[Sidenote: [The fyrste Met{ur}.]]
[Sidenote: Where the flying Parthian doth pierce his pursuers with
his shafts, there from the Achemenian heights flow the Tigris and
Euphrates, but soon their streams divide and flow into separate
channels.]
++TIgris [{and}] eufrates resoluen {and} spryngen of a welle in
þe kragges of þe roche of þe contre of achemenye þer{e}
as þe fleenge [batayle] ficchiþ hire dartes reto{ur}nid in
þe brestes of hem þat folwen hem. ¶ And sone aftre 4372
þe same ryueres tigris {and} eufrates vnioygne{n} {and} dep{ar}ten
hir{e} watres. [[pg 152]]
[Sidenote: But should they unite again, in the impetuous stream,
boats, ships, and trees would be all intermingled, whirled about;
and blind Chance seems to direct the current’s course.]
and yif þei comen to-gidre {and} ben
assembled {and} clepid to-gidre in to o cours. þan moten
þilke þinges fletyn to-gidre whiche þat þe water of þe 4376
entrechau{n}gyng flode bry{n}geþ þe shippes {and} þe stokkes
araced wiþ þe flood moten assemble. {and} þe watres
ymedlyd wrappiþ or implieþ many fortunel happes or
maneres.
[Sidenote: But the sloping earth, the laws of fluids, govern these
things.]
þe whiche wandryng happes naþeles þilke enclinyng 4380
lowenes of þe erþe. {and} þe flowynge ordre of
þe slidyng water gouerniþ.
[Sidenote: So though Chance seems to wander unrestrained, it is
nevertheless curbed and restrained by Divine Providence.]
¶ Ryȝt so fortune þat
semeþ as [þat] it fletiþ wiþ slaked or vngouerned[e]
bridles. It suffriþ bridles þat is to seyn to ben gouerned 4384
{and} passeþ by þilke lawe. þat is to sein by þe deuyne
ordinaunce.
[Linenotes:
4369 [_and_]--from C.
_a_--oo
4371 [_batayle_]--from C.
4373 _þe_--tho
4374 _to-gidre_--to-gyderes
4376 _whiche_--which
4377 _flode_--flod
4378 _assemble_--assemblyn
4380 _enclinyng_--declynynge
4381 _lowenes_--lownesse
4383 [_þat_]--from C.
_vngouerned[e]_--vngou{er}nede
4385 _þe_--thilke]
[Headnote:
ON FREE WILL.]