Chapter IX

Knowen may it wel ben now of these thinges toforn
declared, that man hath not alway thilke rightfulnesse
which by dutè of right evermore haven he shulde, and by no way
by him-selfe may he it gete ne kepe; and after he it hath, if he it
lese, recover shal he it never without especial grace. Wherfore 5
the comune sentence of the people in opinion, that every thing
after destenee is ruled, false and wicked is to beleve. For though
predestinacion be as wel of good as of badde, sithen that it is
sayd, god +hath destenees made, whiche he never ne wrought; but,
for he suffreth hem to be maked, as that he hardeth, whan he 10
naught missayth, or +let in-to temptacion, whan he not delivereth:
wherfore it is non inconvenient if in that maner be sayd, god toforn
have destenyed bothe badde and her badde werkes, whan
hem ne their yvel dedes [he] neyther amendeth ne therto hem
grace +leneth. But specialliche, predestinacion of goodnesse 15
alone is sayd by these grete clerkes; for in him god doth that
they ben, and that in goodnesse they werchen. But the negatif
herof in badnesse is holden, as the Lady of Love hath me lerned,
who-so aright in this booke loketh. And utterly it is to weten,
that predestinacion properly in god may not ben demed, no more 20
than beforn-weting. For in the chapitre of goddes beforn-weting,
as Love me rehersed, al these maters apertly may ben founden.
Al thinges to god ben now +togider and in presence duringe.
Trewly, presence and predestinacion in nothing disacorden;
wherfore, as I was lerned how goddes before-weting and free 25
choice of wil mowe stonden +togider, me thinketh the same reson
me ledeth, that destenye and free wil accorden, so that neyther of
hem bothe to other in nothing contrarieth. And resonabliche
may it not ben demed, as often as any thing falleth [thorow] free
wil werching (as if a man another man wrongfully anoyeth, wherfore 30
he him sleeth), that it be constrayned to that ende, as mokel
folk cryeth and sayth: 'Lo, as it was destenyed of god toforn
knowe, so it is thorow necessitè falle, and otherwyse might it not
betyde.' Trewly, neyther he that the wrong wrought, ne he that
him-selfe venged, none of thilke thinges thorow necessitè wrought; 35
for if that [oon] with free wil there had it not willed, neyther had
[he] wrought that he perfourmed; and so utterly grace, that free
wil in goodnesse bringeth and kepeth, and fro badnesse it tourneth,
in al thinge moste thank deserveth. This grace maketh
sentence in vertue to abyde, wherfore in body and in soule, in ful 40
plentee of conninge, after their good deserving in the everlastinge
joye, after the day of dome shul they endelesse dwelle; and they
shul ben lerned in that kingdom with so mokel affect of love and
of grace, that the leste joye shal of the gretest in glorie rejoice
and ben gladded, as if he the same joye had. What wonder, 45
sith god is the gretest love and the *gretest wisdom? In hem
shal he be, and they in god. Now than, whan al false folk be
ashamed, which wenen al bestialtè and erthly thing be sweter and
better to the body than hevenly is to the soule; this is the grace
and the frute that I long have desyred; it doth me good the 50
savour to smelle.

Crist, now to thee I crye of mercy and of grace; and graunt,
of thy goodnes, to every maner reder ful understanding in this
leude pamflet to have; and let no man wene other cause in
this werke than is verily the soth. For envy is ever redy, al 55
innocentes to shende; wherfore I wolde that good speche envy
evermore hinder.

But no man wene this werke be sufficiently maked; for goddes
werke passeth man[ne]s; no man[ne]s wit to parfit werke may by no
way purvay th'ende. How shuld I than, so leude, aught wene of 60
perfeccion any ende to gete? Never-the-later, grace, glorie, and
laude I yelde and putte with worshipful reverences to the sothfast
god, in three with unitè closed, whiche that the hevy langour of
my sicknesse hath turned in-to mirthe of helth to recover. For
right as I was sorowed thorow the gloton cloud of manifolde 65
sickly sorow, so mirth [of] ayencoming helth hath me glad[d]ed
and gretly comforted. I beseche and pray therfore, and I crye
on goddes gret pitè and on his mokel mercy, that this[e] present
scorges of my flessh mow maken medecyne and lechecraft of
my inner man[ne]s helth; so that my passed trespas and tenes 70
through weping of myn eyen ben wasshe, and I, voyded from
al maner disese, and no more to wepe herafter, y-now be kept
thorow goddes grace; so that goddes hand, whiche that merciably
me hath scorged, herafter in good plite from thence merciably me
kepe and defende. 75

In this boke be many privy thinges wimpled and folde; unneth
shul leude men the plites unwinde. Wherfore I pray to the holy
gost, he lene of his oyntmentes, mennes wittes to clere; and, for
goddes love, no man wonder why or how this question come to
my mynde. For my greet lusty desyr was of this lady to ben 80
enfourmed, my leudenesse to amende. Certes, I knowe not
other mennes wittes, what I shulde aske, or in answere what
I shulde saye; I am so leude my-selfe, that mokel more lerninge
yet me behoveth. I have mad therfore as I coude, but not
sufficiently as I wolde, and as mater yave me sentence; for my 85
dul wit is hindred by +stepmoder of foryeting and with cloude
of unconning, that stoppeth the light of my Margarite-perle,
wherfore it may not shyne on me as it shulde. I desyre not
only a good reder, but also I coveite and pray a good book-amender,
in correccion of wordes and of sentence; and only this 90
mede I coveite for my travayle, that every inseër and herer of
this leude fantasye devoute horisons and prayers to god the greet
juge yelden; and prayen for me in that wyse, that in his dome
my sinnes mowe ben relesed and foryeven. He that prayeth for
other for him-selfe travayleth. 95

