'Every argument, lady,' quod I tho, 'that ye han maked in
these fore-nempned maters, me thinketh hem in my ful
witte conceyved; shal I no more, if god wil, in the contrarye be
begyled. But fayn wolde I, and it were your wil, blisse of the
knotte to me were declared. I might fele the better how my 5
herte might assente, to pursue the ende in service, as he hath
begonne.'
'O,' quod she, 'there is a melodye in heven, whiche clerkes
clepen "armony"; but that is not in brekinge of voice, but it is
a maner swete thing of kyndely werching, that causeth joye[s] 10
out of nombre to recken, and that is joyned by reson and by
wysdome in a quantitè of proporcion of knitting. God made al
thing in reson and in witte of proporcion of melody, we mowe not
suffyse to shewe. It is written by grete clerkes and wyse, that,
in erthly thinges, lightly by studye and by travayle the knowinge 15
may be getten; but of suche hevenly melody, mokel travayle wol
bringe out in knowing right litel. Swetenesse of this paradyse
hath you ravisshed; it semeth ye slepten, rested from al other
diseses; so kyndely is your herte therein y-grounded. Blisse of
two hertes, in ful love knitte, may not aright ben imagined; ever 20
is their contemplacion, in ful of thoughty studye to plesaunce,
mater in bringinge comfort everiche to other. And therfore, of
erthly thinges, mokel mater lightly cometh in your lerning.
Knowledge of understonding, that is nigh after eye, but not so
nigh the covetyse of knittinge in your hertes. More soverain 25
desyr hath every wight in litel heringe of hevenly conninge than
of mokel material purposes in erthe. Right so it is in propertee
of my servauntes, that they ben more affiched in steringe of litel
thinge in his desyr than of mokel other mater lasse in his
conscience. This blisse is a maner of sowne delicious in 30
a queynte voice touched, and no dinne of notes; there is non
impression of breking labour. I can it not otherwyse nempne,
for wantinge of privy wordes, but paradyse terrestre ful of delicious
melody, withouten travayle in sown, perpetual service in ful joye
coveyted to endure. Only kynde maketh hertes in understonding 35
so to slepe, that otherwyse may it nat be nempned, ne in other
maner names for lyking swetnesse can I nat it declare; al sugre
and hony, al minstralsy and melody ben but soot and galle in
comparison, by no maner proporcion to reken, in respect of this
blisful joye. This armony, this melody, this perdurable joye may 40
nat be in doinge but betwene hevens and elementes, or twey
kyndly hertes ful knit in trouth of naturel understonding, withouten
weninge and disceit; as hevens and planettes, whiche thinges
continually, for kyndly accordaunces, foryeteth al contrarious
mevinges, that in-to passive diseses may sowne; evermore it 45
thirsteth after more werking. These thinges in proporcion be
so wel joyned, that it undoth al thing whiche in-to badnesse by any
way may be accompted.'
'Certes,' quod I, 'this is a thing precious and noble. Alas!
that falsnesse ever, or wantrust shulde ever be maynteyned, this 50
joye to voyde. Alas! that ever any wrecche shulde, thorow wrath
or envy, janglinge dare make, to shove this melody so farre
a-backe, that openly dar it nat ben used; trewly, wrecches ben
fulfilled with envy and wrathe, and no wight els. Flebring
and tales in suche wrecches dare appere openly in every wightes 55
eere, with ful mouth so charged, [with] mokel malice moved
many innocentes to shende; god wolde their soule therwith were
strangled! Lo! trouth in this blisse is hid, and over-al under
covert him hydeth; he dar not come a-place, for waytinge of
shrewes. Commenly, badnesse goodnesse amaistreth; with my-selfe 60
and my soule this joye wolde I bye, if the goodnesse were
as moche as the nobley in melody.'
'O,' quod she, 'what goodnesse may be acompted more in
this material worlde? Truly, non; that shalt thou understonde.
Is nat every thing good that is contrariant and distroying yvel?' 65
'How els?' quod I.
