Chapter IX

Of twey thinges art thou answered, as me thinketh (quod
Love); and if any thing be in doute in thy soule, shewe
it forth, thyn ignoraunce to clere, and leve it for no shame.'

'Certes,' quod I, 'there is no body in this worlde, that aught
coude saye by reson ayenst any of your skilles, as I leve; and by 5
my witte now fele I wel, that yvel-spekers or berers of enfame
may litel greve or lette my purpos, but rather by suche thinge my
quarel to be forthered.'

'Ye,' quod she,'and it is proved also, that the ilke jewel in
my kepinge shal nat there-thorow be stered, of the lest moment 10
that might be imagined.'

'That is soth,' quod I.

'Wel,' quod she, 'than +leveth there, to declare that thy
insuffisance is no maner letting, as thus: for that she is so worthy,
thou shuldest not clymbe so highe; for thy moebles and thyn 15
estate arn voyded, thou thinkest [thee] fallen in suche miserie,
that gladnesse of thy pursute wol nat on thee discende.'

'Certes,' quod I, 'that is sothe; right suche thought is in myn
herte; for commenly it is spoken, and for an olde proverbe it is
leged: "He that heweth to hye, with chippes he may lese 20
his sight." Wherfore I have ben about, in al that ever I might,
to studye wayes of remedye by one syde or by another.'

'Now,' quod she, 'god forbede +that thou seke any other
doinges but suche as I have lerned thee in our restinge-whyles,
and suche herbes as ben planted in oure gardins. Thou shalt 25
wel understande that above man is but oon god alone.'

'How,' quod I, 'han men to-forn this tyme trusted in writtes
and chauntements, and in helpes of spirites that dwellen in the
ayre, and therby they han getten their desyres, where-as first, for
al his manly power, he daunced behynde?' 30

'O,' quod she, 'fy on suche maters! For trewly, that is
sacrilege; and that shal have no sort with any of my servauntes;
in myne eyen shal suche thing nat be loked after. How often is
it commaunded by these passed wyse, that "to one god shal men
serve, and not to goddes?" And who that liste to have myne 35
helpes, shal aske none helpe of foule spirites. Alas! is nat man
maked semblable to god? Wost thou nat wel, that al vertue of
lyvelich werkinge, by goddes purveyaunce, is underput to resonable
creature in erthe? Is nat every thing, a this halfe god, mad
buxom to mannes contemplation, understandinge in heven and 40
in erthe and in helle? Hath not man beinge with stones, soule of
wexing with trees and herbes? Hath he nat soule of felinge, with
beestes, fisshes, and foules? And he hath soule of reson and
understanding with aungels; so that in him is knit al maner
of lyvinges by a resonable proporcioun. Also man is mad of 45
al the foure elementes. Al universitee is rekened in him alone;
he hath, under god, principalitè above al thinges. Now is his
soule here, now a thousand myle hence; now fer, now nygh;
now hye, now lowe; as fer in a moment as in mountenaunce of
ten winter; and al this is in mannes governaunce and disposicion. 50
Than sheweth it that men ben liche unto goddes, and children of
moost heyght. But now, sithen al thinges [arn] underput to the
wil of resonable creatures, god forbede any man to winne that
lordship, and aske helpe of any-thing lower than him-selfe; and than,
namely, of foule thinges innominable. Now than, why shuldest 55
thou wene to love to highe, sithen nothing is thee above but god
alone? Trewly, I wot wel that thilke jewel is in a maner even in
lyne of degree there thou art thy-selfe, and nought above, save
thus: aungel upon angel, man upon man, and devil upon devil
han a maner of soveraigntee; and that shal cese at the daye 60
of dome. And so I say: though thou be put to serve the
ilke jewel duringe thy lyfe, yet is that no servage of
underputtinge, but a maner of travayling plesaunce, to conquere and
gette that thou hast not. I sette now the hardest: in my service
now thou deydest, for sorowe of wantinge in thy desyres; trewly, 65
al hevenly bodyes with one voyce shul come and make melody in
thy cominge, and saye--"Welcome, our fere, and worthy to entre
into Jupiters joye! For thou with might hast overcome deth;
thou woldest never flitte out of thy service; and we al shul
now praye to the goddes, rowe by rowe, to make thilk Margarite, 70
that no routh had in this persone, but unkyndely without comfort
let thee deye, shal besette her-selfe in suche wyse, that in erthe,
for parte of vengeaunce, shal she no joye have in loves service;
and whan she is deed, than shal her soule ben brought up in-to
thy presence; and whider thou wilt chese, thilke soule shal ben 75
committed." Or els, after thy deth, anon al the foresayd hevenly
bodyes, by one accorde, shal +benimen from thilke perle al the
vertues that firste her were taken; for she hath hem forfeyted
by that on thee, my servaunt, in thy lyve, she wolde not suffre
to worche al vertues, withdrawen by might of the hygh bodyes. 80
Why than shuldest thou wene so any more? And if thee liste
to loke upon the lawe of kynde, and with order whiche to me
was ordayned, sothely, non age, non overtourninge tyme but
+hiderto had no tyme ne power to chaunge the wedding, ne
the knotte to unbynde of two hertes [that] thorow oon assent, in 85
my presence, +togider accorden to enduren til deth hem departe.
What? trowest thou, every ideot wot the meninge and the privy
entent of these thinges? They wene, forsothe, that suche accord
may not be, but the rose of maydenhede be plucked. Do way,
do way; they knowe nothing of this. For consent of two hertes 90
alone maketh the fasteninge of the knotte; neither lawe of kynde
ne mannes lawe determineth neither the age ne the qualitè of
persones, but only accord bitwene thilke twaye. And trewly,
after tyme that suche accord, by their consent in hert, is enseled,
and put in my tresorye amonges my privy thinges, than ginneth 95
the name of spousayle; and although they breken forward bothe,
yet suche mater enseled is kept in remembrance for ever. And
see now that spouses have the name anon after accord, though
the rose be not take. The aungel bad Joseph take Marye his
spouse, and to Egypte wende. Lo! she was cleped "spouse," 100
and yet, toforn ne after, neither of hem bothe mente no flesshly
lust knowe. Wherfore the wordes of trouthe acorden that my
servauntes shulden forsake bothe +fader and moder, and be adherand
to his spouse; and they two in unitè of one flesshe
shulden accorde. And this wyse, two that wern firste in a litel 105
maner discordaunt, hygher that oon and lower that other, ben
mad evenliche in gree to stonde. But now to enfourme thee
that ye ben liche to goddes, these clerkes sayn, and in determinacion
shewen, that "three thinges haven [by] the names
of goddes ben cleped; that is to sayn: man, divel, and images"; 110
but yet is there but oon god, of whom al goodnesse, al grace, and
al vertue cometh; and he +is loving and trewe, and everlasting,
and pryme cause of al being thinges. But men ben goddes
lovinge and trewe, but not everlasting; and that is by adopcioun
of the everlastinge god. Divels ben goddes, stirringe by 115
a maner of lyving; but neither ben they trewe ne everlastinge;
and their name of godliheed th[e]y han by usurpacion, as the
prophete sayth: "Al goddes of gentyles (that is to say, paynims)
are divels." But images ben goddes by nuncupacion; and they
ben neither livinge ne trewe, ne everlastinge. After these wordes 120
they clepen "goddes" images wrought with mennes handes.
But now [art thou a] resonable creature, that by adopcion alone
art to the grete god everlastinge, and therby thou art "god"
cleped: let thy +faders maners so entre thy wittes that thou might
folowe, in-as-moche as longeth to thee, thy +faders worship, so 125
that in nothinge thy kynde from his wil declyne, ne from his
nobley perverte. In this wyse if thou werche, thou art above
al other thinges save god alone; and so say no more "thyn herte
to serve in to hye a place."

