[Sidenote: [The .12. Met{ur}.]]
++Blisful is þat man þat may seen þe clere welle of good. blisful is he
þat may vnbynde hym fro þe bonde of heuy erþe. ¶ þe poete of t{ra}ce
[orphe{us}] þat somtyme hadde ryȝt greet sorowe for þe deeþ of hys wijf.
aftir þat he hadde maked by hys wepely songes þe wodes meueable to
rennen. {and} hadde ymaked þe ryueres to stonden stille. {and} maked þe
hertys {and} hyndes to ioignen dredles hir sides to cruel lyou{n}s to
herkene his songe. {and} had[de] maked þat þe hare was nat agast of þe
hounde whiche þat was plesed by hys songe. so þat whane þe most[e]
ardaunt loue of hys wijf brende þe entrailes of his brest. ne þe songes
þat hadde ouer comen alle þinges ne myȝten nat assuage hir lorde
orpheus. ¶ He pleyned[e] hym of þe godes þat were{n} cruel to hym. he
wente hym to þe houses of helle {and} þere he tempred[e] hys
blaundissyng songes by resounyng of hys strenges. ¶ And spak {and} song
in wepynge alle þat euer he hadde resceyued {and} laued oute of þe noble
welles of hys modir calliope þe goddesse. {and} he song wiþ as mychel as
he myȝt[e] of wepynge. {and} wiþ as myche as loue þat doubled[e] his
sorwe myȝt[e] ȝeuen hym {and} teche hy{m} in his seke h{er}te. ¶ And he
commoeuede þe helle {and} requered[e] {and} souȝte by swete p{re}iere þe
lordes of soules in helle of relesynge. þat is to seyne to ȝelden hym
hys wif. ¶ Cerberus þe porter of helle wiþ his þre heuedes was cauȝt
{and} al abaist for þe new[e] songe. {and} þe þre goddesses furijs {and}
vengerisse of felonies þat to{ur}mente{n} {and} agaste{n} þe soules by
anoye wexen sorweful {and} sory {and} wepen teres for pitee. þan was nat
þe heued of Ixion{e} yto{ur}mented by þe ou{er}þrowi{n}g whele. ¶ And
tantalus þat was destroied by þe woodnesse of longe þrust dispiseþ þe
flodes to drynke. þe fowel þat hyȝt voltor þat etiþ þe stomak or þe
giser of ticius is so fulfilled of his songe þat it nil etyn ne tyren no
more. ¶ Atte þe laste þe lorde {and} Iuge of soules was moeued to
misericordes {and} cried[e] we ben ouer comen q{uo}d he. yif[e] we to
orpheus his wijf to bere hym co{m}paignye he haþ welle I-bouȝt hir by
his faire songe {and} his ditee. but we wil putte{n} a lawe in þis.
{and} couenaunt in þe ȝifte. þ{a}t is to seyne. þat til he be out of
helle yif he loke byhynden hym [þ{a}t] hys wijf shal come{n} aȝeine to
vs ¶ but what is he þat may ȝeue a lawe to loueres. loue is a gretter
lawe {and} a strengere to hym self þan any lawe þ{a}t men may ȝeuen.
¶ Allas whan Orpheus {and} his wijf were al most at þe termes of þe
nyȝt. þat is to seyne at þe last[e] boundes of helle. Orpheus loked[e]
abakwarde on Erudice his wijf {and} lost[e] hir {and} was deed. ¶ þis
fable app{er}teineþ to ȝow alle who so euer desireþ or sekiþ to lede his
þouȝte in to þe souereyne day. þat is to seyne to clerenes[se] of
souereyne goode. ¶ For who so þat eu{er}e be so ouer come{n} þat he
fycche hys eyen in to þe put[te] of helle. þat is to seyne who so setteþ
his þouȝtes in erþely þinges. al þat euer he haþ drawen of þe noble good
celestial he lesiþ it whan he lokeþ þe helles. þat is to seyne to lowe
þinges of þe erþe.