Also I praye, that every man parfitly mowe knowe thorow what
intencion of herte this tretys have I drawe. How was it, that
sightful manna in deserte to children of Israel was spirituel
mete? Bodily also it was, for mennes bodies it +norisshed;
and yet, never-the-later, Crist it signifyed. Right so a jewel 100
betokeneth a gemme, and that is a stoon vertuous or els a perle.
Margarite, a woman, betokeneth grace, lerning, or wisdom of
god, or els holy church. If breed, thorow vertue, is mad holy
flesshe, what is that our god sayth? 'It is the spirit that yeveth
lyf; the flesshe, of nothing it profiteth.' Flesshe is flesshly 105
understandinge; flessh without grace and love naught is worth.
'The letter sleeth; the spirit yeveth lyfelich understanding.'
Charitè is love; and love is charitè.
God graunt us al[le] therin to be frended!
And thus THE TESTAMENT OF LOVE is ended. 110

CH. IX. 1. nowe. toforne. 4. get. 7. destenye. thoughe. 9. sayde. god hadnest (!); _read_ god hath destenees. 11. missaythe. ledde; _read_ let = ledeth. 12. none. toforne. 14. _I supply_ he. 15. leueth.

16. sayde. great. dothe. 17. negatyfe. 21. beforne (_twice_). 22. apertely maye. 23. nowe to-gyther. 24. nothynge. 25. howe. 26. togyther. reason. 27. leadeth. frewyl. 28. reasonablyche. 29. demyd. _I supply_ thorow. frewyl. 32. folke. toforne know. 33. thorowe. fal. 34. wronge. 35. thorowe. 36-7. _I supply_ oon _and_ he. 39. thanke. 41. plentie. 42. ioy. dwel. 43. kyngdome. affecte. 44-6. greatest (_twice_). * _A break here in_ Th. 47. folke. 48. swetter. 50. dothe. 51. smel.

52. Christ. the. 59. mans; _read_ mannes (_twice_). 61. get. 62. put. 63. thre. 66. _I supply_ of. 68. this; _read_ thise. 69. medecyn. lechcraft. 70. mans. 72. I now; _for_ y-now. 73. thorowe. ha_n_de. 80. great. desyre. 84. made. 86. wytte. -mother; _read_ moder.

89. onely. booke. 90. correction. onely. 92. great. 94. released. 96. thorowe. 97. treatyse. Howe. 99. meate. norissheth; _read_ norisshed. 100. Christ. 101. stone. 103. thorowe. made. 104. saythe. spyrite. 105. lyfe. 109. al; _read_ allë.

* * * * *

II. THE PLOWMANS TALE.

HERE BEGINNETH THE PLOWMANS PROLOGUE.

The Plowman plucked up his plow,
Whan midsommer mone was comen in,
And sayd, 'his beestes shuld ete y-now,
And lig in the grasse, up to the chin;
They ben feble, both oxe and cow, 5
Of hem nis left but boon and skin.'
He shook of share, and cultre of-drow,
And hong his harneys on a pin.

He took his tabard and his staf eke,
And on his heed he set his hat; 10
And sayde, he wolde saynt Thomas seke,
On pilgrimage he goth forth plat.
In scrippe he bar both breed and lekes,
He was forswonke and all forswat;
Men might have seen through both his chekes, 15
And every wang-toth and where it sat.

Our hoste beheld wel all about,
And saw this man was sunne y-brent;
He knew well by his senged snout,
And by his clothes that were to-rent, 20
He was a man wont to walke about,
He nas nat alway in cloystre y-pent;
He coud not religiousliche lout,
And therfore was he fully shent.

Our host him axed, 'what man art thou?' 25
'Sir,' quod he, 'I am an hyne;
For I am wont to go to the plow,
And erne my mete yer that I dyne.
To swete and swinke I make avow,
My wyf and children therwith to fynd, 30
And servë god, and I wist how;
But we lewd men ben full[y] blynd.

For clerkes saye, we shullen be fayn
For hir lyvelod [to] swete and swinke,
And they right nought us give agayn, 35
Neyther to ete ne yet to drinke.
They mowe by lawë, as they sayn,
Us curse and dampne to hell[e] brinke;
Thus they putten us to payn,
With candles queynt and belles clinke. 40

They make us thralles at hir lust,
And sayn, we mowe nat els be saved;
They have the corn and we the dust,
Who speketh ther-agayn, they say he raved.'

'What, man,' quod our host, 'canst thou preche? 45
Come neer, and tell us some holy thing.'
'Sir,' quod he, 'I herde ones teche
A prest in pulpit a good preching.'
'Say on,' quod our host, 'I thee beseche.'
'Sir, I am redy at your bidding. 50
I pray you that no man me reproche
Whyl that I am my tale telling.

THUS ENDETH THE PROLOGUE, AND HERE FOLOWETH THE FIRST
PART OF THE TALE.