PRIMUM IGITUR PATERISNE ME PAUCULIS ROGACIONIBUS.
— Prosa 6
"First wiltow suffre me to touche and assaye th'estaat of
thi
thought by a fewe demaundes, so that I may understande what be
the manere of thi curacioun?"
"Axe me," quod I, "at thi wille what thou wolt,
and I schal
answere." Tho seyde sche thus: "Whethir wenestow," quod
sche,
"that this world be governed by foolyssche happes and
fortunows,
or elles wenestow that ther be inne it ony governement of
resoun?"
"Certes," quod I, "I ne trowe nat in no manere
that so certeyn
thynges schulden be moeved by fortunows [folie]; but I woot wel
that God, makere and maister, is governour of his werk, ne nevere
nas yit day that myghte putte me out of the sothnesse of that
sentence."
"So it is," quod sche, "for the same thyng songe
thow a litil
herebyforn, and bywayledest and byweptest, that oonly men weren
put out of the cure of God; for of alle othere thynges thou ne
doutedest the nat that they nere governed by resoun. But owgh!
I wondre gretly, certes, whi that thou art sik, syn that thow art
put in so holsome a sentence. But lat us seken deppere; I
conjecte that ther lakketh Y not what. But sey me this: syn that
thow ne doutest noght that this world be governed by God, with
whiche governayles takestow heede that it is governed?"
"Unnethes," quod I, "knowe I the sentence of thy
questioun,
so that I ne may nat yit answeren to thy demandes."
"I nas nat desseyved," quod sche, "that ther ne
faileth
somwhat, by whiche the maladye of perturbacion is crept into thi
thought, so as [by] the strengthe of the palys chynynge [and]
open. But sey me this: remembrestow what is the ende of thynges,
and whider that the entencion of alle kende tendeth?"
"I have herd tolde it somtyme," quod I, but
drerynesse hath
dulled my memorie."
"Certes," quod sche, "thou wost wel whennes that
alle thynges
bien comen and proceded?"
"I woot wel," quod I, and answerede that God is
bygynnynge of
al.
"And how may this be," quod sche, "that, syn
thow knowest the
bygynnynge of thynges, that thow ne knowest nat what is the eende
of thynges? But swiche ben the customes of perturbaciouns, and
this power they han, that they mai moeve a man from his place
(that is to seyn, fro the stabelnesse and
perfeccion
of his knowynge); but certes, thei mai nat al arrace hym,
ne aliene hym in al. But I wolde that thou woldest answere to
this: Remembrestow that thow art a man?"
Boece. "Whi schulde I
nat remembren that?"
quod I.
Philosophie. "Maystow
noght
telle me thanne," quod sche,"what thyng is a man?"
"Axestow me nat," quod I, "whethir that I [woot
wel that I]
be a resonable mortel beste? I woot wel, and I confesse wel that
I am it."
"Wystestow nevere yit that thow were ony othir
thyng?" quod
sche.
"No," quod I.
"Now woot I," quod sche, "other cause of thi
maladye, and that
ryght gree thow hast left for to knowen thyselve what thou art.
Thurw whiche I have pleynly fownde the cause of thi maladye, or
elles the entree of recoverynge of thyn hele. For-why, for thow
art confunded with foryetynge of thiself, forthi sorwestow that
thow art exiled [and despoyled] of thy propre goodes; and for
thow ne woost what is the eende of thynges, forthy demestow that
felonus and wikkide men ben myghty and weleful; and for thow hast
foryeten by whiche governementz the werld is governed, forthy
weenestow that thise mutacions of fortunes fleten withouten
governour. Thise ben grete causes, noght oonly to maladye, but
certes gret causes to deth. But I thanke the auctour and the
makere of hele, that nature hath nat al forleten the. I have gret
noryssynges of thyn hele, and that is, the sothe sentence of
governance of the werld, that thou bylevest that the governynge
of it nis nat subgit ne underput to the folye of thise happes
aventurous, but to the resoun of God. And therfore doute the
nothing, for of this litel spark thine heet of liif schal shine.
"But for as moche as it is nat tyme yet of fastere
remedies,
and the nature of thoughtes desceyved is this, that, as ofte as
they casten awey sothe opynyouns, they clothen hem in false
opynyouns, of the whiche false opynyouns the derknesse of
perturbacion waxeth up, that confowndeth the verray insyghte
— [that] derknesse schal I assaie somwhat to maken thynne and
wayk
by lyghte and meneliche remedies; so that, aftir that the
derknesse of desceyvynge desyrynges is doon away, thow mowe knowe
the schynynge of verraye light.
