VIDESNE IGITUR QUANTO. — Prosa 3
"Seestow nat thanne in how greet filthe thise schrewes
been iwrapped, and with which clernesse thise gode folk schynen?
In this scheweth it wel that to good folk ne lakketh neveremo hir
meedes, ne schrewes ne lakken neveremo turmentes. For of alle
thinges that ben idoon, thilke thing for which any thing is doon,
it semeth as by ryght that thilke thing be the mede of that; as
thus, yif a man renneth in the stadye or in the forlonge for the
corone, thanne lith the mede in the coroune for whiche he
renneth. And I have schewed that blisfulnesse is thilke same good
for whiche that alle thinges ben doon; thanne is thilke same good
purposed to the werkes of mankynde right as a comune mede, which
mede ne may nat ben disseveryd fro good folk. For no wight as by
ryght, fro thennesforth that hym lakketh goodnesse, ne schal ben
cleped good. For whiche thing folk of gode maneres, hir medes ne
forsaken hem neveremo. For al be it so that schrewes waxen as
wode as hem lyst ayein good folk, yit natheles the coroune of
wise men ne schal nat fallen ne faden; for foreyne schrewednesse
ne bynemeth nat fro the corages of good folk hir propre honour.
But yif that any wyght rejoysede hym of goodnesse that he hadde
taken fro withoute (as who seith, yif any
man hadde
his goodnesse of any other man than of hymself), certes he
that yaf hym thilke goodnesse, or elles som other wyght, myghte
benymen it hym. But for as moche as to every wyght his owene
propre bounte yeveth hym his mede, thanne at erste schal he
failen of mede whan he forletith to ben good. And at the laste,
so as alle medes ben requerid for men wenen that
thei
ben gode, who is he that nolde deme that he that is ryght myghti
of good were partlees of the mede? And of what mede schal he ben
gerdoned? Certes of ryght fair mede and ryght greet aboven alle
medes. Remembre the of thilke noble corrolarie that I yaf the a
litel herebyforn, and gadre it togidre in this manere: so as good
[hytself] is blisfulnesse, thanne is it cler and certein that
alle gode folk ben imaked blisful for thei ben gode; and thilke
folk that ben blisful it accordeth and is covenable to ben
goddes. Thanne is the mede of good folk swych that no day ne
schal empeiren it, ne no wikkidnesse schal derkne it, ne power
of no wyght ne schal nat amenusen it; that is to seyn, to ben
maked goddes. And syn it is thus (that
gode men ne
failen neveremo of hir mede), certes no wise man ne may
doute of the undepartable peyne of schrewes (that
is to seyn, that the peyne of schrewes ne departeth nat from
hemself neveremo). For so as good and yvel, and peyne and
medes, ben contrarie, it moot nedes ben that, ryght as we seen
betyden in guerdoun of gode, that also moot the peyne of yvel
answere by the contrarie partie to schrewes. Now thanne, so as
bounte and pruesse ben the mede to good folk, also is
schrewidnesse itself torment to schrewes. Thanne whoso that evere
is entecchid or defouled with peyne, he ne douteth nat that he
nys entecchid and defouled with yvel. Yif schrewes thanne wol
preysen hemself may it semen to hem that thei ben withouten parti
of torment, syn thei ben swiche that the uttreste wikkidnesse
(that is to seyn, wikkide thewes, which
that is the
uttereste and the worst kynde of schrewednesse) ne defouleth
ne enteccheth nat hem oonly, but enfecteth and envenymeth hem
greetly? And also loke on schrewes, that ben the contrarie partie
of gode men, how gret peyne felawschipith and folweth hem! For
thou hast lerned a litil herebyforn that alle thing that is and
hath beynge is oon, and thilke same oon is good: than is this the
consequence, that it semeth wel that al that is and hath beynge
is good. (This is to seyn, as who seith
that beinge
and unite and goodnesse is al oon.) And in this manere it
folweth thanne that alle thing that fayleth to ben good, it
stynteth for to be and for to han any beynge. Wherfore it es that
schrewes stynten for to ben that thei weeren. But thilke othir
forme [of the body] of mankynde (that is
to seyn,
the [forme] withowte) scheweth yit that thise schrewes weren
whilom men. Wherfore, whan thei ben perverted and turned into
malice, certes, thanne have thei forlorn the nature of mankynde.
But so as oonly bownte and prowesse may enhawnsen every man over
othere men, than moot it nedes he that schrewes, whiche that
schrewednesse hath cast out of the condicion of mankynde, ben put
undir the merit and the dissert of men. Than betidith it that,
yif thou seest a wyght that be transformed into vices, thow ne
mayst nat wene that he be a man. For if he be ardaunt in avaryce,
and that he be a ravynour by violence of foreyne richesse, thou
schalt seyn that he is lik to the wolf; and if he be felonows and
withoute reste, and exercise his tonge to chidynges, thow schalt
likne hym
to the hownd; and if he be a pryve awaytour yhid, and rejoiseth hym
to
ravyssche be wiles, thow schalt seyn hym lik to the fox whelpes;
and yif he be distempre, and quakith for ire, men schal wene that
he bereth the corage of a lyoun; and yif he be dredful and
fleynge, and dredith thinges that ne aughte nat to ben dredd, men
schal holden hym lik to the hert; and yf he be slow, and astonyd,
and lache, he lyveth as an asse; yif he be lyght and unstedfast
of corage and chaungith ay his studies, he is likned to briddes;
and if he be ploungid in fowle and unclene luxuris, he is
withholden in the foule delices of the fowle sowe. Than folweth
it that he that forleteth bounte and prowesse, he forletith to
ben a man; syn he ne may nat passe into the condicion of God, he
is torned into a beeste.
