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Chapter I
Very welth may not be founden in al this worlde, and that is
wel sene: Lo, howe in my
mooste comforte as I wende and moost supposed to have hadde
ful answere of my
contrary thoughtes sodaynly it was vanysshed. And al the
workes of man faren in the
same wyse, whan folke wenen best her entent for to have and
wylles to perfourme,
anone, chaungyng of the lyft syde to the ryght halve tourneth
it so clene into another
kynde that never shal it come to the fyrst plyte in doynge.
Of this wrongful steeryng so soone
otherwysed out of knowynge, but for my purpose
was at my begynnynge and so dureth yet, if God of His grace
tyme wol me graunt, I
thynke to perfourme this worke as I have begonne in love,
after as my thynne wytte with
inspyracion of Hym that hyldeth al grace wol suffre.
Grevously God wotte have I suffred
a great throwe that the Romayne emperour whiche in
unyté of love shulde acorde and
every with other in cause of other to avaunce, and namely
sythe this empyre to be
corrected of so many sectes in heresie of faith, of servyce,
of rule in loves relygion.
Trewly, al were it but to shende erronyous opinyons, I maye
it no lenger suffre. For
many menne there ben that sayne love to ben in gravel and
sande that with see ebbynge
and flowynge woweth as riches that sodaynly vanissheth. And
some sayn that love
shulde be in wyndy blastes that stoundmele turneth as a phane
and glorie of renome
whiche after lustes of the varyaunt people is areysed or
stylled.
Many also wenen that in the sonne and the
moone and other sterres love shulde ben
founden, for amonge al other planettes moste soverainly they
shynen as dignytees in
reverence of estates rather than good han and occupyen. Ful
many also there ben that
in okes and in huge postes supposen love to ben grounded, as
in strength and in might
whiche mowen not helpen their owne wretchydnesse whan they
gynne to fal. But
suche dyversyté of sectes ayenst the rightful byleve
of love these errours ben forthe
spredde that loves servantes in trewe rule and stedfaste
faythe in no place darne apere.
Thus irrecuperable joy is went, and anoy endlesse is entred.
For no man aright reproveth
suche errours, but confyrmen their wordes and sayn that badde
is noble good, and
goodnesse is badde: to which folke the prophete byddeth wo
without ende.
Also manye tonges of great false techynges
in gylynge maner, principally in my tymes
not onely with wordes but also with armes, loves servauntes
and professe in his relygion
of trewe rule pursewen to confounden and to distroyen. And
for as moche as holy
fathers that our christen fayth aproved and strenghthed to
the Jewes as to men resonable
and of divynité lerned proved thilke faythe with
resones and with auctorites of the Olde
Testament and of the Newe her pertynacie to distroy. But to
paynyms that for beestes
and houndes were holde to put hem out of their errour was
myracles of God shewed.
These thynges were fygured by comynge of th'angel to the
shepeherdes and by the
sterre to paynyms kynges, as who saythe: angel resonable to
resonable creature and
sterre of myracle to people bestyal (not lerned) werne sent
to enforme. But I, lovers
clerke, in al my connyng and with al my mightes, trewly I
have no suche grace in vertue
of myracles ne for no discomfyte falsheedes suffyseth not
auctorytes alone sythen that
suche heretykes and maintaynours of falsytes. Wherfore I
wotte wel, sythen that they
ben men and reason is approved in hem, the clowde of erroure
hath her reason bewonde
probable resons whiche that catchende wytte rightfully may
not withsytte. By my
travaylynge studye I have ordeyned hem with that
auctorité misglosed by mannes rea-
son to graunt shal be enduced.
Nowe gynneth my penne to quake to thinken
on the sentences of the envyous people
whiche alwaye ben redy, bothe ryder and goer, to skorne and
to jape this leude booke,
and me for rancoure and hate in their hertes they shullen so
dispyse, that althoughe my
booke be leude, yet shal it ben more leude holden and by
wicked wordes in many maner
apayred. Certes, me thynketh the sowne of their badde speche
right nowe is ful bothe
myne eeres. O good precious Margaryte, myne herte shulde wepe
if I wyste ye token
hede of suche maner speche, but trewly I wotte wel in that
your wysdome shal not
asterte. For of God, maker of kynde, wytnesse I toke that for
none envy ne yvel have
I drawe this mater togyder, but only for goodnesse to
maintayn, and errours in falsetees
to distroy. Wherfore (as I sayd) with reason I thynke thylke
forsayd errours to distroye
and dequace.
These reasons and suche other if they
enduce men in loves servyce trewe to beleve
of parfyte blysse, yet to ful faithe in credence of deserte
fully mowe they nat suffyse,
sithen faith hath no meryte of mede whan mannes reason
sheweth experyence in doyng.
For utterly no reason the parfyte blysse of love by no waye
maye make to be compre-
hended. Lo, what is a persel of lovers joye? Parfyte science
in good servyce of their
desyre to comprehende in bodily doynge the lykynge of the
soule, not as by a glasse to
have contemplacion of tyme comynge, but thilke first ymagyned
and thought after
face to face in beholdyng. What herte, what reason, what
understandynge can make
his heven to be feled and knowe without assaye in doynge?
