SENTISNE, INQUIT. — Prosa 4
"Felistow," quod sche, "thise thynges, and entren
thei aughte
in thy corage? Artow like an asse to the harpe? Why wepistow, why
spillestow teeris? Yif thou abidest after helpe of thi leche, the
byhoveth discovre thy wownde."
Tho I, that hadde gaderyd strengthe in my corage, answeride
and seide: "And nedeth it yit," quod I, "of rehersynge
or of
ammonicioun? And scheweth it nat ynoghe by hymselve the
scharpnesse of Fortune, that waxeth wood ayens me? Ne moeveth it
nat the to seen the face or the manere of this place? Is this the
librarye which that thou haddest chosen for a ryght certein sege
to the in myn hous, there as thow disputedest ofte with me of the
sciences of thynges touchynge dyvinyte and mankynde? Was thanne
myn habit swiche as it is now? Was my face or my chere swyche as
now whan I soghte with the the secretis of nature, whan thow
enformedest my maneris and the resoun of al my lif to the
ensaumple of the ordre of hevene? Is noght this the gerdouns that
I referre to the, to whom I have ben obeisaunt?
"Certes thou confermedest by the mouth of Plato this
sentence,
that is to seyn that comune thynges or comunalites weren blisful
yif they that hadden studied al fully to wysdom governeden thilke
thynges; or elles yif it so befille that the governours of
comunalites studieden to geten wysdom. Thou seidest eek by the
mouth of the same Plato that it was a necessarie cause wise men
to taken and desire the governance of comune thynges, for that
the governementz of cites, ilefte in the handes of felonous
turmentours citezeens, ne schulde noght bryngen in pestilence
ande destruccioun to good folk. And therfore I, folwynge thilke
auctorite, desired to putten forth in execucion and in acte of
comune administracioun thilk thynges that I hadde lernyd of the
among my secre restyng-whiles.
"Thow and God, that putte the in the thoughtes of wise
folk,
ben knowynge with me that nothyng ne brought me to maistrie or
dignyte but the comune studie of alle goodnesse. And therof
cometh it that bytwixen wikkid folk and me han ben grevous
discordes, that ne myghte nat ben relessed by preyeris; for this
liberte hath the fredom of conscience, that the wraththe of more
myghty folk hath alwey ben despised of me for savacioun of right.
How ofte have I resisted and withstonden thilke man that highte
Connigaste, that made alwey assawtes ayens the propre fortunes
of pore feble folk! How ofte eek have I put of or cast out hym
Trygwille, provoste of the kyngis hous, bothe of the wronges that
he hadde bygunne to doon, and ek fully performed! How ofte have
I covered and defended by the auctorite of me put ayens perils
(that is to seyn, put myn auctorite in
peril
for) the wrecche pore folk, that the covetise of straungiers
unpunyschid tormentyde alwey with myseses and grevances out of
nombre! Nevere
man ne drow me yit fro right to wrong. Whan I say the fortunes
and the richesses of the peple of the provinces ben harmed or
amenuced outher be pryve ravynes or by comune tributz or
cariages, as sory was I as they that suffriden the harm.
Glosa. Whan that
Theodoric, the kyng
of Gothes, in a dere yeer, hadde his gerneeris ful of corn, and
comaundede that no man schulde byen no coorn til his corn were
soold, and that at a grevous dere prys, Boece withstood that
ordenaunce and overcome it, knowynge al this the kyng hymselve.
Coempcioun is to seyn comune achat or beyinge togidre,
that were establissed upon the peple by swich a manere
imposicioun, as whoso boughte a busschel corn, he most yyve the
kyng the fyfte part.) Textus. Whan it was in the sowre
hungry tyme, ther was establissed or cryed grevous and unplitable
coempcioun, that men sayen wel it schulde gretly tormenten and
endamagen al the provynce of Campayne, I took stryf ayens the
provost of the pretorie for comune profit; and, the kyng knowynge
of it, Y overcom it, so that the coempcioun ne was nat axid ne
took effect. Paulyn, a conseiller of Rome, the richesses of the
whiche Paulyn the howndes of the paleys (that is to
seyn, the officeres) wolden han devoured by hope and
covetyse, yit drowe I hym out of the jowes of hem that gapeden.
And for as moche as the peyne of the accusacioun ajugid byforn
ne schulde noght sodeynli henten ne punyssche wrongfully Albyn,
a conseiller of Rome, I putte me ayens the hates and indignacions
of the accusour Cyprian. Is it nat thanne inoghe isene that I
have purchaced grete discordes ayens myself? But I oughte be the
more asseured ayens alle othere folk, that for the love of
rightwisnesse I ne reservede nevere nothyng to myselve to hemward
of the kyngis halle, by whiche I were the more syker. But thurw
tho same accusours accusynge I am condempned.
