Chapter I

Very welth may not be founden in al this worlde; and that
is wel sene. Lo! how in my mooste comfort, as I wende
and moost supposed to have had ful answere of my contrary
thoughtes, sodaynly it was vanisshed. And al the workes of man
faren in the same wyse; whan folk wenen best her entent for to 5
have and willes to perfourme, anon chaunging of the lift syde to
the right halve tourneth it so clene in-to another kynde, that never
shal it come to the first plyte in doinge.

O this wonderful steering so soone otherwysed out of knowinge!
But for my purpos was at the beginninge, and so dureth yet, if god 10
of his grace tyme wol me graunt, I thinke to perfourme this
worke, as I have begonne, in love; after as my thinne wit, with
inspiracion of him that hildeth al grace, wol suffre. Grevously,
god wot, have I suffred a greet throwe that the Romayne
emperour, which in unitè of love shulde acorde, and every with 15
other * * * * in cause of other to avaunce; and namely, sithe
this empyre [nedeth] to be corrected of so many sectes in heresie
of faith, of service, o[f] rule in loves religion. Trewly, al were
it but to shende erroneous opinions, I may it no lenger suffre.
For many men there ben that sayn love to be in gravel and sande, 20
that with see ebbinge and flowinge woweth, as riches that sodaynly
vanissheth. And some sayn that love shulde be in windy blastes,
that stoundmele turneth as a phane, and glorie of renomè, which
after lustes of the varyaunt people is areysed or stilled.

Many also wenen that in the sonne and the moone and other 25
sterres love shulde ben founden; for among al other planettes
moste soveraynly they shynen, as dignitees in reverence of estates
rather than good han and occupyen. Ful many also there ben
that in okes and in huge postes supposen love to ben grounded,
as in strength and in might, whiche mowen not helpen their owne 30
wrecchidnesse, whan they ginne to falle. But [of] suche diversitè
of sectes, ayenst the rightful beleve of love, these errours ben forth
spredde, that loves servantes in trewe rule and stedfast fayth in
no place daren apere. Thus irrecuperable joy is went, and anoy
endless is entred. For no man aright reproveth suche errours, 35
but [men] confirmen their wordes, and sayn, that badde is noble
good, and goodnesse is badde; to which folk the prophete biddeth
wo without ende.

Also manye tonges of greet false techinges in gylinge maner,
principally in my tymes, not only with wordes but also with armes, 40
loves servauntes and professe in his religion of trewe rule pursewen,
to confounden and to distroyen. And for as moche as holy +faders,
that of our Christen fayth aproved and strengthed to the Jewes, as
to men resonable and of divinitè lerned, proved thilke fayth with
resones, and with auctoritès of the olde testament and of the newe, 45
her pertinacie to distroy: but to paynims, that for beestes and
houndes were holde, to putte hem out of their errour, was +miracle
of god shewed. These thinges were figured by cominge of th'angel
to the shepherdes, and by the sterre to paynims kinges; as who
sayth: angel resonable to resonable creature, and sterre of miracle 50
to people bestial not lerned, wern sent to enforme. But I, lovers
clerk, in al my conning and with al my mightes, trewly I have no
suche grace in vertue of miracles, ne for no discomfit falsheedes
suffyseth not auctoritès alone; sithen that suche [arn] heretikes
and maintaynours of falsitès. Wherfore I wot wel, sithen that 55
they ben men, and reson is approved in hem, the clowde of errour
hath her reson beyond probable resons, whiche that cacchende
wit rightfully may not with-sitte. By my travaylinge studie I have
ordeyned hem, +whiche that auctoritè, misglosed by mannes
reson, to graunt shal ben enduced. 60

Now ginneth my penne to quake, to thinken on the sentences
of the envyous people, whiche alway ben redy, both ryder and
goer, to scorne and to jape this leude book; and me, for rancour
and hate in their hertes, they shullen so dispyse, that although
my book be leude, yet shal it ben more leude holden, and by 65
wicked wordes in many maner apayred. Certes, me thinketh,
[of] the sowne of their badde speche right now is ful bothe myne
eeres. O good precious Margaryte, myne herte shulde wepe if
I wiste ye token hede of suche maner speche; but trewly, I wot
wel, in that your wysdom shal not asterte. For of god, maker of 70
kynde, witnesse I took, that for none envy ne yvel have I drawe
this mater togider; but only for goodnesse to maintayn, and
errours in falsetees to distroy. Wherfore (as I sayd) with reson
I thinke, thilke forsayd errours to distroye and dequace.