'Envy, wrathe, and falsnesse ben general,' quod she; 'and
that wot every man being in his right mynde; the knotte, the
whiche we have in this blisse, is contrariaunt and distroyeth such
maner yvels. _Ergo_, it is good. What hath caused any wight 70
to don any good dede? Fynd me any good, but-if this knotte
be the cheef cause. Nedes mot it be good, that causeth so
many good dedes. Every cause is more and worthier than thing
caused; and in that mores possession al thinges lesse ben
compted. As the king is more than his people, and hath in 75
possession al his rëalme after, right so the knot is more than
al other goodes; thou might recken al thinges lasse; and that
to him longeth, oweth in-to his mores cause of worship and of
wil +to turne; it is els rebel and out of his mores defending to
voyde. Right so of every goodnesse; in-to the knotte and 80
in-to the cause of his worship [it] oweth to tourne. And trewly,
every thing that hath being profitably is good, but nothing hath
to ben more profitably than this knot; kinges it mayntayneth,
and hem, their powers to mayntayne. It maketh misse to ben
amended with good governaunce in doing. It closeth hertes 85
so togider, that rancour is out-thresten. Who that it lengest
kepeth, lengest is glad[d]ed.'
'I trowe,' quod I, 'heretykes and misse-mening people hence-forward
wol maintayne this knotte; for therthorough shul they
ben maintayned, and utterly wol turne and leve their olde yvel 90
understanding, and knitte this goodnesse, and profer so ferre
in service, that name of servauntes might they have. Their
jangles shal cese; me thinketh hem lacketh mater now to alege.'
'Certes,' quod Love, 'if they, of good wil thus turned, as thou
sayst, wolen trewly perfourme, yet shul they be abled party 95
of this blisse to have; and they wol not, yet shul my servauntes
the werre wel susteyne in myn helpe of maintenaunce to the ende.
And they, for their good travayle, shullen in reward so ben meded,
that endelesse joye body and soule +to-gider in this shullen
abyden. There is ever accion of blisse withouten possible 100
corrupcion; there is accion perpetuel in werke without travayle;
there is everlasting passife, withouten any of labour; continuel
plyte, without cesinge coveyted to endure. No tonge may telle,
ne herte may thinke the leest point of this blisse.'
'God bring me thider!' quod I than. 105
'Continueth wel,' quod she, 'to the ende, and thou might not
fayle than; for though thou spede not here, yet shal the passion
of thy martred lyfe ben written, and rad toforn the grete Jupiter,
that god is of routhe, an high in the holownesse of heven, there
he sit in his trone; and ever thou shalt forward ben holden 110
amonge al these hevins for a knight, that mightest with no
penaunce ben discomfited. He is a very martyr that, livingly
goinge, is gnawen to the bones.'
'Certes,' quod I, 'these ben good wordes of comfort; a litel
myne herte is rejoyced in a mery wyse.' 115
'Ye,' quod she; 'and he that is in heven felith more joye,
than whan he firste herde therof speke.'
'So it is,' quod I; 'but wist I the sothe, that after disese
comfort wolde folowe with blisse, so as ye have often declared,
I wolde wel suffre this passion with the better chere. But my 120
thoughtful sorowe is endelesse, to thinke how I am cast out
of a welfare; and yet dayneth not this yvel non herte, non hede,
to meward throwe: which thinges wolde greetly me by wayes
of comfort disporte, to weten in my-selfe a litel with other me[n]
ben y-moved; and my sorowes peysen not in her balaunce the 125
weyght of a peese. Slinges of her daunger so hevily peysen,
they drawe my causes so hye, that in her eyen they semen but
light and right litel.'
'O! for,' quod she, 'heven with skyes that foule cloudes
maken and darke +weders, with gret tempestes and huge, 130
maketh the mery dayes with softe shyning sonnes. Also the
yere with-draweth floures and beautee of herbes and of erth;
the same +yere maketh springes and jolitè in Vere so to renovel
with peinted coloures, that erthe semeth as gay as heven. Sees
that blasteth and with wawes throweth shippes, of whiche the 135
living creatures for greet peril for hem dreden; right so, the
same sees maketh smothe waters and golden sayling, and comforteth
hem with noble haven that firste were so ferde. Hast
thou not (quod she) lerned in thy youth, that Jupiter hath in
his warderobe bothe garmentes of joye and of sorowe? What 140
wost thou how soone he wol turne of the garment of care,
and clothe thee in blisse? Pardè, it is not ferre fro thee. Lo,
an olde proverbe aleged by many wyse:--"Whan bale is greetest,
than is bote a nye-bore." Wherof wilt thou dismaye? Hope
wel and serve wel; and that shal thee save, with thy good bileve.' 145
'Ye, ye,' quod I; 'yet see I not by reson how this blisse
is coming; I wot it is contingent; it may falle on other.'
'O,' quod she, 'I have mokel to done to clere thyne understanding,
and voyde these errours out of thy mynde. I wol
prove it by reson, thy wo may not alway enduren. Every thing 150
kyndely (quod she) is governed and ruled by the hevenly bodyes,
whiche haven ful werchinge here on erthe; and after course
of these bodyes, al course of your doinges here ben governed
and ruled by kynde.
