¶ Whan þat nature brouȝt[e] þe forþe out of þi moder wombe. I receyued[e] þe naked 844 {and} nedy of al þing. {and} I norysshed[e] þe wiþ my [[pg 34]] rychesse. {and} was redy {and} ententif þo{ru}ȝ my fauo{ur} to sustene þe. ¶ And þat makeþ þe now i{n}pacient aȝeins me. {and} I envirounde þe wiþ al þe habundaunce {and} 848 shinyng of al goodes þat ben in my ryȝt. [Sidenote: Now that I have a mind to withdraw my bounty, be thankful and complain not.] ¶ Now it lykeþ me to wiþ drawe myne hande. þou hast had grace as he þat haþ vsed of foreyne goodes. þou hast no ryȝt to pleyne þe. as þouȝ þou haddest vtterly lorn alle þi 852 þinges. whi pleynest þou þan. I haue don þe no wrong. [Sidenote: Riches and honours are subject to me.] Ricches hono{ur}es {and} swyche oþer þinges ben of my ryȝt. [Sidenote: They are my servants, and come and go with me.] ¶ My seruauntes knowen me for hir lady. þei comen wiþ me {and} dep{ar}ten whan I wende. I dar wel 856 affermen hardyly. þat yif þo þinges of whiche þou pleynest þat þou hast forlorn hadde ben þine. þou ne haddest not lorn he{m}. [Sidenote: Shall I alone be forbidden to use my own right?] ¶ shal I þan only be defended to vse my ryȝt. [Sidenote: Doth not heaven give us sunny days and obscure the same with dark nights?] ¶ Certis it is leueful to þe heuene to 860 make clere dayes. {and} after þat to keuere þe same dayes wiþ derke nyȝtes. [Sidenote: Is not the earth covered with frost as well as with flowers?] ¶ Þe erþe haþ eke leue to apparaile þe visage of þe erþe now w{i}t{h} floures {and} now wiþ fruyt. {and} to confounde he{m} so{m}tyme wiþ raynes {and} 864 wiþ coldes. [Sidenote: The sea sometimes appears calm, and at other times terrifies us with its tempestuous waves.] ¶ Þe see haþ eke hys ryȝt to be somtyme calme {and} blaundyshing wiþ smoþe water. {and} somtyme to be horrible wiþ wawes {and} wiþ tempestes. [Sidenote: Shall I be bound to constancy by the covetousness of men?] ¶ But þe couetyse of men þat may not be staunched 868 shal it bynde me to be stedfast. syn þat stedfastnesse is vnkouþ to my maneres. ¶ Swyche is my strengþe. [Sidenote: I turn my rolling wheel and amuse myself with exalting what was low, and bringing down what was high.] {and} þis pley. I pley[e] co{n}tinuely. I tourne þe whirly{n}g whele wiþ þe tournyng cercle ¶ I am glade to chaunge 872 þe lowest to þe heyeste. {and} þe heyest to þe loweste.