Chapter III: Part 3

¶ The pycture on the fyrst {that} standeth at my bake
¶ Sheweth the {the} present tyme of pylgremage
¶ Of whiche before I vnto the spake
¶ Whiche is the tyme of daungerous passage
¶ The seconde dyscrettly agayne my vysage
¶ The tyme expresseth of Deuyacyon
¶ Whyle paynyme lawe had the domynacyon

¶ The thryd wall standyng on my lyfe honde
¶ The tyme representeth of Reuocacyon
¶ And the fourthe standyng on my ryght honde
¶ Determyneth the tyme of Reconsylyacyon
¶ This is the effecte of thy vysyon
¶ Wherfore the nedeth no more theron to muse
¶ Hit were but veyne thy wyttes to dysuse

¶ But duryng the tym of Reconsylyacyon
¶ Thy tyme of pylgremage loke well {thou} spende
¶ And then woll gracyous Predestynacyon Original has
¶ Bryng the to glory at thy law ende well instead
¶ And euen with that came to my mynde of woll
¶ My fyrst conclusyon that I was aboute
¶ To haue dreuen er slepe made me to lute

¶ That is to say how Sensualyte
¶ {With} Reason to acorde myght be brought aboute
¶ Whiche caused me to knele downe on my kne
¶ And beseke Doctryne determyne that doute
¶ Oo Lord god sayd Doctry{n}e canst {thou} not withoute
¶ Me that conclusyon bryng to an ende
¶ Ferre is fro the wytte & ferther good mende

¶ And euen with that Dethe gan appere
¶ Shewyng hymselfe as though that he wolde
¶ His darte haue occupyed within that herbere
¶ But there was none for hym yong nor olde
¶ Saue oonly I Doctrine hym tolde
¶ And when I herde hyr with hym comon thus
¶ I me withdrew behynde Morpleus.

¶ Dredyng full sore lest he with his dart.
¶ Through Doctrynes wordes ony entresse.
¶ In me wolde haue had or claymed ony part
¶ Which sholde haue caused me grete heuynesse
¶ Within whiche tyme & short processe
¶ Came thyder Reason and Sensualyte.
¶ A quoth Doctryne ryght welcome be ye

¶ Hit is not long sythe we of you spake
¶ Ye must er ye goo determyne a doute
¶ And euen with that she the mater brake
¶ To theym & tolde hit euery where aboute
¶ I wolde haue be thens yf I had moute
¶ For fere I loked as blake as a cole
¶ I wolde haue cropen in a mouse hole

¶ What quoth Doctryne where is he now
¶ That meu[i]d this mater straunge & dyffuse
¶ He is a cowarde I make myn auow
¶ He hyded his hede his mocyon to refuse
¶ Blame hym not q{uo}d Reason alway {that} to vse
¶ When he seeth Dethe soo nere at his honde
¶ Yet is his part hym to withstonde

¶ Or at the leste way elles fro hym flee Original has
¶ As longe as he may who dooth other wyse fym instead
¶ Is an ydeote quoth Sensualytee of hym
¶ Who dredeth not Dethe wyse men hym dyspyse
¶ What said Doctryne how long hathe this gyse
¶ Be holden & vsed thus atwixe you tweyne
¶ Ye were not wonte to acorde certeyne

¶ Yes quoth Reason in this poynt alway
¶ To euery man haue we yeuen our counsayll
¶ Dethe for to flee as long as they may
¶ Although wo otherwyse haue done our trauayl
¶ Eche other to represse yet withoute fayll
¶ In that poynt oonly dyscordeth we neuer
¶ Thus condescended therin be we for euer

¶ Aha sayd Doctryne then is the conclusyon
¶ Clerely determined of the gret doute
¶ That here wes meuyd & halfe in derysyon
¶ She me then called & bade me loke oute
¶ Come forthe she sayd & feere not this route
¶ And euen with that Reason & Sensualyte
¶ And Dethe fro thens were vanysshed all thre

¶ Then loked I forthe as Doctryne me badde
¶ When Dethe was gone me thought I was bolde
¶ To shewe myselfe but yet was I sadde
¶ Me thought my doute was not as I wolde
¶ Clerely and openly declared & tolde
¶ Hit sowned to me as a parable
¶ Derke as a myste or a fayned fable Original has
myhe instead
¶ And Doctryne my conceyte gan espy of myste
¶ Wherfore sayd she standest thou soo styll
¶ Wherin is thy thought arte thou in stody
¶ Of thy questyon hast thou not thy fyll
¶ To the declared tell me thy wyll.
¶ Herdest thou not Reason & Sensualyte
¶ Declared thy doute here before the

¶ Forsothe quoth I I herde what they sayde
¶ But neuerthelesse my wytte is so thynne
¶ And also of Dethe I was so afrayde
¶ That hit is out where hit vent ynne
¶ And so that mater can I not wynne
¶ Without your helpe & benyuolence
¶ Therof to expresse the veray sentence