"Of the nombre of whiche accusours, oon Basilius, that whilom
was chased out of the kyngis servyse, is now compelled in
accusynge of my name for nede of foreyne moneye. Also Opilion and
Gaudencius han accused me, al be it so that the justise regal
hadde whilom demed hem bothe to gon into exil for hir trecheries
and frawdes withouten nombre, to whiche juggement they nolden nat
obeye, but defendeden hem by the sikernesse of holi houses
that is to seyn, fledden into seyntewarie); and
whan this was aperceyved to the kyng, he comandide that, but they
voydide the cite of Ravenne by certeyn day assigned, that men
scholde marken hem on the forheved with an hoot iren and chasen
hem out of towne. Now what thyng semyth myghte ben likned to this
cruelte? For certes thilke same day was resceyved the accusynge
of myn name by thilke same accusours. What may ben seyd herto?
Hath my studie and my kunnynge disserved thus? Or elles the
forseyde dampnacioun of me — made that hem ryghtfulle
accusours or no? Was noght Fortune aschamed of this? Certes, al hadde noght
Fortune ben aschamed that innocence was accused, yit oughte sche
han hadde schame of the fylthe of myn accusours.
"But axestow in somme of what gylt I am accused? Men
seyn that I wolde saven the companye of the senatours. And desirestow to
heren in what manere? I am accused that I schulde han disturbed
the accusour to beren lettres, by whiche he scholde han maked the
senatours gylty ayens the kynges real majeste. O Maystresse, what
demestow of this? Schal I forsake this blame, that Y ne be no
schame to the? Certes I have wolde it (that is to
seyn, the savacioun of the senat), ne I schal nevere letten
to wilne it. And that I confesse and am aknowe; but the entente
of the accusour to ben distorbed schal cese. For schal I clepe
it thanne a felonye or a synne that I have desired the savacioun
of the ordre of the senat? And certes yit hadde thilke same senat
don by me thurw hir decretz and hir jugementz as thoughe it were
a synne and a felonye (that is to seyn, to wilne the
savacioun of hem). But folye, that lyeth alwey to hymselve,
may noght
chaunge the merite of thynges, ne I trowe nat by the jugement of
Socrates that it were leveful to me to hide the sothe ne assente
to lesynges.
"But certes, how so evere it be of this, I putte it to gessen
or prisen to the jugement of the and of wys folk. Of whiche thyng
al the ordenaunce and the sothe, for as moche as folk that been
to comen aftir our dayes schullen knowen it, I have
put it in scripture and in remembraunce. For touchynge
the lettres falsly maked, by whiche lettres I am accused to han
hoped the fredom of Rome, what aperteneth me to speken therof?
Of whiche lettres the fraude hadde ben schewed apertely, yif I
hadde had liberte for to han used and ben at the confessioun of
myn accusours, the whiche thyng in alle nedes hath greet
strengthe. For what other fredom mai men hopen? Certes I wolde
that som other fredom myghte ben hoped; I wolde thanne han
answeryd by the wordys of a man that hyghte Canyus. For whan he
was accused by Gaius Cesar, Germaynes sone, that he was knowynge
and consentynge of a conjuracioun ymaked ayens hym, this Canyus
answeride thus: 'Yif I hadde wyst it, thou haddest noght wyst
it.'
"In whiche thyng sorwe hath noght so dullid my wyt that
I
pleyne oonly that schrewed folk apparailen felonyes ayens vertu;
but I wondre gretly how that thei may performe thynges that thei
han hoped for to doon. Forwhy to wylne schrewydnesse — that
cometh
peraventure of our defaute; but it is lyk a monstre and a
merveyle how that, in the presente sight of God, may ben acheved
and performed swiche thynges as every felonous man hath conceyved
in his thoght ayens innocentz. For whiche thynge oon of thy
familiers noght unskilfully axed thus: 'Yif God is, whennes
comen wikkide thyngis? And yif God ne is, whennes comen gode
thynges?' But al hadde it ben leveful that felonous folk, that
now desiren the blood and the deeth of alle gode men and ek of
al the senat, han wilned to gon destroyen me, whom they han seyn
alwey bataylen and defenden gode men and eek al the senat, yit
hadde I nought disservyd of the faderes (that is to seyn, of the
senatours) that they schulden wilne my destruccioun.
