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SET CUM RACIONUM IAM IN TE, &c. — Prosa 5
"But for as mochel as the norisschynges of my resouns descenden now into the, I trowe it were tyme to usen a litel strengere medicynes. Now undirstand heere; al were it so that the yiftes of Fortune ne were noght brutel ne transitorie, what is ther in hem that mai he thyn in any tyme, or elles that it nys fowl, yif that
Boece. "Why schulde it nat deliten us, syn that it is a [fayr] porcioun of the ryght fair werk (that is to seyn, of this worlde)? And right so ben we gladed somtyme of the face of the see whan it es cleer; and also merveylen we on the hevene, and on the sterres, and on the sonne, and on the moone."
Philosophie. "Aperteneth," quod sche, "any of thilke thynges to the? Why darstow glorifye the in the shynynge of any swiche thynges? Artow distyngwed and embelysed by the spryngynge floures of the first somer sesoun, or swelleth thi plente in fruites of somer? Whi artow ravyssched with idel joies? Why enbracest thow straunge goodes as they weren thyne? Fortune ne schal nevere maken that swiche thynges ben thyne that nature of thynges hath maked foreyne fro the. Soth is that, withouten doute, the fruites of the erthe owen to be to the noryssynge of beestis; and yif thow wilt fulfille thyn nede after that it suffiseth to nature, thanne is it no nede that thow seke aftir the superfluyte of fortune. For [with] fewe thynges and with ful litel thynges nature halt hir apayed; and yif thow wolt achoken the fulfillynge of nature with superfluytees, certes thilke thynges that thow wolt thresten or powren into nature schulle ben unjoyeful to the, or elles anoyous. Wenestow eek that it be a fair thyng to schyne with diverse clothynge? Of whiche clothynge yif the beaute he aggreable to loken uppon, I wol merveylen on the nature of the matiere of thilke clothes, or elles on the werkman that wroughte hem. But also a long route of meyne, maketh that a blisful man? The whiche servantz yif thei ben vicyous of condyciouns, it is a gret charge and a destruccioun to the hous, and a gret enemy to the lord hymself; and yif they ben gode men, how schal straunge or foreyne goodnesse ben put in the nowmbre of thi richesse? So that by alle thise forseide thynges it es cleerly schewed, that nevere oon of thilke thynges that thou acountedest for thyne goodes nas nat thi good.
"In the whiche thynges yif ther be no beaute to ben desired, why scholdestow ben sory
"Is it thanne so, that ye men ne han no propre good iset in yow, for whiche ye mooten seke outward your goodes in foreyne and subgit thynges? So is thanne the condicion of thynges turned up-so-doun, that a man, that is a devyne beest be meryte of his resoun, thynketh that hymself nys neyther fair ne noble but yif it be thurw possessioun of ostelementz that ne han no soules. And certes alle othere thynges ben apayed of hir owene beautes, but ye men that ben semlable to God by yowr resonable thought, desiren to apparailen your excellent kynde of the loweste thynges; ne ye undirstanden nat how greet a wrong ye don to your creatour. For he wolde that mankynde were moost wurthy and noble of any othere erthly thynges, and ye thresten adoun yowre dignytes bynethen the loweste thynges. For yif that al the good of every thyng be more precyous than is thilke thyng whos that the good es, syn ye demen that the fowleste thynges ben your goodes, thanne submitten ye and putten yourselven undir the fouleste thynges by your estimacioun; and certes this betydeth nat withouten your desert. For certes swiche is the condicioun of alle mankynde, that oonly whan it hath knowynge of itself, thanne passeth it in noblesse alle othere thynges; and whan it forletith the knowynge of itself, thanne is it brought bynethen alle beestes. Forwhi alle othere lyvynge beestes han of kynde to knowe nat hemself; but whan that men leeten the knowynge of hemself it cometh hem of vice. But how broode scheweth the errour and the folie of yow men, that wenen that anythyng mai ben apparailed with straunge apparailementz! But forsothe that mai nat be done. For yif a wyght schyneth with thynges that ben put to hym (as thus, yif thilke thynges schynen with whiche a man is aparayled), certes thilke thynges ben comended and preysed with whiche he is apparayled; but natheles, the thyng that is covered and wrapped under that duelleth in his felthe.
"And I denye that thilke thyng be good that anoyeth hym that hath it. Gabbe I of this? Thow wolt sey 'nay.' Sertes rychesses han anoyed ful ofte hem that han tho rychesses, syn that every wikkide schrewe — and for his wikkidnesse the more gredy aftir othir folkes rychesses, wher so evere it be in ony place, be it gold or precyous stones — [weneth] hym oonly most worthy that hath hem. Thow thanne, that so bysy dredest now the swerd and the spere, yif thou haddest entred in the path of this lif a voyde weyfarynge man, thanne woldestow syngen byfor the theef. (As who seith, a pore man that bereth no rychesse on hym by the weie may boldely synge byforn theves, for he hath nat whereof to be robbed.) O precyous and ryght cleer is the blisfulnesse of mortel rychesses, that, whan thow hast geten it, thanne hastow lorn thi sekernesse!
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