Chapter VII: Prologue

Many men there ben that, with eeres openly sprad, so
moche swalowen the deliciousnesse of jestes and of ryme,
by queynt knitting coloures, that of the goodnesse or of the
badnesse of the sentence take they litel hede or els non.

Soothly, dul wit and a thoughtful soule so sore have myned 5
and graffed in my spirites, that suche craft of endyting wol not
ben of myn acqueyntaunce. And, for rude wordes and boystous
percen the herte of the herer to the in[ne]rest point, and planten
there the sentence of thinges, so that with litel helpe it is able
to springe; this book, that nothing hath of the greet flode of 10
wit ne of semelich colours, is dolven with rude wordes and
boystous, and so drawe togider, to maken the cacchers therof
ben the more redy to hente sentence.

Some men there ben that peynten with colours riche, and
some with vers, as with red inke, and some with coles and 15
chalke; and yet is there good matere to the leude people of
thilke chalky purtreyture, as hem thinketh for the tyme; and
afterward the sight of the better colours yeven to hem more
joye for the first leudnesse. So, sothly, this leude clowdy occupacion
is not to prayse but by the leude; for comunly leude 20
leudnesse commendeth. Eke it shal yeve sight, that other
precious thinges shal be the more in reverence. In Latin
and French hath many soverayne wittes had greet delyt to
endyte, and have many noble thinges fulfild; but certes, there
ben some that speken their poysye-mater in Frenche, of whiche 25
speche the Frenche men have as good a fantasye as we have
in hering of Frenche mennes English. And many termes there
ben in English, [of] whiche unneth we Englishmen connen declare
the knowleginge. How shulde than a Frenche man born suche
termes conne jumpere in his mater, but as the jay chatereth 30
English? Right so, trewly, the understanding of Englishmen
wol not strecche to the privy termes in Frenche, what-so-ever we
bosten of straunge langage. Let than clerkes endyten in Latin,
for they have the propertee of science, and the knowinge in that
facultee; and let Frenchmen in their Frenche also endyten their 35
queynt termes, for it is kyndely to their mouthes; and let us
shewe our fantasyes in suche wordes as we lerneden of our dames
tonge.

And although this book be litel thank-worthy for the leudnesse
in travaile, yet suche wrytinges excyten men to thilke thinges that 40
ben necessarie; for every man therby may, as by a perpetual
mirrour, seen the vyces or vertues of other, in whiche thing
lightly may be conceyved to eschewe perils, and necessaries to
cacche, after as aventures have fallen to other people or persons.

Certes, [perfeccion is] the soveraynest thing of desyre, and 45
moste +creatures resonable have, or els shulde have, ful appetyte
to their perfeccion; unresonable beestes mowen not, sith reson
hath in hem no werking. Than resonable that wol not is comparisoned
to unresonable, and made lyke hem. For-sothe, the
most soverayne and fynal perfeccion of man is in knowing of 50
a sothe, withouten any entent disceyvable, and in love of oon
very god that is inchaungeable; that is, to knowe and love his
creatour.

¶ Now, principally, the mene to bringe in knowleging and
loving his creatour is the consideracion of thinges made by the 55
creatour, wherthrough, by thilke thinges that ben made understonding
here to our wittes, arn the unsene privitees of god
made to us sightful and knowing, in our contemplacion and
understonding. These thinges than, forsoth, moche bringen us
to the ful knowleginge [of] sothe, and to the parfit love of the 60
maker of hevenly thinges. Lo, David sayth, 'thou hast delyted
me in makinge,' as who sayth, to have delyt in the tune, how god
hath lent me in consideracion of thy makinge.

Wherof Aristotle, in the boke _de Animalibus_, saith to naturel
philosophers: 'it is a greet lyking in love of knowinge their 65
creatour; and also in knowinge of causes in kyndely thinges.'
Considred, forsoth, the formes of kyndly thinges and the shap,
a greet kindely love me shulde have to the werkman that
hem made. The crafte of a werkman is shewed in the werke.
Herfore, truly, the philosophers, with a lyvely studie, many 70
noble thinges right precious and worthy to memory writen;
and by a greet swetande travayle to us leften of causes [of] the
propertees in natures of thinges. To whiche (therfore) philosophers
it was more joy, more lykinge, more herty lust, in
kyndely vertues and maters of reson, the perfeccion by busy 75
study to knowe, than to have had al the tresour, al the richesse,
al the vainglory that the passed emperours, princes, or kinges
hadden. Therfore the names of hem, in the boke of perpetual
memory, in vertue and pees arn writen; and in the contrarye, that
is to sayne, in Styx, the foule pitte of helle, arn thilke pressed 80
that suche goodnesse hated. And bycause this book shal be of
love, and the pryme causes of steringe in that doinge, with passions
and diseses for wantinge of desyre, I wil that this book be cleped
THE TESTAMENT OF LOVE.

