TUM EGO FATEOR INQUAM. — Prosa 4
Thanne seide I thus: "I confesse and am aknowe it,"
quod I, "ne I ne se nat that men may seyn as by ryght that
schrewes ne ben chaunged into beestes by the qualite of hir
soules, al he it so that thei kepin yit the forme of the body of
mankynde. But I nolde nat of schrewes, of whiche the thought
crwel woodeth alwey into destruccion of gode men, that it were
leveful to hem to don that."
"Certes," quod sche, "ne it is nat leveful to
hem,
as I schal wel schewen the in covenable place. But natheles, yif
so were that thilke that men wenen ben leveful to schrewes were
bynomyn hem, so that they ne myghte nat anoyen or doon harm to
gode men, certes a gret partie of the peyne to schrewes scholde
ben alegged and releved. For al be it so that this ne seme nat
credible thing peraventure to some folk, yit moot it nedes be
that schrewes ben more wrecches and unsely whan thei mai doon and
parforme that thei coveyten, than yif thei ne myghte nat
acomplissen that thei coveiten. For yif so be that it be
wrecchidnesse to wilne to doon yvel, thanne is it more
wrecchidnesse to mowe don yvel, withoute whiche mowynge the
wrecchid wil scholde langwisse withouten effect. Thanne syn that
everiche of thise thinges hath his wrecchidnesse (that is to
seyn, wil to don ivel and mowynge to don yvel), it moot nedes be
that schrewes ben constreyned by thre unselynesses, that wolen,
and mowen, and parformen felonyes and schrewednesses."
"I acorde me," quod I; "but I desire gretly that
schrewes losten sone thilke unselynesses, that is to seyn, that
schrewes weren despoyled of mowynge to don yvel."
"So schollen thei," quod sche, "sonnere
peraventure than thou woldest, or sonnere than they hemselve
wene. For ther nis nothing so late, in so schorte bowndes of this
lif, that is long to abyde, nameliche to a corage immortel. Of
whiche schrewes the grete hope and the heye compassynges of
schrewednesses is ofte destroyed by a sodeyn ende, or
thei ben war; and that thing establisseth to schrewes the
ende of hir schrewednesse. For yf that schrewednesse makith
wrecches, than mot he nedes ben moost wrecchide that lengest is
a schrewe. The whiche wikkide schrewes wolde I demen althermost
unsely and kaytifs, yif that hir schrewednesse ne were fynissched
at the leste weye by the owtreste deth; for yif I have concluded
soth of the unselynesse of schrewednesse, thanne schewith it
clerly that thilke wrecchidnesse is withouten ende the whiche is
certein to ben perdurable."
"Certes," quod I, "this conclusioun is hard and
wondirful to graunte; but I knowe wel that it accordeth moche to
the thinges that I have grauntid herebiforn."
"Thou hast," quod sche, "the ryght estimacion of
this. But whosoevere wene that it be an hard thing to accorde hym
to a conclusioun, it is ryght that he schewe that some of the
premysses ben false, or elles he mot schewe that the collacioun
of proposicions nis nat spedful to a necessarie conclusioun; and
yif it ne be nat so, but that the premisses ben ygraunted, ther
nys nat why he scholde blame the argument. For this thing that
I schal telle the now ne schal nat seme lesse wondirful, but of
the thingis that ben taken also it is necessarie."
(As who seith, it folweth of that which
that is
purposed byforn.)
"What is that?" quod I.
"Certes," quod sche, "that is that thise wikkid
schrewes ben more blisful, or elles lasse wrecches, that abyen
the tormentz that thei han desservid, than if no peyne of justise
ne chastisede hem. Ne this ne seie I nat now for that any man
myghte thinke that the maneris of schrewes ben coriged and
chastised by vengeaunce and that thei ben brought to the ryghte
weye by the drede of the torment, ne for that they yeven to other
folk ensaumple to fleen fro vices; but I undirstonde yit in
another manere that schrewes ben more unsely whan thei ne ben nat
punyssched, al be it so that ther ne be hadde no resoun or lawe
of correccioun, ne noon ensample of lokynge."
"And what manere schal that be," quod I, "other
than hath ben told herbyforn?"
"Have we nat thanne graunted," quod sche, "that
good folk ben blisful and schrewes ben wrecches?"
"Yis," quod I.
