[Sidenote: [The fyrste prose.]]
++She hadde seid {and} to{ur}ned[e] þe cours of hir resou{n} to so{m}me
oþ{er} þinges to ben tretid {and} to ben ysped. þan seide I. Certys
ryȝtful is þin amonestyng {and} ful digne by auctorite. but þat þou
seidest som tyme þat þe questiou{n} of þe deuyne p{ur}ueaunce is enlaced
wiþ many oþer questiou{n}s. I vndir-stonde wel {and} p{ro}ue it by þe
same þinge. but I axe yif þat þou wenest þat hap be any þing in any
weys. {and} if þou wenest þat hap be any [thing] what is it. þan q{uo}d
she. I haste me to ȝelden {and} assoilen þe to þe dette of my byheste
{and} to shewen {and} opnen þe wey by whiche wey þou maist come aȝein to
þi contre. ¶ but al be it so þat þe þinges whiche þat þou axest b{e}n
ryȝt p{ro}fitable to knowe. ȝitte ben þei diuers somwhat fro þe paþe of
my purpos. And it is to douten þat þou ne be maked weery by mysweys so
þat þou ne mayst nat suffise to mesure{n} þe ryȝt weye. ¶ Ne doute þe
þer-of no þing q{uo}d I. for forto knowen þilke þinges to-gidre in þe
whiche þinges I delite me gretly. þat shal ben to me in stede of reste.
Syn it nis nat to douten of þe þinges folwy{n}ge whan euery side of þi
disputisou{n} shal be stedfast to me by vndoutous feiþ. þan seide she.
þat manere wol I don þe. {and} byga{n} to speken ryȝt þus ¶ Certys
q{uo}d she yif any wyȝt diffinisse hap in þis manere. þat is to seyn.
þat hap is bytidynge y-brouȝt forþe by foelyshe moeuynge. {and} by no
knyttyng of causes. ¶ I conferme þat hap nis ryȝt nauȝt in no wise. and
I deme al outerly þat hap nis ne dwelliþ but a voys. ¶ As who seiþ. but
an ydel worde wiþ outen any significac{i}ou{n} of þing summittid to þat
vois. for what place myȝt[e] ben left or dwellynge to folie {and} to
disordinau{n}ce. syn þat god lediþ {and} streyniþ alle þinges by ordre.
¶ For þis sentence is verray {and} soþe þat no þinge ne haþ his beynge
of nouȝt. to [the] whiche sentence none of þise olde folk ne wiþseide
neuere al be it so þat þei ne vndirstoden ne moeueden it nauȝt by god
p{r}ince {and} gynner of wirkyng. but þei casten as a manere foundement
of subgit material. þat is to seyn of [the] nature of alle resou{n}.
{and} ȝif þat ony þinge is woxen or comen of no causes. þan shal it seme
þat þilke þinge is comen or woxen of nouȝt. but yif þis ne may nat ben
don. þan is it nat possible þat þere haþ ben any swiche þing as I haue
diffinissid a litel here byforne. ¶ How shal it þan ben q{uo}d I. nis
þer þan no þing þat by ryȝt may be cleped eyþer hap{pe} or ellis
auenture of fortune. or is þer ouȝt al be it so þat it is hidd fro þe
poeple to whiche þise wordes ben couenable. Myn aristotul q{uo}d she. in
þe book of his phisik diffinisseþ þis þing by short resou{n} and neyȝe
to þe soþe. ¶ In whiche manere q{uo}d I. ¶ As ofte q{uo}d she as men don
any þing for grace of any oþer þing. {and} an oþer þinge þan þilke þing
þat men ententen to doon bytideþ by som[e] causes it is ycleped hap{pe}.
¶ Ryȝt as a man dalf þe erþe by cause of tylienge of þe felde. {and}
fond þere a gobet of golde by-doluen. þan wenen folk þat it is fallen by
fortunous bytydyng. but for soþe it nis nat for nauȝt for it haþ hys
p{ro}pre causes of whiche causes þe cours vnforseyn and vnwar semiþ to
han maked hap{pe}. ¶ For yif þe tilier in þe erþe ne delue nat in þe
felde. and yif þe hider of þe golde ne hadde hidd þe golde in þilke
place. þe golde ne had[de] nat ben founde. þise ben þan þe causes of þe
abreggynge of fortune hap. þe whiche abreggynge of fortune hap comeþ of
causes encountrynge {and} flowyng to-gidre to hem selfe. {and} nat by þe
entenc{i}ou{n} of þe doer. ¶ For neiþer þe hider of þe gold. ne þe
deluer of þe felde ne vndirstanden nat þat þe golde sholde han be
founde. but as I seide. it bytidde {and} ran to-gidre þat he dalf þere
as þat oþer hadde hidd þe golde. Now may I þus diffinissen hap{pe}.
¶ Hap{pe} is an vnwar bytydyng of causes assembled in þinges þat ben don
for som oþer þinge. but þilke ordre p{ro}cedynge by an vneschewable
byndynge to-gidre. whiche þat descendeþ fro þe wel of purueaunce þat
ordeineþ alle þinges i{n} hir{e} places {and} in hire tymes makeþ þat þe
causes rennen {and} assemblen to-gidre.