[Footnote 2: MS. ualet.]
[Sidenote: [The ferthe met{ur}.]]
[Sidenote: He who would have a stable and lasting seat must not
build upon lofty hills; nor upon the sands, if he would escape the
violence of winds and waves.]
++What maner man stable {and} war þat wil founden hym
a p{er}durable sete {and} ne wil not be cast doune 1156
wiþ þe loude blastes of þe wynde Eurus. {and} wil dispise
þe see manassynge wiþ floodes ¶ Lat hym eschewe to
bilde on þe cop of þe mou{n}tay{n}gne. or in þe moyste
sandes. ¶ For þe fel[le] wynde auster to{ur}menteþ þe cop 1160
of þe mou{n}tayngne wiþ alle his strengþes. ¶ and þe
lowe see sandes refuse to beren þe heuy weyȝte. [[pg 45]]
[Sidenote: If thou wilt flee perilous fortune, lay thy foundation
upon the firmer stone, so that thou mayst grow old in thy
stronghold.]
{and} forþi yif þou wolt flee þe p{er}ilous auenture þat is to
seine of þe worlde ¶ Haue mynde certeynly to ficchyn 1164
þi house of a myrie site in a lowe stoone. ¶ For al
þouȝ þe wynde troublyng þe see þondre wiþ ouereþrowynges
¶ Þou þat art put i{n} quiete {and} welful by
strengþe of þi palys shalt leden a cleer age. scornyng 1168
þe wodenesses and þe Ires of þe eir.
[Linenotes:
1155, 1156, 1157 _wil_--wole
1156 _be cast_--MS. be caste, C. ben cast
1157 _wynde_--wynd
1158 _eschewe_--eschewen
1160 _fel[le]_--felle
1161 _his_--hise
1162 _lowe_--lavse
_see_--omitted
_refuse_--refusen
_weyȝte_--wyhte
1163 _flee_--fleen
1164 _seine_--seyn
1165 _þi_--thin
_lowe stoone_--lowh stoon
1167 _welful_--weleful
1169 _wodenesses_--woodnesses]
[Headnote:
GLORY NOT IN RICHES; THEY ADD NOTHING TO VIRTUE.]