[Sidenote: [The secunde p{ro}se.]]
[Sidenote: Philosophy expostulates with Boethius in the name of
Fortune.]
++CErtis I wolde plete wiþ þee a fewe þinges vsynge
þe wordes of fortune tak heede now þi self. yif þ{a}t
she axeþ ryȝt.
[Sidenote: Why do you accuse me (Fortune) as guilty?]
[Sidenote: [* fol. 9 _b_.]]
*¶ O þou man wher fore makest þou
me gilty by þine euerydayes pleynynges. what wronges 836
haue I don þe.
[Sidenote: What goods or advantages have I deprived you of?]
what goodes haue I byreft þe þat weren
þine. stryf or plete wiþ me by fore what iuge þat þou
wilt of þe possessiou{n} of rycchesse or of dignites
[Sidenote: Can you prove that ever any man had a fixed property in
his riches?]
¶ And
yif þou maist shewe me þat euer any mortal man haþ 840
receyued any of þese þinges to ben his in p{ro}pre. þan
wol I graunt[e] frely þat [alle] þilke þinges were{n} þine
whiche þat þou axest.
[Sidenote: You came naked into the world, and I cherished you and
encompassed you with affluence.]
¶ Whan þat nature brouȝt[e] þe
forþe out of þi moder wombe. I receyued[e] þe naked 844
{and} nedy of al þing. {and} I norysshed[e] þe wiþ my [[pg 34]]
rychesse. {and} was redy {and} ententif þo{ru}ȝ my fauo{ur} to
sustene þe. ¶ And þat makeþ þe now i{n}pacient aȝeins
me. {and} I envirounde þe wiþ al þe habundaunce {and} 848
shinyng of al goodes þat ben in my ryȝt.
[Sidenote: Now that I have a mind to withdraw my bounty, be
thankful and complain not.]
¶ Now it
lykeþ me to wiþ drawe myne hande. þou hast had grace
as he þat haþ vsed of foreyne goodes. þou hast no ryȝt to
pleyne þe. as þouȝ þou haddest vtterly lorn alle þi 852
þinges. whi pleynest þou þan. I haue don þe no wrong.
[Sidenote: Riches and honours are subject to me.]
Ricches hono{ur}es {and} swyche oþer þinges ben of my
ryȝt.
[Sidenote: They are my servants, and come and go with me.]
¶ My seruauntes knowen me for hir lady. þei
comen wiþ me {and} dep{ar}ten whan I wende. I dar wel 856
affermen hardyly. þat yif þo þinges of whiche þou
pleynest þat þou hast forlorn hadde ben þine. þou ne
haddest not lorn he{m}.
[Sidenote: Shall I alone be forbidden to use my own right?]
¶ shal I þan only be defended
to vse my ryȝt.
[Sidenote: Doth not heaven give us sunny days and obscure the same
with dark nights?]
¶ Certis it is leueful to þe heuene to 860
make clere dayes. {and} after þat to keuere þe same dayes
wiþ derke nyȝtes.
[Sidenote: Is not the earth covered with frost as well as with
flowers?]
¶ Þe erþe haþ eke leue to apparaile
þe visage of þe erþe now w{i}t{h} floures {and} now wiþ
fruyt. {and} to confounde he{m} so{m}tyme wiþ raynes {and} 864
wiþ coldes.
[Sidenote: The sea sometimes appears calm, and at other times
terrifies us with its tempestuous waves.]
¶ Þe see haþ eke hys ryȝt to be somtyme
calme {and} blaundyshing wiþ smoþe water. {and}
somtyme to be horrible wiþ wawes {and} wiþ tempestes.
[Sidenote: Shall I be bound to constancy by the covetousness of
men?]
¶ But þe couetyse of men þat may not be staunched 868
shal it bynde me to be stedfast. syn þat stedfastnesse
is vnkouþ to my maneres. ¶ Swyche is my strengþe.
[Sidenote: I turn my rolling wheel and amuse myself with exalting
what was low, and bringing down what was high.]
{and} þis pley. I pley[e] co{n}tinuely. I tourne þe whirly{n}g
whele wiþ þe tournyng cercle ¶ I am glade to chaunge 872
þe lowest to þe heyeste. {and} þe heyest to þe loweste.
[Linenotes:
833 _plete_--pleten
834 _tak_--MS. take, C. tak
835 _makest þou_--makes thow
836 _wronges_--wro{n}ge
837 _don_--MS. done, C. don
_byreft_--MS. byrefte, C. byreft
838 _stryf_--MS. stryue, C. stryf
_plete_--pleten
_by fore_--by forn
839 _wilt_--wolt
_rycchesse_--rychesses
840 _shewe_--shewyn
_euer_--eu{er}e
_haþ_--MS. haþe
841 _þese_--tho
_his_--hise
842 _graunt[e]_--grau{n}te
[_alle_]--from C.
