seith þat, for þe grete lewdenes that he sawe in the women of
Cidonie,[247] he dispreisyd them and seyde he shuld make an ymage
wherein ther shulde be no thyng for to blame. He mad an ymage after a
woman, of souereyne beaute. When he had full made it, loue, the which
sotely can ravysshe hertis, made hym to be amorous opon the ymage, so
that for hire he was vexed with wooes of love, full of clamorous and
full of petyous syghynges that he made to hit. Butte the ymage, which
was of ston, vndirstode hym notte. Pymalion wente to the temple of Venus
and he made there so deuote prayores to hyre that the godesse [was full]
of pete,[248] and in shewyng therof the brond that she helde be hire
selfe began to take fire and shew flame, and than the louer was mery for
þat tokyn and wente toward his ymage and toke it in his armes and warmed
it so sore wyth hys nakyd flesch that the ymage hadde lyff and began to
speke, and so Pymalyon recouuered ioye.
To this fable may be set [many][249] exposicions, and in leche wise to
othir sich fables; and the poietes made them becawse that mennes
vndirstondyng shuld be the more scharppe and subtyle to fynde dyueres
exposicions. It may be vnderstond also by the dyspreysyng that Pymalion
dispreysed the lewdenes of lewde wemen and enamoured hym on a mayden of
ryght grete beaute, the which wolde not, or myght not, vnderstond hys
petous pleyntes, no more than the ymage of a ston had done; that is to
sey, that by thynkkyng on the fayre beautes he was enamoured, but at the
last he prayed hir so myche and kepte hym so nere hir that the maydyn
louyd hym and at his wille [he] had hir to mariage. And thus the ymage
that was hard as stone recouuered lyff by the godesse Venus. So it wolde
be seyde that the good knygh shuld not be assottede of sych a made ymage
in sych wise that he lyst to folowe[250] the crafte of armes, to the
which he is bownde by þe ordere of knyghthode. And to this purpose seyth
Abtalin,[251] “It longghit nothyng ffor a prynce to assote hym on
nothyng that is to be reproued.”
Pymaliones ymage on qwome þe good knygh shuld not be assotted we shall
take for the synne of lechery, from þe which þe knyghtly gostly sperit
shuld kepe his body. Wherefor Seynt [Sidenote: f. 25.] Jerom saith in a
pistill, “O fire of hell,” seith he, “of whom the woode is glotenye, the
flambe is pride, the sparkes is foule wordes, the smoke is evil name,
the asches is pouerte, and the ende is the turnementes of hell.” To this
purpose seyth Seynt Petir the apostel, [“Voluptatem existimantes diei
delicias, coinquinationes et maculæ deliciis affluentes, in conviviis
suis luxuriantes”].[252]
XXIII.
Off Dyane remenbre besely
For the honeste of thi body;
For hir plesyth no vileyns lyffe,
Ne non dyshoneste ne stryffe.
Dyane, that is the mone, and as þer is no thyng so evile but þat it hath
some goode propirte, the mone gyffeth chast condicion; and thei named it
after a lady that so was called, the which was full chaste and was euer
a vergyn. So it wolde be seyde that honeste of the body is full wele
longgyng to a good knygh. And to this purpose Hermes seith, “He may not
be off perfyte wite that hathe in hym no chastite.”
And for to bryng to mynde the Articles of the Feyth to owre purpose,
wythowte the which a good sperit may lytell avayle, ffor Dyane we shall
take God of Heuen, the which is withowte onv spotte off onclen love, to
whome a thyng foulede with synne may not be agreable. To the knyghly
spirite þan it is necessari to beleve opon the Maker of heuen and of
erthe, as þe fyrst Article of the Feyth seith, the which Seynte Petir
the apostel sete, [“Credo in Deum Patrem Omnipotentem, creatorem cœli et
terræ”].[253]
XXIV.
Be thou leke to the godesse Ceres,
That tooke fro noon but yafe to corne encres;
In syche wyse abaundonede shulde be
The[254] good knygh, well sette in his degre.