"Thanne," quod sche,
"yif that any good were added
to the wrecchidnesse of any wyght, nis he nat more blisful than
he that ne hath no medlynge of good in his solitarie
wrecchidnesse?"
"So semeth it," quod I.
"And what seistow thanne," quod sche, "of thilke
wrecche that lakketh alle goodes so that no good nys medlyd in
his wrecchidnesse, and yit over al his wikkidnesse, for which he
is a wrecche, that ther be yit another yvel anexed and knyt to
hym — hym — schal nat men demen hym more unsely thanne
thilke
wrecche of whiche the unselynesse is relevid by the
participacioun of som good?"
"Why sholde he nat?" quod I.
"Thanne certes," quod sche, "han schrewes, whan
thei ben punyschid, somwhat of good anexid to hir wrecchidnesse
(that is to seyn, the same peyne that thei suffren, which that
is
good by the resoun of justice); and whanne thilke same schrewes
ascapen withouten torment, than han they somwhat more of yvel yit
over the wikkidnesse that thei han don, that is to seyn, defaute
of peyne, whiche defaute of peyne thou hast grauntid is yvel for
the disserte of felonye?"
"I ne may nat denye it," quod I.
"Moche more thanne," quod sche, "ben schrewes
unsely whan thei ben wrongfully delivred fro peyne, thanne whan
thei ben punyschid by ryghtful vengeaunce. But this is opene
thing and cleer, that it is ryght that schrewes ben punyschid,
and it is wikkidnesse and wrong that thei escapen
unpunyschid."
"Who myghte denye that?" quod I.
"But," quod sche, "may any man denye that al
that
is ryght nis good, and also the contrarie, that al that is wrong
is wikke?"
"Certes," quod I, "thise thinges ben clere
ynowe,
and [folwen that] that we han concluded a lytel herebyforn. But
I preye the
that thow telle me, yif thow accordest
to leten no torment to the soules aftir that the body is ended
by the deeth?" (This to seyn,
"Undirstondestow aught that soules han any torment aftir the
deeth of the body?")
"Certes," quod sche, "ye, and that ryght greet.
Of whiche soules," quod sche, "I trowe that some ben
tormented by asprenesse of peyne, and some soules I trowe ben
excercised by a purgynge mekenesse; but my conseil nys nat to
determyne of thise peynes.
"But I have travailed and told yit hiderto for thou
scholdest knowe that the mowynge of schrewes, whiche mowynge the
semeth to ben unworthy, nis no mowynge; and ek of schrewes, of
whiche thou pleynedest that they ne were nat punysschid, that
thow woldest seen that thei ne were neveremo withouten the
tormentz of hir wikkidnesse; and of the licence of mowynge to don
yvel that thou preyedest that it myghte sone ben ended, and that
thou woldest fayn lernen that it ne sholde nat longe endure, and
that schrewes ben more unsely yif thei were of lengere durynge,
and most unsely yif thei weren perdurable. And aftir this I have
schewyd the that more unsely ben schrewes whan thei escapen
withouten hir ryghtful peyne thanne whan thei ben punyschid by
ryghtful venjaunce; and of this sentence folweth it that thanne
ben schrewes constreyned at the laste with most grevous torment,
whan men wene that thei ne ben nat punyssched."
"Whan I considere thi resouns," quod I, "I ne
trowe nat that men seyn any thing more verrayly. And yif I turne
ayein to the studies of men, who is he to whom it sholde seme
that he ne scholde nat oonly leven thise thinges, but ek gladly
herkne hem?"
"Certes," quod sche, "so it es — but men
may nat.
For they have hir eien so wont to the derknesse of erthly thinges
that they ne may nat lyften hem up to the light of cler
sothfastnesse, but thei ben lyk to briddes of whiche the nyght
lightneth hir lokynge and the day blendith hem. For whan men loke
nat the ordre of thinges, but hir lustes and talentz, they wene
that either the leve or the mowynge to don wikkidnesse, or elles
the scapynge withouten peyne be weleful.
