'Wel,' quod she, 'thou knowest that every thing is a cause, wherthrough any thing hath being that is cleped "caused." Than, if richesse +causeth knot in herte, thilke richesse +is cause of thilke precious thinge being. But after the sentence of Aristotle, every cause is more in dignitè than his thinge caused; 5 wherthrough it foloweth richesse to ben more in dignitè than thilke knot. But richesses arn kyndely naughty, badde, and nedy; and thilke knotte is thing kyndely good, most praysed and desyred. _Ergo_, thing naughty, badde, and nedy in kyndely understandinge is more worthy than thing kyndely good, most 10 desyred and praysed! The consequence is fals; nedes, the antecedent mot ben of the same condicion. But that richesses ben bad, naughty, and nedy, that wol I prove; wherfore they mowe cause no suche thing that is so glorious and good. The more richesse thou hast, the more nede hast thou of helpe hem 15 to kepe. _Ergo_, thou nedest in richesse, whiche nede thou shuldest not have, if thou hem wantest. Than muste richesse ben nedy, that in their having maken thee nedy to helpes, in suretee thy richesse to kepen; wherthrough foloweth, richesse to ben nedy. Everything causinge yvels is badde and naughty; but 20 richesse in one causen misese, in another they mowen not evenly strecchen al about. Wherof cometh plee, debat, thefte, begylinges, but richesse to winne; whiche thinges ben badde, and by richesse arn caused. _Ergo_, thilke richesse[s] ben badde; whiche badnesse and nede ben knit in-to richesse by a maner of kyndely propertee; 25 and every cause and caused accorden; so that it foloweth, thilke richesse[s] to have the same accordaunce with badnesse and nede, that their cause asketh. Also, every thing hath his being by his cause; than, if the cause be distroyed, the being of caused is vanisshed. And, so, if richesse[s] causen love, and richesse[s] 30 weren distroyed, the love shulde vanisshe; but thilke knotte, and it be trewe, may not vanisshe, for no going of richesse. _Ergo_, richesse is no cause of the knot. And many men, as I sayd, setten the cause of the knotte in richesse; thilke knitten the richesse, and nothing the yvel; thilke persons, what-ever they 35 ben, wenen that riches is most worthy to be had; and that make they the cause; and so wene they thilke riches be better than the person. Commenly, suche asken rather after the quantitè than after the qualitè; and suche wenen, as wel by hem-selfe as by other, that conjunccion of his lyfe and of his soule is no more 40 precious, but in as mikel as he hath of richesse. Alas! how may he holden suche thinges precious or noble, that neither han lyf ne soule, ne ordinaunce of werchinge limmes! Suche richesse[s] ben more worthy whan they ben in +gadering; in departing, ginneth his love of other mennes praysing.