These resons and suche other, if they enduce men, in loves 75
service, trewe to beleve of parfit blisse, yet to ful faithe in
credence of deserte fully mowe they nat suffyse; sithen 'faith hath
no merite of mede, whan mannes reson sheweth experience in
doing.' For utterly no reson the parfit blisse of love by no waye
may make to be comprehended. Lo! what is a parcel of lovers 80
joye? Parfit science, in good service, of their desyre to comprehende
in bodily doinge the lykinge of the soule; not as by
a glasse to have contemplacion of tyme cominge, but thilke first
imagined and thought after face to face in beholding. What
herte, what reson, what understandinge can make his heven to be 85
feled and knowe, without assaye in doinge? Certes, noon. Sithen
thanne of love cometh suche fruite in blisse, and love in him-selfe
is the most among other vertues, as clerkes sayn; the seed of
suche springinge in al places, in al countreys, in al worldes shulde
ben sowe. 90

But o! welawaye! thilke seed is forsake, and +mowe not ben
suffred, the lond-tillers to sette a-werke, without medlinge of
cockle; badde wedes whiche somtyme stonken +han caught the
name of love among idiotes and badde-meninge people. Never-the-later,
yet how-so-it-be that men clepe thilke +thing preciousest 95
in kynde, with many eke-names, that other thinges that the soule
yeven the ilke noble name, it sheweth wel that in a maner men
have a greet lykinge in worshippinge of thilke name. Wherfore
this worke have I writte; and to thee, tytled of Loves name,
I have it avowed in a maner of sacrifyse; that, where-ever it be 100
rad, it mowe in merite, by the excellence of thilke name, the
more wexe in authoritè and worshippe of takinge in hede; and to
what entent it was ordayned, the inseëres mowen ben moved.
Every thing to whom is owande occasion don as for his ende,
Aristotle supposeth that the actes of every thinge ben in a maner 105
his final cause. A final cause is noblerer, or els even as noble,
as thilke thing that is finally to thilke ende; wherfore accion of
thinge everlasting is demed to be eternal, and not temporal;
sithen it is his final cause. Right so the actes of my boke 'Love,'
and love is noble; wherfore, though my book be leude, the cause 110
with which I am stered, and for whom I ought it doon, noble
forsothe ben bothe. But bycause that in conninge I am yong,
and can yet but crepe, this leude A. b. c. have I set in-to lerning;
for I can not passen the telling of three as yet. And if god
wil, in shorte tyme, I shal amende this leudnesse in joininge 115
syllables; whiche thing, for dulnesse of witte, I may not in three
letters declare. For trewly I saye, the goodnesse of my Margaryte-perle
wolde yeve mater in endyting to many clerkes; certes, her
mercy is more to me swetter than any livinges; wherfore my
lippes mowen not suffyse, in speking of her ful laude and worshippe 120
as they shulde. But who is that [wolde be wyse] in
knowing of the orders of heven, and putteth his resones in the
erthe? I forsothe may not, with blere eyen, the shyning sonne of
vertue in bright whele of this Margaryte beholde; therfore as yet
I may her not discryve in vertue as I wolde. In tyme cominge, 125
in another tretyse, thorow goddes grace, this sonne in clerenesse
of vertue to be-knowe, and how she enlumineth al this day,
I thinke to declare.

CH. I. 2. howe. comforte. 3. hadde. 5. folke. 6. anone. 10. purpose. 12. wytte. 14. wotte. great. 16. _(Something seems to be lost here)._ 17. _I supply_ nedeth. 18. o; _read_ of. 19. erronyous. maye. 20. menne. sayne. 26. amonge.

31. wretchydnesse. fal. _I supply_ of. 32. forthe. 33. stedfaste faythe. 34. darne. 35. endlesse. 36. _I supply_ men. 37. folke. 39. great. 40. onely. 42. fathers; _read_ faders. 44. faythe. 47. put. miracles; _read_ miracle. 48. thangel. 50. saythe. 51. werne. 53. discomfyte. 54. _I supply_ arn. 55. wotte. 56. reason. erroure. 57. reason. bewonde (_sic_). catchende wytte. 59. with; _read_ whiche. 60. reason. 61. Nowe. 62. alwaye. 63. booke. rancoure. 64. althoughe. 65. booke.

67. _I supply_ of. nowe. 69. wotte. 70. wysdome 71. toke. 73. reason. 75. reasons. 76. parfyte. 78-9. reason (_twice_). 79. parfyte. 80. maye. persel. 81. parfyte. 85. reason. 86. none. 88. amonge. sayne. 88-91. sede. 91. mowen; _read_ mowe. 92. londe-tyllers. set. 93. hath; _read_ han. 94. meanynge. 95. howe. menne cleape. kynge (_sic_); _read_ thing. 98. great. 99. the. 101. radde.

104. thynge. done. 107. thynge. 110. boke. 111. done (_sic_). 112. yonge. 113. canne. sette. 114. thre. 116. thynge. maye. thre. 121. that in knowyng (_sic_); _supply_ wolde be wyse _before_ in knowing. 125. maye. 126. thorowe. 127. howe.