VOS QUOQUE TERRENA ANIMALIA. — Prosa 3
"Certes also ye men, that ben erthliche beestes, dremen
alwey your bygynnynge, althoughe it be with a thynne ymaginacioun; and
by a maner thought, al be it nat clerly ne parfitely, ye loken
from afer to thilke verray fyn of blisfulnesse. And therfore
naturel entencioun ledeth yow to thilke verray good, but many
maner errours mystorneth yow therfro. Considere now yif that by
thilke thynges by whiche a man weneth to geten hym blisfulnesse,
yif that he mai comen to thilk ende that he weneth to come by
nature. For yif that moneye, or honours, or thise othere forseyde
thynges, brynge to men swiche a thyng that no good ne fayle hem
ne semeth faile, certes thanne wol I graunte that they ben maked
blisful by thilke thynges that thei han geten. But yif so be that
thilke thynges ne mowen nat performen that they byheten, and that
there be defaute of manye goodis, scheweth it nat thanne clerly
that false beute of blysfulnesse is knowen and ataynt in thilke
thynges? First and forward thow thiself, that haddest
haboundances of rychesses nat longe agoon, I aske the yif that,
in the habowndance of alle thilke rychesses, thow were nevere
angwysous ne sory in thy corage of any wrong or grevance that
bytydde the on any side?"
"Certes," quod I, "it ne remembreth me nat that
evere I was so fre of my thought that I ne was alwey in angwyse
of somwhat."
"And was nat that," quod sche, "for that the
lakkide somwhat that thow noldest nat han
lakkid, or
elles thou haddest that thow noldest nat han had?"
"Ryght so is it," quod I.
"Than desiredest thow the presence of the toon and the
absence of the tothir?"
"I graunte wel," quod I.
"Forsothe," quod sche, "thanne nedeth ther somwhat
that every man desireth?"
"Yee, ther nedeth," quod I.
"Certes," quod sche, "and he that hath lak or nede
of aught nys nat in every wey suffisant to hymself?"
"No," quod I.
"And thow," quod sche, "in al the plente of thy
richesses haddest thilke lakke of suffisaunce?"
"What elles?" quod I.
"Thanne mai nat richesses maken that a man nys nedy, ne
that he be suffisaunt to hymself; and yit that was it that thei
byhighten, as it semeth. And eek certes I trow that this be
gretly to considere, that moneye ne hath nat in his owene kynde
that it ne mai ben bynomen of hem that han it, maugre hem."
"I byknowe it wel," quod I.
"Whi sholdestow nat byknowen it," quod sche,
"whan
every day the strengere folk bynymen it fro the feblere maugre
hem? For whennes comen elles alle thise [forense] compleyntes or
quereles of pledynges but for that men axen ayen hir moneye that
hath ben bynomen hem by force or by gyle, and alwey maugre
hem?"
"Right so is it," quod I.
"Than," quod sche, "hath a man nede to seken hym
foreyne help by whiche he may defenden his moneye?"
"Who mai seie nay?" quod I.
"Certes," quod sche, "and hym nedide noon help
yif
he ne hadde no moneye that he myghte leese."
"That is douteles," quod I.
"Than is this thyng torned into the contrarie," quod
sche; "for rychesses, that men wenen scholde maken
suffisaunce, they
maken a man rather have nede of foreyne help. Whiche is the maner
or the gyse," quod sche, "that rychesse mai dryve awey
nede? Riche folk, mai they neyther han hungir ne thurst? Thise
riche men, may they fele no cold on hir lymes in wynter? But thow wolt
answeren that ryche men han inoghe wherwith thei mai staunchen
hir hungir, and slaken hir thurst, and don awey cold. In this
wise mai nede be conforted by richesses, but certes nede ne mai
nat al outrely be doon awey; for thoughe this nede that is alwey
gapynge and gredy, be fulfild with richesses, and axe any thyng,
yit duelleth thanne a nede that myghte be fulfild. I holde me
stille and telle nat how that litel thyng suffiseth to nature;
but certes to avarice inowghe ne suffiseth nothyng. For syn that
rychesse ne mai nat al doon awey nede, but richesses maken nede,
what mai it thanne be that ye wenen that richesses mowen yyven
yow suffisaunce?
