[Sidenote: [The 7th Metre.]]
++Who so þat wiþ ouerþrowyng þouȝt only sekeþ glorie of fame. {and}
weniþ þat it be souereyne good ¶ Lete hym loke vpon þe brode shewyng
contreys of þe heue{n}. {and} vpo{n} þe streite sete of þis erþe. {and}
he shal be ashamed of þe encres of his name. þat may nat fulfille þe
litel compas of þe erþe. ¶ O what coueiten proude folke to liften vpon
hire nekkes in ydel {and} dedely ȝok of þis worlde. ¶ For al þouȝ
[þ{a}t] renoune y-spradde passynge to ferne poeples goþ by dyuerse
tonges. and al þouȝ grete houses {and} kynredes shyne wiþ clere titles
of hono{ur}s. ȝit naþeles deeþ dispiseþ al heye glorie of fame. {and}
deeþ wrappeþ to gidre þe heye heuedes {and} þe lowe {and} makeþ egal
{and} euene þe heyest[e] to þe lowest[e]. ¶ where wone{n} now þe bones
of trewe fabricius. what is now brutus or stiern Caton þe þinne fame ȝit
lastynge of hir ydel names is markid wiþ a fewe lettres. but al þouȝ we
han knowe{n} þe faire wordes of þe fames of hem. it is nat ȝeuen to
knowe he{m} þat ben dede {and} consumpt. Liggiþ þanne stille al vtterly
vnknowable ne fame ne makeþ ȝow nat knowe. and yif ȝe wene to lyuen þe
leng{er} for wynde of ȝoure mortal name. whan o cruel day shal rauyshe
ȝow. þan is þe secunde deeþ dwellyng in ȝow. _Glosa._ þe first deeþ he
clepiþ here þe dep{ar}tynge of þe body {and} þe soule. ¶ and þe secunde
deeþ he clepeþ as here. þe styntynge of þe renoune of fame.
[SET NE ME INEXORABILE CONTRA.
[Sidenote: [The viij p{ro}se.]]
++BVt for-as-mochel as thow shalt nat wenen q{uod} she þ{a}t I bere
vntretable batayle ayenis fortune // yit som-tyme it by-falleth þ{a}t
she desseyuable desserueth to han ryht good thank of men // {And} þ{a}t
is whan she hir{e} self opneth / {and} whan she descou{er}eth hir frownt
/ {and} sheweth hir maneres p{ar}-auentur{e} yit vndirstondesthow nat
þ{a}t .I. shal seye // it is a wondyr þ{a}t .I. desyr{e} to telle /
{and} forthi vnnethe may I. vnpleyten my sentense w{i}t{h} wordes for I.
deme þ{a}t contraryos fortune p{ro}fiteth mor{e} to men than fortune
debonayr{e} // For al-wey whan fortune semeth debonayr{e} than she lyeth
falsly in by-hetynge the hope of welefulnesse // but forsothe
{con}traryos fortune is alwey sothfast / whan she sheweth hir self
vnstable thorw hyr chau{n}gynge // the amyable fortune desseyueth folk /
the contrarye fortune techeth // the amyable fortune byndeth w{i}t{h}
the beaute of false goodys the hertes of folk þ{a}t vsen he{m} / the
contrarye fortune vnbyndeth he{m} by þ^e knowynge of freele welefulnesse
// the amyable fortune maysthow sen alwey wyndynge {and} flowynge /
{and} eu{er}e mysknowynge of hir self // the contrarye fortune is
a-tempre {and} restreynyd {and} wys thorw excersyse of hir aduersyte //
at the laste amyable fortune w{i}t{h} hir flaterynges draweth mys
wandrynge men fro the souereyne good // the contraryos fortune ledith
ofte folk ayein to sothfast goodes / {and} haleth hem ayein as w{i}t{h}
an hooke / weenesthow thanne þ{a}t thow owhtest to leten this a lytel
thing / þ{a}t this aspre {and} horible fortune hath discoueryd to the /
the thowhtes of thy trewe frendes // For-why this ilke fortune hath
departyd {and} vncou{er}yd to the bothe the certeyn vysages {and} ek the
dowtos visages of thy felawes // wha{n} she dep{ar}tyd awey fro the /
she took awey hyr frendes {and} lafte the thyne frendes // now whan thow
wer{e} ryche {and} weleful as the semede / w{i}t{h} how mochel
woldesthow han bowht the fulle knowynge of this // þ{a}t is to seyn the
knowynge of thy verray freendes // now pleyne the nat thanne of Rychesse
.I.-lorn syn thow hast fowndyn the moste p{re}syos kynde of Rychesses
þ{a}t is to seyn thy verray frendes.