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:
