Chapter V

'In this mater toforn declared,' quod Love, 'I have wel
shewed, that every man hath free arbitrement of thinges in
his power, to do or undo what him lyketh. Out of this grounde
muste come the spire, that by processe of tyme shal in greetnesse
sprede, to have braunches and blosmes of waxing frute in grace, 5
of whiche the taste and the savour is endelesse blisse, in joye
ever to onbyde.'*

'Now, trewly, lady, I have my grounde wel understonde;
but what thing is thilke spire that in-to a tree shulde wexe?
Expowne me that thing, what ye therof mene.' 10

'That shal I,' quod she, 'blithly, and take good hede to the
wordes, I thee rede. Continuaunce in thy good service, by longe
processe of tyme in ful hope abyding, without any chaunge to
wilne in thyne herte, this is the spire. Whiche, if it be wel kept
and governed, shal so hugely springe, til the fruit of grace is 15
plentuously out-sprongen. For although thy wil be good, yet
may not therfore thilk blisse desyred hastely on thee discenden;
it must abyde his sesonable tyme. And so, by processe of
growing, with thy good traveyle, it shal in-to more and more wexe,
til it be found so mighty, that windes of yvel speche, ne scornes 20
of envy, make nat the traveyle overthrowe; ne frostes of mistrust,
ne hayles of jelousy right litel might have, in harming of suche
springes. Every yonge setling lightly with smale stormes is
apeyred; but whan it is woxen somdel in gretnesse, than han
grete blastes and +weders but litel might, any disadvantage to 25
them for to werche.'

'Myne owne soverayne lady,' quod I, 'and welth of myne
herte, and it were lyking un-to your noble grace therthrough nat
to be displesed, I suppose ye erren, now ye maken jelousy, envy,
and distourbour to hem that ben your servauntes. I have lerned 30
ofte, to-forn this tyme, that in every lovers herte greet plentee of
jelousyes greves ben sowe, wherfore (me thinketh) ye ne ought
in no maner accompte thilke thing among these other welked
wivers and venomous serpentes, as envy, mistrust, and yvel
speche.' 35

'O fole,' quod she, 'mistrust with foly, with yvel wil medled,
engendreth that welked padde! Truely, if they were distroyed,
jelousy undon were for ever; and yet some maner of jelousy,
I wot wel, is ever redy in al the hertes of my trewe servauntes, as
thus: to be jelous over him-selfe, lest he be cause of his own 40
disese. This jelousy in ful thought ever shulde be kept, for
ferdnesse to lese his love by miskeping, thorow his owne doing in
leudnesse, or els thus: lest she, that thou servest so fervently, is
beset there her better lyketh, that of al thy good service she
compteth nat a cresse. These jelousies in herte for acceptable 45
qualitees ben demed; these oughten every trewe lover, by kyndly
[maner], evermore haven in his mynde, til fully the grace and
blisse of my service be on him discended at wil. And he that
than jelousy caccheth, or els by wening of his owne folisshe
wilfulnesse mistrusteth, truely with fantasy of venim he is foule 50
begyled. Yvel wil hath grounded thilke mater of sorowe in his
leude soule, and yet nat-for-than to every wight shulde me nat
truste, ne every wight fully misbeleve; the mene of these thinges
+oweth to be used. Sothly, withouten causeful evidence mistrust
in jelousy shulde nat be wened in no wyse person commenly; 55
suche leude wickednesse shulde me nat fynde. He that is wyse
and with yvel wil nat be acomered, can abyde wel his tyme, til
grace and blisse of his service folowing have him so mokel esed,
as his abydinge toforehande hath him disesed.'

