a
confusioun. But I suppose that som man be so wel y-thewed,
that the divyne Iugement and the Iugement of mankinde acorden 165
hem to-gider of him; but he is so unstedefast of corage, that, yif
any adversitee come to him, he wol forleten, par-aventure, to
continue innocence, by the whiche he ne may nat with-holden
fortune. Thanne the wyse dispensacioun of god spareth him, the
whiche man adversitee mighte enpeyren ”

“ The whiche thinges,
yif that any wight loketh wel in his thought the strengthe of that 40
oon and of that other, he shal lightly mowen seen, that thise two
thinges ben dyverse. For purviaunce is thilke divyne reson that
is establisshed in the soverein prince of thinges; the whiche purviaunce
disponeth alle thinges. But destinee is the disposicioun
and ordinaunce clyvinge to moevable thinges, by the whiche 45
disposicioun the purviaunce knitteth alle thinges in hir ordres;
for purviaunce embraceth alle thinges to-hepe, al-thogh that they
ben dyverse, and al-thogh they ben infinite ”

“ For whan men loken nat the ordre of
thinges, but hir lustes and talents, they wene that either the leve
or the mowinge to don wikkednesse, or elles the scapinge with-oute 135
peyne, be weleful. But consider the Iugement of the
perdurable lawe. For yif thou conferme thy corage to the beste
thinges, thou ne hast no nede of no Iuge to yeven thee prys or
mede; for thou hast ioyned thy-self to the most excellent thing. ”

“ Ne knowen they nat thanne wel that they
forleten the good wilfully, and tornen hem wilfully to vyces? And
in this wyse they ne forleten nat only to ben mighty, but they
forleten al-outrely in any wyse for to ben. For they that forleten 135
the comune fyn of alle thinges that ben, they forleten also therwith-al
for to ben.
And per-aventure it sholde semen to som folk that this were
a merveile to seyen: that shrewes, whiche that contienen the more
partye of men, ne ben nat ne han no beinge ”

“ For ther nis no-thing don for cause of yvel; ne thilke thing
that is don by wikkede folk nis nat don for yvel. The whiche
shrewes, as I have shewed ful plentivously, seken good, but 120
wikked errour mistorneth hem, ne the ordre cominge fro the
poynt of soverein good ne declyneth nat fro his biginninge. But
thou mayst seyn, what unreste may ben a worse confusioun than
that gode men han somtyme adversitee and somtyme prosperitee,
and shrewes also now han thinges that they desiren, and now 125
thinges that they haten? ”

“ For yif so be that it be wrecchednesse to wilne to don
yvel, than is more wrecchednesse to mowen don yvel; with-oute
whiche mowinge the wrecched wil sholde languisshe with-oute
effect. Than, sin that everiche of thise thinges hath his 20
wrecchednesse, that is to seyn, wil to don yvel and mowinge to don
yvel, it moot nedes be that they ben constreyned by three
unselinesses, that wolen and mowen and performen felonyes and
shrewednesses.'
'I acorde me,' quod I ”

“ And of this sentence folweth it, that thanne
ben shrewes constreined at the laste with most grevous torment,
whan men wene that they ne be nat punisshed.'
'Whan I consider thy resouns,' quod I, 'I ne trowe nat that
men seyn any-thing more verayly. And yif I torne ayein to the 125
studies of men, who is he to whom it sholde seme that he ne
sholde nat only leven thise thinges, but eek gladly herkne
hem?'
'Certes,' quod she, 'so it is ”

“ Whether men liven now in swich
hoolnesse of thoght, (as who seyth, ben men now so wyse) , that
swiche folk as they demen to ben gode folk or shrewes, that
it moste nedes ben that folk ben swiche as they wenen? But in
this manere the domes of men discorden, that thilke men that 130
some folk demen worthy of mede, other folk demen hem worthy of
torment. But lat us graunte, I pose that som man may wel demen
or knowen the gode folk and the badde; may he thanne knowen
and seen thilke innereste atempraunce of corages, as it hath ben
wont to be seyd of bodies ”

“ And thus maketh Love entrechaungeable the perdurable courses;
and thus is discordable bataile y-put out of the contree of the
sterres. This acordaunce atempreth by evenelyk maneres the 15
elements, that the moiste thinges, stryvinge with the drye thinges,
yeven place by stoundes; and the colde thinges ioynen hem by
feyth to the hote thinges; and that the lighte fyr aryseth in-to
heighte; and the hevy erthes avalen by hir weightes. By thise
same causes the floury yeer yildeth swote smelles in the firste 20
somer-sesoun warminge; and the hote somer dryeth the cornes ”

“ For al-be-it
so that they may chaungen the limes of the body, algates yit
they may nat chaunge the hertes; for with-inne is y-hid the
strengthe and vigor of men, in the secree tour of hir hertes; that
is to seyn, the strengthe of resoun. But thilke venims of vyces to-drawen 30
a man to hem more mightily than the venim of Circes;
for vyces ben so cruel that they percen and thorugh-passen the
corage with-inne; and, thogh they ne anoye nat the body, yit
vyces wooden to destroye men by wounde of thought.'
Me. III. 1. C. A. Ed. wynde. 2. C. A. Ed. Narice; Lat. Neritii. 3. C. Ed. Circes ”

