Chapter III

Gretly was I tho gladded of these wordes, and (as who
saith) wexen somdel light in herte; both for the auctoritè
of witnesse, and also for sikernesse of helpe of the forsayd
beheste, and sayd:--

'Trewly, lady, now am I wel gladded through comfort of 5
your wordes. Be it now lykinge unto your nobley to shewe
whiche folk diffame your servauntes, sithe your service ought
above al other thinges to ben commended.'

'Yet,' quod she, 'I see wel thy soule is not al out of the
amased cloude. Thee were better to here thing that thee might 10
lighte out of thyn hevy charge and after knowing of thyn owne
helpe, than to stirre swete wordes and such resons to here;
for in a thoughtful soule (and namely suche oon as thou art)
wol not yet suche thinges sinken. Come of, therfore, and let
me seen thy hevy charge, that I may the lightlier for thy comfort 15
purveye.'

'Now, certes, lady,' quod I, 'the moste comfort I might have
were utterly to wete me be sure in herte of that Margaryte I
serve; and so I thinke to don with al mightes, whyle my lyfe
dureth.' 20

'Than,' quod she, 'mayst thou therafter, in suche wyse that
misplesaunce ne entre?'

'In good fayth,' quod I, 'there shal no misplesaunce be
caused through trespace on my syde.'

'And I do thee to weten,' quod she, 'I sette never yet person 25
to serve in no place (but-if he caused the contrary in defautes
and trespaces) that he ne spedde of his service.'

'Myn owne erthly lady,' quod I tho, 'and yet remembre to
your worthinesse how long sithen, by many revolving of yeres,
in tyme whan Octobre his leve ginneth take and Novembre 30
sheweth him to sight, whan bernes ben ful of goodes as is the
nutte on every halke; and than good lond-tillers ginne shape
for the erthe with greet travayle, to bringe forth more corn to
mannes sustenaunce, ayenst the nexte yeres folowing. In suche
tyme of plentee he that hath an home and is wyse, list not to 35
wander mervayles to seche, but he be constrayned or excited.
Oft the lothe thing is doon, by excitacion of other mannes
opinion, whiche wolden fayne have myn abydinge. [Tho gan I]
take in herte of luste to travayle and see the wynding of the erthe
in that tyme of winter. By woodes that large stretes wern in, 40
by smale pathes that swyn and hogges hadden made, as lanes
with ladels their maste to seche, I walked thinkinge alone
a wonder greet whyle; and the grete beestes that the woode
haunten and adorneth al maner forestes, and heerdes gonne to
wilde. Than, er I was war, I neyghed to a see-banke; and for 45
ferde of the beestes "shipcraft" I cryde. For, lady, I trowe ye
wete wel your-selfe, nothing is werse than the beestes that
shulden ben tame, if they cacche her wildenesse, and ginne ayen
waxe ramage. Thus forsothe was I a-ferd, and to shippe me
hyed. 50