'Certes, lady,' quod I tho, 'of nothing me wondreth, sithen 60
thilke blisse so precious is and kyndly good, and wel is and worthy
in kynde whan it is medled with love and reson, as ye toforn
have declared. Why, anon as hye oon is spronge, why springeth
nat the tother? And anon as the oon cometh, why receyveth nat
the other? For every thing that is out of his kyndly place, by ful 65
appetyt ever cometh thiderward kyndely to drawe; and his kyndly
being ther-to him constrayneth. And the kyndly stede of this
blisse is in suche wil medled to +onbyde, and nedes in that it
shulde have his kyndly being. Wherfore me thinketh, anon as that
wil to be shewed and kid him profreth, thilke blisse shulde him 70
hye, thilk wil to receyve; or els kynde[s] of goodnesse worchen
nat in hem as they shulde. Lo, be the sonne never so fer, ever
it hath his kynde werching in erthe. Greet weight on hye on-lofte
caried stinteth never til it come to +his resting-place. Waters
to the see-ward ever ben they drawing. Thing that is light 75
blythly wil nat sinke, but ever ascendeth and upward draweth.
Thus kynde in every thing his kyndly cours and his beinge-place
sheweth. Wherfore +by kynde, on this good wil, anon as it were
spronge, this blisse shulde thereon discende; her kynde[s] wolde,
they dwelleden togider; and so have ye sayd your-selfe.' 80

'Certes,' quod she, 'thyne herte sitteth wonder sore, this blisse
for to have; thyne herte is sore agreved that it tarieth so longe;
and if thou durstest, as me thinketh by thyne wordes, this blisse
woldest thou blame. But yet I saye, thilke blisse is kyndly good,
and his kyndely place [is] in that wil to +onbyde. Never-the-later, 85
their comming togider, after kyndes ordinaunce, nat sodaynly
may betyde; it muste abyde tyme, as kynde yeveth him leve.
For if a man, as this wil medled gonne him shewe, and thilke
blisse in haste folowed, so lightly comminge shulde lightly cause
going. Longe tyme of thursting causeth drink to be the more 90
delicious whan it is atasted.'

'How is it,' quod I than, 'that so many blisses see I al day at
myne eye, in the firste moment of a sight, with suche wil accorde?
Ye, and yet other-whyle with wil assenteth, singulerly by him-selfe;
there reson fayleth, traveyle was non; service had no tyme. This 95
is a queynt maner thing, how suche doing cometh aboute.'

'O,' quod she, 'that is thus. The erthe kyndely, after sesons
and tymes of the yere, bringeth forth innumerable herbes and
trees, bothe profitable and other; but suche as men might leve
(though they nought in norisshinge to mannes kynde serven, or 100
els suche as tournen sone unto mennes confusion, in case that
therof they ataste), comen forth out of the erthe by their owne
kynde, withouten any mannes cure or any businesse in traveyle.
And the ilke herbes that to mennes lyvelode necessarily serven,
without whiche goodly in this lyfe creatures mowen nat enduren, 105
and most ben +norisshinge to mankynde, without greet traveyle,
greet tilthe, and longe abydinge-tyme, comen nat out of the erthe,
and [y]it with sede toforn ordayned, suche herbes to make springe
and forth growe. Right so the parfit blisse, that we have in meninge
of during-tyme to abyde, may nat come so lightly, but with greet 110
traveyle and right besy tilth; and yet good seed to be sowe; for
ofte the croppe fayleth of badde seede, be it never so wel traveyled.
And thilke blisse thou spoke of so lightly in comming, trewly, is
nat necessary ne abydinge; and but it the better be stamped,
and the venomous jeuse out-wrongen, it is lykely to enpoysonen 115
al tho that therof tasten. Certes, right bitter ben the herbes that
shewen first [in] the yere of her own kynde. Wel the more is the
harvest that yeldeth many graynes, tho longe and sore it hath ben
traveyled. What woldest thou demen if a man wold yeve three
quarters of nobles of golde? That were a precious gift?' 120

'Ye, certes,' quod I.

'And what,' quod she, 'three quarters ful of perles?'

'Certes,' quod I, 'that were a riche gift.'

'And what,' quod she, 'of as mokel azure?'

Quod I, 'a precious gift at ful.' 125

'Were not,' quod she, 'a noble gift of al these atones?'

