[Sidenote: [The 7th Metre.]]
[Sidenote: Let him who seeks fame, thinking it to be the sovereign
good, look upon the broad universe and this circumscribed earth;
and he will then despise a glorious name limited to such a
confined space.]
++Who so þat wiþ ouerþrowyng þouȝt only sekeþ glorie
of fame. {and} weniþ þat it be souereyne good
¶ Lete hym loke vpon þe brode shewyng contreys of
þe heue{n}. {and} vpo{n} þe streite sete of þis erþe. {and} 1616
he shal be ashamed of þe encres of his name. þat may
nat fulfille þe litel compas of þe erþe. ¶ O what
coueiten proude folke to liften vpon hire nekkes in
ydel {and} dedely ȝok of þis worlde.
[Sidenote: Will splendid titles and renown prolong a man’s life?]
¶ For al þouȝ 1620
[þ{a}t] renoune y-spradde passynge to ferne poeples goþ
by dyuerse tonges. and al þouȝ grete houses {and} kynredes
shyne wiþ clere titles of hono{ur}s.
[Sidenote: In the grave there is no distinction between high and
low.]
ȝit naþeles
deeþ dispiseþ al heye glorie of fame. {and} deeþ wrappeþ 1624
to gidre þe heye heuedes {and} þe lowe {and} makeþ egal
{and} euene þe heyest[e] to þe lowest[e].
[Sidenote: Where is the good Fabricius now?]
¶ where
wone{n} now þe bones of trewe fabricius.
[Sidenote: Where the noble Brutus, or stern Cato?]
what is
now brutus or stiern Caton þe þinne fame ȝit lastynge 1628
of hir ydel names is markid wiþ a fewe lettres.
[Sidenote: Their empty names still live, but of their persons we
know nothing.]
but al þouȝ we han knowe{n} þe faire wordes of þe fames of
hem. it is nat ȝeuen to knowe he{m} þat ben dede {and}
consumpt.
[Sidenote: Fame cannot make you known.]
Liggiþ þanne stille al vtterly vnknowable 1632
ne fame ne makeþ ȝow nat knowe. and yif ȝe wene
to lyuen þe leng{er} for wynde of ȝoure mortal name.
whan o cruel day shal rauyshe ȝow. þan is þe secunde
deeþ dwellyng in ȝow.
[Sidenote: It will be effaced by conquering Time, so that death
will be doubly victorious.]
_Glosa._ þe first deeþ he clepiþ 1636
here þe dep{ar}tynge of þe body {and} þe soule. ¶ and [[pg 61]]
þe secunde deeþ he clepeþ as here. þe styntynge of
þe renoune of fame.[3]
[Linenotes:
1615 _Lete_--Lat
_loke_--looken
1616 _sete_--Cyte
1617 _be_--ben
1619 _vpon_--vp
1620 _and dedely_--in the dedly
1621 _y-spradde_--ysprad
[_þat_]--from C.
_ferne_--MS. serue, C. ferne
_goþ_--MS. goþe, C. goth
1622 {and} (2)--or
1623 _shyne_--shynen
_clere_--cler
1624 _al_--alle
1626 _heyest[e]_--heyoste
_lowest[e]_--loweste
1628 _stiern_--MS. sciern, C. stierne
1632 _consumpt_--{con}sumpte
1634 _lenger_--longer{e}
1637 _þe_ (1)--omitted
1639 _renoune_--renou{n}]
[Footnote 3: The next three chapters are from the Camb. MS.]
[Headnote:
ADVERSE FORTUNE IS BENEFICIAL.]
[SET NE ME INEXORABILE CONTRA.
[Sidenote: [The viij p{ro}se.]]
[Sidenote: ‘But do not believe,’ said Philosophy, ‘that I am an
implacable enemy to Fortune.]
++BVt for-as-mochel as thow shalt nat wenen q{uod} she 1640
þ{a}t I bere vntretable batayle ayenis fortune //
[Sidenote: This inconstant dame sometimes deserves well of men,
when she appears in her true colours.]
yit som-tyme it by-falleth þ{a}t she desseyuable desserueth
to han ryht good thank of men // {And} þ{a}t is whan she
hir{e} self opneth / {and} whan she descou{er}eth hir frownt / 1644
{and} sheweth hir maneres p{ar}-auentur{e} yit vndirstondesthow
nat þ{a}t .I. shal seye //
[Sidenote: And what I say may perhaps appear paradoxical.]
it is a wondyr þ{a}t .I.
desyr{e} to telle /
[Sidenote: That is, that adverse fortune is more beneficial than
prosperous fortune.]
{and} forthi vnnethe may I. vnpleyten my
sentense w{i}t{h} wordes for I. deme þ{a}t contraryos fortune 1648
p{ro}fiteth mor{e} to men than fortune debonayr{e} //
[Sidenote: The latter lies and deceives us, the former displays
her natural inconstancy.]
For al-wey whan fortune semeth debonayr{e} than she lyeth
falsly in by-hetynge the hope of welefulnesse // but forsothe
{con}traryos fortune is alwey sothfast / whan she 1652
sheweth hir self vnstable thorw hyr chau{n}gynge //
[Sidenote: That deceives us, this instructs us; that, by a
fallacious show of good, enslaves the mind; this, by the knowledge
of her fickleness, frees and absolves it.]
the amyable fortune desseyueth folk / the contrarye fortune
techeth // the amyable fortune byndeth w{i}t{h} the beaute
of false goodys the hertes of folk þ{a}t vsen he{m} / the 1656
contrarye fortune vnbyndeth he{m} by þ^e knowynge of
freele welefulnesse //
[Sidenote: The one is wavering and incapable of reflection, the
other is staid and wise through experience of adversity.]
the amyable fortune maysthow sen
alwey wyndynge {and} flowynge / {and} eu{er}e mysknowynge 1659
of hir self // the contrarye fortune is a-tempre {and} restreynyd
{and} wys thorw excersyse of hir aduersyte //
[Sidenote: Lastly, prosperous fortune leads men astray. Adversity
teaches them wherein real happiness consists.]
at the laste amyable fortune w{i}t{h} hir flaterynges draweth
mys wandrynge men fro the souereyne good // the contraryos
fortune ledith ofte folk ayein to sothfast goodes / 1664
{and} haleth hem ayein as w{i}t{h} an hooke /
[Sidenote: It renders us no inconsiderable service in enabling us
to recognize our true friends.]
weenesthow
thanne þ{a}t thow owhtest to leten this a lytel thing / þ{a}t
this aspre {and} horible fortune hath discoueryd to the / the
thowhtes of thy trewe frendes // For-why this ilke fortune 1668
hath departyd {and} vncou{er}yd to the bothe the [[pg 62]]
certeyn vysages {and} ek the dowtos visages of thy
felawes // wha{n} she dep{ar}tyd awey fro the / she took
awey hyr frendes {and} lafte the thyne frendes // 1672
[Sidenote: At what price would you not have bought this knowledge
in your prosperity?]
now whan thow wer{e} ryche {and} weleful as the semede / w{i}t{h}
how mochel woldesthow han bowht the fulle knowynge
of this // þ{a}t is to seyn the knowynge of thy
verray freendes //
[Sidenote: Complain not, then, of loss of wealth, since thou hast
found infinitely greater riches in your true friends.]
now pleyne the nat thanne of Rychesse 1676
.I.-lorn syn thow hast fowndyn the moste p{re}syos kynde
of Rychesses þ{a}t is to seyn thy verray frendes.
[Headnote:
ALL THINGS BOUND BY THE CHAIN OF LOVE.]