good speryth in hym selphe shuld haue no vanyte. And Cassidore seyth
vpon the Sawtyr, “Vanite made avoyde degre[174] to becum a fende and
yafe dethe[175] to the fryste man and voyeddid hyme frome the
blyssidnesse that was grawntyd on to hyme.” Vanite is modyr off all
evelles, welle off all vices, and the weyne[176] of wykydnesse, the
which puttyth a man oute of the grace of God and setti[t]h hym in his
hate. To this purpose Dauid seyth in his Sauter, spekyng to God, “Odisti
[observantes vanitates supervacue”].[177]
VIII.
Yf thou asemble the in jugement, [Sidenote: f. 14.]
Be leke to Saturne in avisement;
Or that thou gyf thy sentence, veryly
Be ware that thou yif it not doutously.
Satyrday is named after Saturne, ande the metall lede is youen therto,
and it is a planete of slow condicion, hevy and wyse. And there was a
kyng in Grece hadde the same name, the [which] was full wyse, off whom
poyetis spake vnder conuerteure of fable, and they seyde that his sone
Jubiter kutte from hym his preuy menbres. The which is to vnderstond
that he toke ffrom hym his myghte and dysheryted him and drwe[178] hym
avay. And becawse that Saturne is hevy and wyse, Othea seyth that a good
knyght shuld peyse a thynge grettely or[179] that he[180] shulde yefe
his sentence, weythir that it be in pris of armes or of ony othir dede.
And euery iuge may not[181] the same that hathe offices longgynge to
iugement. And to thys purpoise Hermes seith, “Thynkke wele on all
thinges that thou hast for to do and in especyall of iugement of othyr.”
As the good knyghte scholde be slowe in the iugement of othir, that is
to sey, to peise wele the sentence or þat he gyf it, on the same wyse
the goode spiryte shulde doo in that the which longyth to hyme; for to
Gode longeth the iugement, the which can discerne cawses ryghtwysly. And
Seynt Grigorye seyth in hys Moralles[182] that, whan owre frelnes cannot
comprehende the iugementes of God, we oughte not to discute them in
bolde wordes, but we ought to worchippe thyme wyth ferefull scilens and,
how mervelyous that euer we thowght theyme, we shulde holde them iuste.
And to this purpoose spekyth Dauid in the Sawter-booke, “Timor [Domini
sanctus, permanet in seculum seculi. Judicia Domini vera iustificata in
semet ipsa”].[183]
IX.
Lete thi worde be clere and trwe in kynde.
Appollo shall gif it the in mynde,
For he by no mene may non ordure
Suffir no wyse vndere couerture.
Appollo or Phebus, that is the sone, to whom the Sonday is yoven and
allsoo the metall that is callyd golde. The sonne by hys clerenes
shewyth thynges that be hidde; and therefore trewth, the whiche is clere
and shewith secrete thynges, may be yofe to hyme. The which vertue
shulde be in the herte and in the mowthe of euery good knyghte. And to
this purpose seyth Hermes, “Love Godde, trowthe euer, and gyffe good
counsell.”
Apollo, the whiche is to sey the sonne, by whom we notyfye trowthe, we
may take that man shulde haue in hys mouth the trwthe of the very knyght
Jhesu Cryst and flee all falsenes. As Cassiodyr seyth in the booke of
Praysyng of Seynt Powle,[184] “The condicion of falsenes ys swche that,
where as it hath no geyneseyyng, yit it falleth in hym selphe; butte the
condycion of trowth is to the contrary, ffor it is so sete that the more
geyneseynges of aduersytes that it hath, the more it encresyth and
reysyth hym selphe.” To this purpose seith Holy Scripture, “Super [omnia
vincit veritas].”[185]
X.
Vnto Phebe resemble not. For why?
He[186] is to chaungable and enemye
To stedefastnes and to courage strong,
Malencolius is and full of wronge.
Phebe is called the mone, off whom the Moneday hath his name; and to
hyme is yoven the metall that we calle syluyr. The mone resteth non oure
in a ryghte poynte and yiffeth influens of vnstefastenes and foly, and
therefore it is seyde þat a goode knyght shulde kepe hym from which
vicys. And to this purpose Hermes seith, “Vse wisedome and be
stedefast.”