"Thow remembrest wel, as I gesse, that whan I wolde doon
or
seyn any thyng, thow thiselve alwey present reuledest me. [And
wel thow remembrest] at the cite of Verone, whan that the kyng,
gredy of comune slaughtre, caste hym to transporten upon al the
ordre of the senat the gilt of his real majeste, of the whiche
gilt that Albyn was accused, with how gret sykernesse of peril
to me defended I al the senat! Thow woost wel that I sey sooth,
ne I n'avawntede me nevere in preysynge of myselve. For alwey
whan any wyght resceyveth precious renoun in avauntynge hymselve
of his werkes, he amenuseth the secre of his conscience. But now
thow mayst wel seen to what eende I am comen for myn innocence;
I resceyve peyne of fals felonye for guerdoun of verrai vertue.
And what opene confessioun of felonye hadde evere juges so
accordaunt in cruelte (that is to seyn,
as myn
accusynge
hath) that either errour of mannys wit, or elles condicion
of fortune, that is uncerteyn to alle mortel folk, ne submyttede
some of hem (that is to seyn, that it ne
enclynede
som juge to have pite or compassioun)? For althoughe I hadde
ben accused that I wolde brenne holi houses and straungle
preestis with wykkid sweerd, or that I hadde greythed deth to
alle gode men, algates the sentence scholde han punysshed me
present, confessed or convict. But now I am remuwed fro the cite
of Rome almest fyve hundred thowsand paas, I am withoute deffense
dampnyd to proscripcion and to the deth for the studie and
bountes that I have doon to the senat. But, O, wel ben thei
wurthy of meryte (as who seith,
nay), ther
myghte nevere yit noon of hem ben convicte of swiche a blame as
myn is! Of whiche trespas myne accusours sayen ful wel the
dignete; the whiche dignyte, for thei
wolden derken it with medlynge of some felonye, they bare me on
hande and lieden that I hadde pollut and defouled my conscience
with sacrilegie for covetise of dignyte. And certes thou
thiselve, that art plaunted in me, chacedest out of the sege of
my corage alle covetise of mortel thynges, ne sacrilege ne hadde
no leve to han a place in me byforn thyne eien. For thow
droppiddest every day in myn eris and in my thought thilke
comaundement of Pictagoras, that is to seyn, men schal serven to
God and noght to goddes. Ne it was noght convenient ne no nede
to taken help of the fouleste spiritz — I,
that thow
hast ordeyned and set in swiche excellence, that thou makedest
me lyk to God. And over this, the right clene secre chaumbre of
myn hous (that is to seyn, my
wif), and the
companye of myne honeste freendes, and my wyves fadir, as wel
holi as worthy to ben reverenced thurw his owene dedes, defenden
me fro alle suspecioun of swiche blame. But O malice! For they
that accusen me taken of the, Philosophie, feith of so greet
blame, for they trowen that I have had affinyte to malefice or
enchauntement, bycause that I am replenysshid and fulfild with
thy techynges, and enformed of thi maneris. And thus it suffiseth
nat oonly that thi reverence ne avayle me nat, but yif that thow
of thy free wil rather be blemessched with myne offencioun.
"But certes, to the harmes that I have, ther bytideth
yit this
encrees of harm, that the gessynge and the jugement of moche folk
ne loken nothyng to the desertes of thynges, but oonly to the
aventure of fortune; and jugen that oonly swiche thynges ben
purveied of God, whiche that temporel welefulnesse commendeth.
(Glose. As thus: that yif a wyght have
prosperite,
he is a good man and worthy to han that prosperite; and whoso
hath adversite, he is a wikkid man, and God hath forsake hym, and
he is worthy to han that adversite. This is the opinyoun of some
folk.) Textus. And therof cometh that good gessynge, first
of alle thynge, forsaketh wrecches. Certes it greveth me to
thynke ryght now the diverse sentences that the peple seith of
me. And thus moche I seie, that the laste charge of contrarious
fortune is this: that whan eny blame is leid upon a caytif, men
wenen that he hath desservyd that he suffireth. And I, that am
put awey fro gode men, and despoyled of dignytes, and defouled
of myn name by gessynge, have suffride torment for my gode dedes.
Certes me semyth that I se the felonous covynes of wykkid men
habounden in joye and in gladnesse; and I se that every lorel
schapeth hym to fynde out newe fraudes for to accuse good folk;
and I se that goode men [lien] overthrowen for drede of my peril,
and every luxurious turmentour dar doon alle felonye
unpunysschyd, and ben excited therto by yiftes; and innocentz ne
ben noght oonly despoiled of sikernesse, but of defense; and
therfore me lyst to crie to God in this manere:
