Chapter XIV

In these thinges,' quod she, 'that me list now to shewe
openly, shal be founde the mater of thy sicknesse, and
what shal ben the medicyn that may be thy sorowes lisse and
comfort, as wel thee as al other that amisse have erred and out of
the way walked, so that any drope of good wil in amendement 5
[may] ben dwelled in their hertes. Proverbes of Salomon openly
techeth, how somtyme an innocent walkid by the way in
blyndnesse of a derke night; whom mette a woman (if it be leefly to
saye) as a strumpet arayed, redily purveyed in turninge of
thoughtes with veyne janglinges, and of rest inpacient, by 10
dissimulacion of my termes, saying in this wyse: "Com, and be we
dronken of our swete pappes; use we coveitous collinges." And
thus drawen was this innocent, as an oxe to the larder.'

'Lady,' quod I, 'to me this is a queynte thing to understande;
I praye you, of this parable declare me the entent.' 15

'This innocent,' quod she, 'is a scoler lerninge of my lore, in
seching of my blisse, in whiche thinge the day of his thought
turning enclyneth in-to eve; and the sonne, of very light faylinge,
maketh derke night in his conninge. Thus in derknesse of many
doutes he walketh, and for blyndenesse of understandinge, he ne 20
wot in what waye he is in; forsothe, suche oon may lightly ben
begyled. To whom cam love fayned, not clothed of my livery,
but [of] unlefful lusty habit, with softe speche and mery; and
with fayre honyed wordes heretykes and mis-meninge people
skleren and wimplen their errours. Austen witnesseth of an 25
heretyk, that in his first beginninge he was a man right expert
in resons and swete in his wordes; and the werkes miscorden.
Thus fareth fayned love in her firste werchinges. Thou knowest
these thinges for trewe; thou hast hem proved by experience
somtyme, in doing to thyne owne person; in whiche thing thou hast 30
founde mater of mokel disese. Was not fayned love redily
purveyed, thy wittes to cacche and tourne thy good thoughtes?
Trewly, she hath wounded the conscience of many with florisshinge
of mokel jangling wordes; and good worthe thanked I it for
no glose. I am glad of my prudence thou hast so manly her 35
+weyved. To me art thou moche holden, that in thy kynde
course of good mening I returne thy mynde. I trowe, ne had
I shewed thee thy Margaryte, thou haddest never returned. Of
first in good parfit joye was ever fayned love impacient, as the
water of Siloë, whiche evermore floweth with stilnesse and privy 40
noyse til it come nighe the brinke, and than ginneth it so out of
mesure to bolne, with novelleries of chaunging stormes, that in
course of every renning it is in pointe to spille al his circuit of
+bankes. Thus fayned love prively, at the fullest of his flowinge,
[ginneth] newe stormes [of] debat to arayse. And al-be-it that 45
Mercurius [servants] often with hole understandinge knowen
suche perillous maters, yet Veneriens so lusty ben and so leude
in their wittes, that in suche thinges right litel or naught don
they fele; and wryten and cryen to their felawes: "here is blisse,
here is joye"; and thus in-to one same errour mokel folk they 50
drawen. "Come," they sayen, "and be we dronken of our
pappes"; that ben fallas and lying glose, of whiche mowe they not
souke milke of helthe, but deedly venim and poyson, corrupcion
of sorowe. Milke of fallas is venim of disceyt; milke of lying glose
is venim of corrupcion. Lo! what thing cometh out of these 55
pappes! "Use we coveited collinges"; desyre we and meddle we false
wordes with sote, and sote with false! Trewly, this is the sorinesse
of fayned love; nedes, of these surfettes sicknesse muste
folowe. Thus, as an oxe, to thy langoring deth were thou drawen;
the sote of the smoke hath thee al defased. Ever the deper thou 60
somtyme wadest, the soner thou it founde; if it had thee killed,
it had be litel wonder. But on that other syde, my trewe
servaunt[s] not faynen ne disceyve conne; sothly, their doinge
is open; my foundement endureth, be the burthen never so
greet; ever in one it lasteth. It yeveth lyf and blisful goodnesse 65
in the laste endes, though the ginninges ben sharpe. Thus of
two contraries, contrarye ben the effectes. And so thilke
Margaryte thou servest shal seen thee, by her service out of
perillous tribulacion delivered, bycause of her service in-to newe
disese fallen, by hope of amendement in the laste ende, with joye 70
to be gladded. Wherfore, of kynde pure, her mercy with grace
of good helpe shal she graunte; and els I shal her so strayne,
that with pitè shal she ben amaystred. Remembre in thyne
herte how horribly somtyme to thyne Margaryte thou trespasest,
and in a grete wyse ayenst her thou forfeytest! Clepe ayen thy 75
mynde, and know thyne owne giltes. What goodnesse, what
bountee, with mokel folowing pitè founde thou in that tyme?
Were thou not goodly accepted in-to grace? By my pluckinge
was she to foryevenesse enclyned. And after, I her styred to
drawe thee to house; and yet wendest thou utterly for ever 80
have ben refused. But wel thou wost, sithen that I in suche
sharpe disese might so greetly avayle, what thinkest in thy wit?
How fer may my wit strecche? And thou lache not on thy syde,
I wol make the knotte. Certes, in thy good bering I wol acorde
with the psauter: "I have founde David in my service true, and 85
with holy oyle of pees and of rest, longe by him desyred, utterly
he shal be anoynted." Truste wel to me, and I wol thee not
fayle. The +leving of the first way with good herte of continuance
that I see in thee grounded, this purpose to parfourme, draweth
me by maner of constrayning, that nedes muste I ben thyne helper. 90
Although mirthe a whyle be taried, it shal come at suche seson,
that thy thought shal ben joyed. And wolde never god, sithen
thyne herte to my resons arn assented, and openly hast confessed
thyne amisse-going, and now cryest after mercy, but-if mercy
folowed; thy blisse shal ben redy, y-wis; thou ne wost how sone. 95
Now be a good child, I rede. The kynde of vertues, in thy
Margaryte rehersed, by strength of me in thy person shul werche.
Comfort thee in this; for thou mayst not miscary.' And these
wordes sayd, she streyght her on length, and rested a whyle.

¶ THUS ENDETH THE SECONDE BOOK, AND HERE AFTER FOLOWETH
THE THIRDE BOOK.

CH. XIV. 1. nowe. 4. the. 6. _Supply_ may. 7. teacheth. howe.

8. lefely. 11. sayeng. Come. 14. thynge. 16. scholer. 17. daye. 21. wote. one. 22. whome came. 23. _Supply_ of. unleful lustye habyte. 24. misse-. 26. heretyke. experte. 27. resones. 29. haste. 32. catche. 35. gladde. 36. veyned; _read_ weyved. arte. 37. meanyng. 38. the. 39. parfyte. 42. measure. 43. spyl. 44. cankes (!); _read_ bankes.

45. _I supply_ ginneth _and_ of. debate. 46. _I supply_ servants. 51. sayne. 52-4. lyeng. 54. disceyte. 55. thynge. 58. must. 60. the. 61. the. 63. seruaunt. 65. great. lyfe. 68. sene the. 70, 82. disease. 72. graunt. 74. howe. 75. great. 76. knowe. 77. bountie. 80. the.

82. greatly. 83. howe ferre maye my wytte stretche. 86. peace. 87. the. 88. leanyng (!). 89. se. the. 93. reasones arne. haste. 94. nowe. 96. chylde. 98. Comforte the. 99. sayde. COLOPHON. booke. boke.

BOOK III.