'I have herd it told som-tyme,' quod I; 'but drerinesse hath dulled my memorie.'
'Certes,' quod she, 'thou wost wel whennes that alle thinges ben comen and procedeth?'
'I wot wel,' quod I, and answerede, that 'god is beginning 35 of al.'
'And how may this be,' quod she, 'that, sin thou knowest the beginning of thinges, that thou ne knowest nat what is the ende of thinges? But swiche ben the customes of perturbaciouns, and this power they han, that they may moeve a 40 man out of his place, _that is to seyn, fro the stablenes and perfeccioun of his knowinge_; but, certes, they may nat al arace him, ne aliene him in al. But I wolde that thou woldest answere to this: remembrestow that thou art a man?'
'Why sholde I nat remembre that?' quod I. 45
'Maystow nat telle me thanne,' quod she, 'what thing is a man?'
'Axestow me nat,' quod I, 'whether that I be a resonable mortal beest? I woot wel, and I confesse wel that I am it.'
'Wistestow never yit that thou were any other thing?' quod she. 50
'Now woot I,' quod she, 'other cause of thy maladye, and that right grete. Thou hast left for to knowen thy-self, what thou art; thorugh whiche I have pleynly founden the cause of thy maladye, or elles the entree of recoveringe of thyn hele. 55 For-why, for thou art confounded with foryeting of thy-self, for-thy sorwestow that thou art exiled of thy propre goodes. And for thou ne wost what is the ende of thinges, for-thy demestow that felonous and wikked men ben mighty and weleful. And for thou hast foryeten by whiche governements the world is 60 governed, for-thy wenestow that thise mutaciouns of fortune fleten with-oute governour. Thise ben grete causes not only to maladye, but, certes, grete causes to deeth. But I thanke the auctor and the maker of hele, that nature hath not al forleten thee. I have grete norisshinges of thyn hele, and that 65 is, the sothe sentence of governaunce of the worlde; that thou bilevest that the governinge of it nis nat subiect ne underput to the folie of thise happes aventurous, but to the resoun of god. And ther-for doute thee no-thing; for of this litel spark thyn hete of lyf shal shyne. 70
But for as moche as it is nat tyme yit of faster remedies, and the nature of thoughtes deceived is this, that as ofte as they casten awey sothe opiniouns, they clothen hem in false opiniouns, of which false opiniouns the derkenesse of perturbacioun wexeth up, that confoundeth the verray insighte: and that derkenesse 75 shal I assaye som-what to maken thinne and wayk by lighte and meneliche remedies; so that, after that the derkenesse of deceivinge desiringes is don awey, thou mowe knowe the shyninge of verray light.