Thou wost wel, by cours of planettes al your dayes proceden; 155
and to everich of singuler houres be enterchaunged stondmele
about, by submitted worching naturally to suffre; of whiche
changes cometh these transitory tymes that maketh revolving of
your yeres thus stondmele; every hath ful might of worchinge,
til al seven han had her course about. Of which worchinges and 160
possession of houres the dayes of the weke have take her names,
after denominacion in these seven planettes. Lo, your Sonday
ginneth at the first hour after noon on the Saturday, in whiche
hour is than the Sonne in ful might of worching; of whom Sonday
taketh his name. Next him foloweth Venus, and after 165
Mercurius, and than the Moone; so than Saturnus, after whom
Jovis; and than Mars; and ayen than the Sonne; and so forth
+by .xxiiii. houres togider; in whiche hour ginning in the seconde
day stant the Moone, as maister for that tyme to rule; of whom
Monday taketh his name; and this course foloweth of al other 170
dayes generally in doing. This course of nature of these bodyes
chaunging stinten at a certain terme, limitted by their first kynde;
and of hem al governementes in this elemented worlde proceden,
as in springes, constellacions, engendrures, and al that folowen
kynde and reson; wherfore [in] the course that foloweth, sorowe 175
and joy kyndely moten entrechangen their tymes; so that
alway oon wele, as alway oon wo, may not endure. Thus seest
thou appertly, thy sorowe in-to wele mot ben chaunged; wherfore
in suche case to better syde evermore enclyne thou shuldest.
Trewly, next the ende of sorowe anon entreth joy; by maner 180
of necessitè it wol ne may non other betyde; and so thy conti[n]gence
is disproved; if thou holde this opinion any more, thy
wit is right leude. Wherfore, in ful conclusion of al this, thilke
Margaryte thou desyrest hath ben to thee dere in thy herte, and
for her hast thou suffred many thoughtful diseses; herafter shal 185
[she] be cause of mokel mirth and joye; and loke how glad canst
thou ben, and cese al thy passed hevinesse with manifolde
joyes. And than wol I as blythly here thee speken thy mirthes
in joye, as I now have y-herd thy sorowes and thy complayntes.
And if I mowe in aught thy joye encrese, by my trouthe, on 190
my syde shal nat be leved for no maner traveyle, that I with
al my mightes right blythly wol helpe, and ever ben redy you
bothe to plese.' And than thanked I that lady with al goodly
maner that I worthily coude; and trewly I was greetly rejoysed
in myne herte of her fayre behestes; and profered me to be 195
slawe, in al that she me wolde ordeyne, while my lyf lested.
CH. IX. 4. fayne. 5. howe.
10. ioye; _read_ joyes. 11-3. reason. 14. great. 19. diseases. hertes;
_read_ herte. 22. comforte. 24-5. nyghe (_twice_). 25. soueraine desyre.
27. propertie. 29. desyre. 31. none. 32. breakynge laboure. canne. 35.
Onely. 38. soote. 39. respecte.
45. diseases. 51. wretch. thorowe. 53. dare. 53-5. wretches. 56. eare. _I
supply_ with. 57. innocte_n_es; _misprint for_ innoce_n_tes. 59. dare. 65.
distroyeng. 66. Howe. 71. Fynde. 72. chefe. mote. 73. thynge. 79. do;
_read_ to, _as in_ l. 81. 81. _Supply_ it.
88. meanynge. 89. forwarde. 90. leaue. 93. cease. nowe. 99. togyther.
100-1. action (_twice_). 103. ceasynge. tel. 104. hert. 108. radde toforne.
great. 110. sytte. forwarde. 114. comforte. 118. disease comforte.
121. howe. 122. none (_twice_). 123. mewarde. greatly. 124. comforte. me;
_read_ men? 130. wethers; _read_ weders. 132. beautie. 133. yeres; _read_
yere. 136. great. 141. howe. 142. the. 143. greatest. 144. wylte. 145. the.
146. se. reason howe. 147. wote. fal. 150. reason.
162. denomination. 168. be; _for_ by. 169. stante. 172. certayne. 175.
_Supply_ in. 177. on (_for_ oon; _twice_). 178. mote. 181. contygence. 184.
the. 185. diseases. 186. _Supply_ she. howe. canste. 187. cease. 188. the.
189. ioy. nowe. yherde. 190. encrease. 191. leaued.
194. worthely. greatly. 195. hert. 196. lyfe.