Than were there y-nowe to lacche myn handes, and drawe me
to shippe, of whiche many I knew wel the names. Sight was
the first, Lust was another, Thought was the thirde; and Wil eke
was there a mayster; these broughten me within-borde of this
shippe of Traveyle. So whan the sayl was sprad, and this ship 55
gan to move, the wind and water gan for to ryse, and overthwartly
to turne the welken. The wawes semeden as they kiste togider;
but often under colour of kissinge is mokel old hate prively
closed and kept. The storm so straungely and in a devouring
maner gan so faste us assayle, that I supposed the date of my 60
deth shulde have mad there his ginning. Now up, now downe,
now under the wawe and now aboven was my ship a greet
whyle. And so by mokel duresse of +weders and of stormes,
and with greet avowing [of] pilgrimages, I was driven to an yle,
where utterly I wende first to have be rescowed; but trewly, +at 65
the first ginning, it semed me so perillous the haven to cacche,
that but thorow grace I had ben comforted, of lyfe I was ful
dispayred. Trewly, lady, if ye remembre a-right of al maner
thinges, your-selfe cam hastely to sene us see-driven, and to
weten what we weren. But first ye were deynous of chere, after 70
whiche ye gonne better a-lighte; and ever, as me thought, ye
lived in greet drede of disese; it semed so by your chere.
And whan I was certifyed of your name, the lenger I loked in
you, the more I you goodly dradde; and ever myn herte on you
opened the more; and so in a litel tyme my ship was out of 75
mynde. But, lady, as ye me ladde, I was war bothe of beestes
and of fisshes, a greet nombre thronging togider; among whiche
a muskel, in a blewe shel, had enclosed a Margaryte-perle, the
moste precious and best that ever to-forn cam in my sight.
And ye tolden your-selfe, that ilke jewel in his kinde was so 80
good and so vertuous, that her better shulde I never finde, al
sought I ther-after to the worldes ende. And with that I held
my pees a greet whyle; and ever sithen I have me bethought on
the man that sought the precious Margarytes; and whan he had
founden oon to his lyking, he solde al his good to bye that jewel. 85
Y-wis, thought I, (and yet so I thinke), now have I founden the
jewel that myn herte desyreth; wherto shulde I seche further?
Trewly, now wol I stinte, and on this Margaryte I sette me for
ever: now than also, sithen I wiste wel it was your wil that
I shulde so suche a service me take; and so to desyre that thing, 90
of whiche I never have blisse. There liveth non but he hath
disese; your might than that brought me to suche service, that to
me is cause of sorowe and of joye. I wonder of your worde that
ye sayn, "to bringen men in-to joye"; and, pardè, ye wete wel
that defaut ne trespace may not resonably ben put to me-wardes, 95
as fer as my conscience knoweth.

But of my disese me list now a whyle to speke, and to enforme
you in what maner of blisse ye have me thronge. For truly
I wene, that al gladnesse, al joye, and al mirthe is beshet under
locke, and the keye throwe in suche place that it may not be 100
founde. My brenning wo hath altred al my hewe. Whan
I shulde slepe, I walowe and I thinke, and me disporte. Thus
combred, I seme that al folk had me mased. Also, lady myne,
desyre hath longe dured, some speking to have; or els at the lest
have ben enmoysed with sight; and for wantinge of these thinges 105
my mouth wolde, and he durst, pleyne right sore, sithen yvels
for my goodnesse arn manyfolde to me yolden. I wonder, lady,
trewly, save evermore your reverence, how ye mowe, for shame,
suche thinges suffre on your servaunt to be so multiplied.
Wherfore, kneling with a lowe herte, I pray you to rue on this 110
caytif, that of nothing now may serve. Good lady, if ye liste,
now your help to me shewe, that am of your privyest servantes
at al assayes in this tyme, and under your winges of proteccion.
No help to me-wardes is shapen; how shal than straungers in
any wyse after socour loke, whan I, that am so privy, yet of helpe 115
I do fayle? Further may I not, but thus in this prison abyde;
what bondes and chaynes me holden, lady, ye see wel your-selfe.
A renyant forjuged hath not halfe the care. But thus, syghing
and sobbing, I wayle here alone; and nere it for comfort of your
presence, right here wolde I sterve. And yet a litel am I gladded, 120
that so goodly suche grace and non hap have I hent, graciously
to fynde the precious Margarite, that (al other left) men shulde
bye, if they shulde therfore selle al her substaunce. Wo is me,
that so many let-games and purpose-brekers ben maked wayters,
suche prisoners as I am to overloke and to hinder; and, for 125
suche lettours, it is hard any suche jewel to winne. Is this, lady,
an honour to thy deitee? Me thinketh, by right, suche people
shulde have no maistrye, ne ben overlokers over none of thy
servauntes. Trewly, were it leful unto you, to al the goddes
wolde I playne, that ye rule your devyne purveyaunce amonges 130
your servantes nothing as ye shulde. Also, lady, my moeble is
insuffysaunt to countervayle the price of this jewel, or els to
make th'eschange. Eke no wight is worthy suche perles to were
but kinges or princes or els their peres. This jewel, for vertue,
wold adorne and make fayre al a realme; the nobley of vertue is 135
so moche, that her goodnesse overal is commended. Who is it
that wolde not wayle, but he might suche richesse have at his
wil? The vertue therof out of this prison may me deliver, and
naught els. And if I be not ther-thorow holpen, I see my-selfe
withouten recovery. Although I might hence voyde, yet wolde 140
I not; I wolde abyde the day that destenee hath me ordeyned,
whiche I suppose is without amendement; so sore is my herte
bounden, that I may thinken non other. Thus strayte, lady,
hath sir Daunger laced me in stockes, I leve it be not your wil;
and for I see you taken so litel hede, as me thinketh, and wol 145
not maken by your might the vertue in mercy of the Margaryte
on me for to strecche, so as ye mowe wel in case that you liste,
my blisse and my mirthe arn feld; sicknesse and sorowe ben
alwaye redy. The cope of tene is wounde aboute al my body,
that stonding is me best; unneth may I ligge for pure misesy 150
sorowe. And yet al this is litel ynough to be the ernest-silver in
forwarde of this bargayne; for treble-folde so mokel muste I suffer
er tyme come of myn ese. For he is worthy no welthe, that may
no wo suffer. And certes, I am hevy to thinke on these thinges;
but who shal yeve me water ynough to drinke, lest myn eyen 155
drye, for renning stremes of teres? Who shal waylen with me
myn owne happy hevinesse? Who shal counsaile me now in
my lyking tene, and in my goodly harse? I not. For ever the
more I brenne, the more I coveyte; the more that I sorow, the
more thrist I in gladnesse. Who shal than yeve me a contrarious 160
drink, to stanche the thurste of my blisful bitternesse? Lo, thus
I brenne and I drenche; I shiver and I swete. To this reversed
yvel was never yet ordeyned salve; forsoth al +leches ben unconning,
save the Margaryte alone, any suche remedye to purveye.'

