[Sidenote: [The fyrste prose.]]
[Sidenote: When Philosophy had thus spoken, and was about to
discuss other matters I interrupted her.]
++She hadde seid {and} to{ur}ned[e] þe cours of hir resou{n} to
so{m}me oþ{er} þinges to ben tretid {and} to ben ysped.
[Sidenote: _B._ Thy exhortation is just and worthy of thy
authority, but thou saidst that the question of the Divine
Superintendence or Providence is involved with many others--and
this I believe.]
þan seide I. Certys ryȝtful is þin amonestyng {and} ful 4296
digne by auctorite. but þat þou seidest som tyme þat
þe questiou{n} of þe deuyne p{ur}ueaunce is enlaced wiþ
many oþer questiou{n}s. I vndir-stonde wel {and} p{ro}ue it
by þe same þinge.
[Sidenote: I am desirous, however, of knowing whether there be
such a thing as _Chance_, and what thou thinkest it is.]
but I axe yif þat þou wenest þat hap 4300
be any þing in any weys. {and} if þou wenest þat hap be
any [thing] what is it.
[Sidenote: _P._ I hasten to fulfil my promise and to show the road
to your own country.]
þan q{uo}d she. I haste me to
ȝelden {and} assoilen þe to þe dette of my byheste {and}
to shewen {and} opnen þe wey by whiche wey þou maist 4304
come aȝein to þi contre.
[Sidenote: But although these things you question me about are
profitable to know, yet they lead us a little out of our way.]
¶ but al be it so þat þe þinges
whiche þat þou axest b{e}n ryȝt p{ro}fitable to knowe.
ȝitte ben þei diuers somwhat fro þe paþe of my purpos.
[Sidenote: And by straying from the path you may be too fatigued
to return to the right road.]
And it is to douten þat þou ne be maked weery by 4308
mysweys so þat þou ne mayst nat suffise to mesure{n} þe
ryȝt weye.
[Sidenote: _B._ Don’t be afraid of that, for it will refresh me as
much as rest to know these things in which I am delightfully
interested.]
¶ Ne doute þe þer-of no þing q{uo}d I. for
forto knowen þilke þinges to-gidre in þe whiche þinges
I delite me gretly. þat shal ben to me in stede of reste. 4312
Syn it nis nat to douten of þe þinges folwy{n}ge whan
euery side of þi disputisou{n} shal be stedfast to me by
vndoutous feiþ. þan seide she. þat manere wol I don
þe. {and} byga{n} to speken ryȝt þus [[pg 150]]
[Sidenote: _P._ I will then comply with thy requests.]
¶ Certys q{uo}d she 4316
yif any wyȝt diffinisse hap in þis manere. þat is to seyn.
[Linenotes:
4294 _seid_--MS. seide, C. seyd
_þe_--by
4297 _som tyme_--whilom
4298 _þe_ (2)--thy
4300 _þinge_--thing
4302 [_thing_]--from C.
4303 _ȝelden_--yilden
_assoilen_--MS. assailen, C. assoylen
_byheste_--byhest
4304-6 _whiche_--which
4306 _ben_--MS. b{e}n{e}
4307 _paþe_--paath
4312 _stede_--styde
4314 _disputisoun_--disputaciou{n}
_be_--han ben
_stedfast_--stydefast
4317 _seyn_--seyng]
[Headnote:
DEFINITION OF CHANCE.]
[Sidenote: If we define Chance to be an event produced by an
unintelligent motion, and not by a chain or connection of causes,
I should then affirm that Chance is nothing and an empty sound.]
þat hap is bytidynge y-brouȝt forþe by foelyshe
moeuynge. {and} by no knyttyng of causes. ¶ I conferme
þat hap nis ryȝt nauȝt in no wise. and I deme al 4320
outerly þat hap nis ne dwelliþ but a voys. ¶ As who
seiþ. but an ydel worde wiþ outen any significac{i}ou{n} of
þing summittid to þat vois.
[Sidenote: What room is there for folly and disorder where all
things are restrained by order, through the ordinance of God?]
for what place myȝt[e] ben
left or dwellynge to folie {and} to disordinau{n}ce. syn þat 4324
god lediþ {and} streyniþ alle þinges by ordre.
[Sidenote: For it is a great truth that nothing can spring out of
nothing.]
¶ For þis
sentence is verray {and} soþe þat no þinge ne haþ his
beynge of nouȝt. to [the] whiche sentence none of þise
olde folk ne wiþseide neuere al be it so þat þei ne 4328
vndirstoden ne moeueden it nauȝt by god p{r}ince {and}
gynner of wirkyng. but þei casten as a manere foundement
of subgit material. þat is to seyn of [the] nature
of alle resou{n}.
[Sidenote: Now, if anything arises without the operation of a
cause, it proceeds from nothing.]
{and} ȝif þat ony þinge is woxen or comen 4332
of no causes. þan shal it seme þat þilke þinge is comen
or woxen of nouȝt.
[Sidenote: But if this is impossible, then there can be no such a
thing as Chance, as we have defined it.]
but yif þis ne may nat ben don.
þan is it nat possible þat þere haþ ben any swiche þing
as I haue diffinissid a litel here byforne.
[Sidenote: _B._ Is there nothing, then, that may be called Chance
or Fortune?]
¶ How shal 4336
it þan ben q{uo}d I. nis þer þan no þing þat by ryȝt may
be cleped eyþer hap{pe} or ellis auenture of fortune.