¶ Well quod Doctryne then yeue attendaunce
¶ Vnto my wordes & thou shalt here
¶ Openly declared the concordaunce
¶ Atwene Sensualyte & Reason in fere
¶ If thou take hede hit clerely dooth apere
¶ How they were knette in one opynyon
¶ Bothe agayn Dethe helde contradyccon

¶ Whiche concordaunce no more sygnyfyeth
¶ To playne vnderstandyng but in euery mane
¶ Bothe Sensualyte & Reason applyeth
¶ Rather Dethe to flee then with hir to be tane
¶ Loo in that poynt accorde they holly thane
¶ And in all other they clerely dyscorde
¶ Thus is trewly set thy doubtfull monacorde

¶ I heryng that kneled on my kne
¶ And thanked her lowly for her dyscyplyne
¶ That she wouchesafe of her benygnyte
¶ Of tho gret doubtes me to enlumyne
¶ Well was she worthy to be called Doctryne
¶ If it had be no more but for the solucyon
¶ Of my demaunde & of this straunge vysyon

¶ And as I with myne hede began for to bow
¶ As me well ought to do her reuerence
¶ She thens departed I can not tell how
¶ But within a moment gone was she thens
¶ Then sayd Morpleus let vs go hens
¶ what sholde we here tarye lengere
¶ Hast thou not herde a generall answere

¶ To all thy materes that thou lyst to meue
¶ My tyme draweth nere that I must rest
¶ And euen therewith he toke me by the sleue
¶ And sayd goo we hens for that sholde I best
¶ As good is ynough as a grete fest
¶ Thou hast seen ynough holde the content
¶ And euen with {that} forthe with hym I went

¶ Tyll he had me brought agene to my bedde
¶ where he me founde and then pryuely Original has
¶ He stale awaye I coude not vnderstande pruyely
¶ were he became but sodeynly instead of
¶ As he came he went I tell you veryly pryuely
¶ whiche done fro slepe I gan to awake
¶ My body all in swet began for to shake

¶ For drede of the syght that I had sene
¶ wenyng to me all had be trew
¶ Actuelly done where I had bene
¶ That batyll holde twene Vyce & Vertew
¶ But when I see hit hit was but a whew
¶ A dreme a fantasy & a thyng of nought
¶ To study thereon I had nomore thought

¶ Tyll at the last I gan me bethynke
¶ For what cause shewed was this vysyon
¶ I knew not wherefore I toke pen & ynke
¶ And paper therof to make mencyon
¶ In wrytyng takyng consyderacyon
¶ That noo defaute were found in me
¶ whereon accused I ought for to be

¶ For slouthe that I had left hit vntolde
¶ Neyther by mouthe nor in remembrau{n}ce
¶ Put it in wrytyng where thorugh manyfolde
¶ wayes of accusacio{n} myght torne me to greuau{n}ce
¶ All this I sawe as I lay in a traunce
¶ But wheder it was with myne ey bodely
¶ Or not in certayn god knoweth & not I

¶ That to dyscerne I purpose not to dele
¶ Soo large by my wyll it longeth not to me
¶ were hit dreme or vysyon for your owne wele
¶ All that shall hit rede here rad or se
¶ Take thereof the best & let the worst be
¶ Try out the corne clene from the chaff
And then may ye say ye have a sure staff

¶ To stande by at nede of ye wyll it holde
¶ And walke by the way of Vertue
¶ But alwey beware be ye yong or olde
¶ That your Frewyll ay to Vertue more
¶ Apply than to Vyce the easyer may be bore
¶ The burden of the felde that ye dayly fyght
¶ Agayn your .iii. enemyes for all her gret myght

¶ That is to say the Deuyll & the Flesshe
¶ And also the worlde with hith his glosyng chere
¶ Whyche on you loketh euer newe & fresshe
¶ But he is not as he dooth apere
¶ Loke ye kepe you ay out of his daungere
¶ And soo the vyctory shall ye obteyne
¶ Vyce fro you exyled & Vertue in you reyne

¶ And then shall ye haue the tru{m}phall guerdon
¶ That god reserued to euery creature
¶ Aboue in his celestyall mansyon
¶ Ioye & blysse infynyte eternally to endure
¶ Wherof we say we wolde fayne be sure
¶ But the way thyderwarde to holde be we lothe
¶ That oft sythe causeth {the} good lord to be wrothe

¶ And by our deserte our habytacyon chau{n}geth
¶ Fro Ioye to payne & woo perpetuelly
¶ From his gloryous syght thus he vs estrau{n}geth
¶ For our vycyous lyuyng thorugh our owne foly
¶ Wherfore let vs praye to that lorde of glory
¶ Whyle we in erthe be {that} he wyll yeue vs grace
¶ So vs here to guyde that we may haue a place

¶ Accordyng to oure Regeneracyon
¶ Which heuenly spyrytes his name to magnyfy.
¶ Whiche downe descendeth for oure redempcyon
¶ Offryng hymselfe on the crosse to his fad{er} on hy
¶ Now benygne Ihesu that boren was of Mary
¶ All that to this vysyon haue gyue{n} her audyence
¶ Graunte eternal Ioye after thy last se{n}tence

A M E N

¶ Here endeth a lytyll Treatyse
named The assemble of goddes