¶ And iugen þat only swiche þinges ben p{ur}ueied of god. whiche þat temporel welefulnesse co{m}mendiþ. _Glosa._ ¶ As þus þat yif a wyȝt haue prosperite. he is a good man {and} worþi to haue þat 480 p{ro}sperite. [Sidenote: The unfortunate lose the good opinion of the world.] and who so haþ aduersite he is a wikked man. {and} god haþ forsake hym. {and} he is worþi to haue þat aduersite. ¶ Þis is þe opiniou{n} of so{m}me folke. [Sidenote: [* Text begins again.]] *{and} þer of comeþ þat good gessyng. ¶ Fyrste of 484 al þi{n}g forsakeþ wrecches certys it greueþ me to þink[e] ryȝt now þe dyuerse sentences þat þe poeple seiþ of me. ¶ And þus moche I seye þat þe laste charge of contrarious fortune is þis. [Sidenote: [* fol. 7.]] *þat whan þat ony blame is 488 laid vpon a caytif. men wenen þat he haþ deserued þat he suffreþ. [Sidenote: Boethius laments the loss of his dignities and reputation.] ¶ And I þat am put awey fro{m} goode men {and} despoiled from dignitees {and} defoulid of my name by gessyng haue suffred torment for my goode dedis. 492 [Sidenote: The wicked, he says, sin with impunity, while the innocent are deprived of security, protection, and defence.] ¶ Certys me semeþ þat I se þe felonus couines of wikked men abounden in ioie {and} in gladnes. ¶ And I se þat euery lorel shapiþ hy{m} to fynde oute newe fraudes forto accusen goode folke. and I se þat goode 496 men ben ou{er}þrowen for drede of my p{er}il. ¶ and euery luxurious to{ur}mentour dar don alle felonie vnpunissed {and} ben excited þerto by ȝiftes. and i{n}nocentȝ ne ben not oonly despoiled of sykernesse but of defence 500 {and} þerfore me list to crien to god in þis manere. [Linenotes: 475 _myche_--moche 476 _þe[de]sertys_--the desertȝ 479 _Glosa_--glose 480 _good_--MS. goode, C. good _haue_--han 481 _so_--omitted in C. 481, 482 _haþ_--MS. haþe 483 _haue_--han 484 _Fyrste_--fyrst 485 _al_--alle _þink[e]_--thinke 488 _ony_--any 489 _laid_--MS. laide, C. leyd _haþ_--MS. haþe 490 _put_--MS. putte, C. put 491 _from_--of 494 _abounden_--habownden _gladnes_--gladnesse 495 _oute_--owt 496 _accusen_--accuse 497 _ben_--beth 501 _manere_--wise] [Headnote: THE CRUEL CHANGES OF FORTUNE] O STELLIFERI CONDITOR ORBIS. [Sidenote: [The fifthe met{ur}.]] [Sidenote: Author of the starry sky, Thou, seated on high, turnest the spheres, and imposest laws upon the stars and planets.]