++And aȝeinewarde al fortune is blisful to a man by þe agreablete or by
þe egalite of hym þat suffreþ it. ¶ What man is þat. þat is so weleful
þat nolde chau{n}ge{n} his estat whan he haþ lorn pacience. þe swetnesse
of mannes welefulnesse is yspranid wiþ many[e] bitternesses. þe whiche
welefulnesse al þouȝ it seme swete {and} ioyeful to hym þat vseþ it. ȝit
may it not be wiþ-holden þat it ne goþ away whan it wol. ¶ Þan is it wel
sen how wrecched is þe blisfulnesse of mortel þinges. þat neiþ{er} it
dwelliþ p{er}petuel wiþ hem þat euery fortune receyuen agreablely or
egaly. ¶ Ne it ne deliteþ not in al. to hem þat ben anguissous. ¶ O ye
mortel folkes what seke ȝe þan blisfulnesse oute of ȝoure self. whiche
þat is put in ȝoure self. Erro{ur} {and} folie co{n}fou{n}deþ ȝow ¶ I
shal shewe þe shortly. þe poynt of souereyne blisfulnesse. Is þer any
þing to þe more p{re}ciouse þan þi self ¶ Þou wilt answere nay. ¶ Þan if
it so be þat þou art myȝty ouer þi self þat is to seyn by tranquillitee
of þi soule. þan hast þou þing i{n} þi power þat þou noldest neuer
lesen. ne fortune may nat by-nyme it þe. {and} þat þou mayst knowe þat
blisfulnesse [ne] may nat standen in þinges þat ben fortunous {and}
te{m}perel. ¶ Now vndirstonde {and} gadir it to gidir þus yif
blisfulnesse be þe souereyne goode of nature þat liueþ by resou{n} ¶ Ne
þilke þing nis nat souereyne goode þat may be taken awey in any wyse.
for more worþi þing {and} more digne is þilke þing þ{a}t may nat be
taken awey. ¶ Þan shewiþ it wele þat þe vnstablenesse of fortune may nat
attayne to receyue verray blisfulnes. ¶ And ȝit more ouer. ¶ What man
þat þis toumblyng welefulnesse leediþ. eiþer he woot þat [it] is
chaungeable. or ellis he woot it nat. ¶ And yif he woot it not. what
blisful fortune may þer be in þe blyndenesse of ignorau{n}ce. and yif he
woot þat it is chaungeable. he mot alwey ben adrad þ{a}t he ne lese þat
þing. þat he ne douteþ nat but þat he may leesen it. ¶ As whoo seiþ he
mot ben alwey agast lest he leese þat he wot wel he may leese. ¶ For
whiche þe continuel drede þat he haþ ne suffriþ hym nat to ben weleful.
¶ Or ellys yif he leese it he wene to be dispised {and} forleten hit.
¶ Certis eke þat is a ful lytel goode þat is born wiþ euene hert[e] whan
it is loost. ¶ Þat is to seyne þat men don no more force. of þe lost þan
of þe hauynge. ¶ And for as myche as þou þi self art he to who{m} it haþ
ben shewid {and} p{ro}ued by ful many[e] demonstrac{i}ou{n}s. as I woot
wel þat þe soules of men ne mowen nat dien in no wise. and eke syn it is
clere. {and} certeyne þat fortunous welefulnesse endiþ by þe deeþ of þe
body. ¶ It may nat ben douted þat yif þat deeþ may take awey
blysfulnesse þat al þe kynde of mortal þi{n}g{us} ne descendiþ in to
wrecchednesse by þe ende of þe deeþ. ¶ And syn we knowen wel þat many a
man haþ souȝt þe fruit of blisfulnesse nat only wiþ suffryng of deeþ.
but eke wiþ suffryng of peynes {and} to{ur}mentes. how myȝt[e] þan þis
p{re}sent lijf make men blisful. syn þat whanne þilke self[e] lijf is
endid. it ne makeþ folk no wrecches.