[Sidenote: [The .iij. Met{ur}.]]
[Sidenote: The stars pale before the light of the rising sun.]
++Whan phebus þe sonne bygynneþ to spreden his clerenesse
w{i}t{h} rosene chariettes. þan þe sterre ydimmyd
paleþ hir white cheres. by þe flamus of þe so{n}ne þat
ouer comeþ þe sterre lyȝt. ¶ Þis is to seyn whan þe 992
sonne is risen þe day sterre wexiþ pale {and} lesiþ hir
lyȝt for þe grete bryȝtnesse of þe sonne.
[Sidenote: Westerly winds deck the wood with roses, but easterly
winds cause their beauty to fade.]
¶ Whan þe
wode wexeþ redy of rosene floures in þe first somer
sesou{n} þoruȝ þe breþe of þe wynde Zephirus þat wexeþ 996
warme. ¶ Yif þe cloudy wynde auster blowe felliche.
þan goþ awey þe fayrnesse of þornes.
[Sidenote: Now the sea is calm, and again it is tempestuous.]
Ofte þe see is
clere {and} calme wiþoute moeuy{n}g floodes. And ofte
þe horrible wynde aq{u}ilon moeueþ boylyng tempestes 1000
{and} ouer whelweþ þe see.
[Sidenote: If all things thus vary, will you trust in transitory
riches?]
¶ Yif þe forme of þis worlde
is so [ȝeelde] stable. {and} yif it to{ur}niþ by so many
entrechau{n}gynges. wilt þou þa{n} truste{n} in þe trublynge
fortunes of me{n}. wilt þou trowen i{n} flittyng goodes. 1004
[Sidenote: All here below is unstedfast and unstable.]
It is certeyne {and} establissed by lawe p{er}durable þat no
þi{n}g þ{a}t is engendred nys stedfast no stable.
[Linenotes:
989 _his_--hyr
990 _þan_--thanne
991 _flamus_--flambes
995 _redy_--rody
_rosene_--rosyn
997 _warme_--warm
998 _goþ_--MS. goþe, C. goth
_fayrnesse_--fayrenesse
999 _clere_--cleer
_calme_--kalm
1000 _wynde_--wynd
1001 _whelweþ_--welueeth
1002 [_ȝeelde_]--from C.
1003, 1004 _wilt þou_--wolthow
1003 _þan_--thanne
_trublynge_--towmbly{n}ge
1004 _in flittyng_--on flettynge
1005 _It is_--is it
1006 _no_--ne
_stable_--estable]
[Headnote:
MUCH TO BE THANKFUL FOR.]