Phebe the moone, that we not for vnstedefastnes, the whiche a goode
knyght shulde not haue; on the same wyse the good sperit. As Seynt
Ambrose seith in the pistil of Simpliciain,[187] that a foole is
schawnegeable as the moone, but a wyse man is euer stedefast in o state,
where he neythir brekyth for fere ner schawngyth for no myght; he
reyseth hym notte in prosperite ner plangeth not in heuynes.[188] “There
where wysedome is, there is vertue, strengh and stedefastnes. The wise
man is euer of oon corage; it lessyth it notte, ne encressyth not, for
[he] schawngyth notte in no maner wyse for no thyng; he flotereth not in
dyuers opynions, but abydyth perfythe in Jhesu Cryst, gon growndid in
charite and roted in feyth.” And to this purpose seythe Holy Scripture,
“Homo sanctus [in sapientia manet sicut sol, nam stultus sicut luna
mutatur”].[189]
XI.
I dowte notte in no wyse Mars thi fadyr.
Thow shalt folowe hyme in heuery matyr;
For thy hy and nobil condycion
Draweth therto thyne inclynacion.
The Twysday is named after Mars; and that metalle that we [Sidenote: f.
16.] callen iren is youen to hym. Mars is a planete that yifeth
influence of werris and batayles; therefore euery knyght that loveth and
schewyth armes and dedes of knyghthod and hathe a grete name off
worthines may be callyd the sone of Mars. And therfor Othea named Hector
so, notwythstondyng he was sone to Knyng Pryant, and seyde he wolde well
folowe hys fadir in as moche as a goode knyght ought to doo. And a wyse
man seith that by the dedes of a man men may knowe his inclynacions.
Mars the god of bateyle may wele be called the Sone of God, the whiche
bateilled victoriously in this worlde, by example; [and the good sperit
shulde] folow[190] his Fadere Jhesu Cryst and fyght ayens vicis. Seynte
Ambrose seyth in the fryst booke off Offices that how so will be Godes
frend, he must be the fendes enemy, whoo so will haue pees wyth Jhesu
Cryst, he most haue werre withe vices. And even as in veyne men maketh
werre in the felde wyth foreyne enemys there where the cete is full of
homely spyes, on the same wyse non may ouercome the eveles outewarde
that wyll not were strongly wyth the synnes of there sowlys; ffor it is
the most gloryous victorie that may be, for a man to ouercome hyme
selphe. And tho this purpose seyth Seynt Poule the postyle, [“Non est
vobis colluctatio adversus carnem et sanguinem sed adversus principes et
potestates,” etc.].[191]
XII.
Of thi faucon[192] be thou bolde and pleyne,
And of thi worde bothe clene and certeyne.
Mercurye schall teche the that, holde[193] and sounde,
The which of good spech knowyth wele the grounde.
The Wednysday is named after Mercurye, [the which] ys a planete that
yevyth influence off pontificall behavynge and of fayre langage arayed
wyth retorique. Therefor it is seide to the good knyte that he shulde be
arayed therewyth, for wirchipfull behavynge and faire langage ys full
behovely to all nobill pepyll desyryng the hy pris of worchipe, so that
they kepe them fro to myche langage; ffor Dyogeneys seyth that off all
vertues the more the bettir, saue of speche.
Be Mercurie, the whiche is called god of langage, we may [Sidenote: f.
17.] vndirstonde that the knyghte of Jhesu Cryste shulde be armed wyth
good prechynges and wordes of techynges, and all so thei shulde loue and
worchyppe the schewers thereof. And Seynte Gregory seithe in his Omelyis
þat men shulde haue the prechores of Holy Scripture in grete reuerence,
for they be the masseyngeres that gone to[fore][194] owre Lord God and
owre Lorde followyth them. Holy prechyng maketh the way, and than owre
Lord commeth into the dwellyng place of owre hert; the wordes of
exortacion maketh the coorse, and so trwthe is reseyuyd intoo owre
vndirstondyng. And to this purpose owre Lorde seyth to his aposteles,
[“Qui vos audit me audit, et qui vos spernit me spernit”].[195]
XIII.
Of all maner sortes of armure
For to arme the wyth, bothe wele and sure,
Be thi moder inough sygned shall be,[196]
Mynerve, the which is not bitter to the.
