[Sidenote: [The 8^the Met{ur}.]]
[Sidenote: Alas! how through folly and ignorance do men stray from
the path of true happiness!]
++Allas whiche folie {and} whiche ignorau{n}ce myslediþ 2252
wandryng wrecches fro þe paþe of verrey good.
[Sidenote: Ye do not seek gold upon trees nor diamonds from the
vine.]
¶ Certis ȝe ne seken no golde in grene trees. ne ȝe ne
gadren [nat] p{re}cious stones in þe vines. [[pg 82]]
[Sidenote: Ye lay not your nets to catch fish upon the lofty
hills.]
ne ȝe ne
hiden nat ȝoure gynnes in heyȝe mou{n}taignes to kachen 2256
fisshe of whiche ȝe may maken ryche festes.
[Sidenote: The hunter goes not to the Tyrrhene waters to hunt the
roe.]
and yif
ȝow lykeþ to hunte to roos. ȝe ne gon nat to þe foordes
of þe water þat hyȝt tyrene.
[Sidenote: Men know where to look for white pearls, and for the
fish that yields the purple dye.]
{and} ouer þis men knowen
wel þe crikes {and} þe cau{er}nes of þe see yhidd in þe 2260
floodes. {and} knowen eke whiche water is most plentiuo{us}
of white perles. {and} knowen whiche water habundeþ
most of rede purpre. þat is to seyen of a maner shelfisshe
w{i}t{h} whiche men dien purpre.
[Sidenote: They know where the most delicate of the finny race
abound and where the fierce sea-urchin is to be found.]
{and} knowen 2264
whiche strondes habounden most of tendre fisshes or
of sharpe fisshes þat hyȝten echynnys.
[Sidenote: But where the Sovereign Good abides blinded mortals
never know, but plunge into the earth below to look for that which
has its dwelling in the heavens.]
but folk suffren
hem self to ben so blynde þat hem ne recchiþ nat to
knowe where þilk[e] goodes ben yhidd whiche þat þei 2268
coueiten but ploungen hem in erþe {and} seken þere
þilke goode þ{a}t so{ur}mou{n}teþ þe heuene þat bereþ þe
sterres.
[Sidenote: What doom do the silly race deserve?]
[Sidenote: [* fol. 19 _b_.]]
¶ what *p{re}yere may I make þat be digne to
þe nice þouȝtis of men.
[Sidenote: May they pursue such false joys, and having obtained
them, too late find out the value of the true.]
but I p{re}ye þat þei coueite{n} 2272
rycches {and} hono{ur}s so þat whan þei han geten þo
false goodes wiþ greet trauayle þat þerby þei mowe
knowen þe verray goodes.
[Linenotes:
2252 _whiche_ (_both_)--whych
2253 _paþe_--paath
_good_--goode
2254 _golde_--gold]
[Headnote:
THE INSUFFICIENCY OF WORLDLY BLISS.]