[Sidenote: [The fyrste p{ro}se.]]
[Sidenote: Philosophy now ended her song.]
++By this she hadde endid hir{e} song{e} / whan the swetnesse 1700
of hir{e} ditee hadde thorw p{er}ced me þ{a}t was desirous
of herkninge /
[Sidenote: I was so charmed that I kept a listening as if she were
still speaking.]
{and} .I. astoned hadde yit streyhte myn
Eres / þ{a}t is to seyn to herkne the bet / what she wolde
seye //
[Sidenote: At last I said, O sovereign comforter of dejected
minds, how much hast thou refreshed me with the energy of thy
discourse, so that I now think myself almost an equal match for
Fortune and able to resist her blows.]
so þ{a}t a litel her{e} aft{er} .I. seyde thus // O thow 1704
þ{a}t art sou{er}eyn comfort of Angwissos corages // So thow
hast remou{n}ted {and} norysshed me w{i}t{h} the weyhte of thy
sentenses {and} w{i}t{h} delit of thy syngynge // so þ{a}t .I. trowe
nat now þ{a}t .I. be vnparygal to the strokes of fortune / as 1708
who seyth. I. dar wel now suffren al the assautes of fortune
{and} wel deffende me fro hyr //
[Sidenote: I fear not, therefore, thy remedies, but earnestly
desire to hear what they are.]
{and} tho remedies
whyche þ{a}t thow seydest hir{e} byforn weren ryht sharpe
Nat oonly p{a}t .I. am nat agrysen of hem now // but .I. desiros 1712
of herynge axe gretely to heeren tho remedyes //
[Sidenote: _P._ When I perceived that, silent and attentive, you
received my words, I expected to find such a state of mind in you,
or rather, I created in you such an one.]
than seyde she thus // þ{a}t feelede .I. ful wel q{uod} she //
whan þ{a}t thow ententyf {and} stylle rauysshedest my
wordes // {and} .I. abood til þ{a}t thow haddest swych habyte 1716
of thy thowght as thow hast now // or elles tyl þ{a}t .I.
my self had[de] maked to the the same habyt / which
þ{a}t is a moore verray thing{e} //
[Sidenote: What remains to be said is of such a nature that when
it is first tasted it is pungent and unpleasant, but when once
swallowed it turns sweet, and is grateful to the stomach.]
And certes the remenau{n}t
of thinges þ{a}t ben yit to seye / ben swyche // þ{a}t fyrst 1720
whan men tasten hem they ben bytynge / but whan
they ben resseyuyd w{i}t{h}-inne a whyht than ben they
swete //
[Sidenote: But because you say you would now gladly hear, with
what desire would you burn if you could imagine whither I am going
to lead you?]
but for thow seyst þ{a}t thow art so desirous to
herkne hem // wit[h] how gret brennynge woldesthow 1724
glowen / yif thow wystest whyder .I. wol leden the //
[Sidenote: _B._ Whither is that, I pray?]
whydyr{e} is þ{a}t q{uod} .I. //
[Sidenote: _P._ To that true felicity, of which you seem to have
but a faint foretaste.]
to thilke verray welefulnesse
q{uod} she // of whyche thynge herte dremeth //
[Sidenote: But your sight is clouded with false forms, so that it
cannot yet behold this same felicity.]
but for as moche as thy syhte is ocupied {and} distorbed / by 1728
Imagynasyon of herthely thynges / thow mayst nat yit
sen thilke selue welefulnesse //
[Sidenote: _B._ Show me, I pray, that true happiness without
delay.]
do q{uod} .I. {and} shewe
me / what is thilke verray welefulnesse / .I. preye the [[pg 64]]
w{i}t{h}-howte tarynge //
[Sidenote: _P._ I will gladly do so at your desire, but I will
first describe that false cause (of happiness), so that you may be
better able to comprehend the exact model.]
þ{a}t wole .I. gladly don q{uod} she / 1732
for the cause of the // but .I. wol fyrst marken the by
wordes / {and} I wol enforcen me to enformen the //
thilke false cause of blysfulnesse þ{a}t thow more knowest /
so þ{a}t whan thow hast fully by-holden thilke false 1736
goodes {and} torned thyne eyen to þ{a}t oother syde / thow
mowe knowe the clernesse of verray blysfulnesse //]
[Linenotes:
1702 _streyhte_--H. strenghed
1712 _am nat_--H. nam nought
1718 _had[de]_--H. hade
1734 _wol_--H. shall{e}
1739 _wil_--wole
_felde_--feeld]
[Headnote:
AWAY WITH FALSE FELICITY!]
[Sidenote: * Here the Add. MS. begins again.]
*QUI SERERE I{N}GENIUM.
[Sidenote: [The fyrst met{ur}.]]
[Sidenote: He who would sow seed must first clear the ground of
useless weeds, so that he may reap an abundant harvest.]
¶ Who so wil sowe a felde plentiuous. lat hym first
delyuer it of þornes {and} kerue asondre wiþ his hooke 1740
þe bushes {and} þe ferne so þat þe corne may come{n} heuy
of eres {and} of greins.
[Sidenote: Honey tastes all the sweeter to a palate disgusted by
offensive flavours.]
hony is þe more swete yif mouþes
han firste tastid sauoures þ{a}t ben wikke.
[Sidenote: The stars shine all the clearer when the southern
showery blasts cease to blow.]
¶ þe sterres
shynen more agreably whan þe wynde Nothus letiþ his 1744
ploungy blastes.
[Sidenote: When Lucifer has chased away the dark night, then
Phœbus mounts his gay chariot.]
{and} aftir þat lucifer þe day sterre haþ
chased awey þe derke nyȝt. þe day þe feir{e}r lediþ þe
rosene horse of þe sonne.
[Sidenote: So you, beholding the false felicity, and withdrawing
your neck from the yoke of earthly affections, will soon see the
sovereign good.]
¶ Ryȝt so þou byholdyng
first þe fals[e] goodes. bygynne to wiþdrawe þi nek[ke] 1748
fro þe ȝok of erþely affecc{i}ou{n}s. {and} afterwarde þe
verrey goodes sholle{n} entre i{n} to þi corage.
[Linenotes:
1740 _delyuer_--delyuere
_of_--fro
_hooke_--hook
1741 _bushes_--bosses
_ferne_--fern
_corne_--korn
1743 _firste_--fyrst
_wikke_--wyckyd
1744 _wynde_--wynd
_his_--hise
1745 _haþ_--MS. haþe
1746 _feirer_--fayrere
1747 _horse_--hors
_Ryȝt_--And Ryht
1748 _fals[e]_--false
_bygynne_--bygyn
_wiþdrawe_--w{i}t{h} drawen
_nek[ke]_--nekke
1749 _afterwarde_--afft{er}ward
1750 _entre_--entren]
[Headnote:
THE DESIRE OF THE TRUE GOOD.]