Thou pinchest at my mutabilitee,
For I thee lente a drope of my richesse,
And now me lyketh to with-drawe me.
Why sholdestow my realtee oppresse? 60
The see may ebbe and flowen more or lesse;
The welkne hath might to shyne, reyne, or hayle;
Right so mot I kythen my brotelnesse.
In general, this reule may nat fayle.
Lo, thexecucion of the magestee 65
That al purveyeth of his rightwisnesse,
That same thing 'Fortune' clepen ye,
Ye blinde bestes, ful of lewednesse!
The hevene hath propretee of sikernesse,
This world hath ever resteles travayle; 70
Thy laste day is ende of myn intresse:
In general, this reule may nat fayle.
Lenvoy de Fortune.
Princes, I prey you of your gentilesse,
Lat nat this man on me thus crye and pleyne,
And I shal quyte you your bisinesse 75
At my requeste, as three of you or tweyne;
And, but you list releve him of his peyne,
Preyeth his beste frend, of his noblesse,
That to som beter estat he may atteyne. 79
_Explicit._
The spelling is conformed to that of the preceding poems; the alterations
though numerous are slight; as _y_ for _i_, _au_ for _aw_, &c. The text
mainly follows MS. I. (= Ii. 3. 21, Camb. Univ. Library). Other MSS. are A.
(Ashmole 59); T. (Trin. Coll. Camb.); F. (Fairfax 16); B. (Bodley 638); H.
(Harl. 2251).
2: F. pouerte; _rest_ poure (poore, pore, poeere). 8, 16: I. fynaly;
deffye. 11: I. mochel; _the rest_ muche, moche. 13: I. fors; thi reddowr.
17: I. stidfast chaumpyoun. 18: I. myht; thi tormentowr. 20: I. fownde
thow.
21. I. the deseyte; A. T. H. _om._ the. 22. I. most. 23. I. knew; _rest_
knowe. I. ek. 24. I. fynaly; the deffye. 27. H. seystow; I. seysthow. I.
(_only_) _om._ to. 30. _So_ I.; _rest_ Thou shall not stryue. 31. I. woost
thow; B. wostow; A. T. wostowe. 36. I. derkyd; _rest_ derke (derk). T. from
hir; H. from ther; A. frome theire; F. B. fro; I. for. 37. H. seestow; A.
T. seestowe; I. _partly erased_. 43. I. Wolthow; B. Woltow. 46. I. most
thow; H. thow must; _the rest_ maystow, maisthow, maistow.
49: I. dempne; F. B. H. dampne. 50: I. maysthow; B. maistou; H. maystow.
51: I. thanke to; F. thanke yt; B. thanke it; H. thank it nat: (Lansdowne
_and_ Pepys _also have_ thank it). 60: I. apresse; _rest_ oppresse. 61: I.
A. or; _rest_ and. 62: I. welkne; A. B. H. welkin; F. welkene; T. sky. 63:
I. brutelnesse; T. brutilnesse; F. B. H. brotelnesse; A. brittelnesse.
_After_ l. 64, _a new rubric is wrongly inserted, thus_: I. Le pleintif; F.
B. H. Le pleintif encontre Fortune; A. The Pleyntyff ageinst Fortune; T.
Thaunswer of the Lover ayenst Fortune; _see_ note. 65: A. F. þexecucion; B.
thexecucyon; I. excussyoun. I. maieste; _rest_ magestee (mageste). 71: I.
intersse (_sic_); (Lansd. _and_ Pepys intresse); T. F. B. interesse; A. H.
encresse.
73. I. gentilesses; _the rest_ gentilesse. 76. _In_ I. _only; the rest omit
this line._ 77. A. F. B. H. And; I. T. That. I. lest; _rest_ list (liste).
_At end_--B. Explicit.
* * * * *