Ceres was a lady that fond the craft to erye[255] the londe, for aforne
gaineyers swe withowte laboure[256]; and because þat þe londe bare the
more plenteously after þat it was erryed, thei seide that she was
godesse of cornes, and thei called the londe after hyr name. Wherefor it
wold be seide þat, as þe lande[257] is habaundone[d] and a large yefer
of all goodes, on the same wyse shuld a good knygh be habaundonede to
all personys and [ought] to gyffe his helpe and comfort aftyr hys power.
And Arystotyl seyth, “Be a lyberall gyfer and thou shall hau frendys.”
Here [for] Ceres, to whom þe good knygh shuld resemble, we [Sidenote: f.
26.] shall take the Sone of God, whom the good spirit sholde folowe, þe
which hath yoven so largely to vs of hy goodnes,[258] and in hym shuld
be belewede stedeffastly, as the .ii.^o Article seith, the which Seynt
Jon sette, [“Et in Ihesum Christum, filium eius unicum, Dominum
nostrum”].
XXV.
All hye vertues as that he wyll sette,
In the, as in Ysis[259] late theyme b[e] schette
And all maner graynes fructifie;
In sych wyse sholdest þou edyfye.[260]
Ysys, poetes seyth, is a goodesse of plantes and gryffes, and she yevyth
theyme streynght and growyng to multiply. Therefor it is seide to þe
good knyght þat so shulde he fructifie in all vertues and eschew all
euyl vicis. And Harmes[261] to this purpose seyth, “O man, yf þou knew
þe inconuenyency of vice, that þou woldest be ware þeroff and yf þou
knew the rewarde for worthinesse, that[262] þou woldest loue it gretly.”
There qwere it is seide þat þe good knygh shulde be leche to Ysys, the
whiche is a planter, may we vnderstond the blissyd Concepcion off Jhesu
Cryst by þe Holy Gost in the Blyssyd Virgyne Marie, modyr off all grace,
of whom the grete bountes may not be ymagenede ne holy seide, þe which
worthi Concepcion the good sperit shuld haue holy in hym and kepe this
holy Artecle stedefastly, as Seynt James the gretter seith, [“Qui
conceptus est de Spiritu Sancto, natus ex Maria virgine”].
XXVI.
To the iugement in no wyse holde the
Of Mygdas, the which no thyng wysely
Juged; by his counsell sette thou no store,
For erys of an asse he hadde thereffore.
Mydas was a knyght[263] that hadde lytell vnderstondyng; and a fable
seyth þat Phebus and Pan,[264] the god of pastures,[265] strove togedir
and Phebus seide that the sownde of the harpe is more to prayse than the
sownde of the pype or off the flowte. Pan heelde the contrarye and seide
þe sownde of the flowte was more to prayse. Thei made Mygdas iuge off
that discorde, and affter that thei were both ioyned afore Mygdas, at
long leyser he iuged that the sownde of þe flowte was bettyr and more
plesaunte than þe sownde of the [Sidenote: f. 27.] harpe. So the fable
seith þat Phebus, the which was g[r]evyd [and] hadde dyspyte off his
iugement, made hym rude erys leche an asse, in schewyng that he hadde
vnderstondyng of an asse, the which hade iuged so folyly. It may be
allso that some iuged lewdely ayens a prince or a myghty man, the whiche
punychyd hym, makyng hym to bere on hym some syngne off a ffoole, the
which is to vnderstond the eres of the asse. Also it is to vnderstond by
this fable that a good knyght shuld not hold hym content with a lewde
iugement, not grownded on reson, ne hym selfe shuld be no iuge of so
fawty a sentence. A philosopher seyth to this purpose that a foole is
leche a molle,[266] the which heryth and vnderstondyth not. And Dyogenes
lykenyth the foole to a ston.
The iugement of Mygdas, the which a good knight shulde not kepe, we may
vnderstond Pylate, the which iuged the blyssyd Sone of God to be taken
and streyned as a harpe and to be hangged opon the gebet of þe Crosse as
a bryboure,[267] he the which was pure wyth[out] ony spotte. Also it is
to vnderstond þat þe goode speryt shulde be ware how he shulde iuge an
innocent, and he shulde beleve the Artycle that Seynt Andrewe seith,
[“Passus sub Poncio Pylato, crucifixus, mortuus et sepultus”].
XXVII.
