philosophy, or els on my lore, that any desyr haven suche 100 lightinge planettes in that wyse any more to shewe.' 'Good lady,' quod I, 'tel me how ye mene in these thinges.' 'Lo,' quod she, 'the dignites of your citè, sonne and mone, nothing in kynde shew their shyning as they shulde. For the sonne made no brenning hete in love, but freesed envye in 105 mennes hertes, for feblenesse of shyning hete; and the moone was about, under an olde cloude, the livinges by waters to distroye.' 'Lady,' quod I, 'it is supposed they had shyned as they shulde.' 110 'Ye,' quod she, 'but now it is proved at the ful, their beautè in kyndly shyning fayled; wherfore dignitè of him-selven hath no beautee in fayrnesse, ne dryveth nat awaye vices, but encreseth; and so be they no cause of the knotte. Now see, in good trouth; holde ye nat such sonnes worthy of no reverence, and dignites 115 worthy of no worship, that maketh men to do the more harmes?' 'I not,' quod I. 'No?' quod she; 'and thou see a wyse good man, for his goodnesse and wysnesse wolt thou nat do him worship? Therof he is worthy.' 120 'That is good skil,' quod I; 'it is dewe to suche, both reverence and worship to have.' 'Than,' quod she, 'a shrewe, for his shreudnesse, altho he be put forth toforn other for ferde, yet is he worthy, for shrewdnesse, to be unworshipped; of reverence no part is he worthy to have, 125 [that] to contrarious doing belongeth: and that is good skil. For, right as he besmyteth the dignites, thilke same thing ayenward him smyteth, or els shulde smyte. And over this thou wost wel (quod she) that fyr in every place heteth where it be, and water maketh wete. Why? For kyndely werking is so y-put in 130 hem, to do suche thinges; for every kyndely in werking sheweth his kynde. But though a wight had ben mayre of your city many winter togider, and come in a straunge place there he were not knowen, he shulde for his dignitè have no reverence. Than neither worshippe ne reverence is kyndely propre in no dignitè, 135 sithen they shulden don their kynde in suche doinge, if any were. And if reverence ne worshippe kyndely be not set in dignitees, and they more therein ben shewed than goodnesse, for that in dignitè is shewed, but it proveth that goodnesse kyndely in hem is not grounded. I-wis, neither worshippe, ne reverence, ne 140 goodnesse in dignitè don non office of kynde; for they have non suche propertee in nature of doinge but by false opinion of the people. Lo! how somtyme thilke that in your city wern in dignitè noble, if thou liste hem nempne, they ben now overturned bothe in worship, in name, and in reverence; wherfore 145 such dignites have no kyndly werching of worshippe and of