[Sidenote: Thou sowest them in heaven and earth, and they return to thee by thy kind law like a recoiling flame.] þou sewest hem in to heuene {and} in to erþe. {and} whan þei ben conuertid to þe by þi benigne lawe. ¶ þou makest hem retorne aȝeine to þe by aȝein ledyng fijr. [Sidenote: O Father, elevate our souls and let them behold thy august throne.] ¶ O fadir yif þou to þi þouȝt to stien vp in to þi streite sete. 2444 {and} graunte [hym] to enviroune þe welle of good. [Sidenote: Let them behold the fountain of all good. Dispel the mists of sense, remove the weights of earth-born cares, and in thy splendour shine (in our minds).] {and} þe lyȝte yfounde graunte hym to ficchen þe clere syȝtes of hys corage in þe. ¶ And scatre þou {and} to-breke [thow] þe weyȝtes {and} þe cloudes of erþely heuynesse. 2448 {and} shyne þou by þi bryȝtnes. [Sidenote: For thou art ever clear, and to the good art peace and rest. He who looks on thee beholds beginning, support, guide, path and goal, combined!] for þou art clernesse þou art peisible to debonaire folke. ¶ þou þi self art bygy{n}ny{n}ge. berere. ledere. paþ {and} t{er}me to loke on þe [þat] is oure ende. _Glose._ 2452 [Linenotes: 2435 _haþ_--MS. haþe 2436 _goþ_--MS. goþe 2437 _owen_--C. omits 2438 _tourniþ_--MS. to{ur}niþe 2439 _euenlyk_--euene lyke 2440 _lyȝt[e]_--lyhte 2442 _benigne_--bygynnynge 2444 _yif_--yiue _þi streite_--the streyte 2445 [_hym_]--from C. 2446 _lyȝte_--lyht 2448 [_thow_]--from C. 2449 _bryȝtnes_--bryhtnesse 2451 _paþ_--MS. paþe; paath 2452 [_þat_]--that] [Headnote: GOD THE SUPREME GOOD.] QUONIAM IGITUR QUI SCIT.[7] [Footnote 7: Read que sit.] [Sidenote: [The 10^the p{ro}se.]] [Sidenote: Now that thou hast had a faithful representation of future felicity as well as of the true happiness, I shall show thee in what the Perfection of Happiness consists.] ++FOr as moche þan as þou hast seyn. whiche is þe forme of goode þat nys nat p{er}fit. {and} whiche is þe forme of goode þat is p{er}fit. now trowe I þat it were goode to shewe in what þis p{er}fecc{i}ou{n} of blisfulnesse is 2456 set. [Sidenote: Our best plan will be to inquire whether there be in nature such a good as thou hast lately defined, lest we be deceived by the vanity of Imagination and be carried beyond the truth of the matter subjected to our inquiry.]