[Sidenote: When patience is lost then a change of state is
desired.]
++And aȝeinewarde al fortune is blisful to a man by þe
agreablete or by þe egalite of hym þat suffreþ it.
¶ What man is þat. þat is so weleful þat nolde chau{n}ge{n} 1100
his estat whan he haþ lorn pacience. þe swetnesse of
mannes welefulnesse is yspranid wiþ many[e] bitternesses.
þe whiche welefulnesse al þouȝ it seme swete {and} [[pg 43]]
ioyeful to hym þat vseþ it. ȝit may it not be wiþ-holden 1104
þat it ne goþ away whan it wol.
[Sidenote: How much is human felicity embittered!]
¶ Þan is it wel sen
how wrecched is þe blisfulnesse of mortel þinges.
[Sidenote: It will not stay with those that endure their lot with
equanimity, nor bring comfort to anxious minds.]
þat neiþ{er} it dwelliþ p{er}petuel wiþ hem þat euery fortune
receyuen agreablely or egaly. ¶ Ne it ne deliteþ not in 1108
al. to hem þat ben anguissous.
[Sidenote: Why then, O mortals, do ye seek abroad for that
felicity which is to be found within yourselves?]
[Sidenote: [* fol. 11 _b_.]]
¶ O ye mortel folkes
what seke *ȝe þan blisfulnesse oute of ȝoure self. whiche
þat is put in ȝoure self. Erro{ur} {and} folie co{n}fou{n}deþ
ȝow ¶ I shal shewe þe shortly. þe poynt of souereyne 1112
blisfulnesse.
[Sidenote: Nothing is more precious than thyself.]
Is þer any þing to þe more p{re}ciouse þan
þi self ¶ Þou wilt answere nay.
[Sidenote: If thou hast command over thyself, Fortune cannot
deprive thee of it.]
¶ Þan if it so be þat
þou art myȝty ouer þi self þat is to seyn by tranquillitee
of þi soule. þan hast þou þing i{n} þi power þat þou 1116
noldest neuer lesen. ne fortune may nat by-nyme it þe.
[Sidenote: Happiness does not consist in things transitory.]
{and} þat þou mayst knowe þat blisfulnesse [ne] may
nat standen in þinges þat ben fortunous {and} te{m}perel.
[Sidenote: If happiness be the supreme good of nature, then that
thing cannot be it which can be withdrawn from us.]
¶ Now vndirstonde {and} gadir it to gidir þus 1120
yif blisfulnesse be þe souereyne goode of nature þat
liueþ by resou{n} ¶ Ne þilke þing nis nat souereyne
goode þat may be taken awey in any wyse. for more
worþi þing {and} more digne is þilke þing þ{a}t may nat be 1124
taken awey.
[Sidenote: Instability of fortune is not susceptive of true
happiness.]
¶ Þan shewiþ it wele þat þe vnstablenesse
of fortune may nat attayne to receyue verray
blisfulnes. ¶ And ȝit more ouer.
[Sidenote: He who is led by fading felicity, either knows that it
is changeable or does not know it.]
¶ What man þat
þis toumblyng welefulnesse leediþ. eiþer he woot þat 1128
[it] is chaungeable. or ellis he woot it nat.
[Sidenote: If he knows it not, what happiness has he in the
blindness of his ignorance?]
¶ And yif
he woot it not. what blisful fortune may þer be in þe
blyndenesse of ignorau{n}ce. and yif he woot þat it is
chaungeable. he mot alwey ben adrad þ{a}t he ne lese 1132
þat þing. þat he ne douteþ nat but þat he may leesen it.
[Linenotes:
1098 _aȝeinewarde al_--ayeinward alle
1099 _it_--hyt
1101 _whan_--what
_haþ_--MS. haþe
_lorn_--MS. lorne, C. lost
1102 _yspranid_--spraynyd
_bitternesses_--beternesses
1104 _hym_--hem
_it_--hyt
_be_--ben
1105 _goþ_--MS. geþe
_wol_--woole
_sen_--MS. sene
1107 _dwelliþ_--dureth
1109 _folkes_--folk{e}
1110 _oute_--owt
1112 _shortly_--shortely
1114 _wilt_--MS. wilte, C. wolt
_if_--yif
1117 _by-nyme_--be-neme
1118 _blisfulnesse [ne]_--blyssefulnesse ne
1120 _to gidir_--to gidere
1121, 1122 _souereyne goode_--sou{er}eyn good
1125 _wele_--wel
1126 _receyue_--resseyuen
1129 [_it_]--from C.
_it_--hyt
1130 _be_--ben
1131 _blyndenesse_--blyndnesse]
[[pg 44]]
[Headnote:
RICHES DO NOT CONSTITUTE HAPPINESS.]
[Sidenote: If he knows it is fleeting he must be afraid of losing
it, and this fear will not suffer him to be happy.]
¶ As whoo seiþ he mot ben alwey agast lest he
leese þat he wot wel he may leese. ¶ For whiche þe
continuel drede þat he haþ ne suffriþ hym nat to ben 1136
weleful. ¶ Or ellys yif he leese it he wene to be
dispised {and} forleten hit. ¶ Certis eke þat is a ful
lytel goode þat is born wiþ euene hert[e] whan it is
loost. ¶ Þat is to seyne þat men don no more force. 1140
of þe lost þan of þe hauynge.
[Sidenote: Since thou art convinced of the soul’s immortality,
thou canst not doubt that if death puts an end to human felicity,
that all men when they die, are plunged into the depths of
misery.]
¶ And for as myche as
þou þi self art he to who{m} it haþ ben shewid {and} p{ro}ued
by ful many[e] demonstrac{i}ou{n}s. as I woot wel þat þe
soules of men ne mowen nat dien in no wise. and eke 1144
syn it is clere. {and} certeyne þat fortunous welefulnesse
endiþ by þe deeþ of þe body. ¶ It may nat ben douted
þat yif þat deeþ may take awey blysfulnesse þat al þe
kynde of mortal þi{n}g{us} ne descendiþ in to wrecchednesse 1148
by þe ende of þe deeþ.
[Sidenote: But we know that many have sought to obtain felicity,
by undergoing not only death, but pains and torments.]
¶ And syn we knowen
wel þat many a man haþ souȝt þe fruit of blisfulnesse
nat only wiþ suffryng of deeþ. but eke wiþ suffryng of
peynes {and} to{ur}mentes.
[Sidenote: How then can this present life make men truly happy,
since when it is ended they do not become miserable?]
how myȝt[e] þan þis p{re}sent 1152
lijf make men blisful. syn þat whanne þilke self[e]
lijf is endid. it ne makeþ folk no wrecches.
[Linenotes:
1134 _it_--hyt
_seiþ_--MS. seiþe, C. seyth
1135 _wot_--MS. wote, C. wot
_leese_ (2)--leese it
_whiche_--which
1136 _haþ_--MS. haþe
1137 _ellys_--omitted
_wene_--weneth
1138 _hit_--omitted
1139 _goode_--good
_born_--MS. borne, C. born
_hert[e]_--herte
1140 _seyne_--seyn
_don_--MS. done, C. do
_force_--fors
1142 _haþ_--MS. haþe
1143 _many[e]_--manye
1144 _mowen_--mowe
_dien_--deyen
1145 _clere_--cleer
_certeyne_--certeyn
1147 _al_--alle
1150 _haþ_--MS. haþe
_fruit_--frut
1152 _myȝt[e]_--myhte
1153 _make_--maken
_self[e]_--selue]
[Headnote:
RICHES HAVE NO INTRINSIC VALUE.]