[Sidenote: [The seuende p{ro}se.]]
[Sidenote: _P._ Do you see what follows from our arguments?]
++Sest þou nat þan what þing folweþ alle þe þinges þat I
haue seid.
[Sidenote: _B._ What is it?]
what þing q{uo}d I.
[Sidenote: _P._ That all fortune is good.]
¶ Certys q{uo}d she 4164
outerly þat al fortune is good.
[Sidenote: _B._ How can that be?]
and how may þat be
q{uo}d .I.
[Sidenote: _P._ Since all fortune, whether prosperous or adverse,
is for the reward of the good or the punishment of the bad, all
fortune is good which is either just or useful.]
¶ Now vndirstand q{uo}d she so as [alle
fortune wheyther so it be Ioyeful fortune / or aspr{e}]
fortune is ȝiuen eiþer by cause of g{er}donynge or ellys of 4168
ex{er}cisynge of goode folk or ellys by cause to punissen.
or ellys to chastysen shrewes. ¶ þan is alle fortune [[pg 145]]
good. þe whiche fortune is certeyne þat it be eiþer ryȝtful
or p{ro}fitable.
[Sidenote: But let us put this opinion among those positions which
thou saidst were not commonly believed by the people.]
¶ For soþe þis is a ful verray resou{n} 4172
q{uo}d I. and yif I considere þe p{ur}ueau{n}ce {and} þe
destine þat þou tauȝtest me a litel here byforne þis sentence
is susteyned by stedfast resou{n}s. but yif it like
vnto þe lat vs nou{m}bre hem amonges þilk[e] þinges of 4176
whiche þou seidest a litel here byforne þat þei ne were
nat able to ben ywened to þe poeple.
[Sidenote: _P._ Why so?]
¶ whi so q{uo}d she.
[Sidenote: _B._ Because it is a common expression that _the
fortune of such a one is bad_.]
for þat þe comune worde of men mysusiþ q{uo}d I.
þis manere speche of fortune. {and} sein ofte tymes [þ{a}t] 4180
þe fortune of som wyȝt is wicked.
[Linenotes:
4163 _þing_--thinge
4165 _outerly_--al owtrely
_al_--alle
4166-7 [_alle----aspre_]--from C.
4169 _goode_--good
4174 _here byforne_--her by-forn
4175 _stedfast_--stydefast
4176 _noumbre_--nowmbren
_þilk[e]_--thilke
4177 _here byforne_--her by-forn
4178 _ywened_--weened
4179 _worde_--word]
[Headnote:
PUNISHMENT IS BENEFICIAL.]
[Sidenote: _P._ Do you wish me to conform for awhile to the
language of the people, lest we should seem to depart too much
from the popular mode of expression?]
wilt þou þan q{uo}d
she þat I p{ro}che a litel to þe wordes of þe poeple so it
seme nat to hem þat I be ouer moche dep{ar}tid as fro þe
vsage of man kynde.
[Sidenote: _B._ As you please.]
as þou wolt q{uo}d I.
[Sidenote: _P._ Is everything profitable that is good?]
¶ Demest 4184
þou nat q{uo}d she þat al þing þat p{ro}fitiþ is good.
[Sidenote: _B._ Yes, certainly.]
ȝis q{uo}d I.
[Sidenote: _P._ That which exercises or corrects is profitable?]
certis þilk þing þat ex{er}cisiþ or corigiþ profitiþ.
[Sidenote: _B._ It is.]