[Sidenote: [The syxte Met{ur}.]]
++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. ¶ þere kepen þe sterres by ryȝtful alliaunce of þinges
hir olde pees. 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 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 in to þe see. ¶ And hesperus þe sterre bodiþ
{and} telliþ alwey þe late nyȝtes. And lucifer þe sterre bryngeþ aȝeyne
þe clere day. ¶ And þus makiþ loue enterchaungeable þe p{er}durable
courses. {and} þus is discordable bataile yput oute of þe contre of þe
sterres. 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 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. ¶ by þise same cause þe floury yere
ȝeldeþ swote smellys in þe fyrste somer sesou{n} warmynge. {and} þe hote
somer dryeþ þe cornes. {and} autumpne comeþ aȝeyne heuy of apples. and
þe fletyng reyne bydeweþ þe wynter. þis attemp{er}aunce noryssiþ {and}
brynggeþ furþe al þinge þat brediþ lyfe in þis worlde. ¶ and þilk same
attemp{er}aunce rauyssyng hideþ {and} bynymeþ {and} drencheþ vndir þe
last[e] deþe alle þinges yborn. ¶ Amonges þise þinges sitteþ þe heye
makere kyng {and} lorde. welle {and} bygynnynge. lawe {and} wise Iuge.
to don equite {and} gouerniþ {and} encliniþ þe bridles of þinges. {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
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 to sein from hir bygynnynge {and} failen. þat is to
sein to{ur}nen in to nauȝt. ¶ 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 come nat eftesones aȝeine by loue
retourned to þe cause þat haþ ȝeuen he{m} beynge. þat is to seyn to god.