Page:King Alfred's Version of the Consolations of Boethius.djvu/149

 not even to have the bare necessities, that is, food and clothing. What he desires therefore is not power, but the necessaries of life.

'We were speaking of the five forms of happiness, Wealth, Power, Honour, Fame, and Desire. We have now discussed Wealth and Power, and we may treat in the same way of the three qualities we have not yet considered, Honour, Fame, and Desire. Respecting these three, and the two we mentioned before, though a man think he may enjoy perfect happiness with any one of them, it is not any the more true. Though men may desire it so, they must have all five.'

Then I answered, saying, 'What are we to do then, since thou sayest we cannot have the Highest Good and Perfect Happiness with any one of these, and we have no hope that any one among us may compass all together?'

P. If any man desire to have all five, he desires the highest happiness;  but he may not get them in perfection in this world, for though he were to obtain all five kinds of happiness, yet they, not being eternal, will not be the Highest Good nor the Best Happiness.

M. Now I understand quite clearly that the Best Happiness is not in this world.

P. No man in this present life need seek for True Happiness nor hope to find here a sufficiency of good.

M. Thou sayest truly.

Then said she, 'I think I have said enough to thee concerning False Happiness. I would now have thee turn thy thoughts from False Happiness, and then thou