XXII.[1] The Lazy Servant Maimund
"Suche an old man asked of hym hov moche he myght ete. To whom he: 'Of whos mete? of myn mete or of another?' Quod he: 'Of thyn.' Maymund: 'As litel as I may.' Quod he: 'What of another?' [Maymund]: 'As moche as I may'." To whom thold man: "Thow now remembrest of the wordis of sum gloton, slowth, foole, jangler, or and a litel cat. And whatsumever of hym suche be saide: this or that, more or lasse he fyndeth in hym."[2] Tholdman: "His lord comaunded hym suche a nyght to shitte the yaate; and he oppressed with slowth and vnlust myght nat arise and therfor he saide the yaate was shit. Forsoth than in the Morow the lord saide: 'Maymunde, open the yaate.' To whom the seruaunt saide: '[Maister], I wist wel that thow woldest have it open this day and therfor I shit it nat at eve.' Than the lord apperceived that he left it vndon bicause of slewth and saide, 'Arise and do thi werke for it is day and the Sonne is now high'. To whom the seruaunt: 'If the sonne he at an height gyve me mete.' To whom the lorde saide: 'Thow most worst seruaunt, wiltow ete the nyght?' To whom the seruaunt: 'If it be nyght suffre me to sleepe.' Another tyme the lord saide to his seruaunt in the nyght: 'Maymunde, arise and see whether it Rayne or nat.' He forsoth cald the hounde whiche lay without the gate and whan the dogge cam he felt his feete that wern drye and saide to his lord that it Rayned nat. Another tyme the lord asked his seruaunt in the nyght (f. 133) if any fuyre were in the house. He forsoth cald the cat and tempted hir whether she were hote or nat, whiche whan[3] he fond cold saide to his lord ther was noon."
[The Yongman]: "Of the yongman his slowth now have I herd and the jangler I coveite to here." Than thold man: "It is saide that his lord cam glad from the market for the moche wynnyng that he had there. And Maymund the seruaunt went out agenst his lord; whom whan his lord saw, [he was] crymynous lest any shrewd tidynges [he would tell], as he was wont to tell, [and] saide vnto hym: 'Beware thow tel me no shrewd tidynges.' The seruaunt saide: 'I shal tel the no shrewde tidynges; but, sir, Bispel our litel dog is dede.' To whom the lord: 'How is he dede?' The seruaunt: 'Our Mule was agast and brake his halter[4] and trade the hounde vndir his feete and so hath slayn hym.' The lord: 'And what is don of the Mule?' The seruaunt saide: 'He fil in the diche and is dede.' The lord than: 'How was the Mule gasted?' Than the seruaunt: 'Yowre sone fil from the solier above so that he is dede, and so was the Mule gasted.' Than the lord: 'What dide his Moder?' The seruaunt: 'For the grete sorowe of hir sone she is dede.' The lord: 'Who kepith the house?' The seruaunt: 'Noon, forwhy it is torned into asshen and what ellis that was therin.' The lord: 'How was it brent?' The seruaunt: 'The same nyght that my lady deide, the foote Maiden whiche wacchid for my lady was foryeteful and left the candel in the Chamber and so thyn house is brent.' The lord: 'Wher is the footemayde?' The seruaunt: 'She wold have qwenched the fuyre and[5] fil vpon hir hede and is dede.' The lord: 'How escapest thow whiche art so slow?' The seruaunt: 'Whan I saw the foote maide dede I fled.'
Than the lord wounder sorowful cam to his neighburghs praieng hem to host and herburgh hym in sum howse. In the meane while he mette oon of his friendis, whiche whan he saw hym sorowful asked hym why he sorowed. He to hym reherced that his seruaunt had saide. The friende forsoth to the desolate friende reherced ageyne, sayeng as to make hym myrry: 'Friende, nyl thow be nat desolate ne sory, forwhi often tymes fallen to a man many worldly aduersitees that thoo thynges desirith and with honest deth to fynissh; and anoon suche comodites comen vnto hem that the more redier swetnes be to hym to Remembre of the aduersitees past.[6] But thiese kyndly thynges as wel in vnmesurable floteryng variaunce of merites with ordynaunce of the high Ruler distinctith to arbitrement.[7] This and the prophete Job strenghed to ensample of whos soule was nat devoured with losse of thynges.[8] Whether hastow nat herd what the philosopher saith: 'Who may in this chaungeable world be any thyng stable, or who may in this lif any thyng to have enduryng while and whan thei bien so transitory'?"
The Arabik to (f. 133b) his sone: "Sone, whan any aduersite fallith to the, nyl thow be to sorowful neither therof be in to moche desolacioun, for this is nat the kynde nor the maner to denye god. But thow oughtest to praise god, as wele of adversite as of prosperite. Forsoth many evils fallen to men whiche that comen as to eschewe and flee the more and the gretter evils; and many [evil] thynges, fallen whiche enden in goode. And therfor thow ougtest to praise [god] in al thynges and. in hym to trust, as the versifiour saith: 'Whan thow art in sorow nyl thow be busy therof, but permytte and suffre the tyme in goddis disposicioun and tel ageyn alwey the goodenes to com; and so shaltow be foryeteful of evils, forwhi many evils comen whiche han a goode end.' The philosopher saith: 'The goodis of this world bien eveene myxt and medled. Forsoth thow etest no hony without venym.' Another 'Whatsumever bien in the world bien chaungeable; and what goodis thow hast of hem thei bien to come to the though it be or thow feeble be and of evil streng this thow mayst nat withstande.'[9]
Another: 'Because they allow a slow person to obtain what he desires, they also refuse a swift person the obtaining of his.'
Another: 'He hymself beawtith the world with fairness and bi that he hath wonne that he wold the erth hym swolowith and devourith.' Another: 'As in a twynklyng of an eye endith the glorie and joies of the world; and as so free al abidith now, he seeth nat of thynges obteyned'."
- ↑ No. XXVII in the Latin, I, 38, l. 3.
- ↑ The English omits the following sentence of the Latin (I, 38, l. 7): Iuvenis: Multum placet mihi de eo audire, quia quicquid de eo est, derisorium est; et si quid de eius dictis vel factis mente retines, eloquere, et habeo pro munere. The young man: "I am greatly pleased to hear about him, for everything about him is ridiculous; and if you remember any of his sayings and actions, tell me and I shall have my reward."
- ↑ Ms. 'whom.'
- ↑ The English omits the following clause, dum fugeret.
- ↑ Lat. (I, 39, l. 6) et cecidit trabs super caput eius, and a beam fell on her head.
- ↑ This sentence is a good example of the translator's crude, inartistic work and his insufficient knowledge of the Latin (I, 39, l. 11): Amice, noli desolari, quia multotiens contingit homini tam graves adversitatum inundationes sustinere quod desideret eas etiam inhonesta morte finire; et statim eveniunt ei tanta commoda quod prorsus dulce sit ei praeteritarum reminisci adversitatum.
- ↑ Lat. (I, 39, l. 14) Sed humanarum rerum tam immensa fluctuatio variante meritorum ordine summi rectoris distinguitur arbitrio.
- ↑ Lat. prophetiae Iob corroborantur exemplo: cuius animum non pessumdedit amissio rerum.
- ↑ Lat. (I, 40, ll. 1-2) {{latin|et quae ex eis tibi bona sunt ventura, licet sis debilis, et malum viribus devitare non poteris. In the English version the speech of the next philosopher is omitted (Lat. 40, l. 3.)