[Headnote: GOD THE SOUL’S PHYSICIAN.] whan god þat alle knoweþ doþ swiche þing. of whiche 3996 þing [þat] vnknowyng folk ben astoned [Sidenote: But, now let us notice a few things concerning the depth of the Divine knowledge which human reason may comprehend.] but forto constreine as who seiþ ¶ But forto co{m}prehende {and} telle a fewe þinges of þe deuyne depnesse þe whiche þat mans resou{n} may vnderstonde. [Sidenote: The man you deem just, may appear otherwise to the omniscient eye of Providence.] ¶ þilk man þat þou wenest 4000 to ben ryȝt Iuste {and} ryȝt kepyng of eq{u}ite. þe contrarie of þat semeþ to þe deuyne p{ur}ueaunce þat al woot. ¶ And lucan my familier telleþ þat þe victories cause liked[e] to þe goddes {and} causes ouercomen liked[e] to 4004 cato{u}n. [Sidenote: When you see apparent irregularities--unexpected and unwished for--deem them to be rightly done.] þan what so euer þou mayst seen þat is don in þis [world] vnhoped or vnwened. certys it is þe ryȝt[e] ordre of þinges. but as to þi wicked[e] oppiniou{n} it is a co{n}fusiou{n}. [Sidenote: Let us suppose a man so well behaved, as to be approved of God and man--but not endowed with firmness of mind, so that the reverses of fortune will cause him to forgo his probity, since with it he cannot retain his prosperity.] but I suppose þat som man be so wel yþewed. 4008 þat þe deuyne Iugement {and} þe Iugeme{n}t of mankynde accorden hem to gidre of hym. but he is so vnstedfast of corage [þat] yif any aduersite come to hym he wolde for-leten p{er}auenture to continue i{n}nocence by þe 4012 whiche he ne may nat wiþholden fortune. [Sidenote: A wise Providence, knowing that adversity might destroy this man’s integrity, averts from him that adversity which he is not able to sustain.] [Sidenote: [* fol. 31 _b_.]] ¶ þan þe wise dispensac{i}ou{n} of god spareþ hym þe whiche man{er}e adu{er}site *myȝt[e] enpeyren. ¶ For þat god wil nat suffren hym to trauaile. to whom þat trauayl 4016 nis nat couenable. [Sidenote: Another man is thoroughly virtuous, and approaches to the purity of the deity--him Providence deems it an injustice to oppress by adversity, and therefore exempts him even from bodily disease.] ¶ An oþ{er} man is p{er}fit in alle uertues. {and} is an holy man {and} neye to god so þat þe p{ur}ueaunce of god wolde demen þat it were a felony þat he were touched wiþ any aduersites. so þat he ne 4020 wil nat suffre þat swiche a man be moeued wiþ any [[pg 140]] manere maladie. ¶ But so as seide a philosophre [the moore excellent by me]. þe adu{er}sites comen nat (he seide in grec[;]) þere þ{a}t uertues han edified þe bodie 4024 of þe holy man.