As trewe felawes of armes doth,
Vnto hell, whedir that sowles gothe,
Thou schuldest go, theyme to socoure serteyne
In nede,[268] lich Hercules dyde, as men seyne.
The fable seith that Thesus and Protheus[269] went into hell for to
rescue Proserpyne þat Pluto rauysshed, and thei hade ben evyle begone
hade not Hercules a ben for there felawes; [for thei][270] hade not bene
socoured hade he ne be, the which dyde so notable dedes of armes that he
affrayed all the peple off hell, and he smote in soundir Cereberus the
porteris chynnes.[271] So it is seyde þat a good knygh shulde not faile
his felawe for no maner of perell that myght be; for trewe felaws shuld
be evyn as on thyng and all on. And Pitagoras seyth, “Thou shuld kepe
the loue of thi freende dylygently.”
By the auctorite that seith he shulde socoure his trwe freendis in armes
vnto hell we may vnderstonde the blyssyd sowle of Jhesu Cryste, the
which drewe owte the good sowles of holy patriarkes and profhetes þat
were in lymbo; and be this example the goode sperite [Sidenote: f. 28.]
scholde draw to hym all vertues and beleve the Article that Seynt Phelip
seith, [“Descendit ad inferna”].
XXVIII.
Cadimus[272] love and yife to hym preisyng,
And that auctorised may his techyng
Be in the; for the welle in serteyne
He whan[273] fro the serpent with grete peyne.
Cadimus was a full noble man and ffounded Thebes, the which was a cite
of grete name. He sette þerin a vniuersyte[274] and hym selph was gretly
lettyrd and of grete kunnyng and wysdom. The whiche man, after that the
fabyl seith, he dowted þe serpent at the welle. This is to vnderstond
konnyng and wisdom, the which rysyth all weye, that is for the welle;
the serpent is notyd for the peyne and the trauell that a stodier most
doute or that he gete kunnyng. And the fable seithe that he become a
serpent hym selfe, the which is to vndirstond that he become mayster and
correctore of othir. So Othea seith that a good knygh shulde love and
worchip clerkes that be letteryd, þe which be growndyd in konnyng. To
this purpose Aristotle seide to Alysawndre, “Worchip wisdom and fortyfie
it wyth good maystres.”
Be Cadimus that douted the serpent at þe well, þe whiche þe good knygh
shuld love, we may vnderstond the blyssed manhode of Jhesu Cryste, the
which douted the serpent and wanne the welle, þat is to sey, the lyfe of
this worlde, þe which he passed with grete peyne and with grete
trauelle, off whom he hade victorie be strengh, when he rose the thredde
day, as Seynt Thomas seith, [“Tertia die resurrexit a mortuis”].
XXIX.
Delyte gretly in the kunnyng
Of Yo more than good or othir thyng[275];
For by that thou mayst lerne full gretly
And of good theryng take largely.[276]
Yo was a yong ientilwoman and doughter to knyng Ynacus;[277] þe which
was rygh konnyng and fond many maners of letteris þat hade not be se
afore. Though that some fables sey þat Yo was Jupiteris love and þat
sche becam a kowe and after a woman as she was, [this was not so], but,
as the poietis hathe hyde trowth vnder couerture of fable, it may be þat
Jubiter lovid hire, þat is to vndirstond by the vertues þe which was in
here[278] she become a kowe, for, as a kowe yevith mylke, the which is
swete and norisshyng, she be the letteris that she fonde gaffe
norysshyng to [Sidenote: f. 29.] vnderstondyng. And in that she was a
comon woman may be vndirstond that here wytte was comon to all, as
lettris be comon to all peple. Þerfore it is seide þat þe good knygh
shuld full mych love Yo,[279] þe which may be vnderstondyn þe letteris
and scriptures and stories of good peple, þe which þe good knygh shold
hire telle gladely and reede þe example of, þe which may be vailable to
hym. To this purpos Hermes seith, “Who so enforceth hyme to gete konyng
and goode condicions, he fyndith þat þe which shall plese hym in this
worlde and in the tothir.”
