CHAPTER VI.

Honour in dignitè is wened to yeven a ful knot.' 'Ye, certes,' quod I, 'and of that opinion ben many; for they sayn, dignitè, with honour and reverence, causen hertes to encheynen, and so abled to be knit togither, for the excellence in soverayntè of such degrees.' 5

'Now,' quod she, 'if dignitè, honour, and reverence causen thilke knotte in herte, this knot is good and profitable. For every cause of a cause is cause of thing caused. Than thus: good thinges and profitable ben by dignitè, honour, and reverence caused. _Ergo_, they accorden; and dignites ben good with 10 reverences and honour. But contraries mowen not accorden. Wherfore, by reson, there shulde no dignitee, no reverence, non honour acorde with shrewes. But that is fals; they have ben cause to shrewes in many shreudnes; for with hem they accorden. _Ergo_, from beginning to argue ayenward til it come to the laste 15 conclusion, they are not cause of the knot. Lo, al day at eye arn shrewes not in reverence, in honour, and in dignitè? Yes, forsothe, rather than the good. Than foloweth it that shrewes rather than good shul ben cause of this knot. But of this [the] contrarie of al lovers is bileved, and for a sothe openly determined 20 to holde.'

'Now,' quod I, 'fayn wolde I here, how suche dignitees acorden with shrewes.'

'O,' quod she, 'that wol I shewe in manifolde wyse. Ye wene (quod she) that dignites of office here in your citè is as the 25 sonne; it shyneth bright withouten any cloude; [of] whiche thing, whan they comen in the handes of malicious tirauntes, there cometh moche harm, and more grevaunce therof than of the wilde fyre, though it brende al a strete. Certes, in dignitè of office, the werkes of the occupyer shewen the malice and the 30 badnesse in the person; with shrewes they maken manyfolde harmes, and moche people shamen. How often han rancours, for malice of the governour, shulde ben mainteyned? Hath not than suche dignitees caused debat, rumours, and yvels? Yes, god wot, by suche thinges have ben trusted to make mens understanding 35 enclyne to many queynte thinges. Thou wottest wel what I mene.'

'Ye,' quod I, 'therfore, as dignitè suche thing in tene y-wrought, so ayenward, the substaunce in dignitè chaunged, relyed to bring ayen good plyte in doing.' 40

'Do way, do way,' quod she; 'if it so betyde, but that is selde, that suche dignitè is betake in a good mannes governaunce, what thing is to recken in the dignitees goodnesse? Pardè, the bountee and goodnesse is hers that usen it in good governaunce; and therfore cometh it that honour and reverence shulde ben 45 don to dignitè bycause of encresinge vertue in the occupyer, and not to the ruler bycause of soverayntee in dignitè. Sithen dignitè may no vertue cause, who is worthy worship for suche goodnesse? Not dignitè, but person, that maketh goodnesse in dignitè to shyne.' 50

'This is wonder thing,' quod I; 'for me thinketh, as the person in dignitè is worthy honour for goodnesse, so, tho[ugh] a person for badnesse ma[u]gree hath deserved, yet the dignitè leneth to be commended.'

'Let be,' quod she, 'thou errest right foule; dignitè with 55 badnesse is helper to performe the felonous doing. Pardy, were it kyndly good, or any propertè of kyndly vertue [that men] hadden in hem-selfe, shrewes shulde hem never have; with hem shulde they never accorde. Water and fyr, that ben contrarious, mowen nat togider ben assembled; kynde wol nat suffre suche 60 contraries to joyne. And sithen at eye, by experience in doing, we seen that shrewes have hem more often than good men, siker mayst thou be, that kyndly good in suche thing is nat appropred. Pardy, were they kyndly good, as wel oon as other shulden evenlich in vertue of governaunce ben worthe; but oon fayleth in 65 goodnesse, another doth the contrary; and so it sheweth, kyndly goodnesse in dignitè nat be grounded. And this same reson (quod she) may be mad, in general, on al the bodily goodes; for they comen ofte to throw-out shrewes. After this, he is strong that hath might to have grete burthens, and he is light 70 and swifte, that hath soveraintè in ronning to passe other; right so he is a shrewe, on whom shreude thinges and badde han most werchinge. And right as philosophy maketh philosophers, and my service maketh lovers, right so, if dignites weren good or vertuous, they shulde maken shrewes good, and turne her malice, 75 and make hem be vertuous. But that they do nat, as it is proved, but causen rancour and debat. _Ergo_, they be nat good, but utterly badde. Had Nero never ben Emperour, shulde never his dame have be slayn, to maken open the privitè of his engendrure. Herodes, for his dignitè, slew many children. The 80 dignitè of king John wolde have distroyed al England. Therfore mokel wysdom and goodnesse both, nedeth in a person, the malice in dignitè slyly to brydel, and with a good bitte of arest to withdrawe, in case it wolde praunce otherwyse than it shulde. Trewly, ye yeve to dignites wrongful names in your cleping. 85 They shulde hete, nat dignitè, but moustre of badnesse and mayntenour of shrewes. Pardy, shyne the sonne never so bright, and it bringe forth no hete, ne sesonably the herbes out-bringe of the erthe, but suffre frostes and cold, and the erthe barayne to ligge by tyme of his compas in circute about, ye wolde wonder, 90 and dispreyse that sonne! If the mone be at ful, and sheweth no light, but derke and dimme to your sight appereth, and make distruccion of the waters, wol ye nat suppose it be under cloude or in clips, and that som prevy thing, unknowen to your wittes, is cause of suche contrarious doinge? Than, if clerkes, that han 95 ful insight and knowing of suche impedimentes, enforme you of the sothe, very idiottes ye ben, but-if ye yeven credence to thilk clerkes wordes. And yet it doth me tene, to sene many wrecches rejoycen in such maner planettes. Trewly, litel con[ne] they on philosophy, or els on my lore, that any desyr haven suche 100 lightinge planettes in that wyse any more to shewe.'

