Honour in dignitè is wened to yeven a ful knot.'
'Ye, certes,' quod I, 'and of that opinion ben many;
for they sayn, dignitè, with honour and reverence, causen hertes
to encheynen, and so abled to be knit togither, for the excellence
in soverayntè of such degrees.' 5
'Now,' quod she, 'if dignitè, honour, and reverence causen
thilke knotte in herte, this knot is good and profitable. For
every cause of a cause is cause of thing caused. Than thus:
good thinges and profitable ben by dignitè, honour, and reverence
caused. _Ergo_, they accorden; and dignites ben good with 10
reverences and honour. But contraries mowen not accorden.
Wherfore, by reson, there shulde no dignitee, no reverence, non
honour acorde with shrewes. But that is fals; they have ben
cause to shrewes in many shreudnes; for with hem they accorden.
_Ergo_, from beginning to argue ayenward til it come to the laste 15
conclusion, they are not cause of the knot. Lo, al day at eye arn
shrewes not in reverence, in honour, and in dignitè? Yes, forsothe,
rather than the good. Than foloweth it that shrewes
rather than good shul ben cause of this knot. But of this [the]
contrarie of al lovers is bileved, and for a sothe openly determined 20
to holde.'
'Now,' quod I, 'fayn wolde I here, how suche dignitees acorden
with shrewes.'
'O,' quod she, 'that wol I shewe in manifolde wyse. Ye wene
(quod she) that dignites of office here in your citè is as the 25
sonne; it shyneth bright withouten any cloude; [of] whiche thing,
whan they comen in the handes of malicious tirauntes, there
cometh moche harm, and more grevaunce therof than of the
wilde fyre, though it brende al a strete. Certes, in dignitè of
office, the werkes of the occupyer shewen the malice and the 30
badnesse in the person; with shrewes they maken manyfolde
harmes, and moche people shamen. How often han rancours,
for malice of the governour, shulde ben mainteyned? Hath not
than suche dignitees caused debat, rumours, and yvels? Yes,
god wot, by suche thinges have ben trusted to make mens understanding 35
enclyne to many queynte thinges. Thou wottest wel
what I mene.'
'Ye,' quod I, 'therfore, as dignitè suche thing in tene y-wrought,
so ayenward, the substaunce in dignitè chaunged, relyed to bring
ayen good plyte in doing.' 40
'Do way, do way,' quod she; 'if it so betyde, but that is
selde, that suche dignitè is betake in a good mannes governaunce,
what thing is to recken in the dignitees goodnesse? Pardè, the
bountee and goodnesse is hers that usen it in good governaunce;
and therfore cometh it that honour and reverence shulde ben 45
don to dignitè bycause of encresinge vertue in the occupyer,
and not to the ruler bycause of soverayntee in dignitè. Sithen
dignitè may no vertue cause, who is worthy worship for suche
goodnesse? Not dignitè, but person, that maketh goodnesse in
dignitè to shyne.' 50
'This is wonder thing,' quod I; 'for me thinketh, as the person
in dignitè is worthy honour for goodnesse, so, tho[ugh] a person
for badnesse ma[u]gree hath deserved, yet the dignitè leneth to
be commended.'
'Let be,' quod she, 'thou errest right foule; dignitè with 55
badnesse is helper to performe the felonous doing. Pardy, were
it kyndly good, or any propertè of kyndly vertue [that men]
hadden in hem-selfe, shrewes shulde hem never have; with hem
shulde they never accorde. Water and fyr, that ben contrarious,
mowen nat togider ben assembled; kynde wol nat suffre suche 60
contraries to joyne. And sithen at eye, by experience in doing,
we seen that shrewes have hem more often than good men, siker
mayst thou be, that kyndly good in suche thing is nat appropred.
Pardy, were they kyndly good, as wel oon as other shulden
evenlich in vertue of governaunce ben worthe; but oon fayleth in 65
goodnesse, another doth the contrary; and so it sheweth, kyndly
goodnesse in dignitè nat be grounded. And this same reson
(quod she) may be mad, in general, on al the bodily goodes;
for they comen ofte to throw-out shrewes. After this, he is
strong that hath might to have grete burthens, and he is light 70
and swifte, that hath soveraintè in ronning to passe other; right
so he is a shrewe, on whom shreude thinges and badde han most
werchinge. And right as philosophy maketh philosophers, and
my service maketh lovers, right so, if dignites weren good or
vertuous, they shulde maken shrewes good, and turne her malice, 75
and make hem be vertuous. But that they do nat, as it is
proved, but causen rancour and debat. _Ergo_, they be nat good,
but utterly badde. Had Nero never ben Emperour, shulde
never his dame have be slayn, to maken open the privitè of his
engendrure. Herodes, for his dignitè, slew many children. The 80
dignitè of king John wolde have distroyed al England. Therfore
mokel wysdom and goodnesse both, nedeth in a person, the
malice in dignitè slyly to brydel, and with a good bitte of arest
to withdrawe, in case it wolde praunce otherwyse than it shulde.
Trewly, ye yeve to dignites wrongful names in your cleping. 85
They shulde hete, nat dignitè, but moustre of badnesse and
mayntenour of shrewes. Pardy, shyne the sonne never so bright,
and it bringe forth no hete, ne sesonably the herbes out-bringe of
the erthe, but suffre frostes and cold, and the erthe barayne to
ligge by tyme of his compas in circute about, ye wolde wonder, 90
and dispreyse that sonne! If the mone be at ful, and sheweth
no light, but derke and dimme to your sight appereth, and make
distruccion of the waters, wol ye nat suppose it be under cloude
or in clips, and that som prevy thing, unknowen to your wittes,
is cause of suche contrarious doinge? Than, if clerkes, that han 95
ful insight and knowing of suche impedimentes, enforme you of
the sothe, very idiottes ye ben, but-if ye yeven credence to thilk
clerkes wordes. And yet it doth me tene, to sene many wrecches
rejoycen in such maner planettes. Trewly, litel con[ne] they on
philosophy, or els on my lore, that any desyr haven suche 100
lightinge planettes in that wyse any more to shewe.'
