¶ And yif þilke delices mowen make folk blisful. þan by þe same cause moten þise bestes ben clepid blisful. ¶ Of whiche bestes al þe entenc{i}ou{n} hasteþ to fulfille 2188 hire bodyly iolyte. [Sidenote: A wife and children do not always bring happiness, for some have found tormentors in their own offspring.] and þe gladnesse of wijf [{and}] children were [an] honest þing. but it haþ ben seid. þat it is ouer myche aȝeins kynde þat children han ben fou{n}den tormentours to hir fadres I not how many. 2192 ¶ Of whiche children how bitynge is euery condic{i}ou{n}. It nedeþ nat to tellen it þe þat hast or þis tyme assaied it. {and} art ȝit now anguysso{us}. [Sidenote: I approve of this opinion of Euripides, that he who is childless is happy in his misfortune.] In þis approue I þe sentence of my disciple Euridippus. þat seide þat he 2196 þat haþ no children is weleful by i{n}fortune. [Linenotes: 2173 _is_--nis 2176 _delices_--delites _body_--bodye 2177 _anguisse_--Angwyssh 2178 _grete_--gret 2179 _sekenesse_--sykenesse _grete sorwes_--gret soruwes 2180 _fruit_--frut 2182 _had_--MS. hadde, C. had 2183 _wil_--wole 2184 _hys_--hyse 2185 _sorowful_--sorwful _sory_--sorye 2186 _make_--makyn 2189 [_and_]--from C. 2190 [_an_]--from C. _haþ_--haþe _seid_--MS. seide, C. seyd 2191 _myche_--mochel 2192 _many_--manye 2196 _Euridippus_--Eurydyppys; _read_ Euripides 2197 _haþ_--MS. haþe] [[pg 80]] [Headnote: NO HAPPINESS IN EXTERNAL THINGS.] HABET HOC UOLUPTAS. [Sidenote: [The 7^de Met{ur}.]] [Sidenote: Pleasure leaves a pain behind it.] ++Euery delit haþ þis. þat it anguisseþ hem wiþ prikkes þ{a}t vsen it. [Sidenote: The bee gives us agreeable honey, but try to hold it, and it quickly flies, leaving its sting behind.] ¶ It resembliþ to þise flying flyes þat we clepen been. þat aftre þat þe bee haþ shed hys agreable 2200 honies he fleeþ awey {and} styngeþ þe hertes of he{m} þat ben ysmyte wiþ bytynge ouer longe holdynge. [Linenotes: 2198 _Euery_--MS. Ouery, C. Every 2198, 2200 _haþ_--MS. haþe _shed hys_--shad hyse] [Headnote: MEN ARE LED ASTRAY BY IGNORANCE.] NICHIL IGITUR DUBIUM EST. [Sidenote: [The 8^the p{ro}se.]] [Sidenote: It appears then that happiness is not to be found in the above-mentioned external things.] ++Now nis it no doute þan þ{a}t þise weyes ne ben a maner mysledy{n}g to blisfulnesse. ne þat þei ne 2204 mowe nat leden folke þider as þei byheten to lede{n} hem. [Sidenote: These false ways are perplexed with many evils, as I shall presently show thee.] [Sidenote: [* fol. 19.]]