"But considere the jugement of the perdurable lawe. For
yif thou conferme thi corage to the beste thinges, thow ne hast
noon nede of no juge to yeven the prys or mede; for thow hast
joyned thiself to the most excellent thing. And yif thow have
enclyned thi studies to the wikkide thinges, ne seek no foreyne
wrekere out of thiself; for thow thiself hast thrist thiself into
wikke thinges, ryght as thow myghtest loken by diverse tymes the
fowle erthe and the hevene, and that alle othere thinges stynten
fro withoute, so that thow nere neyther in [hevene] ne in erthe,
ne saye no thyng more; thanne scholde it semen to the as by oonly
resoun of lokynge that thow were now in the sterres, and now in
the erthe. But the peple ne loketh nat on these thinges. What
thanne? Schal we thanne approchen us to hem that I have schewed
that thei ben lyke to beestes? And what wyltow seyn of this: yif
that a man hadde al forlorn his syghte, and hadde foryeten that
he evere sawhe, and wende that no thing ne faylede hym of
perfeccioun of mankynde; now we that myghten sen the same
thinges — wolde we nat wene that he were blynd? Ne also ne
accordeth nat the peple to that I schal seyn, the whiche thing
is sustenyd by as stronge foundementz of resouns, that is to
seyn, that more unsely ben they that doon wrong to othere folk,
than they that the wrong suffren."
"I wolde here thilke same resouns," quod I.
"Denyestow," quod sche, "that alle schrewes ne
ben
worthy to han torment?"
"Nay," quod I.
"But," quod sche, "I am certein by many resouns
that schrewes ben unsely."
"It accordeth," quod I.
"Thanne ne dowtestow nat," quod sche, "that
thilke
folk that ben worthy of torment, that they ne ben wrecches?"
"It accordeth wel," quod I.
"Yif thou were thanne iset a juge or a knowere of
thinges,
whethir trowestow that men scholden tormenten, hym that hath don
the wrong or elles hym that hath suffred the wrong?"
"I ne doute nat," quod I, "that I nolde doon
suffisaunt satisfaccioun to hym that hadde suffrid the wrong, by
the sorwe of hym that hadde doon the wrong."
"Thanne semeth it," quod sche, "that
the doere of wrong is more wrecche than he that hath suffride
wrong?"
"That folweth wel," quod I.
"Than," quod sche, "by thise causes and by
othere
causes that ben enforced by the same roote, that filthe [of]
synne be the propre nature of it maketh men wrecches, [it]
scheweth wel that the wrong that men doon nis nat the
wrecchidnesse of hym that resceyveth the wrong, but the
wrecchidnesse of hym that dooth the wrong. But certes," quod
sche, "thise oratours or advocattes don al the contrarie; for
thei enforcen hem to commoeve the juges to han pite of hem that
han suffrid and resceyved the thinges that ben grevous and aspre,
and yit men scholden more ryghtfully han pite of hem that doon
the grevances and the wronges: the whiche schrewes it were a more
covenable thing that the accusours or advocattes, nat wrooth but
pytous and debonayre, ledden tho schrewes that han don wrong to
the jugement ryght as men leden syke folk to the leche, for that
thei sholden seken out the maladyes of synne by torment. And by
this covenant, eyther the entent of the deffendours or advocatz
sholde fayle and cesen in al, or elles, yif the office of
advocatz wolde betre profiten to men, it sholde be torned into
the habyte of accusacioun. (That is to
seyn, thei
scholden accuse schrewes, and nat excusen hem.) And eek the
schrewes hemself, yif it were leveful to hem to seen at any
clifte the vertu that thei han forleten, and sawen that they
scholden putten adoun the filthes of hir vices by the tormentz
of peynes, they ne aughten nat, ryght for the recompensacioun for
to geten hem bounte and prowesse whiche that thei han lost, demen
ne holden that thilke peynes weren tormentz to hem; and eek thei
wolden refuse the attendaunce of hir advocattz, and taken hemself
to hir juges and to hir accusours. For whiche it betydeth that,
as to the wise folk, ther nis no place yleten to hate
(that is to seyn, that hate ne hath no
place among wise
men); for no wyght nil haten gode men, but yif he were
overmochel a fool, and for to haten schrewes it nis no resoun.
For ryght so as langwissynge is maladye of body, ryght so ben
vices and synne maladye of corage; and so as we ne deme nat that
they that ben sike of hir body ben worthy to ben hated, but
rather worthy of pite; wel more worthy nat to ben hated, but for
to ben had in pite, ben thei of whiche the thoughtes ben
constreyned by felonous wikkidnesse, that is more crwel than any
langwissynge of body.