845 _al þing_--alle thinges
_norysshed[e]_--noryssede
846 _rychesse_--rychesses
848, 849 _al_--alle
848 _habundaunce_--abou{n}dau{n}ce
850 _wiþ----hande_--withdrawen myn hand
_had_--MS. hadde, C. had
851 _haþ_--MS. haþe
852 _vtterly_--outrely
_lorn_--MS. lorne, C. for lorn.
853 _don_--MS. done, C. don
854 _Ricches_--Rychesses
858 _forlorn_--MS. forlorne, C. forlorn
859 _lorn_--MS. lorne, C. lorn
860 _vse_--vsen
861 _keuere þe_--coeu{er}yn tho
862 _derke_--dirk
_erþe_--yer
_haþ_--MS. haþe
864 _confounde_--co{n}fownden
865 _haþ_--MS. haþe
866 _calme_--kalm
867 (2nd) _wiþ_--omitted
869 _stedfast_--stidefast
_stedfastnesse_--stidefastnesse
870 _vnkouþ_--MS. vnkouþe, C. vnkowth
_Swyche_--Swych
871 _pley[e]_--pleye
872 _whele_--wheel
_glade_--glad
_chaunge_--chaungy{n}]
[[pg 35]]
[Headnote:
BE SUBJECT TO FORTUNE’S CHANGES.]
[Sidenote: Ascend if you will, but come down when my sport
requires it.]
worþe vp yif þou wilt. so it be by þis lawe. þat þou
ne holde not þat I do þe wronge þouȝ þou descende
dou{n} whanne resou{n} of my pleye axeþ it.
[Sidenote: Know you not the history of Crœsus and of Paulus
Æmilius?]
Wost þou 876
not how Cresus kyng of lyndens of whiche kyng Cir{us}
was ful sore agast a litel byforne þat þis rewlyche
Cresus was cauȝt of Cirus {and} lad to þe fijr to be
brent. but þat a reyne desce{n}ded[e] dou{n} from heuene 880
þat rescowed[e] hym ¶ And is it out of þi mynde how
þat Paulus consul of Rome whan he hadde take þe
kyng of p{er}ciens weep pitou[s]ly for þe captiuitee of þe
self[e] kyng.
[Sidenote: What else does the weeping muse of Tragedy deplore but
the overthrow of kingdoms by the indiscriminate strokes of
Fortune?]
What oþer þinges bywaylen þe criinges of 884
Tragedies. but only þe dedes of fortune. þat wiþ an
vnwar stroke ouert{ur}neþ þe realmes of grete nobley
¶ _Glose._ Tragedie is to seyne a dite of a p{ro}sp{er}ite for
a tyme þat endiþ in wrechednesse.
[Sidenote: Did you not learn whilst a youth, that at the gates of
Jove’s palace stand two vessels, one full of blessings, the other
of woes?]
Lernedest nat þou 888
in grek whan þou were ȝonge þat in þe entre or in þe
seler of Iuppiter þer ben couched two tunnes. þat on
is ful of good þat oþer is ful of harme.
[Sidenote: What if you have drunk too deep of the first vessel?]
¶ What ryȝt
hast þou to pleyne. yif þou hast taken more plenteuously 892
of þe goode syde þat is to seyne of my rycchesse {and}
p{ro}sp{er}ites. {and} what eke. yif I be nat departed fro þe.
[Sidenote: My mutability gives thee hope of happier days.]
What eke. yif my mutabilitee ȝiueþ þe ryȝtful cause of
hope to han ȝit better þi{n}ges.
[Sidenote: Desire not to be exempted from the vicissitudes of
humanity.]
¶ Naþeles desmaie þe 896
nat in þi þouȝt. and þ{o}u þat art put in comune realme
of alle: ne desijr[e] nat to lyue by þine oonly p{ro}pre ryȝt.
[Linenotes:
874 _worþe_--worth
_wilt_--wolt
876 _doun_--adou{n}
_whanne_--wan
_pleye_--pley
_Wost þou_--wistesthow
877 _kyng_ (1)--the kyng
_lyndens_--lydyens
878 _byforne_--byforn
880 _reyne descended[e]_--rayn dessendede
_from_--fro
881 _rescowed[e]_--rescowede
882 _take_--takyn
885 _an_--a
886 _þe_--omitted
887 _seyne_--seyn
890 _tunnes_--tonnes
891 _harme_--harm
892 _hast þou_--hasthow
893 _seyne_--seyn
_rycchesse_--rychesses
894 _I be nat_--I ne be nat al
896 _better_--beter{e}
898 _lyue_--lyuen
_þine_--thin]
[Headnote:
THE COVETOUS ARE EVER DISCONTENTED.]