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HACTENUS MENDACIS FORMAM. — Prosa 9

"It suffiseth that I have schewyd hiderto the forme of fals welefulnesse, so that yif thou loke now cleerly, the ordre of myn entencioun requireth from hennes forth to schewe the verray welefulnesse."

"Forsothe," quod I, "I se wel now that suffisaunce may nat comen by rychesse, ne power by remes, ne reverence by dignites, ne gentilesse by glorie, ne joie be delices."

"And hastow wel knowen the causes," quod sche, "whi it es?"

"Certes me semeth," quod I, "that Y see hem ryght as thoughe it were thurw a litil clyfte, but me were levere knowen hem more opynly of the."

"Certes," quod sche, "the resoun is al redy. For thilke thyng that symply is o thyng withouten ony devysioun, the errour and folie of mankynde departeth and divideth it, and mysledeth it and transporteth from verray and parfit good to godes that ben false and inparfit. But seye me this. Wenestow that he that hath nede of power, that hym ne lakketh nothyng?"

"Nay," quod I.

"Certes," quod sche, "thou seyst aryght; for if so be that ther is a thyng that in ony partie be feblere of power, certes, as in that, it moot nedes be nedy of foreyne help."

"Ryght so is it," quod I.

"Suffisaunce and power ben thanne of o kynde?"

"So semeth it," quod I.

"And demestow," quod sche, "that a thyng that is of this manere (that is to seyn, suffisaunt and myghty) oughte ben despised, or ellis that it be right digne of reverence aboven alle thynges?"

"Certes," quod I, "it nys no doute that it nys right worthy to ben reverenced."

"Lat us," quod sche, "adden thanne reverence to suffisaunce and to power, so that we demen that thise thre thynges be al o thyng."

"Certes," quod I, "lat us adden it, yif we wiln graunten the sothe."

"What demestow thanne," quod sche, "is that a dirk thyng and nat noble that is suffisaunt, reverent, and myghty; or elles that it is ryght noble and ryght cleer by celebrete of renoun? Considere thanne," quod sche, "as we han grauntide hirbyfore that he that ne hath nede of no thyng and is moost myghty and moost digne of honour, if hym nedeth ony cleernesse of renoun, whiche clernesse he myght nat graunten of hymself; so that for lak of thilke cleernesse he myghte seme the feblere on any side, or the more outcast." (Glose. This to seyn, nay; for whoso that is suffisaunt, myghty, and reverent, clernesse of renoun folweth of the forseyde thynges; he hath it al redy of his suffysaunce.)

Boece. "I mai nat," quod I, "denye it, but I moot granten, as it is, that this thyng be ryght celebrable by clernesse of renoun and noblesse."

"Thanne folweth it," quod sche, "that we adden clernesse of renoun to the thre forseyde thynges, so that there ne be amonges hem no difference."

"This a consequence," quod I.

"This thyng thanne," quod sche,"that ne hath nede of no foreyne thyng, and that may don alle thynges by hise strengthis, and that is noble and honourable, nys nat that a myry thyng and a joyful?"

Boece. "But whennes," quod I, "that any sorwe myghte comen to this thyng that is swiche, certes I mai nat thynke."

Philosophie. "Thanne mote we graunten," quod sche, "that this thing be ful of gladnesse, if the forseide thynges ben sothe; and certes also mote we graunten that suffisaunce, power, noblesse, reverence, and gladnesse be oonly diverse by names, but hir substaunce hath no diversite."

Boece. "It moot nedly ben so," quod I.

Philosophie. "Thilke thyng thanne," quod sche, "that is oon and symple in his nature, the wikkidnesse of men departeth it and divideth it; and whanne thei enforcen hem to gete partie of a thyng that ne hath no part, thei ne geten hem neyther thilke partie that nis noon, ne the thyng al hool that thei ne desire nat."

Boece. "In which manere?" quod I.