CH. III. 1. gladed; _see_ l. 5. 2. somdele. 5. nowe. comforte. 6. nowe. 7. folke. 9. se. 10. the (_twice_). 11. light. 13. one. arte.

15. sene. comforte. 16. puruey. 17. Nowe. comforte. 21. mayste. 25. the. set. 29. howe. 30. leaue. 32. londe-. 33. great. forthe. corne. 35. plentie. lyste. 37. doone. 38. _I supply_ Tho gan I. 39. se. 40. werne. 41. swyne. 43. great. great. 44. gone; _read_ gonne. 45. ware. 46. shypcrafte. 48. catche. 49. a-ferde. 51. lache.

52. many; _read_ meynee. knewe. 55. sayle. shyppe. 56. wynde. 58. olde. 59. kepte. storme. 61. made. 61, 62. nowe. 62. shyppe. 62, 64. great. 63. wethers; _read_ weders. 64. _I supply_ of. 65. as; _read_ at. 66. catche. 67. thorowe. 69. came. 71. a-lyght. 72. great. disease. 75. shyppe. 76. lad. ware. 77. great. amonge. 79. to-forne came. 82. helde. 83. peace. great. 85. one. 86. nowe. 87. myne.

88. nowe. 89. Nowe. 91. none. 92. disease. 94. sayne. 95. reasonably. 96. ferre. 97. disease. 103. folke. 106. mouthe. 107. arne. 108. howe. 111. caytife. 112. nowe. helpe. 113. protection. 114. helpe. howe. 115. socoure. 116. maye. 117. se. 119. comforte. 120. gladed. 121. none. hente. 122. lefte. 123. sel.

126. harde. 127. deytie. 133. weare. 139. ther-thorowe. se. 141. daye. destenye. 143. maye. none. 145. se. 147. stretche. 148. arne. 150. miseasy. 151. ynoughe. 153. ease. maye. 156. teares. 157. myne. nowe. 158. harse (_sic_); _for_ harme?

161. drinke. 162. sweate. 163. lyches (for leches). 164. puruey.