Mynerve was a lady of grete connyng and fonde the craft to make armure;
for afore the pe[p]yl armed theyme but wyth cuirboyle.[197] And for the
grete wysdom that was in this lady thei called hyr a godes; and because
that Hector cowde sette armure welle on werke and that it was hys ryght
craft, Othea called hym the sone of Mynerve, notwythstondyng that he was
sone to qwen Ecuba of Troye. And in the same wyse all that loueth armes
may be named. And to this purpose an auctoure seith that knyghtes youen
to armes be soggettes to the same.
Where it is seide that good armurs and strong inewgh shall be delyuered
to the good knygh by his modir, wee may vndirstond the vertu of feyth,
the whiche is a devyne vertue and is modir to the good spyrite. And that
she delyuerith armoures inow, Cassiodir seythe in the Exposicion of the
Crede[198] that feyth is the lyth[199] of the sowle, the yate off
paradyse, the wynddowe of lyve, and the gronde of the euerlastyng
helthe, for wythowte feythe non may plese God. And to this purpose seyth
Seynt Poule in the pystyll, [“Sine fide impossibile est placere
Deo”].[200]
XIV.
Joyne thou to the Pallas the godesse,
And sette hir ryght wyth thi worthinesse.
Yf thow haue hir, good fortune thou shalt fele;
Pallas wyth Mynerve is fittyng[201] full wele.
All so where it is seyde that Pallas sholde be ioyned wyth Mynerve, the
which is wele fyttyng, men shall vndirstonde that Pallas and Mynerve ys
all o thyng, but the names be diueres and be takyn to .ii.
vndirstondynges. For the lady that is callyd [Sidenote: f. 18.] Mynerve
was so surnamed Pallas of an yle that is called Pallance[202] of the
whiche she was borne; and because that she generally in all thynges was
wyse and foonde many nwe craftes, fayre and sotle, thei called hyr
goodes of kunnyng. Mynerve is called thus in that which longeth too
knyghthode, and Pallas in all thynges that longeth to wysdom; and
therefore it is seyde that he sholde yeuen[203] wysdom and knythhode,
the which is ful wele acordvng therto, and that armes shulde be keptte
may be vndirstonde be feyth. To this purpose seythe Hermes, “Joyne the
loue of feithe wyth wisedom.”
And as that Pallas, the whiche is notyd for wysedom, shulde be ioyned
with knyghthode, the vertue[204] of hope shuld be ioyned with good
vertues of the knyghtly speryte, wyhtowte the which he may not avayle.
For Orygene seyth in the Omelies opon Exode that the hoope of the goodes
that be for to come is the solase of theyme that trauellyth in this
bodely lyffe, leche as to laboreres the hoope of there payment softeth
there laboures off there besynes, and as [to] champyons that be in
bateyle the hoope of the corowne of victorie esyth the woo of there
wondes. And to this purpose seyth Seynt Poule the apostyll,
[“Fortissimum solatium habemus, qui confugimus ad tenendam propositam
spem,” etc.].[205]
XV.
Pantassele[206] haue thou fauour vnto,
That ffor thi deth shall haue moch woo;
Syth a woman shuld be loued and knowe,
Off whom so noble a voys is sowe.[207]
Pantasselle was a ful fayre mayden and qwen of Damazonie[208] and off
mervelyous worthines in armes and in hardines; and for the grete goodnes
that the hy name witnessed through the worlde of Hector the worthy she
loved hyme ryght hertyly, and fro the parties of the est she come to
Troye in the tyme of the grete segge for to se Hector. But qwen she fond
hym dede, she was owte off mesure hevy and wyth a grete oste [of] ful
cheualrous gentilwomen vigerously she vengyd his dethe, where she dide
mervelyous worthynesses. And many grete greuaunces she dide to the
Grekes. And because she was vertuouse, it is seide to the good knyght
that he shuld love hyr, and that is to vndirstonde that euery good
knyght shulde loue and prayse euer[y] vertuous persone, anamely a woman
in strong vertue of wytte and off concyens. And this woman that is
woofull for the dethe of Hector is vndirstonde by worthines and valure,
when it is dull and deded in knyghthode. And a wyse man seyth, “Bounte
shulde be alowyd where that it is perceyued.”
