Chaucerian and Other Pieces. Various

great. 16. the.

      17. wyfe. I supply in. hoole. 20. the. 21. wotte. nowe. arte sette. 22. the. 23. bene. 26. thynge. 28. stones repeated in Th. 29. counsayle. apertely. 30. therrours. meanynges. ferre. 31. wystyst. leaue. 32. eare. 33. menne. the. 36. meanynge. 37. I supply and. wolte. parfytely. 37. consolatyoun. 38. pleasaunce. 39. hert. mothers; read moders. I supply she. 40. the. 42. I supply is. 44. correctioun. al; read of. After errour I omit distroyeng (gloss upon forgoing). 47. encreased. sette. 48. dothe. 49. gothe. worshippe.

      52. wenyste. Naye nay god wotte. 53. encreasyng. 55–7. passeth (twice); passyst (third time). ete. 57. eatynge. become. 61. whome. 63. begon. ganne. 65. leaueth. wronge. withsay. 68. Nowe. 71. done. 72. song. 73. howe. gate. 74. wyfe. 75. none. 76–7. the (twice). 78. profyte. 81. done. 87. ferre. 88. stretcheth.

      91. wretched. 96. respecte. 97. borne. 98. onely. 101. reason. 102. parfitely. Howe. 107. one. 108. Fye. 110. nothynge. 112. Howe. great (twice). 113. nowe. 115. great. 116. maye. wolte. 118. fayre. one grayne of wheate. thousande. 120. one. thother. 121–2. maye. 123. ofte; read of the. made. one. 124. great.

      126. none. 127. canste nothynge done. rumoure. 128. healed; read deled? eare. 129. rewarde. 131. valoure. consyence. 134. Supply Trewly, vertue. 136. prisone. guerdone.

      CHAPTER IX.

      Of twey thinges art thou answered, as me thinketh (quod

      Love); and if any thing be in doute in thy soule, shewe

      it forth, thyn ignoraunce to clere, and leve it for no shame.'

      'Certes,' quod I, 'there is no body in this worlde, that aught

      5

      coude saye by reson ayenst any of your skilles, as I leve; and by

      my witte now fele I wel, that yvel-spekers or berers of enfame

      may litel greve or lette my purpos, but rather by suche thinge my

      quarel to be forthered.'

      'Ye,' quod she,'and it is proved also, that the ilke jewel in

      10

      my kepinge shal nat there-thorow be stered, of the lest moment

      that might be imagined.'

      'That is soth,' quod I.

      'Wel,' quod she, 'than †leveth there, to declare that thy

      insuffisance is no maner letting, as thus: for that she is so worthy,

      15

      thou shuldest not clymbe so highe; for thy moebles and thyn

      estate arn voyded, thou thinkest [thee] fallen in suche miserie,

      that gladnesse of thy pursute wol nat on thee discende.'

      'Certes,' quod I, 'that is sothe; right suche thought is in myn

      herte; for commenly it is spoken, and for an olde proverbe it is

      20

      leged: "He that heweth to hye, with chippes he may lese

      his sight." Wherfore I have ben about, in al that ever I might,

      to studye wayes of remedye by one syde or by another.'

      'Now,' quod she, 'god forbede †that thou seke any other

      doinges but suche as I have lerned thee in our restinge-whyles,

      25

      and suche herbes as ben planted in oure gardins. Thou shalt

      wel understande that above man is but oon god alone.'

      'How,' quod I, 'han men to-forn this tyme trusted in writtes

      and chauntements, and in helpes of spirites that dwellen in the

      ayre, and therby they han getten their desyres, where-as first, for

      30

      al his manly power, he daunced behynde?'

      'O,' quod she, 'fy on suche maters! For trewly, that is

      sacrilege; and that shal have no sort with any of my servauntes;

      in myne eyen shal suche thing nat be loked after. How often is

      it commaunded by these passed wyse, that "to one god shal men

      35

      serve, and not to goddes?" And who that liste to have myne

      helpes, shal aske none helpe of foule spirites. Alas! is nat man

      maked semblable to god? Wost thou nat wel, that al vertue of

      lyvelich werkinge, by goddes purveyaunce, is underput to resonable

      creature in erthe? Is nat every thing, a this halfe god, mad

      40

      buxom to mannes contemplation, understandinge in heven and

      in erthe and in helle? Hath not man beinge with stones, soule of

      wexing with trees and herbes? Hath he nat soule of felinge, with

      beestes, fisshes, and foules? And he hath soule of reson and

      understanding with aungels; so that in him is knit al maner

      45

      of lyvinges by a resonable proporcioun. Also man is mad of

      al the foure elementes. Al universitee is rekened in him alone;

      he hath, under god, principalitè above al thinges. Now is his

      soule here, now a thousand myle hence; now fer, now nygh;

      now hye, now lowe; as fer in a moment as in mountenaunce of

      50

      ten winter; and al this is in mannes governaunce and disposicion.

      Than sheweth it that men ben liche unto goddes, and children of

      moost heyght. But now, sithen al thinges [arn] underput to the

      wil of resonable creatures, god forbede any man to winne that

      lordship, and aske helpe of any-thing lower than him-selfe; and than,

      55

      namely, of foule thinges innominable. Now than, why shuldest

      thou wene to love to highe, sithen nothing is thee above but god

      alone? Trewly, I wot wel that thilke jewel is in a maner even in

      lyne of degree there thou art thy-selfe, and nought above, save

      thus: aungel upon angel, man upon man, and devil upon devil

      60

      han a maner of soveraigntee; and that shal cese at the daye

      of dome. And so I say: though thou be put to serve the

      ilke jewel duringe thy lyfe, yet is that no servage of

      underputtinge, but a maner of travayling plesaunce, to conquere and

      gette that thou hast not. I sette now the hardest: in my service

      65

      now thou deydest, for sorowe of wantinge in thy desyres; trewly,

      al hevenly bodyes with one voyce shul come and make melody in

      thy cominge, and saye—"Welcome, our fere, and worthy to entre

      into Jupiters joye! For thou with might hast overcome deth;

      thou woldest never flitte out of thy service; and we al shul

      70

      now praye to the goddes, rowe by rowe, to make thilk Margarite,

      that no routh had in this persone,