Chaucerian and Other Pieces. Various

      therof, or els the impossibilitè: right so the lawe of my servauntes

      so wel hath ben proved in general, that hitherto hath it not fayled.

      Wiste thou not wel that al the lawe of kynde is my lawe, and

      by god ordayned and stablisshed to dure by kynde resoun?

      Wherfore al lawe by mannes witte purveyed ought to be underput

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      to lawe of kynde, whiche yet hath be commune to every kyndely

      creature; that my statutes and my lawe that ben kyndely arn

      general to al peoples. Olde doinges and by many turninges of

      yeres used, and with the peoples maner proved, mowen nat so

      lightly ben defased; but newe doinges, contrariauntes suche olde,

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      ofte causen diseses and breken many purposes. Yet saye I nat

      therfore that ayen newe mischeef men shulde nat ordaynen

      a newe remedye; but alwaye looke it contrary not the olde no

      ferther than the malice streccheth. Than foloweth it, the olde

      doinges in love han ben universal, as for most exployte[s] forth

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      used; wherfore I wol not yet that of my lawes nothing be adnulled.

      But thanne to thy purpos: suche jangelers and lokers, and

      wayters of games, if thee thinke in aught they mowe dere, yet

      love wel alwaye, and sette hem at naught; and let thy port ben

      lowe in every wightes presence, and redy in thyne herte to

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      maynteyne that thou hast begonne; and a litel thee fayne with

      mekenesse in wordes; and thus with sleyght shalt thou surmount

      and dequace the yvel in their hertes. And wysdom yet is to seme

      flye otherwhyle, there a man wol fighte. Thus with suche thinges

      the tonges of yvel shal ben stilled; els fully to graunte thy ful

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      meninge, for-sothe ever was and ever it shal be, that myn enemyes

      ben aferde to truste to any fightinge. And therfore have thou no

      cowardes herte in my service, no more than somtyme thou

      haddest in the contrarye. For if thou drede suche jangleres, thy

      viage to make, understand wel, that he that dredeth any rayn, to

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      sowe his cornes, he shal have than [bare] bernes. Also he that

      is aferd of his clothes, let him daunce naked! Who nothing

      undertaketh, and namely in my service, nothing acheveth. After

      grete stormes the †weder is often mery and smothe. After

      moche clatering, there is mokil rowning. Thus, after jangling

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      wordes, cometh "huissht! pees! and be stille!"'

      'O good lady!' quod I than, 'see now how, seven yere passed

      and more, have I graffed and †grobbed a vyne; and with al the

      wayes that I coude I sought to a fed me of the grape; but frute

      have I non founde. Also I have this seven yere served Laban, to

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      a wedded Rachel his doughter; but blere-eyed Lya is brought to

      my bedde, which alway engendreth my tene, and is ful of children

      in tribulacion and in care. And although the clippinges and

      kissinges of Rachel shulde seme to me swete, yet is she so

      barayne that gladnesse ne joye by no way wol springe; so that

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      I may wepe with Rachel. I may not ben counsayled with solace,

      sithen issue of myn hertely desyre is fayled. Now than I pray that

      to me [come] sone fredom and grace in this eight[eth] yere; this

      eighteth mowe to me bothe be kinrest and masseday, after the

      seven werkedays of travayle, to folowe the Christen lawe; and,

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      what ever ye do els, that thilke Margaryte be holden so, lady, in

      your privy chambre, that she in this case to none other person be

      committed.'

      'Loke than,' quod she, 'thou persever in my service, in whiche

      I have thee grounded; that thilke scorn in thyn enemyes mowe

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      this on thy person be not sothed: "lo! this man began to edefye,

      but, for his foundement is bad, to the ende may he it not bringe."

      For mekenesse in countenaunce, with a manly hert in dedes and

      in longe continuaunce, is the conisance of my livery to al my

      retinue delivered. What wenest thou, that me list avaunce suche

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      persons as loven the first sittinges at feestes, the highest stoles

      in churches and in hal, loutinges of peoples in markettes and fayres;

      unstedfaste to byde in one place any whyle togider; wening his

      owne wit more excellent than other; scorning al maner devyse

      but his own? Nay, nay, god wot, these shul nothing parten of

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      my blisse. Truly, my maner here-toforn hath ben [to] worship[pe]

      with my blisse lyons in the felde and lambes in chambre;

      egles at assaute and maydens in halle; foxes in counsayle, stil[le]

      in their dedes; and their proteccioun is graunted, redy to ben

      a bridge; and their baner is arered, like wolves in the felde.

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      Thus, by these wayes, shul men ben avaunced; ensample of

      David, that from keping of shepe was drawen up in-to the order

      of kingly governaunce; and Jupiter, from a bole, to ben Europes

      fere; and Julius Cesar, from the lowest degrè in Rome, to be

      mayster of al erthly princes; and Eneas from hel, to be king of

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      the countrè there Rome is now stonding. And so to thee I say;

      thy grace, by bering ther-after, may sette thee in suche plight,

      that no jangling may greve the leest tucke of thy hemmes; that

      [suche] are their †jangles, is nought to counte at a cresse in thy

      disavauntage.

      Ch. V. 1. one. 2. maner; read maneres. purpose. 3. nowe. the. 4. proued. 6. howe. 9. suertie. 15. so; read to. 17. lyueng.

      19. I supply al. 20. efte; read ofte. 24. great. 25. holde nowe thy peace. 27. disease. 29. one. I supply don. I supply in. 31. come. abode. 32. lest. 33. nowe. I supply and. 34. I