Be Pantasselle, that was socourable, we may vndirstonde the [Sidenote:
f. 19.] vertue off cherite, the whiche is the .iii^e. devyne vertue that
the good speryte shuld perfytely haue in hym self. Cassyodir[209] seith
that charyte is as the reyne, the which fallyth in the prime temps, for
it distillyth the dropes of vertues, vndir the whiche greine [of] good
wille groweth[210] and good hoope fructifyeth, that is to be pacient in
aduersite, tempered in prosperyte, pacient in mekenesse, ioyeus in
afflicciones, wellwyllyng to his enemyes and frendes, anamely to his
enemyes to be comuniall of his goodis.[211] To this purpose seyth Poule
the postel, [“Caritas patiens est, benigna est, caritas non emulatur,
non agit perperam,” etc.].[212]
XVI.
Narcisus[213] looke ye resemble not,
Nor into mych pride knyt your knot;
For to ouerwenyng hawteyn knyght
Off many a grace is voide full ryght.
Narcisus [was] a yonge bachelere that ffor his grete beaute seysyd hym
in so grete pride[214] that he hadde all other in disprayes. And because
that he praysed noon but hym selphe, it is seyde that he was so amerous
and assottede of hym selfe that he dyede after that he hade beholden hym
selfe in the welle. This is to vndirstonde by the ouerwenyng or
ouctrecuidez man of hym selfe, wherein he beholdyth hym.[215] Therefor
it is diffendyth the good knyght to beholde hym selfe in hys good dedes,
where throwe he myght be ouerwenyng. And to this purpose seith Socrates,
“Sone, be ware thou be not disseyvyd in thi beaute of thi youthe, ffor
that is no durable thyng.”
Now lete vs sette an allegorie applyyng to owre purpose to the .vii.
dedely synnys. Be Narcisus we shall vndirstond the synne of pride, fro
the wyche the goode speryte shulde kepe hym. And Orygene seyth in the
Omelees, “Whereof it is that erth and asshes prydeth hyme, or how derre
a man rayse hym in arogance, when he thynketh whereof he is comyn and
what he shall become, and in how frele a vessel his[216] lyff is all
naked and in what harlotrees he is plongeden and what onclene maters he
sesseth neuer to cast from hys flesch be all the condittes off hys
body?” And to this purpose seith Holy Scripture, [“Si ascenderit ad
cœlum superbia ejus et caput ejus nubes tetigerit, quasi sterquilinium
in fine perdetur”].[217]
XVII.
Athamas full of ryght grete madnes, [Sidenote: f. 20.]
The goodes verily of woodnes,
She feirsly strangled hir childern tweyne.[218]
Therefor ire I thefende the pleyne.
Athamas was a kyng maried to qwene Yno, the which made sothyn[219] corne
to be sowne for to disheryte hyr[220] stepe childire, for she[221] with
mony coromped the prestes of the lawe, the which reported the answeres
of the godes, thus seyyng to the kyng or to theyme of the cuntre that
the corne that the men hadden sowene profyted not, where it plesyd the
godes that .ii.^o fayre and ientyl childir the whiche the kyng hade were
dreven away and exiled. And becawse that the kyng consentyd [to] the
exillyng of the .ii.^o childyrne, all though that he dyde [it] ayens hys
wylle and wyth grete sorowe, the fabyl seyth that the godes Iuno[222]
wolde take vengance therefor and went into helle to compleyne to the
godesse of woodnes that sche myght come to the kyng Athamas. Than the
orrible and the fereful goodes come with all hir serpently herres and
sette hyr on the fumerelle[223] of the palais and streged hir armes to
bothe sydys of the yate, and than there began sych stryfe betwene the
kyng and the qwene that werrant[224] yche of them hade slayne othir. And
whan they wend a hade rune oute of the palais, than þe woode goodes drwe
out of hyr ryght foule herres .ii^o. horrible serpentis and kest in
there lappes; and qwen that the goodes saw theyme so ferefull,[225] than
they wexe both madde. Athamas slewe the qwene for woodnes and than
his .ii.^o childerne, and hym selfe leep into the see of frome a h[i]ght
roche. The exposycion of this fable may wele be that a qwen myght be so
dyuers to stepe chyldirne that for some malice she myght disheryte hem,
for the which after pes myght notte be hadde betwene the fadir and the
steppe modir. And it myght be soo that at the last he slewe theyme. And
because that ire is a dedly vice and soo evyle that he that is sore
teynt therewyth hath no knowyng of reson, it is seide to the goode
knyght that he shuld kepe hym from ire, for it is too grete defaute in a
goode knyght to be angry. And there[fore] Arystotile seithe “Kepe the
from ire, for it trobelyth the vndyrstondyng and destroubeth reson.”