'Good lady,' quod I, 'tel me how ye mene in these thinges.'

'Lo,' quod she, 'the dignites of your citè, sonne and mone, nothing in kynde shew their shyning as they shulde. For the sonne made no brenning hete in love, but freesed envye in 105 mennes hertes, for feblenesse of shyning hete; and the moone was about, under an olde cloude, the livinges by waters to distroye.'

'Lady,' quod I, 'it is supposed they had shyned as they shulde.' 110

'Ye,' quod she, 'but now it is proved at the ful, their beautè in kyndly shyning fayled; wherfore dignitè of him-selven hath no beautee in fayrnesse, ne dryveth nat awaye vices, but encreseth; and so be they no cause of the knotte. Now see, in good trouth; holde ye nat such sonnes worthy of no reverence, and dignites 115 worthy of no worship, that maketh men to do the more harmes?'

'I not,' quod I.

'No?' quod she; 'and thou see a wyse good man, for his goodnesse and wysnesse wolt thou nat do him worship? Therof he is worthy.' 120

'That is good skil,' quod I; 'it is dewe to suche, both reverence and worship to have.'

'Than,' quod she, 'a shrewe, for his shreudnesse, altho he be put forth toforn other for ferde, yet is he worthy, for shrewdnesse, to be unworshipped; of reverence no part is he worthy to have, 125 [that] to contrarious doing belongeth: and that is good skil. For, right as he besmyteth the dignites, thilke same thing ayenward him smyteth, or els shulde smyte. And over this thou wost wel (quod she) that fyr in every place heteth where it be, and water maketh wete. Why? For kyndely werking is so y-put in 130 hem, to do suche thinges; for every kyndely in werking sheweth his kynde. But though a wight had ben mayre of your city many winter togider, and come in a straunge place there he were not knowen, he shulde for his dignitè have no reverence. Than neither worshippe ne reverence is kyndely propre in no dignitè, 135 sithen they shulden don their kynde in suche doinge, if any were. And if reverence ne worshippe kyndely be not set in dignitees, and they more therein ben shewed than goodnesse, for that in dignitè is shewed, but it proveth that goodnesse kyndely in hem is not grounded. I-wis, neither worshippe, ne reverence, ne 140 goodnesse in dignitè don non office of kynde; for they have non suche propertee in nature of doinge but by false opinion of the people. Lo! how somtyme thilke that in your city wern in dignitè noble, if thou liste hem nempne, they ben now overturned bothe in worship, in name, and in reverence; wherfore 145 such dignites have no kyndly werching of worshippe and of reverence. He that hath no worthinesse on it-selfe, now it ryseth and now it vanissheth, after the variaunt opinion in false hertes of unstable people. Wherfore, if thou desyre the knotte of this jewel, or els if thou woldest suppose she shulde sette the knotte 150 on thee for suche maner dignitè, than thou wenest beautee or goodnesse of thilke somwhat encreseth the goodnesse or vertue in the body. But dignite[es] of hemself ben not good, ne yeven reverence ne worshippe by their owne kynde. How shulde they than yeve to any other a thing, that by no waye mowe they have 155 hem-selfe? It is sene in dignitè of the emperour and of many mo other, that they mowe not of hem-selve kepe their worshippe ne their reverence; that, in a litel whyle, it is now up and now downe, by unstedfaste hertes of the people. What bountee mowe they yeve that, with cloude, lightly leveth his shyninge? Certes, 160 to the occupyer is mokel appeyred, sithen suche doinge doth villanye to him that may it not mayntayne. Wherfore thilke way to the knotte is croked; and if any desyre to come to the knot, he must leve this way on his lefte syde, or els shal he never come there. 165

CH. VI. 3. sayne. 4. knytte. 6. Nowe. 12. reason. none. 13. false. 15. ayenwarde. 16. arne. 19. _Supply_ the.

22. Nowe. fayne. howe. 26. _I supply_ of. thynge. 28. harme. 32. Howe. 34. debate. 35. wote. 37. meane. 39. ayenwarde. 44. bountie. 45. honoure. 46. done. encreasynge. 47. soverayntie. 53. magre. 57. _Supply_ that. men _and_ it. 59. fire.

61. ioyn. 62. sene. menne. 63. mayste. 64-5. one (_twice_). 66. dothe. 68. made. 69. throwe out. 70. great burthyns. 77. debate. 80. slewe. 81. Engla_n_de. 82. wysedom. 88. bring forthe. heate. 89. colde. 91. son. 93. distruction. 94. some.

98. wretches. 99. con; _read_ conne. 100. desyre. 102. howe. mean. 107. lyuenges. 111. nowe. 113. beautie. encreaseth. 114. Nowe se. 118. se. 119. wysenesse wolte. 124. forthe toforne. 125. parte. 126. _I supply_ that. 127. ayenwarde. 128. woste. 129. fyre. heateth. 132. cytie.

141. done none. none. 142. propertie. 143. howe. cytie werne. 144. nowe. 147. _For_ He _read_ That thing? 147-8. nowe (_twice_). 151. the. beautie. 152. encreaseth. 153. dignite; _read_ dignitees. 154. howe. 155. thynge. 158. that that; _read_ that. nowe (_twice_). 159. bountie. 160. leaueth. 161. dothe. 162. maye. waye. 164. leaue. waye.