[And blysfulnesse] is swiche a goode þat who so haþ geten it he ne may ouer þat no þing more desiire. [Sidenote: It is the sovereign good, and comprehends all others. It lacks nothing, otherwise it could not be the supreme good.] and þis þing for soþe is þe souereyne good þat conteiniþ in hym self al man{er}e goodes. to þe whiche goode 1760 yif þere failed[e] any þing. it myȝt[e] nat ben souereyne goode. ¶ For þan were þere som goode out of þis ilke souereyne goode þ{a}t myȝt[e] ben desired. [Sidenote: Happiness is, therefore, that perfect state, in which all other goods meet and centre.] Now is it clere {and} certeyne þa{n} þat blisfulnesse is a p{er}fit estat by þe congregac{i}ou{n} 1764 of alle goodes. [Sidenote: It is the object which all men strive after.] ¶ þe whiche blisfulnesse as I haue seid alle mortal folke enforcen hem to geten by dyuerse weyes. [Sidenote: A desire of the true good is a natural instinct, but error misleads them to pursue false joys.] ¶ For-whi þe couetise of verray goode is naturely y-plaunted in þe hertys of men. ¶ But þe 1768 myswandryng erro{ur} myslediþ hem in to fals[e] goodes. [Sidenote: Some, imagining the supreme good to consist in lacking nothing, labour for an abundance of _riches_; others, supposing that this good lies in the _reverence_ and _esteem_ of their fellow men, strive to acquire honourable positions.] ¶ of þe whiche men some of hem wenen þat souereygne goode is to lyue wiþ outen nede of any þing. {and} t{ra}ueile{n} hem to ben habundaunt of rycchesse. 1772 and some oþer men deme{n}. þat sou{er}ein goode be forto be ryȝt digne of reu{er}ences. {and} enforce{n} hem to ben reu{er}enced among hir neyȝbo{ur}s. by þe hono{ur}s þat þei han ygeten [Sidenote: There are some, again, who place it in supreme _power_, and seek to rule, or to be favoured by the ruling powers.] ¶ {and} some folk þer ben þat halden þat 1776 ryȝt heyȝe power to be souereyn goode. {and} enforcen he{m} forto regnen or ellys to ioigne{n} he{m} to hem þat regnen. [Sidenote: There are those who fancy _fame_ to be the height of happiness, and seek by the arts of war or peace to get renown.] ¶ And it semeþ to some oþer folk þat noblesse of renou{n} be þe sou{er}ein goode. {and} hasten hem to 1780 geten glorious name by þe artes of werre or of pees. [Sidenote: Many there are who believe nothing to be better than _joy_ and _gladness_, and think it delightful to plunge into luxury.] and many folke mesuren {and} gessen þ{a}t sou{er}ein goode be ioye {and} gladnesse {and} wenen þat it be ryȝt blisful [thyng{e}] to ploungen hem i{n} uoluptuous delit.