¶ Now vndirstonde {and} gadir it to gidir þus 1120 yif blisfulnesse be þe souereyne goode of nature þat liueþ by resou{n} ¶ Ne þilke þing nis nat souereyne goode þat may be taken awey in any wyse. for more worþi þing {and} more digne is þilke þing þ{a}t may nat be 1124 taken awey. [Sidenote: Instability of fortune is not susceptive of true happiness.] ¶ Þan shewiþ it wele þat þe vnstablenesse of fortune may nat attayne to receyue verray blisfulnes. ¶ And ȝit more ouer. [Sidenote: He who is led by fading felicity, either knows that it is changeable or does not know it.] ¶ What man þat þis toumblyng welefulnesse leediþ. eiþer he woot þat 1128 [it] is chaungeable. or ellis he woot it nat. [Sidenote: If he knows it not, what happiness has he in the blindness of his ignorance?] ¶ And yif he woot it not. what blisful fortune may þer be in þe blyndenesse of ignorau{n}ce. and yif he woot þat it is chaungeable. he mot alwey ben adrad þ{a}t he ne lese 1132 þat þing. þat he ne douteþ nat but þat he may leesen it. [Linenotes: 1098 _aȝeinewarde al_--ayeinward alle 1099 _it_--hyt 1101 _whan_--what _haþ_--MS. haþe _lorn_--MS. lorne, C. lost 1102 _yspranid_--spraynyd _bitternesses_--beternesses 1104 _hym_--hem _it_--hyt _be_--ben 1105 _goþ_--MS. geþe _wol_--woole _sen_--MS. sene 1107 _dwelliþ_--dureth 1109 _folkes_--folk{e} 1110 _oute_--owt 1112 _shortly_--shortely 1114 _wilt_--MS. wilte, C. wolt _if_--yif 1117 _by-nyme_--be-neme 1118 _blisfulnesse [ne]_--blyssefulnesse ne 1120 _to gidir_--to gidere 1121, 1122 _souereyne goode_--sou{er}eyn good 1125 _wele_--wel 1126 _receyue_--resseyuen 1129 [_it_]--from C. _it_--hyt 1130 _be_--ben 1131 _blyndenesse_--blyndnesse] [[pg 44]] [Headnote: RICHES DO NOT CONSTITUTE HAPPINESS.] [Sidenote: If he knows it is fleeting he must be afraid of losing it, and this fear will not suffer him to be happy.] ¶ As whoo seiþ he mot ben alwey agast lest he leese þat he wot wel he may leese. ¶ For whiche þe continuel drede þat he haþ ne suffriþ hym nat to ben 1136 weleful. ¶ Or ellys yif he leese it he wene to be dispised {and} forleten hit. ¶ Certis eke þat is a ful lytel goode þat is born wiþ euene hert[e] whan it is loost. ¶ Þat is to seyne þat men don no more force. 1140 of þe lost þan of þe hauynge. [Sidenote: Since thou art convinced of the soul’s immortality, thou canst not doubt that if death puts an end to human felicity, that all men when they die, are plunged into the depths of misery.]