“ And god 180
yeveth and departeth to othre folk prosperitees and adversitees
y-medled to-hepe, after the qualitee of hir corages, and remordeth
som folk by adversitee, for they ne sholde nat wexen proude by
longe welefulnesse. And other folk he suffreth to ben travailed
with harde thinges, for that they sholden confermen the vertues 185
of corage by the usage and exercitacioun of pacience. And
other folk dreden more than they oughten [that] whiche they
mighten wel beren ”

“ But so as only bountee and prowesse may enhaunsen
every man over other men; thanne mot it nedes be that shrewes,
which that shrewednesse hath cast out of the condicioun of mankinde,
ben put under the merite and the desert of men. Thanne 70
bitydeth it, that yif thou seest a wight that be transformed into
vyces, thou ne mayst nat wene that he be a man. ”

“ For which it folweth, that yif thou
loke the purviaunce ordeininge the thinges that men wenen ben
outrageous or haboundant in erthes, thou ne shalt nat seen in no
place no-thing of yvel. But I see now that thou art charged with
the weighte of the questioun, and wery with the lengthe of my 255
resoun; and that thou abydest som sweetnesse of songe. Tak
thanne this draught; and whan thou art wel refresshed and refect,
thou shal be more stedefast to stye in-to heyere questiouns.
Pr. VI. 4. A. Ed. do; C. don. 5. C. meracle. 6. A. om. what. 13. A. Ed. Hercules. C. slowh; A. Ed. slough. 21. ”

“ For al that ever is under the mene, or elles al that overpasseth the 70
mene, despyseth welefulnesse (as who seyth, it is vicious) , and ne
hath no mede of his travaile. For it is set in your hand (as who
seyth, it lyth in your power) what fortune yow is levest, that is to
seyn, good or yvel. For alle fortune that semeth sharp or aspre,
yif it ne exercyse nat the gode folk ne chastyseth the wikked folk, it 75
punissheth.
Pr. VII. 1. A. Sest thou; C. Sestow. 5, 6. A. om. alle ... aspre. 7. Ed. guerdonyng; C. A. gerdonynge. // C. excersisinge. 16. A. ywened. 20. A. proche. 24. ”

“ C. A. Ed. Marmorike; Lat. Marmaricus leo. 14. A. Arcadie; C. Ed. Archadie; Lat. Arcadis alitis. 15. A. Ed. vnbounden; C. vnbounded. // A. pestilence; C. pestelence. 16. A. oosteresse (!) . 18. A. Ed. woxen; C. wexen. 19. C. akkornes; A. acorns. // C. lemes; A. lymes; Ed. lymmes. 20. A. Ed. hoole; C. hool.
Prose IV.
Tum ego, Fateor, inquam.
Than seyde I thus: 'I confesse and am a-knowe it,' quod I;
'ne I ne see nat that men may sayn, as by right, that shrewes ne
ben chaunged in-to bestes by the qualitee of hir soules, al-be-it so
that they kepen yit the forme of the body of mankinde. ”

“ Goth now thanne, ye stronge men, ther-as the heye wey of the
grete ensaumple ledeth yow. O nyce men, why nake ye youre 45
bakkes? As who seyth: O ye slowe and delicat men, why flee ye
adversitees, and ne fighten nat ayeins hem by vertu, to winnen the
mede of the hevene? For the erthe, overcomen, yeveth the sterres';
this is to seyn, that, whan that erthely lust is overcomen, a man is
maked worthy to the hevene. 50
Me. VII. 4. A. Ed. om. he. 8. A. pite as fader. 16. A. yeld. 22. A. slouȝ. 23. Ed. Arpyes; C. A. arpiis; glossed—in the palude of lyrne. 26. C. drowh; A. drouȝ. 28. C. slowgh ”

“ Wiltow thanne yelden a covenable guerdoun to the desertes of
men? Love rightfully goode folk, and have pitee on shrewes.'
Me. IV. 1. A. deliteth it yow. // A. moewynges; C. moeuynge; motus. 5. hors is plural; Lat. equos. // A. serpentz. 6. A. lyouns. 8. A. discordaunt. 10. Ed. perysshe; A. perisse; C. perise. A. Ed. -chaungynge; C. -chaungynges. 12. C. A. gerdoun; Ed. guerdon.
Prose V.
Hic ego uideo inquam. ”

“ A. poeples; uulgus. 38. A. seist thou. 41. C. Ed. is; A. be. 49. A. om. or in ... vertu. 55. C. the stronge; A. no strong. 56. Ed. abasshen; A. abassen. 66. A. welken; Ed. walken; C. wellen; emarcescere. ”