Certes, none, sythen
thanne of love cometh suche fruite in blysse, and love in
hymselfe is the most amonge
other vertues, as clerkes sayne: "The sede of suche
springynge in al places, in al
countreys, in al worldes shulde ben sowe."
But o, welawaye, thilke sede is forsake and
mowen not ben suffred the londe tyllers
to set a werke without medlynge of cockle: badde wedes whiche
somtyme stonken
hath caught the name of love amonge ydiotes and badde
meanynge people. Neverthe-
later, yet howe so it be that menne cleape thilke thynge
preciousest in kynde with many
eke names that other thynges that the soule yeven the ylke
noble name it sheweth wel
that in a maner men have a great lykynge in worshyppynge of
thilke name. Wherfore
this worke have I writte, and to thee, tytled of loves name,
I have it avowed in a maner
of sacrifyse, that whereever it be radde it mowe in meryte by
the excellence of thilke
name the more wexe in authorité and worshyppe of
takynge in hede, and to what entent
it was ordayned the inseeres mowen ben moved. Every thynge to
whom is owande
occasyon done as for his ende, Aristotle supposeth that the
actes of every thynge ben in
a maner his fynal cause. A fynal cause is noblerer, or els
even as noble, as thilke thynge
that is fynally to thilke ende, wherfore accion of thynge
everlastyng is demed to be
eternal and not temporal sythen it is his fynal cause. Ryght
so the actes of my boke
Love, and love is noble. Wherfore, though my boke be
leude, the cause with whiche I
am stered and for whom I ought it done, noble forsothe ben
bothe. But bycause that in
connynge I am yonge and canne yet but crepe, this leude A B
C have I sette into
lernyng. For I can not passen the tellyng of thre as yet. And
if God wyl, in shorte tyme
I shal amende this leudnesse in joynynge syllables, whiche
thynge for dulnesse of wytte
I maye not in thre letters declare. For trewly I saye the
goodnesse of my Margaryte
perle wolde yeve mater in endityng to many clerkes. Certes,
her mercy is more to me
swetter than any lyvynges, wherfore my lyppes mowen not
suffyse in spekyng of her
ful laude and worshyppe as they shulde. But who is that in
knowyng of the orders of
heven and putteth his resones in the erthe? I forsothe maye
not with blere eyen the
shynyng sonne of vertue in bright whele of this Margaryte
beholde; therfore, as yet I
maye her not discryve in vertue as I wolde. In tyme comynge,
in another tretyse,
thorowe Goddes grace, this sonne in clerenesse of vertue to
be knowe, and howe she
enlumyneth al this day I thynke to declare.
Chapter II
In this meane whyle this comfortable lady ganne synge a
wonder mater of enditynge in
Latyn. But trewly the noble colours in rethorik wyse knytte
were so craftely that my
connyng wol not stretche to remembre; but the sentence I
trowe somdele have I in
mynde. Certes, they were wonder swete of sowne, and they were
touched al in
lamentacion wyse and by no werbles of myrthe. Lo, thus ganne
she synge in Latyn, as
I may constrewe it in our Englysshe tonge:
"Alas, that these hevenly bodyes their
lyght and course shewen as nature yave hem in
commaundement at the gynnyng of the first age, but these
thynges in free choyce of
reson han none understondynge. But man that ought to passe al
thynge of doynge of
right course in kynde overwhelmed sothnesse by wrongful tytle
and hath drawen the
sterre of envye to gon by his syde, that the clyps of me that
shulde be his shynande
sonne so ofte is sey that it wened thilke errour thorowe hem
come in shulde ben myn
owne defaute. Trewly therfore, I have me withdrawe and made
my dwellynge out of
lande in an yle by myselfe in the occian closed, and yet
sayne there many they have me
harberowed, but God wote they faylen. These thynges me greven
to thynke, and namely
on passed gladnesse that in this worlde was wonte me disporte
of hyghe and lowe. And
nowe it is fayled. They that wolden maystries me have in
thilke stoundes, in heven on
hyghe above Saturnes sphere in seasonable tyme were they
lodged, but now come
queynte counsaylours that in no house wol suffre me sojourne,
wherof is pyté; and yet
sayne some that they me have in celler with wyne shet, in
gernere there corne is layde
covered with whete, in sacke sowed with wolle, in purse with
money faste knytte,
amonge pannes mouled in a wyche, in presse amonge clothes
layde with ryche pelure
arayed, in stable amonge horse and other beestes, as hogges,
shepe, and nete, and in
other many wyse. But thou maker of lyght (in wynking of thyn
eye the sonne is queynt)
woste right wel that I in trewe name was never thus
herberowed.
"Somtyme toforn the sonne in the seventh
partie was smyten, I bare both crosse and
mytre to yeve it where I wolde. With me the pope went a fote,
and I tho was wor-
shyped of al holy church. Kynges baden me their crownes
holden. The law was set as
it shuld: tofore the juge as wel the poore durste shewe his
grefe as the ryche, for al his
money. I defended tho taylages and was redy for the poore to
pay. I made great feestes
in my tyme and noble songes and maryed damoselles of gentyl
feture withouten golde
or o |