Chaucerian and Other Pieces. Various

Tho louteden blasours; tho

      curreyden glosours; tho welcomeden flatterers; tho worshipped

      thilke that now deynen nat to loke. Every wight, in such erthly

      wele habundant, is holde noble, precious, benigne, and wyse to

      do what he shal, in any degree that men him sette; al-be-it that

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      the sothe be in the contrarye of al tho thinges. But he that can

      never so wel him behave, and hath vertue habundaunt in manyfolde

      maners, and be nat welthed with suche erthly goodes, is holde

      for a foole, and sayd, his wit is but sotted. Lo! how fals for

      aver is holde trewe! Lo! how trewe is cleped fals for wanting

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      of goodes! Also, lady, dignitees of office maken men mikel

      comended, as thus: "he is so good, were he out, his pere shulde

      men not fynde." Trewly, I trowe of some suche that are so

      praysed, were they out ones, another shulde make him so be

      knowe, he shulde of no wyse no more ben loked after: but only

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      fooles, wel I wot, desyren suche newe thinges. Wherfore I wonder

      that thilke governour, out of whom alone the causes proceden

      that governen al thinges, whiche that hath ordeyned this world

      in workes of the kyndely bodyes so be governed, not with

      unstedfast or happyous thing, but with rules of reson, whiche

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      shewen the course of certayne thinges: why suffreth he suche

      slydinge chaunges, that misturnen suche noble thinges as ben we

      men, that arn a fayr parcel of the erthe, and holden the upperest

      degree, under god, of benigne thinges, as ye sayden right now

      your-selfe; shulde never man have ben set in so worthy a place

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      but-if his degrè were ordayned noble. Alas! thou that knittest

      the purveyaunce of al thinges, why lokest thou not to amenden

      these defautes? I see shrewes that han wicked maners sitten in

      chayres of domes, lambes to punisshen, there wolves shulden ben

      punisshed. Lo! vertue, shynende naturelly, for povertee lurketh,

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      and is hid under cloude; but the moone false, forsworn (as

      I knowe my-selfe) for aver and yeftes, hath usurped to shyne by

      day-light, with peynture of other mens praysinges; and trewly,

      thilke forged light fouly shulde fade, were the trouth away of

      colours feyned. Thus is night turned in-to day, and day in-to

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      night; winter in-to sommer, and sommer in-to winter; not in

      dede, but in misclepinge of foliche people.'

      'Now,' quod she, 'what wenest thou of these thinges? How

      felest thou in thyn hert, by what governaunce that this cometh

      aboute?'

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      'Certes,' quod I, 'that wot I never; but-if it be that Fortune

      hath graunt from above, to lede the ende of man as her lyketh.'

      'Ah! now I see,' quod she, 'th'entent of thy mening! Lo,

      bycause thy worldly goodes ben fulliche dispent, thou beraft out

      of dignitè of office, in whiche thou madest the †gaderinge of thilke

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      goodes, and yet diddest in that office by counsaile of wyse [before

      that] any thing were ended; and true were unto hem whos profit

      thou shuldest loke; and seest now many that in thilke hervest

      made of thee mokel, and now, for glosing of other, deyneth thee

      nought to forther, but enhaunsen false shrewes by witnessinge of

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      trouthe! These thinges greveth thyn herte, to sene thy-selfe thus

      abated; and than, frayltè of mankynde ne setteth but litel by the

      lesers of suche richesse, have he never so moche vertue; and so

      thou wenest of thy jewel to renne in dispyt, and not ben accepted

      in-to grace. Al this shal thee nothing hinder. Now (quod she)

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      first thou wost wel, thou lostest nothing that ever mightest thou

      chalenge for thyn owne. Whan nature brought thee forth, come

      thou not naked out of thy †moders wombe? Thou haddest no

      richesse; and whan thou shalt entre in-to the ende of every

      flesshly body, what shalt thou have with thee than? So, every

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      richesse thou hast in tyme of thy livinge, nis but lent; thou

      might therin chalenge no propertee. And see now; every thing

      that is a mannes own, he may do therwith what him lyketh, to

      yeve or to kepe; bul richesse thou playnest from thee lost; if thy

      might had strecched so ferforth, fayn thou woldest have hem kept,

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      multiplyed with mo other; and so, ayenst thy wil, ben they departed

      from thee; wherfore they were never thyn. And if thou laudest

      and joyest any wight, for he is stuffed with suche maner richesse,

      thou art in that beleve begyled; for thou wenest thilke joye to be

      selinesse or els ese; and he that hath lost suche happes to ben

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      unsely.'

      'Ye, forsoth,' quod I.

      'Wel,' quod she, 'than wol I prove that unsely in that wise is

      to preise; and so the tother is, the contrary, to be lacked.'

      'How so?' quod I.

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      'For Unsely,' quod she, 'begyleth nat, but sheweth th'entent

      of her working. Et e contra: Selinesse begyleth. For in prosperitè

      she maketh a jape in blyndnesse; that is, she wyndeth him to

      make sorowe whan she withdraweth. Wolt thou nat (quod she)

      preise him better that sheweth to thee his herte, tho[ugh] it be

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      with bytande wordes and dispitous, than him that gloseth and

      thinketh in †his absence to do thee many harmes?'

      'Certes,' quod I, 'the oon is to commende; and the other to

      lacke and dispice.'

      'A! ha!' quod she, 'right so Ese, while †she lasteth, gloseth

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