'Good lady,' quod I, 'tel me how ye mene in these thinges.'
'Lo,' quod she, 'the dignites of your citè, sonne and mone,
nothing in kynde shew their shyning as they shulde. For the
sonne made no brenning hete in love, but freesed envye in 105
mennes hertes, for feblenesse of shyning hete; and the moone
was about, under an olde cloude, the livinges by waters to
distroye.'
'Lady,' quod I, 'it is supposed they had shyned as they
shulde.' 110
'Ye,' quod she, 'but now it is proved at the ful, their beautè in
kyndly shyning fayled; wherfore dignitè of him-selven hath no
beautee in fayrnesse, ne dryveth nat awaye vices, but encreseth;
and so be they no cause of the knotte. Now see, in good trouth;
holde ye nat such sonnes worthy of no reverence, and dignites 115
worthy of no worship, that maketh men to do the more harmes?'
'I not,' quod I.
'No?' quod she; 'and thou see a wyse good man, for his
goodnesse and wysnesse wolt thou nat do him worship? Therof
he is worthy.' 120
'That is good skil,' quod I; 'it is dewe to suche, both reverence
and worship to have.'
'Than,' quod she, 'a shrewe, for his shreudnesse, altho he be
put forth toforn other for ferde, yet is he worthy, for shrewdnesse,
to be unworshipped; of reverence no part is he worthy to have, 125
[that] to contrarious doing belongeth: and that is good skil.
For, right as he besmyteth the dignites, thilke same thing ayenward
him smyteth, or els shulde smyte. And over this thou wost
wel (quod she) that fyr in every place heteth where it be, and
water maketh wete. Why? For kyndely werking is so y-put in 130
hem, to do suche thinges; for every kyndely in werking sheweth
his kynde. But though a wight had ben mayre of your city
many winter togider, and come in a straunge place there he were
not knowen, he shulde for his dignitè have no reverence. Than
neither worshippe ne reverence is kyndely propre in no dignitè, 135
sithen they shulden don their kynde in suche doinge, if any were.
And if reverence ne worshippe kyndely be not set in dignitees,
and they more therein ben shewed than goodnesse, for that in
dignitè is shewed, but it proveth that goodnesse kyndely in hem
is not grounded. I-wis, neither worshippe, ne reverence, ne 140
goodnesse in dignitè don non office of kynde; for they have non
suche propertee in nature of doinge but by false opinion of the
people. Lo! how somtyme thilke that in your city wern in
dignitè noble, if thou liste hem nempne, they ben now overturned
bothe in worship, in name, and in reverence; wherfore 145
such dignites have no kyndly werching of worshippe and of
reverence. He that hath no worthinesse on it-selfe, now it ryseth
and now it vanissheth, after the variaunt opinion in false hertes
of unstable people. Wherfore, if thou desyre the knotte of this
jewel, or els if thou woldest suppose she shulde sette the knotte 150
on thee for suche maner dignitè, than thou wenest beautee or
goodnesse of thilke somwhat encreseth the goodnesse or vertue in
the body. But dignite[es] of hemself ben not good, ne yeven
reverence ne worshippe by their owne kynde. How shulde they
than yeve to any other a thing, that by no waye mowe they have 155
hem-selfe? It is sene in dignitè of the emperour and of many
mo other, that they mowe not of hem-selve kepe their worshippe
ne their reverence; that, in a litel whyle, it is now up and now
downe, by unstedfaste hertes of the people. What bountee mowe
they yeve that, with cloude, lightly leveth his shyninge? Certes, 160
to the occupyer is mokel appeyred, sithen suche doinge doth
villanye to him that may it not mayntayne. Wherfore thilke way
to the knotte is croked; and if any desyre to come to the knot,
he must leve this way on his lefte syde, or els shal he never come
there. 165
CH. VI. 3. sayne. 4. knytte. 6. Nowe. 12. reason. none. 13. false. 15.
ayenwarde. 16. arne. 19. _Supply_ the.
22. Nowe. fayne. howe. 26. _I supply_ of. thynge. 28. harme. 32. Howe. 34.
debate. 35. wote. 37. meane. 39. ayenwarde. 44. bountie. 45. honoure. 46.
done. encreasynge. 47. soverayntie. 53. magre. 57. _Supply_ that. men _and_
it. 59. fire.
61. ioyn. 62. sene. menne. 63. mayste. 64-5. one (_twice_). 66. dothe. 68.
made. 69. throwe out. 70. great burthyns. 77. debate. 80. slewe. 81.
Engla_n_de. 82. wysedom. 88. bring forthe. heate. 89. colde. 91. son. 93.
distruction. 94. some.
98. wretches. 99. con; _read_ conne. 100. desyre. 102. howe. mean. 107.
lyuenges. 111. nowe. 113. beautie. encreaseth. 114. Nowe se. 118. se. 119.
wysenesse wolte. 124. forthe toforne. 125. parte. 126. _I supply_ that.
127. ayenwarde. 128. woste. 129. fyre. heateth. 132. cytie.
141. done none. none. 142. propertie. 143. howe. cytie werne. 144. nowe.
147. _For_ He _read_ That thing? 147-8. nowe (_twice_). 151. the. beautie.
152. encreaseth. 153. dignite; _read_ dignitees. 154. howe. 155. thynge.
158. that that; _read_ that. nowe (_twice_). 159. bountie. 160. leaueth.
161. dothe. 162. maye. waye. 164. leaue. waye.