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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


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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.