'Certes,' quod she, 'though a fooles herte is with thing ravisshed, yet therfore is no general cause of the powers, ne of a siker parfit herte to be loked after. Was not Nero the moste shrewe oon of thilke that men rede, and yet had he power to make senatours justices, and princes of many landes? Was not 10 that greet power?' 'Yes, certes,' quod I. 'Wel,' quod she, 'yet might he not helpe him-selfe out of disese, whan he gan falle. How many ensamples canst thou remembre of kinges grete and noble, and huge power +helden, and 15 yet they might not kepe hem-selve from wrecchednesse? How wrecched was king Henry Curtmantil er he deyde? He had not so moche as to cover with his membres; and yet was he oon of the grettest kinges of al the Normandes ofspring, and moste possession had. O! a noble thing and clere is power, that is not 20 founden mighty to kepe him-selfe! Now, trewly, a greet fole is he, that for suche thing wolde sette the knotte in thyne herte! Also power of rëalmes, is not thilke grettest power amonges the worldly powers reckened? And if suche powers han wrecchednesse in hem-selfe, it foloweth other powers of febler condicion to 25 ben wrecched; and than, that wrecchednesse shulde be cause of suche a knotte! But every wight that hath reson wot wel that wrecchednesse by no way may ben cause of none suche knotte; wherfore suche power is no cause. That powers have wrecchednesse in hem-selfe, may right lightly ben preved. If power lacke on 30 any syde, on that syde is no power; but no power is wrecchednesse: for al-be-it so the power of emperours or kinges, or els of their rëalmes (which is the power of the prince) strecchen wyde and brode, yet besydes is ther mokel folk of whiche he hath no commaundement ne lordshippe; and there-as lacketh his 35 power, his nonpower entreth, where-under springeth that maketh hem wrecches. No power is wrecchednesse and nothing els; but in this maner hath kinges more porcion of wrecchednesse than of power. Trewly, suche powers ben unmighty; for ever they ben in drede how thilke power from lesing may be keped 40 of sorow; so drede sorily prikkes ever in their hertes: litel is that power whiche careth and ferdeth it-selfe to mayntayne. Unmighty is that wrecchednesse whiche is entred by the ferdful weninge of the wrecche him-selfe; and knot y-maked by wrecchednesse is betwene wrecches; and wrecches al thing bewaylen; 45 wherfore the knot shulde be bewayled; and there is no suche parfit blisse that we supposed at the ginning! _Ergo_, power in nothing shulde cause suche knottes. Wrecchednesse is a kyndely propertee in suche power, as by way of drede, whiche they mowe nat eschewe, ne by no way live in sikernesse. For thou wost wel 50 (quod she) he is nought mighty that wolde don that he may not don ne perfourme.'