Yo, the which is noted for letteris and scriptures, may be vnderstondyn
þat þe good sperit shuld delyte hym to reede or to here Holy Writte and
not[280] þe Scriptures in his mynde, and thereby may he lerne to clyme
to hevyn with Jhesu Cryst by good werkys and holy contemplacion and
shuld beleve the worethi Article that Seynt Bertylmw seith, [“Ascendit
ad cœlos, sedet ad dexteram Dei Patris Omnipotentis”].
XXX.
Beware in whatte place so that it be
In the noyse of flowtes slepe not ye;
For Mercurius that softe syngeth
With his flowte þe peple enchaunteth.
A ffabill seyth þat, when Jubiter louede fayre Yo, Juno had hym gretly
in suspeccion and discendid from heven in a skye[281] for to take hire
husbonde whit[282] the dede. But qwhan Jubiter sawe hir come, he
chawnged his love to a cowe; yit for all that Juno was [not] owt of
suspeccion, but askyd hym þe cowe of yifte, and Jubiter ayens his lyst
grauntyd [it] to hyr, as he þat dryst not ayens say hire for doute of
suspeccion. Þan Juno gaffe Argus, þe which hade .c. yen, this cow to
kepe, and euer he wchid[283] it. But the god Mercurius by þe
commaundement of Jubiter toke his flowte, þe which song softly, and blew
so longe in Argus eyre þat all his .c. eyne were aslepe. Than he smote
of hys hede and toke the cowe.
The exposicion of this fable may be as þat some myghthi man loved a
gentilwoman; than his wyf tooke to hire for to make wache on hir
husbonde þat he disseyvyd hire not, and þeropon sette grete weches and
clere seers, þe which may be noted for Argus eyne. But þe louer by a
person malicius and well spekyng dide so miche þat þe kepers concentyd
to gyf hym hys love, and thus were thei browght aslepe by Mercurius
flowte and hade there hedes smyttyn off. There[fore] it is seyde to þe
good knyght þat he shulde not suffre [himself] to be brought on slepe
with non swiche flovte as to be robbed of that þe which he shuld kepe.
And to this purpos Hermes seith, “Kepe thou fro þo that is gouuernede be
malice.”
Be Mercurius flovte we may vnderstond þat þe goode sperit be [Sidenote:
f. 30.] not disseyvid by þe hold enemy trowe[284] ony mysbeleve of þe
feyth or othir wyse than he shuld beleue stedefastly þe Article þat
Seynt Matheu þe Euangelist seith, þat God shall come and iuge þe qweke
and the dede, where he seith, [“Inde venturus iudicare vivos et
mortuos”].
XXXI.
Thinketh that Pirus[285] shalle resemble
His fadire and that he shal trobyle
His enemyis and put theyme to distres;
The deth he shall venge for Achilles.
Pyrus was Achilles sone and resembled full wele his ffadir in streyngh
and hardines, and after the deth of his fadyr he come to Troye and full
charply venged his fadir and hurte grettly the Troyens. Therefor it is
seide to the good knyght þat, yf he have myssedone to the ffadir, lete
hym be ware of the sone, when he comyth to age, and, yf the fadir be
worthi or manly, þe sone shulde be þe same. The wise[286] man seith to
this purpose that the fadris dethe asketh the sone þe vengaunce þerfore.
There where he seith þat Pirus shulde be lech his fader, by þat we may
vnderstond the Holy Gost, the which procedyth of the Fadir, in whome the
good sperit shulde beleve, as Seynt James þe lesse seith, [“Credo in
Spiritum Sanctum”].
XXXII.
Haunt thow the temple and worchip in tyme
The godesse[287] of heven, and at all tyme
Aftir Cassaundra kepe thow the gyse,
Yif þat þou wilt be holdyn for wyse.
Cassandra was Kyng Priantes doghtere, and she was a full good lady and a
devoute in there lawe. She seruyd the godesse and haunted þe temple and
she spak but lytell withowtyn cawse, and when she most speke she spake
nothyng but that was trewe, ne she was neuer founde with no lesyng; she
was full konyng. Therefor it is seide to þe good knygh þat he shulde be
leke hir, for lewde costomes and lesynges ys gretly to blame in a knyte;
for he shulde serue God and worchip the temple, þat is to sey, the
chirche and the ministres thereof. And Pictagoras seith, “It is a ryght
loveable thyng to serue God and to halowe hys seyntes.”[288]
The a[u]ctorite seyth þat þe good knygh shulde haunte the [Sidenote: f.
