[Sidenote: [The ferthe prose.]]
++ÞAnne seide I þus. O norice of alle uertues þou seist ful soþe. ¶ Ne I
may nat forsake þe ryȝt[e] swifte cours of my p{ro}speritee. þat is to
seine. þat p{ro}speritee ne be comen to me wondir swiftly {and} soone.
but þis is a þing þat gretly smertiþ me whan it remembreþ me. ¶ For in
alle aduersitees of fortune þe most vnsely kynde of contrariouse fortune
is to han ben weleful. ¶ But þat þou q{uo}d she abaist þus þe to{ur}ment
of þi fals[e] opiniou{n} þat maist þou not ryȝtfully blamen ne aretten
to þinges. as who seiþ for þou hast ȝitte many habundaunces of þinges.
¶ _Textus._ For al be it so þat þe ydel name of auenterouse welefulnesse
moeueþ þe now. it is leueful þat þou rekene w{i}t{h} me of how many[e]
þinges þou hast ȝit plentee. ¶ And þerfore yif þat þilke þing þat þou
haddest for most p{re}cious in alle þi rycchesse of fortune be kept to
þe by þe grace of god vnwemmed {and} vndefouled. Mayst þou þa{n} pleyne
ryȝtfully vpon þe myschief of fortune. syn þou hast ȝit þi best[e]
þinges. ¶ Certys ȝit lyueþ in goode poynt þilke p{re}cious hono{ur} of
mankynde.¶ Symacus þi wyues fadir whiche þat is a man maked al of
sapience {and} of vertue. þe whiche man þou woldest b[i]en redely wiþ þe
pris of þin owen lijf. he byweyleþ þe wronges þat men don to þee. {and}
not for hym self. for he liueþ in sykernesse of any sentence put aȝeins
him. ¶ And ȝit lyueþ þi wif þat is attempre of witte {and} passyng oþer
women in clennes of chastitee. and for I wol closen shortly her bountes
she is lyke to hir fadir. I telle þe welle þat she lyueþ looþ of hir
life. {and} kepiþ to þee oonly hir goost. {and} is al maat {and}
ouer-comen by wepyng {and} sorwe for desire of þe ¶ In þe whiche þing
only I mot graunten þat þi welefulnesse is amenused. ¶ What shal I seyn
eke of þi two sones conseillours of whiche as of children of hir age þer
shineþ þe lyknesse of þe witte of hir fadir {and} of hir eldefadir. and
siþen þe souereyn cure of alle mortel folke is to sauen hir owe{n}
lyues. ¶ O how weleful art þou þouȝ þou knowe þi goodes. ¶ But ȝitte ben
þer þinges dwelly{n}g to þe wardes þat no man douteþ þat þei ne ben more
derworþe to þe þen þine owen lijf. ¶ And forþi drie þi teres for ȝitte
nys nat eueriche fortune al hateful to þe warde. ne ou{er} greet tempest
haþ nat ȝit fallen vpon þe. whan þat þin ancres cliue fast[e] þat neiþer
wole suffre þe comfort of þis tyme p{re}sent. ne þe hope of tyme comynge
to passen ne to falle{n}. ¶ And I p{re}ie q{uod} I þat fast[e] mot[en]
þei holden. ¶ For whiles þat þei halden. how so eu{er}e þat þinges ben.
I shal wel fleten furþe and eschapen. ¶ But þou mayst wel seen how
greet[e] apparailes {and} aray þat me lakkeþ þat ben passed awey fro me.
¶ I haue su{m}what auau{n}ced {and} forþered þe q{uod} she. if þat þou
anoie nat or forþenke nat of al þi fortune. As who seiþ. ¶ I haue
somwhat comforted þe so þat þou tempest nat þe þus wiþ al þi fortune.
syn þou hast ȝit þi best[e] þinges. ¶ But I may nat suffre þin delices.
þat pleinst so wepyng. {and} anguissous for þat oþer lakkeþ somwhat to
þi welefulnesse. ¶ For what man is so sad or of so p{er}fit
welefulnesse. þat he ne stryueþ or pleyneþ on some half aȝeine þe
qualitee of his estat. ¶ For whi ful anguissous þing is þe condiciou{n}
of mans goodes. ¶ For eyþer it comeþ al to gidre to a wyȝt. or ellys it
lasteþ not p{er}petuely. ¶ For som man haþ grete rycchesse. but he is
asshamed of hys vngentil lynage. {and} som man is renomed of noblesse of
kynrede. but he is enclosed in so grete angre for nede of þinges. þat
hym were leuer þat he were vnknowe. and som ma{n} habundeþ boþe i{n}
rychesse {and} noblesse. but ȝit he bywaileþ hys chast[e] lijf. for he
haþ no wijf. ¶ and som man is wel {and} selily maried but he haþ no
children. {and} norissheþ his ricchesse to þe heires of straunge folk.
¶ And som man is gladded wiþ children. but he wepiþ ful sory for þe
trespas of his son or of his douȝtir. ¶ and for þis þer accordeþ no wyȝt
lyȝtly to þe condic{i}ou{n} of his fortune. for alwey to euery man þere
is i{n} mest somwhat þat vnassaieþ he ne wot not or ellys he drediþ þat
he haþ assaied. ¶ {And} adde þis also þat euery weleful man haþ a wel
delicat felyng. ¶ So þat but yif alle þinges fallen at hys owen wille
for he inpacient or is nat vsed to han none aduersitee. an-oone he is
þrowe adoũne for euery lytel þing. ¶ And ful lytel þinges ben þo þat
wiþdrawen þe so{m}me or þe p{er}fecc{i}ou{n} of blisfulnesse fro hem þat
ben most fortunat. ¶ How many men trowest þou wolde demen hem self to
ben almost in heuene yif þei myȝten atteyne to þe leest[e] p{ar}tie of
þe remenaunt of þi fortune. ¶ Þis same place þat þou clepist exil is
contre to hem þat enhabiten here. {and} forþi. Noþing wrecched. but whan
þou wenest it ¶ As who seiþ. þouȝ þi self ne no wyȝt ellys nys no
wrecche but whan he weneþ hym self a wrecche by reputac{i}ou{n} of his
corage.