Chapter I

Of nombre, sayn these clerkes, that it is naturel somme of
discrete thinges, as in tellinge oon, two, three, and so forth;
but among al nombres, three is determined for moste certayn.
Wherfore in nombre certayn this werk of my besy leudenesse
I thinke to ende and parfourme. Ensample by this worlde, in 5
three tymes is devyded; of whiche the first is cleped +Deviacion,
that is to say, going out of trewe way; and al that tho dyeden, in
helle were they punisshed for a man[ne]s sinne, til grace and mercy
fette hem thence, and there ended the firste tyme. The seconde
tyme lasteth from the comming of merciable grace until the ende 10
of transitorie tyme, in whiche is shewed the true way in fordoinge
of the badde; and that is y-cleped tyme of Grace. And that
thing is not yeven by desert of yeldinge oon benefyt for another,
but only through goodnesse of the yever of grace in thilke tyme.
Who-so can wel understande is shapen to be saved in souled 15
blisse. The thirde tyme shal ginne whan transitorie thinges of
worldes han mad their ende; and that shal ben in Joye, glorie, and
rest, both body and soule, that wel han deserved in the tyme of
Grace. And thus in that heven +togider shul they dwelle perpetuelly,
without any imaginatyfe yvel in any halve. These 20
tymes are figured by tho three dayes that our god was closed
in erthe; and in the thirde aroos, shewing our resurreccion to
joye and blisse of tho that it deserven, by his merciable grace.
So this leude book, in three maters, accordaunt to tho tymes,
lightly by a good inseër may ben understonde; as in the firste, 25
Errour of misse-goinge is shewed, with sorowful pyne punisshed,
+that cryed after mercy. In the seconde, is Grace in good waye
proved, whiche is faylinge without desert, thilke first misse
amendinge, in correccion of tho erroures, and even way to bringe,
with comfort of welfare in-to amendement wexinge. And in the 30
thirde, Joye and blisse graunted to him that wel can deserve it,
and hath savour of understandinge in the tyme of grace. Thus
in Joye, of my thirde boke, shal the mater be til it ende.

But special cause I have in my herte to make this proces
of a Margarit-perle, that is so precious a gemme +whyt, clere and 35
litel, of whiche stones or jewel[les] the tonges of us Englissh
people tourneth the right names, and clepeth hem 'Margery-perles';
thus varieth our speche from many other langages. For
trewly Latin, Frenche, and many mo other langages clepeth hem,
Margery-perles, [by] the name 'Margarites,' or 'Margarite-perles'; 40
wherfore in that denominacion I wol me acorde to other mens
tonges, in that name-cleping. These clerkes that treten of kyndes,
and studien out the propertee there of thinges, sayn: the Margarite
is a litel whyt perle, throughout holowe and rounde and
vertuous; and on the see-sydes, in the more Britayne, in 45
muskle-shelles, of the hevenly dewe, the best ben engendred; in whiche
by experience ben founde three fayre vertues. Oon is, it yeveth
comfort to the feling spirites in bodily persones of reson. Another
is good; it is profitable helthe ayenst passions of sorie mens hertes.
And the thirde, it is nedeful and noble in staunching of bloode, 50
there els to moche wolde out renne. To whiche perle and vertues
me list to lyken at this tyme Philosophie, with her three speces,
that is, natural, and moral, and resonable; of whiche thinges
hereth what sayn these grete clerkes. Philosophie is knowing of
devynly and manly thinges joyned with studie of good living; 55
and this stant in two thinges, that is, conninge and opinion.
Conninge is whan a thing by certayn reson is conceyved. But
wrecches and fooles and leude men, many wil conceyve a thing
and mayntayne it as for sothe, though reson be in the contrarye;
wherfore conninge is a straunger. Opinion is whyl a thing is in 60
non-certayn, and hid from mens very knowleging, and by no parfit
reson fully declared, as thus: if the sonne be so mokel as men
wenen, or els if it be more than the erthe. For in sothnesse the
certayn quantitè of that planet is unknowen to erthly dwellers; and
yet by opinion of some men it is holden for more than midle-erth. 65

The first spece of philosophie is naturel; whiche in kyndely
thinges +treteth, and sheweth causes of heven, and strength of
kyndely course; as by arsmetrike, geometry, musike, and by
astronomye techeth wayes and cours of hevens, of planetes, and
of sterres aboute heven and erthe, and other elementes. 70

The seconde spece is moral, whiche, in order, of living maners
techeth; and by reson proveth vertues of soule moste worthy in
our living; whiche ben prudence, justice, temperaunce, and
strength. Prudence is goodly wisdom in knowing of thinges.
Strength voideth al adversitees aliche even. Temperaunce distroyeth 75
beestial living with esy bering. And Justice rightfully
jugeth; and juging departeth to every wight that is his owne.

The thirde spece turneth in-to reson of understanding; al
thinges to be sayd soth and discussed; and that in two thinges is
devyded. Oon is art, another is rethorike; in whiche two al 80
lawes of mans reson ben grounded or els maintayned.