CH. IX. 1. arte. 2. thynge. 3. thyne. leaue. 5. reason. 6. nowe. bearers. 7. purpose. 9. Yea. 10. -thorowe. steered. 13. leneth; _read_ leueth. 15. thyne. 16. arne. _I supply_ thee. 17. the. 18. myne hert.

20. maye. 23. Nowe. are; _read_ that. 24. the. 25. shalte. 26. one. 27. Howe. to forne. 31. fye. 38. vnderputte. 39. thynge. made. 40. buxome. 41. manne. 43. reason. 44. knytte. 45. lyuenges. reasonable. made. 47. Nowe. 48. nowe. nowe ferre nowe. thousande. 49. nowe (_twice_). ferre. momente. 50. tenne. disposytion. 52. nowe. _I supply_ arn. vnderputte. 53. reasonable. 54. lordshippe. thynge.

56. nothynge. the. 57. wote. euyn. 58. arte. 59. manne (_twice_). 60. soueraygntie. cease. 61. thoughe putte. 64. haste. 64-5. nowe. 68. haste. dethe. 70. nowe pray. 71. _For_ in _read_ on? comforte. 72. lette the. 75. wylte. 76. dethe anone. 77. beno_m_men; _read_ benimen. 79. the. 81. the. 83. none (_twice_). 84. hytherto. 85. _Supply_ that. thorowe one. 86. togyther. dethe. 87. ydeot wotte. 88. accorde. 89. waye (_twice_). 90. consente.

93. onely. 93-4. accorde. 94. ensealed. 96. breaken forwarde. 97. ensealed. kepte. 98. se nowe. accorde. 99. bade. 101. toforne. 102. luste. 103. father and mother; _rather_, fader and moder. adherande. 105. werne. 106. one. 107. made. nowe. the. 108. sayne. 109. thre. _I supply_ by. 110. cleaped. 111. one. 112. his; _read_ is. 116. lyueng. 117. thy; _read_ they. 118. saythe. 121. cleapen. 122. nowe. _I supply_ art thou a. reasonable. 123. arte (_twice_). great. 124. lette. 124-5. fathers; _read_ faders. 125. the. worshyppe.

127. arte.