_Philosophie._ ¶ App{er}teineþ q{uo}d she any of þilke 1221 þinges to þe. whi darst þou glorifie þe in þe shynynge of any swiche þinges. [Sidenote: Do the flowers adorn you with their variety?] Art þou distingwed {and} embelised by þe spryngyng floures of þe first somer 1224 sesou{n}. or swelliþ þi plente in fruytes of somer. whi art þou rauyshed wiþ ydel ioies. [Sidenote: Why embracest thou things wherein thou hast no property?] why enbracest þou straunge goodes as þei weren þine. [Sidenote: Fortune can never make that thine which the nature of things forbids to be so.] Fortune shal neuer maken þat swiche þinges ben þine þat nature of þinges 1228 maked foreyne fro þe. [Sidenote: The fruits of the earth are designed for the support of beasts.] ¶ Syche is þat wiþ-oute{n} doute þe fruytes of þe erþe owen to ben on þe norssinge of bestes. [Sidenote: If you seek only the necessities of nature, the affluence of Fortune will be useless.] ¶ And if þou wilt fulfille þi nede after þat it suffiseþ to nature þan is it no nede 1232 þat þou seke after þe sup{er}fluite of fortune. [Sidenote: Nature is content with a little, and superfluity will be both disagreeable and hurtful.] ¶ For wiþ ful fewe þinges {and} w{i}t{h} ful lytel þing nature halt hire appaied. {and} yif þou wilt achoken þe fulfillyng of nat{ur}e wiþ sup{er}fluites ¶ Certys þilke 1236 þinges þ{a}t þou wilt þresten or pouren in to nature shullen ben vnioyeful to þe or ellis anoies. [Sidenote: Does it add to a man’s worth to shine in variety of costly clothing?] ¶ Wenest þou eke þat it be a fair þinge to shine wiþ dyuerse cloþing. [Sidenote: The things really to be admired are the beauty of the stuff or the workmanship of it.] of whiche cloþing yif þe beaute be agreable 1240 to loken vpon. I wol merueylen on þe nature of þe matere of þilke cloþes. or ellys on þe werkeman þat wrouȝt[e] hem. [Sidenote: Doth a great retinue make thee happy?] [Sidenote: [* fol. 12 _b_.]] but al so a longe route of meyne. makiþ þat a blisful *man. [Sidenote: If thy servants be vicious, they are a great burden to the house, and pernicious enemies to the master of it.] þe whiche seruauntes yif þei ben 1244 vicioũs of condic{i}ou{n}s it is a greet charge {and} a destrucc{i}ou{n} to þe house. {and} a g{r}eet enmye to þe lorde hym self [Sidenote: If they be good, why should the probity of others be put to thy account?] ¶ {And} yif þei ben goode men how shal straung[e] or foreyne goodenes ben put in þe nou{m}bre 1248 of þi rycchesse.