Be Athamas, the which was soo full of ire, we shall propirly vnderstond
the synne of ire, the whiche the goode spyryte shuld woyde from hyme.
And Seynte Austyn seith in a pistyll, “Lech as venegre, where it is
poote, corrompeth the vessell that it is in, yf it abyde longe therinne,
so ire corrumpyth the hert wherein it is sette, yf that it abyde long
thereinne, that is to seye fro day to day.”[226] [Sidenote: f. 21.]
Therfor seyth Seynt Poule the postell, [“Sol non occidat super
iracundiam vestram”].[227]
XVIII.
Off all thyng that thou may se with ey
Fle euer the fals godes envie,
That made Aglaros[228] grennere than ivie,
The which to a ston chaunged was þerby.
A ffable seyth that Aglaros was systyr to Herce, the which was soo feire
that for hir beaute Mercurius the god of langage wedded hyr, and thei
weyre Cycropos doghters, kyng off Athenes. But Aglaros hade so mych
envie to hir syster Herce, the which for beaute was so avaunced as to be
maried to a god, that sche become throw here ensorgyng in envye dry[229]
and discolourd and grene as ivy leffe for the envie that she hade to hyr
systyr. On a day Aglaros was sette on the thresshefolde of the dore and
lettyd Mercurius the entre into the hous, ne for no prayowr that he
prayed hyre she woolde not suffre hym to hentre. Then the gode wexe
wroothe and seide that euer myght she abide there stylle, as harde as
hyr corage was; and than Aglaros becomme as hard as a stone. Thys fable
may be lekend in leche case to fall to some personys. Mercurius may be a
myghty man, weele spekynge, the which made his sistir to be presound or
to dye for some displesure that she hade doon to hyme, and therefor it
is seide that she was chaunged to a stone. And becawse it is to folow a
aspotte[230] ayens ientylnes to be envyous, it is seide to the goode
knyght that of all thynges he kepte hym therfro. And Socrates seyth, “He
that beryth the fardell of envie hathe perpetuell peyne.”
Lyche as this auctorite dyffendyth the good knyghte envie the vice, Holy
Scripture defendyth the good spyryte. And Seynt Austyn seyth[231] that
envie ys hate of othir felycite, for the dedes of the envyos man
strecheth ayens tho that be gretter than he by cawse that he is not so
grete as they, ayens tho that be evenly to hyme because that he is notte
gretter than they, and ayens tho that be lesse than he for fere that
they shold wexe as grete as he. To this purpose Holy Scripture seyth,
[“Nequam est oculus invidi et avertens faciem suam”].[232]
XIX.
Ferre ne[233] slowe be ware that thou not be;
Fro[234] the malyce loke that thou kepe the
Off Vlyxes, that the geauntes ye[235]
Stale, though he looke neuer so clerely.
A ffable seyth that, when Vlixes retorned into Grece aftir the
[Sidenote: f. 22.] destruccion off Troye, grete rages of tempestes
brought hys chip into an ile where a geaunt was that hade but on eye in
the myddes of his forred, the whiche was of an hooges gretnes. Vlixes by
hy sutylte stale it and toke it fro hym, that ys to saye he putte it
owte. This is to vndyrstond that the good knyght shulde be ware that
slowthe ouercome hym not with disseytes and willes of malycyous peple,
so that his eye be not takyn away, that is to seye, the eye of his
vndirstondynge in his worchip, in his gettyng or in that the which is
derrer to hym, as many inconu[en]iencies falleth ofte throwe slowthe and
lachesse. And to this purpose Hermes seythe, “Blyssyd is he that vsyth
hys dayes in dwe occupacions.”
