Chaucerian and Other Pieces. Various

after thyne helpes than thee to have releved.

      Owen nat yet some of hem money for his commens? Paydest

      nat thou for some of her dispences, til they were tourned out of

      Selande? Who yave thee ever ought for any rydinge thou madest?

      Yet, pardè, some of hem token money for thy chambre, and

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      putte tho pens in his purse, unwetinge of the renter.

      Lo for which a company thou medlest, that neither thee ne

      them-selfe mighten helpe of unkyndnesse; now they bere the

      name that thou supposest of hem for to have. What might thou

      more have don than thou diddest, but-if thou woldest in a fals

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      quarel have been a stinkinge martyr? I wene thou fleddest, as

      longe as thou might, their privitè to counsayle; which thing thou

      hele[de]st lenger than thou shuldest. And thilke that ought thee

      money no penny wolde paye; they wende thy returne hadde ben

      an impossible. How might thou better have hem proved, but thus

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      in thy nedy diseses? Now hast thou ensaumple for whom thou

      shalt meddle; trewly, this lore is worth many goodes.'

      Ch. VII. 2. Fayne. 3. haste. 4. -thynge. 7. Yea. Howe. 9. wyste. amongest. greatest. 14. Nowe. 15. moste pleasen. 17. borne. 19. reason. the. 22. leaued. 23. Supply it in. 24. the. enemye (sic). sayne. 25. arne. 30. partie. 33. maye.

      34. folke. false. 36. the. 44. Nowe. shalte. 45. answerde. nowe. 46. swearyng. 47. one. the. 48. othe. copulation. 50. othe. 53. forsworne. 54. Supply he. 61. false. 62. reporte. 63. forthe. 67. be; for by. 68. cleapen. Supply that. 70. sklaundynge. shendyn.

      72. I supply they. sene. 73. legen [for aleggen]. 75. maye. 77. vnderstande. 78. the. 80. beames. done. 81. howe. great. 82. plentie. 83. one. 85. false. 86. wysedom. 87. wotte. thynge. 88. thyne othe. the. 89. nowe. 91. meane. 92. profyte. 94. inrest. 95. shalte. 96. nowe. haste. 97. the. 98. sorye. 99. disease. 101. howe. 103. -thynge. 104. brigge; read brige. 104, 105. the.

      108. the. 109. pardye. 111. the. 112. now. beare. 114. done. false. 117. helest; read heledest. the. 119. Howe. 120. diseases. Nowe haste. 121. shalte. worthe.

      CHAPTER VIII.

      †Eft gan Love to †steren me [with] these wordes: 'thinke

      on my speche; for trewly here-after it wol do thee lykinge;

      and how-so-ever thou see Fortune shape her wheele to tourne,

      this meditacion [shal] by no waye revolve. For certes, Fortune

      5

      sheweth her fayrest, whan she thinketh to begyle. And as me

      thought, here-toforn thou saydest, thy loos in love, for thy

      rightwysenesse ought to be raysed, shulde be a-lowed in tyme cominge.

      Thou might in love so thee have, that loos and fame shul so ben

      raysed, that to thy frendes comfort, and sorowe to thyne enemys,

      10

      endlesse shul endure.

      But if thou were the oon sheep, amonges the hundred, were lost

      in deserte and out of the way hadde erred, and now to the flocke

      art restoored, the shepherd hath in thee no joye and thou ayen

      to the forrest tourne. But that right as the sorowe and anguisshe

      15

      was greet in tyme of thyne out-waye goinge, right so

      joye and gladnesse shal be doubled to sene thee converted; and

      nat as Lothes wyf ayen-lokinge, but [in] hool counsayle with the

      shepe folowinge, and with them grasse and herbes gadre. Never-the-later

      (quod she) I saye nat these thinges for no wantrust that

      20

      I have in supposinge of thee otherwyse than I shulde. For

      trewly, I wot wel that now thou art set in suche a purpose, out of

      whiche thee liste nat to parte. But I saye it for many men there

      been, that to knowinge of other mennes doinges setten al their

      cure, and lightly desyren the badde to clatter rather than the

      25

      good, and have no wil their owne maner to amende. They also

      hate of olde rancours lightly haven; and there that suche thing

      abydeth, sodaynly in their mouthes procedeth the habundaunce

      of the herte, and wordes as stones out-throwe. Wherfore my

      counsayl is ever-more openly and apertly, in what place thou sitte,

      30

      counterplete th'errours and meninges in as fer as thou hem

      wistest false, and leve for no wight to make hem be knowe in

      every bodyes ere; and be alway pacient and use Jacobes wordes,

      what-so-ever men of thee clappen: "I shal sustayne my ladyes

      wrathe which I have deserved, so longe as my Margarite hath

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      rightwysed my cause." And certes (quod she) I witnesse my-selfe,

      if thou, thus converted, sorowest in good meninge in thyne herte,

      [and] wolt from al vanitè parfitly departe, in consolacioun of al

      good plesaunce of that Margaryte, whiche that thou desyrest after

      wil of thyn herte, in a maner of a †moders pitè, [she] shul fully

      40

      accepte thee in-to grace. For right as thou rentest clothes in

      open sighte, so openly to sowe hem at his worshippe withouten

      reprofe [is] commended. Also, right as thou were ensample of

      moche-folde errour, right so thou must be ensample of manyfolde

      correccioun; so good savour to forgoing †of errour causeth diligent

      45

      love, with many playted praisinges to folowe; and than shal al

      the firste errours make the folowinge worshippes to seme hugely

      encresed. Blacke and white, set togider, every for other more

      semeth; and so doth every thinges contrary in kynde. But

      infame, that goth alwaye tofore, and praysinge worship by any

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      cause folowinge after, maketh to ryse the ilke honour in double

      of welth; and that quencheth the spotte of the first enfame. Why

      wenest, I saye, these thinges in hindringe of thy name? Nay,

      nay, god wot, but for pure encresing worship, thy rightwysenesse to

      commende, and thy trouthe to seme the more. Wost nat wel

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      thy-selfe, that thou in fourme of making †passest nat Adam that eet

      of the apple? Thou †passest