worshippe (verb). 122. styl. 123. protection.
130. nowe. the. 131. set the. 132. lest. 133. ianghes; read jangles.
CHAPTER VI.
Ever,' quod she, 'hath the people in this worlde desyred
to have had greet name in worthinesse, and hated foule
to bere any [en]fame; and that is oon of the objeccions thou
alegest to be ayen thyne hertely desyre.'
5
'Ye, forsothe,' quod I; 'and that, so comenly, the people wol
lye, and bringe aboute suche enfame.'
'Now,' quod she, 'if men with lesinges putte on thee enfame,
wenest thy-selfe therby ben enpeyred? That wening is wrong;
see why; for as moche as they lyen, thy meryte encreseth, and
10
make[th] thee ben more worthy, to hem that knowen of the soth;
by what thing thou art apeyred, that in so mokil thou art encresed
of thy beloved frendes. And sothly, a wounde of thy frende [is] to
thee lasse harm, ye, sir, and better than a fals kissing in disceyvable
glosing of thyne enemy; above that than, to be wel with thy
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frende maketh [voyd] suche enfame. Ergo, thou art encresed
and not apeyred.'
'Lady,' quod I, 'somtyme yet, if a man be in disese, th'estimacion
of the envyous people ne loketh nothing to desertes of men,
ne to the merytes of their doinges, but only to the aventure of
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fortune; and therafter they yeven their sentence. And some
loken the voluntary wil in his herte, and therafter telleth his
jugement; not taking hede to reson ne to the qualitè of the
doing; as thus. If a man be riche and fulfild with worldly
welfulnesse, some commenden it, and sayn it is so lent by juste
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cause; and he that hath adversitè, they sayn he is weked; and
hath deserved thilke anoy. The contrarye of these thinges some
men holden also; and sayn that to the riche prosperitè is purvayed
in-to his confusion; and upon this mater many autoritès
of many and greet-witted clerkes they alegen. And some men
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sayn, though al good estimacion forsake folk that han adversitè,
yet is it meryte and encrees of his blisse; so that these purposes
am so wonderful in understanding, that trewly, for myn adversitè
now, I not how the sentence of the indifferent people wil jugen
my fame.'
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'Therfore,' quod she, 'if any wight shulde yeve a trewe sentence
on suche maters, the cause of the disese maist thou see
wel. Understand ther-upon after what ende it draweth, that is to
sayne, good or badde; so ought it to have his fame †by goodnesse
or enfame by badnesse. For [of] every resonable person, and
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namely of a wyse man, his wit ought not, without reson to-forn
herd, sodainly in a mater to juge. After the sawes of the wyse,
"thou shalt not juge ne deme toforn thou knowe."'
'Lady,' quod I, 'ye remembre wel, that in moste laude and
praysing of certayne seyntes in holy churche, is to rehersen their
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conuersion from badde in-to good; and that is so rehersed, as
by a perpetual mirrour of remembraunce, in worshippinge of
tho sayntes, and good ensample to other misdoers in amendement.
How turned the Romayne Zedeoreys fro the Romaynes,
to be with Hanibal ayenst his kynde nacion; and afterwardes,
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him seming the Romayns to be at the next degrè of confusion,
turned to his olde alyes; by whose witte after was Hanibal
discomfited. Wherfore, to enfourme you, lady, the maner-why
I mene, see now. In my youth I was drawe to ben assentaunt
and (in my mightes) helping to certain conjuracions and other
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grete maters of ruling of citizins; and thilke thinges ben my
drawers in; and ex[c]itours to tho maters wern so paynted and
coloured that (at the prime face) me semed them noble and
glorious to al the people. I than, wening mikel meryte have
deserved in furthering and mayntenaunce of tho thinges, besyed
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and laboured, with al my diligence, in werkinge of thilke maters
to the ende. And trewly, lady, to telle you the sothe, me rought
litel of any hate of the mighty senatours in thilke citè, ne of
comunes malice; for two skilles. Oon was, I had comfort to ben
in suche plyte, that bothe profit were to me and to my frendes.
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Another was, for commen profit in cominaltee is not but pees and
tranquilitè,