31.] temple. In leche wyse the goode sperit shuld do, and he shulde haue
synguler deuocion in the feythefull holy chirche and in the communion of
seyntes, as the Article seyth that Seynt Symond made, the which seyth,
[“Sanctam ecclesiam catholicam, sanctorum communionem”].
XXXIII.
Yf þou wylt often haunt the se,
Of Neptunus thou shuld ofte remenbre the,
And thou shuldest halow gretly his feste,
That he may kepe the euer fro tempest.
Neptunus opon the paynemes lawe was called þe god of þe see, and
therefor it is seyde to the good knygh þat he shuld serue hym, þat is to
vndirstond þat knyghttes, the which gosh often in many viages on the se
or in other diueres perelles, haue more nede to be devoute and to serue
God and his seyntens than othir peplyl, to the entente [þat] at here
nede he may be socourable and helpy to theyme. And thei shulde take a
synguler deuocion to some seynte be deuowte prayers, by the which thei
may calle to hym or hire in there besynes. And that prayer wyth hert is
not all only sufficiaunt, the wise man seith that God all only ys not
well serued be wordes but by goode dedes.
Be Neptunus to whom the good knygh shulde calle yf he go ofte by the se
we shall vndirstond that the goode sperite, the [which] is continually
in the se of the worlde, he shulde calle deuoutely opon his Maker and
pray that he wylle gyffe hym grace so to life that he may haue remissyon
of his synnes, and he shulde beleve the Article þat Seynt Jude seyth
[“Remissionem peccatorum”].
XXXIV.
Looke at all tymes thou take goode hedde
Bothe to Acropose[289] craft and his spede,
Which smyteth and sparyth non in no kynde;
That shal make the to haue þi soule in mynde.
Poyetis calle deth Accropos; wherefor it is seide to the good knyght
that he shulde thyngke þat he shal not euer lyffe in this worlde, but
sone depart derefro. Therfor he shulde sette more store by the vertues
of the soule than to delytte hym in bodely delytes; and all Christen
pepill[290] shulde thynkke þeropon to the entent that [t]he[i] myght
remembre to[291] provide for the soule, þe which shall endure withowtyn
ende. And to this purpose Pytagoras seith that, lech as owre begynnyng
comyht of God, owre ende most [Sidenote: f. 32.] nedes be there.
There where it is seyde to the good knygh that he shulde take hede to
Acropos, the which is notyd for deth, the same shuld the goode sperite
haue, the which by þe merites of the Passyon of owre Lord Jhesu Cryste
shulde haue stedefaste hoope with the payne and delygence that he shuld
put therto to haue heuen at the last ende; and he shuld beleue
stedefastly to ryse ayene at þe day of dome to haue euerlestyng lyfe yf
he deserue it, as Seynt Mathi seith in the last Article, where he seith,
[“Carnis resurrectionem, vitam æternam”].
XXXV.
Belorophon[292] lete hym example be
In all maner of dedes that doo will he,
The which hade mech leuer to dye
Than to supporte vntrouth be any weye.
Belorophon was a knyght of ryght grete beaute and full of trowthe. His
stepmodir louyd hym so hoote þat sche required it of hym and, because
that he wold not concent to hir will, sche dyde so myche that he was
condempned to be deuoured with feers bestis, and he had mo lyste to
chese the deth[293] than to do vntrwthe. To this purpose Hermes seyth,
“Be glader to dye withowte cawse than to do a inconuenyence.”
We schall come now to declare the Commawndementis off the Feyth, and
there too we shall take an allegorie to oure purpose.
Berolophon, the which was so full of trowthe, may be noted for God of
Heuen and, as his hy mercy hath ben to vs, and is, full of all trouth,
we may take the Fryst Commawndement, the which seith, “Thou shalt
worchip no strawnge goddes.” To this seith Seynt Austyn that the
worchippe the which is called latre[294] thou shulde not do it, neythir
to ydoile ne to ymage ne to no lekenes of no maner of creature, for that
is a dew worchyppe all only to God, and in this Commawndement is
defendede all ydolatrie. To that owre Lord seyth in the Gospell,
[“Dominum Deum tuum adorabis et illi soli seruies”].[295]
XXXVI.
