Chaucerian and Other Pieces. Various

      and flatereth; and lightly voydeth whan she most plesauntly

      sheweth; and ever, in hir absence, she is aboute to do thee tene

      and sorowe in herte. But Unsely, al-be-it with bytande chere,

      sheweth what she is, and so doth not that other; wherfore

      Unsely doth not begyle. Selinesse disceyveth; Unsely put away

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      doute. That oon maketh men blynde; that other openeth their

      eyen in shewinge of wrecchidnesse. The oon is ful of drede to

      lese that is not his owne; that other is sobre, and maketh men

      discharged of mokel hevinesse in burthen. The oon draweth

      a man from very good; the other haleth him to vertue by the

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      hookes of thoughtes. And wenist thou nat that thy disese hath

      don thee mokel more to winne than ever yet thou lostest, and

      more than ever the contrary made thee winne? Is nat a greet

      good, to thy thinking, for to knowe the hertes of thy sothfast

      frendes? Pardè, they ben proved to the ful, and the trewe have

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      discevered fro the false. Trewly, at the goinge of the ilke brotel

      joye, ther yede no more away than the ilke that was nat thyn

      proper. He was never from that lightly departed; thyn owne

      good therfore leveth it stille with thee. Now good (quod she);

      for how moche woldest thou somtyme have bought this verry

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      knowing of thy frendes from the flatteringe flyes that thee glosed,

      whan thou thought thy-selfe sely? But thou that playnest of losse

      in richesse, hast founden the most dere-worthy thing; that thou

      clepest unsely hath made thee moche thing to winnen. And

      also, for conclusioun of al, he is frende that now leveth nat his

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      herte from thyne helpes. And if that Margarite denyeth now nat

      to suffre her vertues shyne to thee-wardes with spredinge bemes,

      as far or farther than if thou were sely in worldly joye, trewly,

      I saye nat els but she is somdel to blame.'

      'Ah! pees,' quod I, 'and speke no more of this; myn herte

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      breketh, now thou touchest any suche wordes!'

      'A! wel!' quod she, 'thanne let us singen; thou herest no

      more of these thinges at this tyme.'

      Thus endeth the firste book of the Testament of Love;

      and herafter foloweth the seconde.

      Ch. X. 1. nowe. 2. abiection; read objeccion. be; read by. the. 3. the. 4. the. encrease the. nowe. 5. obiection. 6. let. 7. maye. se nowe. 12. nowe. 14. set. 15. can ne never; omit ne. 18. wytte. false. 19. auer (sic); for aueir (avoir). howe. cleaped. false. 24. onely. 25. wotte. new. 26. whome. 27. worlde.

      29. reason. 32. arne a fayre parsel. 33. nowe. 37. se. 39. pouertie. 40. hydde. forsworne. 44. daye (twice). 46. miscleapynge. 50. wotte. 52. nowe I se. thentent. meanyng. 53. berafte. 54. gatherynge. 55. I supply before that. 56. whose profyte. 57. nowe. 58. the (twice). nowe. 63. dispyte. 64. the. Nowe. 65. woste.

      66. the forthe. 67. mothers; read moders. 69. the. 70. haste. lente. 71. propertie. se nowe. 72. owne. 73. the. 74. stretched. fayne. 76. the. 78. arte. 79. ease. loste. 84. Howe. 85. thentent. 88. Wolte. 89. the. 91. their; read his. the. 92. one. 94. ease. he; read she. 99. dothe. awaye. 100–1. one (twice). 101. wretchydnesse.

      103. one. 105. disease. 106. done the. 107. the. great. 109. Pardy. 111. awaye. 111–2. thyne. 113. leaueth. the. Nowe. 114. howe. 115. the. 117. thynge. 118. cleapest. the. thynge. 119. nowe leaueth. 120. hert. nowe. 121. the. spreadynge beames. 122. farre. 123. somdele. 124. peace. myne. 125. breaketh nowe. 126. lette.

      BOOK II.

      CHAPTER I.

      Very welth may not be founden in al this worlde; and that

      is wel sene. Lo! how in my mooste comfort, as I wende

      and moost supposed to have had ful answere of my contrary

      thoughtes, sodaynly it was vanisshed. And al the workes of man

      5

      faren in the same wyse; whan folk wenen best her entent for to

      have and willes to perfourme, anon chaunging of the lift syde to

      the right halve tourneth it so clene in-to another kynde, that never

      shal it come to the first plyte in doinge.

      O this wonderful steering so soone otherwysed out of knowinge!

      10

      But for my purpos was at the beginninge, and so dureth yet, if god

      of his grace tyme wol me graunt, I thinke to perfourme this

      worke, as I have begonne, in love; after as my thinne wit, with

      inspiracion of him that hildeth al grace, wol suffre. Grevously,

      god wot, have I suffred a greet throwe that the Romayne

      15

      emperour, which in unitè of love shulde acorde, and every with

      other * * * * in cause of other to avaunce; and namely, sithe

      this empyre [nedeth] to be corrected of so many sectes in heresie

      of faith, of service, o[f] rule in loves religion. Trewly, al were

      it but to shende erroneous opinions, I may it no lenger suffre.

      20

      For many men there ben that sayn love to be in gravel and sande,

      that with see ebbinge and flowinge woweth, as riches that sodaynly

      vanissheth. And some sayn that love shulde be in windy blastes,

      that stoundmele turneth as a phane, and glorie of renomè, which

      after lustes of the varyaunt people is areysed or stilled.

      25

      Many also wenen that in the sonne and the moone and other

      sterres love shulde ben founden; for among al other planettes

      moste soveraynly they shynen, as dignitees in reverence of estates

      rather than good han and occupyen. Ful many also there ben

      that in okes and in huge postes supposen love to ben grounded,

      30

      as in strength and in might, whiche mowen not helpen their owne

      wrecchidnesse, whan they ginne to falle. But [of] suche diversitè

      of sectes, ayenst the rightful beleve of love, these errours ben forth

      spredde, that loves servantes in trewe rule and stedfast fayth in

      no place daren apere. Thus irrecuperable joy is went, and anoy

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      endless is entred. For no man aright reproveth suche errours,

      but [men] confirmen their wordes, and sayn,