Where it is seide that the good knygh shulde not be ferre ne slowe, we
may vndyrstond the synne of slewthe, the which the good spiryte shuld
not haue. For, as Bede[236] seith in Salomones Prouerbes, the slowe man
is not worthi to rengne with God, the which wil not laboure for the lowe
of God, and he is not worthi to receyve the coronne promysyd to knyghtes
that is a coward to vndyrtake feldes of baytaile. Therefor the Scripture
seyth, [“Cogitationes robusti semper in abundantia, omnis autem piger
semper in egestate est”].[237]
XX.
In no wyse stryve wyth no frosses,[238]
Ne defoule the not in there brothes.
Ayens Lathonna thei assembled sore,
And trobled the clere water hir afore.
The fable seith that the godesse Lathonna was modyr to Phebus and to
Phebe, the which is the sone and the moone, and she bare theyme both in
her wombe. Juno chased hir in euery contre becawse she was conseyvyd
wyth Jubiter hir housbond. On a day the godesse Lathonna was trauelled
gretly, and she arivede on a wassh and than she aboode opon the watter
for to stawnsh hyr grete thyrste there where a grete feleshyp of carles
were ffor to bathe them in the watyr ffor the hete of the sone. And
[they] began to chide Lathonna and trobylyd hyr watyr that she
[thought][239] to haue dronkyn of, and for no prayer that she made they
wolde not suffyr hir drynke ne had no pete of hyre myschefe. Than she
coursyd theyme and seyde that euer aftyr mote they abyde stylle in the
broththe[240]; than were they fowle and abominable and cesyd neuer of
brayeng ne chydyng. So the carles become frosshes, the which neuer
sythyn cessed of brayng, as it shewyth in somer tyme by reuerys sydys.
This may be takyn be communes that dedde some dysplesur to summe grete
maystres, the which made them to be cast in a reuer and to be drounede,
and thus become they [Sidenote: f. 23.] frosshes. And it is to
vndyrstond that a knyght goodly shuld not fyll hyme in the brothe of
veleny, ffor leche as veleny may not suffre ientylnesse, on the same
wyse ientylnes in hym self may not suffre velany, anamely not to stryve
ne make debate wyth a persone vilens of condicions, ne to speke
outrageously. Platon seith he that ioyneth to his ientylnes nobilnesse
of goode condicions is to prayse and he that holdyth hym content with
the ientylnes that comyth of his kyne withowtyn addyng thereto some
goode condicions shulde not be holdyn nobyll.
Be the carles that become frosshes we may vndyrstonde the synne of
covetyse, the which is contrary to the good sperit. For Seynt
Austyn[241] seith that a couetous man is leche to hell, for hell cannot
swolve so many sowlis to seye that he hathe inowe. Euen so, thow all
tresowre of the worlde were heppid togedir to the possession of the
couetous man, he shuld not yette [be] satisffiede. To this purpose the
Scripture seith, [“Insatiabilis oculus cupidi in partes iniquitatis non
satiabitur”].[242]
XXI.
Acorde for no thyng with the god Bachus,
For his tachys[243] be bothe fowle and vicyous.
His disportis be neyther goode ne fyne,
For he maketh the pepyll turne to swyne.
Bachus was the man that fryst plantyde vines in Grece, and qwan thei of
the cuntre felthe the streyngth of the wyne, þe which made thyme
drownkyn, thei seide that Bachus was a god, the which hadde yovyn syche
streynghte to his plante. By Bachus is vndirstond drwnkkynnes, as that
the whiche is a full vnbehouely thyng to all noble men and to a man that
wolde vse reson. And to this purpose Ypocras[244] seyth that
superfluites of vynes and metes distroyith body, sowle and vertues.
Be the god Bachus we may vndirstond the synne off glotenye, ffor the
which the good spyryt shuld kepe hym. Seynt Grigory seyth in his
Morralles[245] that, qwan the vice of glotenye hathe the maystry of a
person, he lesseth all the good that he hath doone; for, qwenne the bely
is not restreynyd by abstynence, all vertues ben drouned togedir. And
therefor Seynt Poule seith, [“Quorum finis interitus, quorum deus venter
est,” etc.][246]
XXII.
Pimaliones ymage for to fele,
Iff that thou be wyse, sette þerby no deele, [Sidenote: f. 24.]
For of siche an ymage so wele wroght
The beaute thereof is to dere bought.