But now, thou reder, who is thilke that wil not in scorne 85
laughe, to here a dwarfe, or els halfe a man, say he wil rende
out the swerde of Hercules handes, and also he shuld sette
Hercules Gades a myle yet ferther; and over that, he had
power of strengthe to pulle up the spere, that Alisander the
noble might never wagge? And that, passing al thinge, to ben 90
mayster of Fraunce by might, there-as the noble gracious Edward
the thirde, for al his greet prowesse in victories, ne might al yet
conquere?

Certes, I wot wel, ther shal be mad more scorne and jape
of me, that I, so unworthily clothed al-togider in the cloudy cloude 95
of unconninge, wil putten me in prees to speke of love, or els
of the causes in that matter, sithen al the grettest clerkes han
had ynough to don, and (as who sayth) +gadered up clene toforn
hem, and with their sharpe sythes of conning al mowen, and
mad therof grete rekes and noble, ful of al plentees, to fede me 100
and many another. Envye, forsothe, commendeth nought his
reson that he hath in hayne, be it never so trusty. And al-though
these noble repers, as good workmen and worthy their hyre,
han al drawe and bounde up in the sheves, and mad many
shockes, yet have I ensample to gadere the smale crommes, 105
and fullen my walet of tho that fallen from the borde among
the smale houndes, notwithstandinge the travayle of the
almoigner, that hath drawe up in the cloth al the remissailes,
as trenchours, and the relief, to bere to the almesse.

Yet also have I leve of the noble husbande Boëce, al-though 110
I be a straunger of conninge, to come after his doctrine, and
these grete workmen, and glene my handfuls of the shedinge
after their handes; and, if me faile ought of my ful, to encrese
my porcion with that I shal drawe by privitees out of the shocke.
A slye servaunt in his owne helpe is often moche commended; 115
knowing of trouth in causes of thinges was more hardyer in the
first sechers (and so sayth Aristotle), and lighter in us that han
folowed after. For their passing +studies han fresshed our wittes,
and our understandinge han excyted, in consideracion of trouth,
by sharpnesse of their resons. Utterly these thinges be no 120
dremes ne japes, to throwe to hogges; it is lyflich mete for
children of trouthe; and as they me betiden, whan I pilgrimaged
out of my kith in winter; whan the +weder out of mesure was
boystous, and the wylde wind Boreas, as his kind asketh, with
dryinge coldes maked the wawes of the occian-see so to aryse 125
unkyndely over the commune bankes, that it was in poynte to
spille al the erthe.

THUS ENDETH THE PROLOGUE; AND HERE-AFTER FOLOWETH THE
FIRST BOOK OF THE TESTAMENT OF LOVE.

2. delyciousnesse; (_and elsewhere_, y _is often replaced by_ i). 4. none. 5. Sothely. wytte. 8. inrest poynte. 10. spring. boke. great floode. 12. catchers. 13. hent. 18. afterwarde. 19. leudenesse. 20. comenly. 21. leudenesse. 23. gret delyte.

24. fulfylde. 27. englysshe. 28. englysshe; _supply_ of. englyssh-. 29. Howe. borne. 31. englyssh. englyssh-. 32. stretche. 34. propertie. 35. facultie. lette. 39. boke. thanke worthy. 42. sene. 44. catche. 45. _I supply_ perfeccion is; _to make sense_. soueraynst. 46. creature (_sic_). reasonable. 47, 50. perfection. 47. sythe reason. 48. reasonable. 51. one. 54. Nowe. meane. 56. be (_for_ by). 57. arne.

60. _I supply_ of. parfyte. 61. haste. 62. delyte (_this sentence is corrupt_). 64. saythe. 65. great. 66, 67. thyng_es_ co_n_sydred. Forsoth (_sic_). 68. great. me (_sic_); _for_ men. 72. great. _Supply_ of. 73. propertyes. 75. matters of reason. perfection. 76. treasour. 79. peace. 80. stixe. 81. boke. 83. dyseases. boke. 85. nowe. 87. set. 89. pul. 92. great. 94. wote. made. 95. vnworthely.

98. gathered. toforne. 100. made. great. plentyes. 102. reason. hayn (_sic_). 102. -thoughe. 103. hyer. 104. made. 105. gader. 106. fullyn. amonge. 108. remyssayles. 109. relyef. 112. great. 113. encrease. 114. priuytyes. 116. knoweyng. 118. study (_sic_). 120. reasons. 121. lyfelyche meate. 122. betiden (_sic_); _past tense_. 123. wether. measure. 124. wynde Borias. kynde. 125. dryenge. 127. spyl. (_rubric_) boke.