HEC CUM PHILOSOPHIA DIGNITATE VULTUS. — Prosa
1
Whanne Philosophie hadde songen softly and delitably the
forseide thinges, kepynge the dignyte of hir cheere and the
weyghte of hir wordes, I, thanne, that ne hadde nat al outrely
foryeten the wepynge and the moornynge that was set in myn herte,
forbrak the entencioun of hir that entendede yit to seyn some
othere thinges. "O," quod I, "thou that art gyderesse
of verray
light, the thinges that thou hast seid me hidirto ben to me so
cleer and so schewynge by the devyne lookynge of hem, and by thy
resouns, that they ne mowen nat ben overcomen. And thilke thinges
that thou toldest me, al be it so that I hadde whilom foryeten
hem for the sorwe of the wrong that hath ben don to me, yet
nathales thei ne weren not al outrely unknowen to me. But this
same is namely a ryght gret cause of my sorwe: that so as the
governour of thinges is good, yif that eveles mowen ben by any
weyes, or elles yif that evelis passen withouten punysschynge.
The whiche thing oonly, how worthy it es to ben wondrid uppon,
thou considerest it wel thiselve certeynly. But yit to this thing
ther is yit another thing ijoyned more to ben wondrid uppon: for
felonye is emperisse, and floureth ful of richesses, and vertu
nis nat al oonly withouten meedes, but it is cast undir and
fortroden undir the feet of felenous folk, and it abyeth the
tormentz in stede of wikkide felouns. Of alle whiche thinges ther
nys no wyght that may merveillen ynowghe ne compleyne that swiche
thinges ben don in the reigne of God, that alle things woot and
alle thinges may and ne wole nat but only gode thinges."
Thanne seide sche thus: "Certes," quod sche,
"that were a
greet merveille and an abaysschinge withouten ende, and wel more
horrible than alle monstres, yif it were as thou wenest; that is
to seyn, that in the ryght ordene hous of so mochel a fadir and
an ordeynour of meyne, that the vesselis that ben foule and vyl
schulden ben honoured and heryed, and the precious vesselis
schulden ben defouled and vyl. But it nys nat so. For yif the
thinges that I have concluded a litel herebyforn ben kept
hoole and unaraced, thou schalt wel knowe by the auctorite of
God, of the whos reigne I speke, that certes the gode folk ben
alwey myghty and schrewes ben alwey outcast and feble; ne the
vices ben neveremo withouten peyne, ne the vertus ne ben nat
withouten mede; and that blisfulnesses comen alwey to good folk,
and infortune comith alwey to wykkide folk. And thou schalt wel
knowe manye thinges of this kynde, that schullen cesen thi
pleyntis and strengthen the with stedfaste sadnesse. And for thou
hast seyn the
forme of the verray blisfulnesse by me that have
whilom yschewid it the, and thow hast knowen in whom blisfulnesse
is yset, alle thingis ytreted that I trowe ben necessarie to
putten forth, I schal schewe the the weye that schal bryngen the
ayen unto thyn hous; and I schal fycchen fetheris in thi thought,
by whiche it mai arisen in heighte; so that, alle tribulacioun
idon awey, thow, by my gyding and by my path and by my sledys,
shalt mowen retourne hool and sownd into thi contree.