Philosophie. "Thilke man," quod sche, "that seketh richesse to fleen poverte, he ne travaileth hym nat for to geten power, for he hath lever ben dirk and vyl; and eek withdraweth from hymself manye naturel delites, for he nolde leese the moneie that he hath assembled. But certes in this manere he ne geteth hym nat suffisance, that power forleteth, and that moleste prikketh, and that filthe maketh outcaste, and that dirknesse hideth. And certes he that desireth oonly power, he wasteth and scatereth rychesse, and despyseth delices and eek honour that is withoute power, ne he ne preiseth glorie nothyng. Certes thus seestow wel that manye thynges failen to hym, for he hath som tyme defaute of manye necessites, and manye anguysshes byten hym; and whan he ne mai nat do tho defautes awey, he forletith to ben myghty, and that is the thyng that he moost desireth. And ryght thus mai I make semblable resouns of honours, and of glorie, and of delyces; for so as every of thise forseide thinges is the same that thise othere thynges ben (that is to seyn, al oon thyng), whoso that evere seketh to geten the toon of thise, and nat the tothir, he ne geteth nat that he desireth."

Boece."What seystow thanne, yif that a man coveyte to geten alle thise thynges togidre?"

Philosophie. "Certes," quod sche, "I wolde seye that he wolde geten hym sovereyn blisfulnesse; but that schal he nat fynde in tho thynges that I have schewed that ne mowen nat yeven that thei byheeten?"

Boece. "Certes no," quod I.

"Thanne," quod sche, "ne sholde men nat by no weye seken blisfulnesse in siche thynges as men wenen that they ne mowen yeven but o thyng sengly of al that men seken."

Boece. "I graunte wel," quod I, "ne no sothere thyng ne may be seyd."

Philosophie. "Now hastow thanne," quod sche, "the forme and the causes of fals welefulnesse. Now torne and flytte the eighen of thi thought, for ther shaltow seen anoon thilke verray blisfulnesse that I have behyght the."

Boece. "Certes," quod I, "it is cler and opene, theyghe it were to a blynd man; and that schewedestow me ful wel a litel herbyforn, whan thow enforcedest the to schewe me the causes of the fals blisfulnesse. For, but if I be begiled, thanne is thilke the verray parfit blisfulnesse that parfitly maketh a man suffisaunt, myghty, honourable, noble, and ful of gladnesse. And for thow schalt wel knowe that I have wel undirstonden thise thinges withynne myn herte, I knowe wel that thilke blisfulnesse that may verrayly yeven on of the forseyde thynges, syn thei ben alle oon — I knowe dowtelees that thilke thyng is the ful blysfulnesse."

Philosophie. "O my nory," quod sche, "by this opynyoun I seie that thow art blisful, yif thow putte this therto that I schal seyn."

"What is that?" quod I.

"Trowestow that ther be any thyng in this erthly, mortel, toumblynge thynges that may brynge this estat?"

"Certes," quod I, "Y trowe it nought; and thow hast schewyd me wel that over thilke good ther nys no thyng more to ben desired."

Philosophie. "Thise thynges thanne," quod sche (that is to seyn, erthly suffysaunce and power and swiche thynges), "outher thei semen lyknesses of verray good, or elles it semeth that thei yeve to mortel folk a maner of goodes that ne be nat parfyt. But thilke good that is verray and parfyt, that mai thei nat yeven."

Boece. "I accorde me wel," quod I.

Philosophie. "Thanne," quod sche, "for as moche as thou hast knowen whiche is thilke verray blisfulnesse, and eek whiche thilke thynges ben that lyen falsly blisfulnesse (that is to seyn, that be deceyte semen verray goodes), now byhoveth the to knowe, whennes and where thow mowe seke thilke verrai blisfulnesse.

"Certes," quod I, "that desire I gretly and have abyden longe tyme to herkne it."

"But for as moche," quod sche, "as it liketh to my disciple Plato, in his book of In Thymeo, that in ryght litel thynges men

schulde byseche the help of God, what juggestow that be now to done, so that we may desserve to fynde the seete of thilk sovereyn good?"

Boece. "Certes," quod I, "Y deme that we schul clepe to the Fadir of alle [thyng], for withouten hym nis ther no [begynnyng] founded aryght."

"Thow seyst aryght," quod sche, and bygan anoon to syngen right thus: