[Sidenote: [The fyrst p{ro}se.]]
++After þis she stynte a litel. and after þat she hadde gadred by
atempre stillenesse myn attenciou{n} she seide þus. ¶ As who so myȝt[e]
seye þus. After þise þinges she stynt[e] a lytel. {and} whanne she
ap{er}ceiued[e] by atempre stillenesse þat I was ententif to herkene
hire. she bygan to speke in þis wyse. ¶ Yif I q{uod} she haue
vnderstonde{n} {and} knowe vtterly þe causes {and} þe habit of þi
maladie. þou languissed {and} art deffeted for talent {and} desijr of þi
raþer fortune. ¶ She þat ilke fortune only þat is chaunged as þou
feinest to þe ward. haþ p{er}uerted þe clerenesse {and} þe astat of þi
corage. ¶ I vnderstonde þe felefolde colo{ur} {and} deceites of þilke
merueillous monstre fortune. and how she vseþ ful flatryng familarite
wiþ hem þat she enforceþ to bygyle. so longe til þat she co{n}founde wiþ
vnsuffreable sorwe hem þat she haþ left in despeir vnpurueyed. ¶ and if
þou remembrest wel þe kynde þe maners {and} þe desert of þilke fortune.
þow shalt wel knowe as in hir þou neuer ne haddest ne hast ylost any
fair þing. But as I trowe I shal not gretly trauaile to don þe remembren
of þise þinges. ¶ For þou were wont to hurtlen [{and} despysen] hir wiþ
manly wordes whan she was blaundissinge {and} presente {and}
p{ur}sewedest hir wiþ sentences þat were drawe{n} oute of myne entre.
þat is to seyne out of myn i{n}formac{i}ou{n} ¶ But no sudeyne
mutac{i}ou{n} ne bytideþ nat wiþ oute{n} a maner chau{n}gyng of curages.
and so is it byfallen þat þou art dep{ar}ted a litel fro þe pees of þi
þouȝt. but now is tyme þat þou drynke {and} atast[e] some softe {and}
delitable þinges. so þat whan þei ben entred wiþ i{n}ne þe. it mow make
weye to strenger drynkes of medycynes. ¶ Com nowe furþe þerfore þe
suasiou{n} of swetnesse Rethoryen. whiche þat goþ oonly þe ryȝt wey whil
she forsakeþ not myne estatutȝ. ¶ And wiþ Rethorice com forþe musice a
damoisel of oure house þat syngeþ now lyȝter moedes or p{ro}lac{i}ou{n}s
now heuyer. what ayleþ þe man. what is it þat haþ cast þe in to murnyng
{and} in to wepyng. I trow[e] þat þou hast sen some newe þing {and}
uncouþe. ¶ Þou wenest þat fortune be chaunged aȝeins þe ¶ But þou wenest
wrong. yif þou [þat] wene. Alwey þo ben hire maners. she haþ raþer
[kept] as to þe ward hire p{ro}pre stablenes in þe chaungyng of hyre
self. ¶ Ryȝt swyche was she whan she flatered[e] þe. {and} desseiued[e]
þe wiþ vnleueful lykynges of false welefulnesse. þou hast now knowen
{and} ataynt þe doutous or double visage of þilke blynde goddesse
fortune. ¶ She þat ȝit couereþ hir {and} wympleþ hir to oþer folk. haþ
shewed hir euerydel to þe. ¶ Ȝif þou app{ro}uest hir {and} þenkest þat
she is good. vse hir maners {and} pleyne þe nat. ¶ And if þou agrisest
hir fals[e] trecherie. dispise {and} cast aweye hir þat pleyeþ so
harmefully. for she þat is now cause of so myche sorwe to þe. sholde be
to þe cause of pees {and} [of] ioie. ¶ she haþ forsaken þe forsoþe. þe
whiche þat neuer man may be syker þat she ne shal forsake hym. _Glose._
¶ But naþeles some bookes han þe text þus. For soþe she haþ forsaken þe
ne þer nis no man syker þat she ne haþ not forsaken. ¶ Holdest þou þan
þilke welefulnesse p{re}ciouse to þe þat shal passen. {and} is p{re}sent
fortune derworþi to þe. whiche þat nis not feiþful forto dwelle. {and}
whan she goþ aweye þat she bryngeþ a wyȝt in sorwe ¶ For syn she may nat
be wiþholde{n} at a mans wille. she makeþ hym a wrecche whe{n} she
dep{ar}teþ fro hym. ¶ What oþer þing is flitti{n}g fortune but a manere
shewyng of wrycchednesse þat is to comen. ne it ne suffriþ nat oo[n]ly
to loken of þing þat is p{re}sent byforne þe eyen of man. but wisdom
lokeþ {and} mesureþ þe ende of þinges. {and} þe same chau{n}gyng from
one to an oþer. þat is to seyne fro aduersite to p{ro}sperite makeþ þat
þe manaces of fortune ne ben not forto dreden. ne þe flatrynges of hir
to ben desired. ¶ Þus atte þe last it byhoueþ þe to suffren wiþ euene
wille in pacience al þat is don inwiþ þe floor of fortune. þat is to
seyne in þis worlde. ¶ Syþen þou hast oones put þi nekke vnder þe ȝokke
of hir. for if þou wilt write a lawe of wendyng {and} of dwellyng to
fortune whiche þat þou hast chosen frely to be þi lady ¶ Art þou nat
wrongful in þat {and} makest fortune wroþe {and} asp{er}e by þin
inpacience. {and} ȝit þou mayst not chaungen hir. ¶ Yif þou co{m}mittest
[{and}] bitakest þi sayles to þe wynde. þou shalt be shouen not þider
þat þou woldest(:) but whider þat þe wy{n}de shoueþ þe ¶ Yif þou castest
þi seedes in þe feldes þou sholdest haue in mynde þat þe ȝeres ben oþer
while plenteuous {and} oþ{er} while bareyne. ¶ Þou hast bytaken þiself
to þe gouernaunce of fortune. {and} forþi it byhoueþ þe to ben obeisaunt
to þe manere of þi lady. and enforcest þou þe to aresten or wiþstonden
þe swyftnesse {and} þe sweyes of hir to{ur}nyng whele. ¶ O þou fool of
alle mortel fooles if fortune bygan to dwelle stable. she cesed[e] þan
to ben fortune.