[Sidenote: Is there nothing (hid from the vulgar) to which these
words may be applied?]
[Sidenote: [* fol. 34.]]
or is
þer ouȝt al *be it so þat it is hidd fro þe poeple to
whiche þise wordes ben couenable.
[Sidenote: _P._ Aristotle defines this matter with much precision
and probability.]
Myn aristotul q{uo}d 4340
she. in þe book of his phisik diffinisseþ þis þing by
short resou{n} and neyȝe to þe soþe.
[Sidenote: _B._ How?]
¶ In whiche manere
q{uo}d I.
[Sidenote: _P._ So often as a man does anything for the sake of
any other thing, and another thing than what he intended to do is
produced by other causes, that thing so produced is called
_Chance_.]
¶ As ofte q{uo}d she as men don any þing for
grace of any oþer þing. {and} an oþer þinge þan þilke 4344
þing þat men ententen to doon bytideþ by som[e] causes
it is ycleped hap{pe}.
[Sidenote: As if a man trench the ground for tillage and find
gold, then this is believed to happen by chance, although it is
not so.]
¶ Ryȝt as a man dalf þe erþe by
cause of tylienge of þe felde. {and} fond þere a gobet of [[pg 151]]
golde by-doluen. þan wenen folk þat it is fallen by fortunous 4348
bytydyng. but for soþe it nis nat for nauȝt for
it haþ hys p{ro}pre causes of whiche causes þe cours vnforseyn
and vnwar semiþ to han maked hap{pe}.
[Sidenote: For if the tiller had not ploughed the field, and if
the hider of the gold had not concealed it in that spot, the gold
had not been found.]
¶ For
yif þe tilier in þe erþe ne delue nat in þe felde. and yif 4352
þe hider of þe golde ne hadde hidd þe golde in þilke
place. þe golde ne had[de] nat ben founde.
[Sidenote: These, then, are the causes of a fortuitous acquisition
which proceeds from a conflux of encountering causes, and not from
the intention of the doer.]
þise ben
þan þe causes of þe abreggynge of fortune hap. þe whiche
abreggynge of fortune hap comeþ of causes encountrynge 4356
{and} flowyng to-gidre to hem selfe. {and} nat by þe entenc{i}ou{n}
of þe doer.
[Sidenote: For neither the hider of the gold nor the husbandman
intended or understood that the gold should be found.]
¶ For neiþer þe hider of þe gold.
ne þe deluer of þe felde ne vndirstanden nat þat þe
golde sholde han be founde. but as I seide.
[Sidenote: But it happened by the concurrence of these two causes
that the one did dig where the other had hidden the money.]
it bytidde 4360
{and} ran to-gidre þat he dalf þere as þat oþer hadde hidd
þe golde.
[Sidenote: Chance, then, is an unexpected event, by a concurrence
of causes, following an action designed for a particular purpose.]
Now may I þus diffinissen hap{pe}. ¶ Hap{pe}
is an vnwar bytydyng of causes assembled in þinges þat
ben don for som oþer þinge. but þilke ordre p{ro}cedynge 4364
by an vneschewable byndynge to-gidre.
[Sidenote: This concurrence of causes proceeds from that order
which flows from the fountain of Providence and disposes all
things as to place and time.]
whiche þat
descendeþ fro þe wel of purueaunce þat ordeineþ alle
þinges i{n} hir{e} places {and} in hire tymes makeþ þat þe
causes rennen {and} assemblen to-gidre. 4368
[Linenotes:
4318 _forþe_--forth
4322 _worde_--word
4323 _myȝt[e]_--myhte
4324 _left_--lefte
4325 _streyniþ_--constreynyth
4326 _soþe_--soth
_no þinge_--nothing
_haþ_--MS. haþe
4327 [_the_]--from C.
4330 _gynner_--bygynner{e}
4331 [_the_]--from C.
4332 _ȝif_--MS. ȝit, C. yif
_þinge_--thing
4335 _þat----ben_--þ{a}t hap be
_haþ_--MS. haþe
_swiche_--swych
4338 _happe_--hap
4339 _hidd_--MS. hidde, C. hidd
4340 _whiche_--which
4342 _neyȝe_--nehg
_whiche_--which
4343 _don_--MS. done, C. don
4344 _þinge_--thing
4345 _som[e]_--some
4346 _happe_--hap
4347 _of_ (1)--to
_fond_--MS. fonde, C. fownde
4348 _golde_--gold
_fallen_--byfalle
4349 _for_ (2)--of
4350 _haþ_--MS. haþe
_hys_--hise
4351 _happe_--hap
4352 _tilier_--tylyer{e}
_delue_--dolue
4353 _hider_--hyder{e}
_golde_--gold
_hidd_--MS. hidde
4353-4 _golde_--gold
4354 _had[de]_--hadde
4355 _fortune_--fortuit
_whiche_--which
4356 _fortune_--fortuit
_comeþ_--comth
4357 _flowyng_--MS. folwyng, C. flowynge
_selfe_--self
4358 _doer_--doer{e}
_hider_--hider{e}
4359 _deluer_--deluer{e}
_felde_--feeld
_vndirstanden_--vndirstoden
4360 _golde_--gold
4361 _hidd_--MS. hidde, C. hyd
4362 _happe_ (_both_)--hap
4365 _whiche_--which
4366 _descendeþ_--MS. defendeþ, C. descendith
_wel_--welle]