++O þou maker of þe whele þat bereþ þe sterres. whiche þat art fastned to þi p{er}durable chayere. {and} turnest þe heuene wiþ a rauyssyng sweigh{e} {and} {con}streinest [[pg 22]] þe sterres to suffren þi lawe. ¶ So þ{a}t þe 505 mone somtyme schynyng wiþ hir ful hornes metyng wiþ alle þe bemes of þe sonne. [Sidenote: The sun obscures the lesser lights, and quenches even the moon’s light.] ¶ Hir broþer hideþ þe sterres þat ben lasse. {and} somtyme whan þe mone 508 pale wiþ hir derke hornes approcheþ þe sonne. leesith hir lyȝtes. [Sidenote: Thou raisest Hesperus to usher in the shades of night, and again causest him to be the harbinger of day, whence his name Lucifer.] ¶ And þat þe euesterre esperus whiche þat in þe first[e] tyme of þe nyȝt bryngeþ furþe hir colde arysynges comeþ eft aȝeynes hir vsed cours. {and} 512 is pale by þe morwe at þe rysynge of þe sonne. and is þan cleped lucifer. ¶ Þou restreinest þe day by schorter dwellyng in þe tyme of colde wynter þat makeþ þe leues to falle. ¶ Þou diuidest þe swifte tides of þe 516 nyȝt when þe hote somer is comen. [Sidenote: Thou controllest the changing seasons of the year.] ¶ Þi myȝt attempre[þ] þo variau{n}tȝ sesons of þe ȝere. so þat ȝepherus þe deboneire wynde bringeþ aȝein in þe first[e] somer sesou{n} þe leues þat þe wynde þat hyȝt[e] boreas 520 haþ reft awey in autu{m}pne. þat is to seyne in þe laste eende of somer. and þe sedes þat þe sterre þat hyȝt arctur{us} saw ben waxen hey[e] cornes whan þe sterre sirius eschaufeþ hym. 524 [Sidenote: All nature is bound by thy eternal law.] ¶ Þere nis no þing vnbounde from hys olde lawe ne forleteþ hym of hys p{ro}pre estat. [Linenotes: 502 _whele_--whel _whiche_--which 503 _fastned_--yfastned _chayere_--chayer 504 _sweighe_--sweyh _constreinest_, MS. contreuiest, C. constreynest 506 _hir_--her{e} 508 _lasse_--lesse 510 _esperus whiche_--hesperus which 511 _first[e]_--fyrste _furþe_--forth 512 _eft_--est 514 _restreinest_--MS. restreniest 516 _to_--omitted 518 _attempre[þ] þo_--atempreth the _sesons_--sesoun _ȝere_--yer 519 _wynde bringeþ_--wynd brengeth 520 _wynde_--wynd _hyȝt[e]_--hihte 521 _reft_--MS. refte, C. reft _seyne_--seyn 522 _hyȝt_--hihte _arcturus_--MS. aritur{us} 523 _saw_--MS. saweþ, C. sawgh _hey[e]_--hyye 524 _hym_--hem _þere_--ther _þing_--thinge 525 _from_--fram _forleteþ hym of_--forleetheth þe werke of] [Headnote: CONTRASTED WITH THE ORDER OF NATURE.] [Sidenote: Why, then, leavest thou man’s actions uncontrolled?]