And for this book is of LOVE, and therafter bereth his name,
and philosophie and lawe muste here-to acorden by their clergial
discripcions, as: philosophie for love of wisdom is declared, lawe
for mainteynaunce of pees is holden: and these with love must 85
nedes acorden; therfore of hem in this place have I touched.
Ordre of homly thinges and honest maner of livinge in vertue,
with rightful jugement in causes and profitable administracion in
comminaltees of realmes and citees, by evenhed profitably to
raigne, nat by singuler avauntage ne by privè envy, ne by soleyn 90
purpos in covetise of worship or of goodes, ben disposed in open
rule shewed, by love, philosophy, and lawe, and yet love, toforn
al other. Wherfore as sustern in unitè they accorden, and oon
ende, that is, pees and rest, they causen norisshinge; and in the
joye maynteynen to endure. 95

Now than, as I have declared: my book acordeth with discripcion
of three thinges; and the Margarit in vertue is lykened
to Philosophy, with her three speces. In whiche maters ever
twey ben acordaunt with bodily reson, and the thirde with the
soule. But in conclusion of my boke and of this Margarite-perle 100
in knittinge togider, Lawe by three sondrye maners shal be lykened;
that is to saye, lawe, right, and custome, whiche I wol declare.
Al that is lawe cometh of goddes ordinaunce, by kyndly worching;
and thilke thinges ordayned by mannes wittes arn y-cleped right,
which is ordayned by many maners and in constitucion written. 105
But custome is a thing that is accepted for right or for lawe,
there-as lawe and right faylen; and there is no difference, whether
it come of scripture or of reson. Wherfore it sheweth, that lawe
is kyndly governaunce; right cometh out of mannes probable
reson; and custome is of commen usage by length of tyme 110
used; and custome nat writte is usage; and if it be writte,
constitucion it is y-written and y-cleped. But lawe of kynde is
commen to every nation, as conjunccion of man and woman in
love, succession of children in heritance, restitucion of thing
by strength taken or lent; and this lawe among al other halt 115
the soveraynest gree in worship; whiche lawe began at the
beginning of resonable creature; it varied yet never for no
chaunging of tyme. Cause, forsothe, in ordayning of lawe was to
constrayne mens hardinesse in-to pees, and withdrawing his yvel
wil, and turning malice in-to goodnesse; and that innocence 120
sikerly, withouten teneful anoye, among shrewes safely might
inhabite by proteccion of safe-conducte, so that the shrewes, harm
for harme, by brydle of ferdnesse shulden restrayne. But forsothe,
in kyndely lawe, nothing is commended but such as goddes
wil hath confirmed, ne nothing denyed but contrarioustee of 125
goddes wil in heven. Eke than al lawes, or custome, or els
constitucion by usage or wryting, that contraryen lawe of kynde,
utterly ben repugnaunt and adversarie to our goddes wil of heven.
Trewly, lawe of kynde for goddes own lusty wil is verily to
mayntayne; under whiche lawe (and unworthy) bothe professe 130
and reguler arn obediencer and bounden to this Margarite-perle
as by knotte of loves statutes and stablisshment in kynde, whiche
that goodly may not be withsetten. Lo! under this bonde am
I constrayned to abyde; and man, under living lawe ruled, by that
lawe oweth, after desertes, to ben rewarded by payne or by mede, 135
but-if mercy weyve the payne. So than +by part resonfully may
be seye, that mercy bothe right and lawe passeth. Th' entent
of al these maters is the lest clere understanding, to weten, at
th'ende of this thirde boke; ful knowing, thorow goddes grace,
I thinke to make neverthelater. Yet if these thinges han a good 140
and a +sleigh inseër, whiche that can souke hony of the harde
stone, oyle of the drye rocke, [he] may lightly fele nobley of mater
in my leude imaginacion closed. But for my book shal be of
joye (as I sayd), and I [am] so fer set fro thilke place fro whens
gladnesse shulde come; my corde is to short to lete my boket 145
ought cacche of that water; and fewe men be abouten my corde
to eche, and many in ful purpos ben redy it shorter to make, and
to enclose th' entrè, that my boket of joye nothing shulde cacche,
but empty returne, my careful sorowes to encrese: (and if I dye
for payne, that were gladnesse at their hertes): good lord, send 150
me water in-to the cop of these mountayns, and I shal drinke
therof, my thurstes to stanche, and sey, these be comfortable
welles; in-to helth of goodnesse of my saviour am I holpen. And
yet I saye more, the house of joye to me is nat opened. How
dare my sorouful goost than in any mater of gladnesse thinken to 155
trete? For ever sobbinges and complayntes be redy refrete in
his meditacions, as werbles in manifolde stoundes comming about
I not than. And therfore, what maner of joye coude [I] endyte?
But yet at dore shal I knocke, if the key of David wolde the locke
unshitte, and he bringe me in, whiche that childrens tonges both 160
openeth and closeth; whos spirit where he +wol wercheth,
departing goodly as him lyketh.

Now to goddes laude and reverence, profit of the reders,
amendement of maners of the herers, encresing of worship among
Loves servauntes, releving of my herte in-to grace of my jewel, 165
and fren[d]ship [in] plesance of this perle, I am stered in this
making, and for nothing els; and if any good thing to mennes
lyking in this scripture be founde, thanketh the maister of grace,
whiche that of that good and al other is authour and principal
doer. And if any thing be insufficient or els mislyking, +wyte 170
that the leudnesse of myne unable conning: for body in disese
anoyeth the understanding in soule. A disesely habitacion
letteth the wittes [in] many thinges, and namely in sorowe. The
custome never-the-later of Love, +by long tyme of service, in
termes I thinke to pursue, whiche ben lyvely to yeve understanding 175
in other thinges. But now, to enforme thee of this
Margarites goodnesse, I may her not halfe preyse. Wherfore, nat
she for my boke, but this book for her, is worthy to be commended,
tho my book be leude; right as thinges nat for places, but places
for thinges, ought to be desyred and praysed. 180