Maymon,[296] thyn owyn trewe cosyn indede,
The which is thy neyghburgh at þi nede,
He louyd the so meche thou ought hym loue,
And for his nede arme thy body aboue.
Kyng Maymon was cosyn to Hector and of the Troyens lyne, [Sidenote: f.
33.] and when Hector [was] in fers bayteyles, where he was oftyn
grettely oppressed with his enemyes, Maymon, the which was a full
worchipfull knyght, folowed hym euer nere and socoured Hector and brake
the grete presses of pepyll. And that shewed wele; ffor when Achilles
hade sleyn hym by treson, Maymons wonded Achilles sore and [wolde haue]
sleyne[297] hym, hade not socoure acome to hym in hast. Therefor it is
seide to the goode knygh þat he shulde loue hym and socoure hym at his
nede; and this is to vnderstonde that euery prince and goode knygh which
hath kyne, be thei neuer so lytell or poore, so he be goode and
trwe,[298] he shulde loue hym and support hym in his dedes and en
specyall whene he felyth hym trewe to hym. And it happenyth some tyme
that a grete prince is better louede and more trwly of his poore kyne
than off a full myghtye man. And to this purpose seith Rabyon[299] the
phelesophre, “Encres ffrendes, for they shall be socourable to the.”
Be Maymon, þe trwe cosyn, we may vnderstonde God of Heven, þe which hath
bene a full trwe cosyn for to take owre manhode, þe which benefette we
may not guerdon. Thus here may we take the Secunde Commawndement, that
seith, “Thow shalte not take the name of God in veyne,” that is to sey,
as Seynt Austyn seith,[300] “Thou shalt not swere dyshonestly, ne
withowte a cawse, ne for colour of falsenes, for there may no gretter
abusyon ben than to brynge to a flasse[301] wittenes the chefe and the
ryghte stefast trowthe.” And in this Commawndement all lesynges be
defendede, all periure and all blaspheme. The lawe seith to this
purpose, [“Non habebit Dominus insontem eum qui assumpserit nomen Domini
Dei sui frustra”].[302]
XXXVII.
Avyse the, or ony worde be shewede,
Off grete manisynges,[303] nyse or lewde,
Comyng forthe of thi mowth be to grete ire,
And looke well in Leomedom the fire.[304]
Leomedon was kyng of Troye and fader to Priant and, when Jason, Hercules
and theire felawes went to Colcos for to gete the flese of gold and were
arived and discendid at the porte of Troye ffor to refreysche theyme
withowte ony hurte of the cuntre, Leomedon, not wele avised, sent bostus
mesangers[305] to voyde theyme of the lond and to manyce theym gretly,
if thei voyded not in hast. Than the barons of Grece were so wrooth for
that wrongfull conveyng þat after that folowede the destruccion of the
fryst Troye. Þerfor it is seide to þe good knyght that, stondyng the
worde of manace is foule and velyens, it shulde be sadely passede[306]
or that it were spokyne, for many grete hurtes oftyn [Sidenote: f. 34.]
tymes folowyth theroff. To this purpose the poyete Omer seith, “He is
wyse that can refreyne his mowth.”
How the worde of grete manase cometh of arrogaunce, and þat to breke þe
Commawndment it is also an ouerhoope,[307] we may vndyrstonde by this
that noon shulde breke the halyday, for þat is ayenst the Commawndment
þat is seide, “Vmbethynke the to halowe the Sabat.” By the which Seynt
Austyn seith it is commawndede vs to halowe the Sunday in the stede of
the Jues Sabat, for than we shuld solemply allso take reste bodyly,
cesyng solemply of all werkes of thralledom, and to be in rest of sowle
in cesyng off all synne. And to this purpose Ysaye seyth, the profyte,
[“Quiescite agere perverse, discite bene facere”].[308]
XXXVIII.
Trust no thyng to be in certeynete
Vnto that þe trowth wele knowyn be;
For a lytell of presumcion
Piramus maketh the mencion.