'In good faith,' quod I, 'for wanting of Englissh naming of
so noble a worde, I can not, for preciousnesse, yeve it a name.'

'Rightfully,' quod she, 'hast thou demed; and yet love, knit
in vertue, passeth al the gold in this erthe. Good wil, accordant 130
to reson, with no maner propertè may be countrevayled. Al the
azure in the worlde is nat to accompte in respect of reson. Love
that with good wil and reson accordeth, with non erthly riches
may nat ben amended. This yeft hast thou yeven, I know it
my-selfe, and thy Margarite thilke gift hath receyved; in whiche 135
thinge to rewarde she hath her-selfe bounde. But thy gift, as
I said, by no maner riches may be amended; wherfore, with
thinge that may nat be amended, thou shalt of thy Margarites
rightwisenesse be rewarded. Right suffred yet never but every
good dede somtyme to be yolde. Al wolde thy Margarite with 140
no rewarde thee quyte, right, that never-more dyeth, thy mede in
merit wol purvey. Certes, such sodayn blisse as thou first
nempnest, right wil hem rewarde as thee wel is worthy; and
though at thyn eye it semeth, the reward the desert to passe,
right can after sende suche bitternesse, evenly it to rewarde. So 145
that sodayn blisse, by al wayes of reson, in gret goodnesse may
not ben acompted; but blisse long, both long it abydeth, and
endlesse it wol laste. See why thy wil is endelesse. For if thou
lovedest ever, thy wil is ever ther t'abyde and neveremore to
chaunge; evenhed of rewarde must ben don by right; than muste 150
nedes thy grace and this blisse [ben] endelesse in joye to +onbyde.
Evenliche disese asketh evenliche joye, whiche hastely thou shalt
have.'

'A!' quod I, 'it suffyseth not than alone good wil, be it never
so wel with reson medled, but-if it be in good service longe 155
travayled. And so through service shul men come to the joye;
and this, me thinketh, shulde be the wexing tree, of which ye first
meved.*

CH. V. 2. fre. 4. greatnesse. 6. ioy. * _A break here in_ Th. 8. Nowe. 10. meane. 12. the. 15. fruite. 16. al thoughe. 17. the. 24. somdele. 25. great. wethers; _read_ weders. 28. hert. 29. displeased. nowe. 31. to-forne. hert great plentie. 33. thynge.

38. vndone. 41. disease. 42. thorowe. 47. _I supply_ maner. 49. catcheth. 50. venyme. 53. trust. meane. 54. owen; _read_ oweth. 58. eased. 59. diseased. 62. reason. 63. one. sprong. 64. anone. one. 66. appetite. thiderwarde. 68. vnbyde; _read_ onbyde. 70. kydde. 71. kynde; _read_ kyndes. 72. ferre.

73. great. 74. this; _read_ his. 75. see warde. 77. course. 78. be; _read_ by. 79. kynde; _read_ kyndes. 80. sayde. 81-2. hert. 85. _I supply_ is. vnbyde; _read_ onbyde. 87. maye. leaue. 90. drinke. 92. Howe. se. daye. 95. reason. none. 96. thynge howe. 97. seasons. 98. forthe. 99. leaue. 100. they were nought; _omit_ were. 101. soone. 102. forthe. 106. norisshen; _read_ norisshinge. 106-7. great (_twice_). 108. it; _read_ yit; _see_ l. 111. seede toforne. spring.

109. forthe. parfyte. meanynge. 110. great. 111. seede. 117. _I supply_ in. 119-122. thre (_twice_). 122. peerles. 123-6. gifte (_thrice_). 129. haste. knytte. 130. golde. 131. reason. 132. respecte. 132-3. reason (_twice_). 136. gifte. 141. the. 142. sodayne. 143. the. 144. rewarde.

146. sodayne. reason. 148. last. Se. 149. tabyde. 151. _I supply_ ben. ioy. vnbyde (!). 152. ioy. 157. tre. * _A break here in_ Th.