It suffyseth that I have shewed hider-to the forme of false welefulnesse, so that, yif thou loke now cleerly, the order of myn entencioun requireth from hennes-forth to shewen thee the verray welefulnesse.'
'For sothe,' quod I, 'I see wel now that suffisaunce may nat 5 comen by richesses, ne power by reames, ne reverence by dignitees, ne gentilesse by glorie, ne Ioye by delices.'
'And hast thou wel knowen the causes,' quod she, 'why it is?'
'Certes, me semeth,' quod I, 'that I see hem right as though it were thorugh a litel clifte; but me were levere knowen hem 10 more openly of thee.'
'Certes,' quod she, 'the resoun is al redy. For thilke thing that simply is o thing, with-outen any devisioun, the errour and folye of mankinde departeth and devydeth it, and misledeth it and transporteth from verray and parfit good to goodes that 15 ben false and unparfit. But sey me this. Wenest thou that he, that hath nede of power, that him ne lakketh no-thing?'
'Certes,' quod she, 'thou seyst a-right. For yif so be that ther is a thing, that in any partye be febler of power, certes, 20 as in that, it mot nedes ben nedy of foreine help.'
'Suffisaunce and power ben thanne of o kinde?'
'And demest thou,' quod she, 'that a thing that is of this 25 manere, _that is to seyn, suffisaunt and mighty_, oughte ben despysed, or elles that it be right digne of reverence aboven alle thinges?'
'Certes,' quod I, 'it nis no doute, that it is right worthy to ben reverenced.' 30
'Lat us,' quod she, 'adden thanne reverence to suffisaunce and to power, so that we demen that thise three thinges ben al o thing.'
'Certes,' quod I, 'lat us adden it, yif we wolen graunten the sothe.' 35
'What demest thou thanne?' quod she; 'is that a derk thing and nat noble, _that is suffisaunt, reverent, and mighty_, or elles that it is right noble and right cleer by celebritee of renoun? Consider thanne,' quod she, 'as we han graunted her-biforn, that he that ne hath nede of no-thing, and is most mighty and most digne 40 of honour, yif him nedeth any cleernesse of renoun, which cleernesse he mighte nat graunten of him-self, so that, for lakke of thilke cleernesse, he mighte seme the febeler on any syde or the more out-cast?' GLOSE. _This is to seyn, nay; for who-so that is suffisaunt, mighty, and reverent, cleernesse of renoun folweth 45 of the forseyde thinges; he hath it al redy of his suffisaunce._