Chaucerian and Other Pieces. Various

every point of this

      declare in especial; and say that I, thy maistresse, have be cause,

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      causing these thinges and many mo other.'

      'Now, y-wis, madame,' quod I, 'al these thinges I knowe wel

      my-selfe, and that thyn excellence passeth the understanding of

      us beestes; and that no mannes wit erthely may comprehende thy

      vertues.'

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      'Wel than,' quod she, 'for I see thee in disese and sorowe,

      I wot wel thou art oon of my nories; I may not suffre thee so to

      make sorowe, thyn owne selfe to shende. But I my-selfe come

      to be thy fere, thyn hevy charge to make to seme the lesse. For wo

      is him that is alone; and to the sorye, to ben moned by a sorouful

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      wight, it is greet gladnesse. Right so, with my sicke frendes I am

      sicke; and with sorie I can not els but sorowe make, til whan

      I have hem releved in suche wyse, that gladnesse, in a maner of

      counterpaysing, shal restore as mokil in joye as the passed hevinesse

      biforn did in tene. And also,' quod she, 'whan any of my

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      servauntes ben alone in solitary place, I have yet ever besied me

      to be with hem, in comfort of their hertes, and taught hem to

      make songes of playnte and of blisse, and to endyten letters of

      rethorike in queynt understondinges, and to bethinke hem in what

      wyse they might best their ladies in good service plese; and

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      also to lerne maner in countenaunce, in wordes, and in bering,

      and to ben meke and lowly to every wight, his name and fame to

      encrese; and to yeve gret yeftes and large, that his renomè may

      springen. But thee therof have I excused; for thy losse and thy

      grete costages, wherthrough thou art nedy, arn nothing to me

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      unknowen; but I hope to god somtyme it shal ben amended, as

      thus I sayd. In norture have I taught al myne; and in curtesye

      made hem expert, their ladies hertes to winne; and if any wolde

      [b]en deynous or proude, or be envious or of wrecches acqueyntaunce,

      hasteliche have I suche voyded out of my scole. For

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      al vyces trewly I hate; vertues and worthinesse in al my power

      I avaunce.'

      'Ah! worthy creature,' quod I, 'and by juste cause the name

      of goddesse dignely ye mowe bere! In thee lyth the grace

      thorough whiche any creature in this worlde hath any goodnesse.

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      Trewly, al maner of blisse and preciousnesse in vertue out of

      thee springen and wellen, as brokes and rivers proceden from

      their springes. And lyke as al waters by kynde drawen to the see,

      so al kyndely thinges thresten, by ful appetyte of desyre, to drawe

      after thy steppes, and to thy presence aproche as to their kyndely

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      perfeccion. How dare than beestes in this worlde aught forfete

      ayenst thy devyne purveyaunce? Also, lady, ye knowen al the

      privy thoughtes; in hertes no counsayl may ben hid from your

      knowing. Wherfore I wot wel, lady, that ye knowe your-selfe that

      I in my conscience am and have ben willinge to your service, al

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      coude I never do as I shulde; yet, forsothe, fayned I never to

      love otherwyse than was in myn herte; and if I coude have made

      chere to one and y-thought another, as many other doon alday

      afore myn eyen, I trowe it wolde not me have vayled.'

      'Certes,' quod she, 'haddest thou so don, I wolde not now

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      have thee here visited.'

      'Ye wete wel, lady, eke,' quod I, 'that I have not played raket,

      "nettil in, docke out," and with the wethercocke waved; and

      trewly, there ye me sette, by acorde of my conscience I wolde

      not flye, til ye and reson, by apert strength, maden myn herte to

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      tourne.'

      'In good fayth,' quod she, 'I have knowe thee ever of tho

      condicions; and sithen thou woldest (in as moch as in thee was)

      a made me privy of thy counsayl and juge of thy conscience

      (though I forsook it in tho dayes til I saw better my tyme), wolde

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      never god that I shuld now fayle; but ever I wol be redy

      witnessing thy sothe, in what place that ever I shal, ayenst al tho

      that wol the contrary susteyne. And for as moche as to me is

      naught unknowen ne hid of thy privy herte, but al hast thou tho

      thinges mad to me open at the ful, that hath caused my cominge

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      in-to this prison, to voyde the webbes of thyne eyen, to make thee

      clerely to see the errours thou hast ben in. And bycause that

      men ben of dyvers condicions, some adradde to saye a sothe, and

      some for a sothe anon redy to fighte, and also that I may not my-selfe

      ben in place to withsaye thilke men that of thee speken

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      otherwyse than the sothe, I wol and I charge thee, in vertue of

      obedience that thou to me owest, to wryten my wordes and sette

      hem in wrytinges, that they mowe, as my witnessinge, ben

      noted among the people. For bookes written neyther dreden ne

      shamen, ne stryve conne; but only shewen the entente of the

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      wryter, and yeve remembraunce to the herer; and if any wol in

      thy presence saye any-thing to tho wryters, loke boldely; truste on

      Mars to answere at the ful. For certes, I shal him enfourme of

      al the trouthe in thy love, with thy conscience; so that of his

      helpe thou shalt not varye at thy nede. I trowe the strongest and

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      the beste that may be founde wol not transverse thy wordes;

      wherof than woldest thou drede?'

      Ch. II. 2. disease. 3. tel howe. holy. 4. loste. 5. light. 6. feare. folke. 7. done. disease. 9. ferdenesse. 10. subiection.