[Sidenote: [The fyfthe p{ro}se.]]
[Sidenote: _B._ I see plainly the nature of that felicity which
attends the virtues of the good, and of the misery that follows
the vices of the wicked.]
++Þus see I wel q{uo}d I. eyþer what blisfulnesse or ellys
what vnselinesse is estab[l]issed in þe desertys of
goode men {and} of shrewes.
[Sidenote: But in Fortune I see a mixture of good and evil. The
wise man prefers riches, &c., to poverty, &c.]
¶ but in þis ilke fortune
of poeple I see somwhat of goode. {and} somwhat of 3760
yuel. for no wise man haþ nat leuer ben exiled pore
{and} nedy {and} nameles. þan forto dwellen in hys Citee
{and} flouren of rychesses. {and} be redoutable by honoure.
{and} stronge of power
[Sidenote: And wisdom appears more illustrious, when wise men are
governors and impart their felicity to their subjects; and when
imprisonment, torture, &c., are inflicted only upon bad citizens.]
for in þis wise more clerely {and} 3764
more witnesfully is þe office of wise men ytretid whan
þe blisfulnes {and} [the] pouste of gouerno{ur}s is as it
were yshad amonges poeples þat ben neyȝboures {and}
subgitȝ. syn þat namely prisou{n} lawe {and} þise oþer 3768
to{ur}mentȝ of lawful peynes ben raþer owed to felonous
Citeȝeins. for þe whiche felonous Citeȝeins þo peynes
ben establissed. þan for goode folk.
[Sidenote: Why, then, should things undergo so unnatural a
change? Why should the worthy suffer and the vicious receive
the reward of virtue?]
¶ þan I m{er}ueile
me gretly q{uo}d I. whi [þ{a}t] þe þinges ben so mys 3772
entrechaunged. þat to{ur}mentȝ felounes pressen {and}
confounden goode folk. {and} shrewes rauyssen medes of
vertue {and} ben i{n} hono{ur}s. {and} in grete estatis. [[pg 132]]
[Sidenote: I should like to hear the reason of so unjust a
distribution.]
and I
desire eke to wite{n} of þe. what semeþ þe to ben þe 3776
resou{n} of þis so wrongful a confusiou{n}
[Sidenote: I should not marvel so much if _Chance_ were the cause
of all this confusion.]
¶ For I wolde
wondre wel þe lasse yif I trowed[e] þat alle þise þinges
were medeled by fortuouse hap.
[Sidenote: But I am overwhelmed with astonishment when I reflect,
that God the director of all things thus unequally distributes
rewards and punishments.]
¶ But now hepeþ
{and} encreseþ myne astonyenge god gouerno{ur} of þinges. 3780
þat so as god ȝeueþ ofte tymes to good[e] men goodes
{and} myrþes. {and} to shrewes yuel and aspre þinges.
{and} ȝeueþ aȝeynewarde to goode folk hardnesse. {and} to
shrewes [he] g{ra}unteþ hem her wille {and} þat þei desiren. 3784
[Sidenote: What difference is there, then, unless we know the
cause, between God’s proceedings and the operations of Chance?]
what difference þan may þer be bitwixen þ{a}t þat
god doþ. {and} þe hap of fortune. yif men ne knowe nat
þe cause whi þat [it] is.
[Sidenote: _P._ It is not at all surprising that you think you see
irregularities, when you are ignorant of that order by which God
proceeds.]
it nis no merueile q{uo}d she þouȝ
þat men wenen þat þer be somwhat folysche and confus 3788
whan þe resou{n} of þe order is vnknowe.
[Sidenote: But, forasmuch as God, the good governor, presides over
all, rest assured that all things are done rightly and as they
ought to be done.]
¶ But alle
þouȝ þou ne know nat þe cause of so gret a disposic{i}ou{n}.
naþeles for as moche as god þe good[e] gouernour attempreþ
{and} gouerneþ þe world. ne doute þe nat þat 3792
alle þinges ne ben doon aryȝt.
[Linenotes:
3760 _goode_--good
3761 _haþ_--MS. haþe
_nat_--omitted
_leuer_--leu{er}e
3762 _þan_--MS. þat, C. than
3763 _redoutable_--MS. redentable, C. redowtable
3764 _stronge_--strong
_clerely_--clerly
3766 [_the_]--from C.
3767 _neyȝboures_--nesshebors
3769 _lawful_--laweful
3771 _goode_--good
3772 [_þat_]--from C.
3775 _grete_--gret
3776 _to witen_--forto weten
3778 _trowed[e]_--trowede
_alle_--al
3779 _were_--weeren
_fortuouse_--fortunous
3780 _myne_--myn
3781 _good[e]_--goode
3782 _yuel_--yuelis
3783 _hardnesse_--hardnesses
3784 [_he_]--from C.
_wille_--wyl
3785 _difference_--MS. differenee
3786 _doþ_--MS. doþe
_hap_--happe
3787 [_it_]--from C.
_it_--ne it
3788 _confus_--confuse
3789 _alle_--al
3791 _good[e]_--goode
3793 _ne_--omitted]
[Headnote:
THE HIDDEN CAUSES OF THINGS.]