[Sidenote: [The syxte Met{ur}.]]
[Sidenote: If thou wouldst explore the laws of the high Thunderer,
behold the lofty heavens, where, bound by fixed laws, the stars
keep their ancient peace.]
++Yif þou wolt demen in þi pur{e} þouȝt þe ryȝtes or þe
lawes of þe heye þund[ere]re. þat is to seyne of god.
loke þou {and} bihold þe heyȝtes of souereyne heuene. 4120
¶ þere kepen þe sterres by ryȝtful alliaunce of þinges
hir olde pees.
[Sidenote: There the rosy Sun does not invade the moon’s colder
sphere. Nor doth the Bear stray from his appointed bounds, to
quench his light in the western main.]
þe sonne ymoeued by hys rody fire. ne
destourbiþ nat þe colde cercle of þe moone. ¶ Ne þe
sterre yclepid þe bere. þ{a}t encliniþ hys rauyssynge 4124
courses abouten þe souereyne heyȝt of þe worlde. ne þe
same sterre vrsa nis neuer mo wasshen in þe depe
westerne see. ne coueitiþ nat to dyȝen hys flaumbes in
þe see of [the] occian. al þouȝ he see oþer sterres yplounged 4128
in to þe see.
[Sidenote: Vesper always makes its wonted appearance at eve.
Lucifer ushers in the morn.]
¶ And hesperus þe sterre
bodiþ {and} telliþ alwey þe late nyȝtes. And lucifer þe
sterre bryngeþ aȝeyne þe clere day.
[Sidenote: So mutual love moves all things, and from the starry
region banishes all strife.]
¶ And þus makiþ
loue enterchaungeable þe p{er}durable courses. {and} þus 4132
is discordable bataile yput oute of þe contre of þe sterres.
[Sidenote: This concord in equal measures tempers the elements, so
that the moist atoms war no more with the dry, nor heat with cold
contends; but the aspiring flame soars aloft, while down the heavy
earth descends.]
þis accordaunce atte{m}preþ by euene-lyke manere[s] þe
elementes. þat þe moyste þinges striuen nat wiþ þe
drye þinges. but ȝiuen place by stoundes. and þat þe 4136
colde þinges ioynen hem by feiþ to þe hote þinges. {and}
þat þe lyȝt[e] fyre arist in to heyȝte. {and} þe heuy erþes
aualen by her weyȝtes.
[Sidenote: By these same causes the flowing year yields sweet
smells in the warm spring-tide; the hot summer ripens the corn.]
¶ by þise same cause þe floury
yere ȝeldeþ swote smellys in þe fyrste somer sesou{n} 4140
warmynge. {and} þe hote somer dryeþ þe cornes.
[Sidenote: Autumn comes crowned with plenty, and winter wets the
earth with showers.]
{and} autumpne comeþ aȝeyne heuy of apples. and þe fletyng [[pg 144]]
reyne bydeweþ þe wynter. þis attemp{er}aunce noryssiþ
{and} brynggeþ furþe al þinge þat brediþ lyfe in þis 4144
worlde.
[Sidenote: These changes give life and growth to all that breathe;
and at last by death efface whatever has had birth.]
[Sidenote: [* fol. 32 _b_.]]
¶ and þilk same attemp{er}aunce rauyssyng hideþ
{and} bynymeþ {and} drencheþ vndir þe last[e] deþe alle
*þinges yborn.
[Sidenote: Meanwhile the world’s Creator, the Source of all, the
Lawgiver, the wise Judge, sits above equitably directing all
things.]
¶ Amonges þise þinges sitteþ þe heye
makere kyng {and} lorde. welle {and} bygynnynge. lawe 4148
{and} wise Iuge. to don equite {and} gouerniþ {and} encliniþ
þe bridles of þinges.
[Sidenote: Those things which have been set in motion by him are
also checked and forced to move in an endless round, lest they go
from their source, and become chaotic.]
{and} þo þinges þat he stireþ to don
by moeuynge he wiþdraweþ {and} arestiþ {and} affermiþ þe
moeueable or wandryng þinges. ¶ For ȝif þat he ne 4152
clepiþ nat aȝein þe ryȝt goynge of þinges. {and} ȝif þat he
ne constreyned[e] hem nat eftesones in to roundenesse
enclined þe þinges þ{a}t ben now continued by stable
ordinaunce. þei sholde deperten from hir welle. þat is 4156
to sein from hir bygynnynge {and} failen. þat is to sein
to{ur}nen in to nauȝt.
[Sidenote: This love is common to all things, and all things tend
to good; so, urged by this, they all revert to that First Cause
that gave them being.]
¶ þis is þe co{m}mune loue of alle
þinges. {and} alle þi{n}ges axen to be holden by þe fyn of
good. For ellys ne myȝten þei nat lasten yif þei ne 4160
come nat eftesones aȝeine by loue retourned to þe cause
þat haþ ȝeuen he{m} beynge. þat is to seyn to god.
[Linenotes:
4118 _þou wolt_--þ{o}u wys wilt
4119 _þund[ere]re_--thonderer{e}
_seyne_--seyn
4120 _bihold_--MS. biholde, C. byhold
4122 _rody_--MS. redy, C. rody
_fire_--Fyr
4123 _cercle_--clerke
4125 _courses_--cours
_heyȝt_--heyhte
4127 _westerne_--westrene
_dyȝen_--deeyn
4128 [_the_]--from C.
_he see_--MS. it sewe, C. he see
_oþer_--oothr{e}
4131 _aȝeyne_--ayein
4133 _oute_--owt
4134 _euene-lyke manere[s]_--euenelyk maneres
4135 _striuen_--stryuynge
_nat_--omitted
4136 _but_--omitted
4138 _lyȝt[e] fyre arist_--lyhte fyr arysith
4140 _yere_--ȝer
4142 _comeþ aȝeyne_--comth ayein
4143 _reyne_--reyn
4144 _furþe al þinge_--forth alle thing
_brediþ lyfe_--berith lyf
4145 _worlde_--world
_þilk_--thilke
4146 _last[e] deþe_--laste deth
4147 _yborn_--MS. yborne, C. I-born
4148 _lorde_--lord
4149 _wise_--wys
4150 _stireþ_--sterith
_don_--gon
4151 _þe_--omitted
4153 _clepiþ_--klepede
4154 _constreyned[e]_--constreynede
_roundenesse_--Rowndnesses
4156 _sholde_--sholden
4158 _tournen_--torne
_of_--to
4159 _be_--ben
4161 _eftesones aȝeine_--eft sones ayein
4162 _haþ_--MS. haþe]
[Headnote:
ALL FORTUNE IS BENEFICIAL.]