'Good lady,' quod I than, 'it hath ofte be sene, that +weders and stormes so hugely have falle in burjoning-tyme, and by perte 70 duresse han beten of the springes so clene, wherthrough the frute of thilke yere hath fayled. It is a greet grace, whan burjons han good +weders, their frutes forth to bringe. Alas! than, after suche stormes, how hard is it to avoyde, til efte wedring and yeres han maked her circute cours al about, er any frute be able 75 to be tasted! He is shent for shame, that foule is rebuked of his speche. He that is in fyre brenning sore smarteth for disese; him thinketh ful long er the water come, that shulde the fyr quenche. While men gon after a leche, the body is buryed. Lo! how semely this frute wexeth! Me thinketh, that of tho 80 frutes may no man ataste, for pure bitternesse in savour. In this wyse bothe frute and the tree wasten away togider, though mokel besy occupacion have be spent, to bringe it so ferforth that it was able to springe. A lyte speche hath maked that al this labour is in ydel.' 85 'I not,' quod she, 'wherof it serveth, thy question to assoyle. Me thinketh thee now duller in wittes than whan I with thee first mette. Although a man be leude, commenly for a fole he is nat demed but-if he no good wol lerne. Sottes and foles lete lightly out of mynde the good that men techeth hem. I sayd therfore, 90 thy stocke must be stronge, and in greetnesse wel herted: the tree is ful feble that at the firste dent falleth. And although frute fayleth oon yere or two, yet shal suche a seson come oon tyme or other, that shal bringe out frute that [is parfit]. *Fole, have I not seyd toforn this, as tyme hurteth, right so ayenward tyme heleth 95 and rewardeth; and a tree oft fayled is holde more in deyntee whan it frute forth bringeth. A marchaunt that for ones lesinge in the see no more to aventure thinketh, he shal never with aventure come to richesse. So ofte must men on the oke smyte, til the happy dent have entred, whiche with the okes owne swaye 100 maketh it to come al at ones. So ofte falleth the lethy water on the harde rocke, til it have thorow persed it. The even draught of the wyr-drawer maketh the wyr to ben even and supple-werchinge; and if he stinted in his draught, the wyr breketh a-sonder. Every tree wel springeth, whan it is wel grounded and 105 not often removed.' 'What shal this frute be,' quod I, 'now it ginneth rype?' 'Grace,' quod she, 'in parfit joy to endure; and therwith thou begon[ne].' 'Grace?' quod I; 'me thinketh, I shulde have a reward for my 110 longe travayle?'