CHAPTER IV.

Thou shalt,' quod she, 'understonde first among al other thinges, that al the cure of my service to me in the parfit blisse in doing is desyred in every mannes herte, be he never so moche a wrecche; but every man travayleth by dyvers studye, and seke[th] thilke blisse by dyvers wayes. But al the endes 5 are knit in selinesse of desyre in the parfit blisse, that is suche joye, whan men it have gotten, there +leveth no thing more to ben coveyted. But how that desyre of suche perfeccion in my service be kindely set in lovers hertes, yet her erroneous opinions misturne it by falsenesse of wening. And although 10 mannes understanding be misturned, to knowe whiche shuld ben the way unto my person, and whither it abydeth; yet wote they there is a love in every wight, [whiche] weneth by that thing that he coveyteth most, he shulde come to thilke love; and that is parfit blisse of my servauntes; but than fulle blisse may not 15 be, and there lacke any thing of that blisse in any syde. Eke it foloweth than, that he that must have ful blisse lacke no blisse in love on no syde.'

'Therfore, lady,' quod I tho, 'thilke blisse I have desyred, and +soghte toforn this my-selfe, by wayes of riches, of dignitè, 20 of power, and of renomè, wening me in tho +thinges had ben thilke blisse; but ayenst the heer it turneth. Whan I supposed beste thilke blisse have +getten, and come to the ful purpose of your service, sodaynly was I hindred, and throwen so fer abacke, that me thinketh an inpossible to come there I lefte.' 25

'I +wot wel,' quod she; 'and therfore hast thou fayled; for thou wentest not by the hye way. A litel misgoing in the ginning causeth mikil errour in the ende; wherfore of thilke blisse thou fayledest, for having of richesse; ne non of the other thinges thou nempnedest mowen nat make suche parfit blisse in love as I shal 30 shewe. Therfore they be nat worthy to thilke blisse; and yet somwhat must ben cause and way to thilke blisse. _Ergo_, there is som suche thing, and som way, but it is litel in usage and that is nat openly y-knowe. But what felest in thyne hert of the service, in whiche by me thou art entred? Wenest aught thy-selfe 35 yet be in the hye way to my blisse? I shal so shewe it to thee, thou shalt not conne saye the contrary.'

'Good lady,' quod I, 'altho I suppose it in my herte, yet wolde I here thyn wordes, how ye menen in this mater.'

Quod she, 'that I shal, with my good wil. Thilke blisse 40 desyred, som-del ye knowen, altho it be nat parfitly. For kyndly entencion ledeth you therto, but in three maner livinges is al suche wayes shewed. Every wight in this world, to have this blisse, oon of thilke three wayes of lyves must procede; whiche, after opinions of grete clerkes, are by names cleped bestiallich, resonablich, [and 45 manlich. Resonablich] is vertuous. Manlich is worldlich. Bestialliche is lustes and delytable, nothing restrayned by bridel of reson. Al that joyeth and yeveth gladnesse to the hert, and it be ayenst reson, is lykened to bestial living, which thing foloweth lustes and delytes; wherfore in suche thinge may nat that precious blisse, 50 that is maister of al vertues, abyde. Your +faders toforn you have cleped such lusty livinges after the flessh "passions of desyre," which are innominable tofore god and man both. Than, after determinacion of suche wyse, we accorden that suche passions of desyre shul nat be nempned, but holden for absolute from al other 55 livinges and provinges; and so +leveth in t[w]o livinges, manlich and resonable, to declare the maters begonne. But to make thee fully have understanding in manlich livinges, whiche is holden worldlich in these thinges, so that ignorance be mad no letter, I wol (quod she) nempne these forsayd wayes +by names and 60 conclusions. First riches, dignitè, renomè, and power shul in this worke be cleped bodily goodes; for in hem hath ben, a gret throw, mannes trust of selinesse in love: as in riches, suffisance to have maintayned that was begonne by worldly catel; in dignitè, honour and reverence of hem that wern underput by maistry 65 therby to obeye. In renomè, glorie of peoples praising, after lustes in their hert, without hede-taking to qualitè and maner of doing; and in power, by trouth of lordships mayntenaunce, thing to procede forth in doing. In al whiche thinges a longe tyme mannes coveytise in commune hath ben greetly grounded, to come 70 to the blisse of my service; but trewly, they were begyled, and for the principal muste nedes fayle, and in helping mowe nat availe. See why. For holdest him not poore that is nedy?'

'Yes, pardè,' quod I.

'And him for dishonored, that moche folk deyne nat to 75 reverence?'

'That is soth,' quod I.

'And what him, that his mightes faylen and mowe nat helpen?'

'Certes,' quod I, 'me semeth, of al men he shulde be holden a wrecche.' 80

'And wenest nat,' quod she, 'that he that is litel in renomè, but rather is out of the praysinges of mo men than a fewe, be nat in shame?'

'For soth,' quod I, 'it is shame and villany, to him that coveyteth renomè, that more folk nat prayse in name than preise.' 85

'Soth,' quod she, 'thou sayst soth; but al these thinges are folowed of suche maner doinge, and wenden in riches suffisaunce, in power might, in dignitè worship, and in renomè glorie; wherfore they discended in-to disceyvable wening, and in that service disceit is folowed. And thus, in general, thou and al suche other that so 90 worchen, faylen of my blisse that ye long han desyred. Wherfore truly, in lyfe of reson is the hye way to this blisse; as I thinke more openly to declare herafter. Never-the-later yet, in a litel to comforte thy herte, in shewing of what waye thou art entred *selfe, and that thy Margarite may knowe thee set in the hye way, 95 I wol enforme thee in this wyse. Thou hast fayled of thy first purpos, bicause thou wentest wronge and leftest the hye way on thy right syde, as thus: thou lokedest on worldly living, and that thing thee begyled; and lightly therfore, as a litel assay, thou songedest; but whan I turned thy purpos, and shewed thee 100 a part of the hye waye, tho thou abode therin, and no deth ne ferdnesse of non enemy might thee out of thilk way reve; but ever oon in thyn herte, to come to the ilke blisse, whan thou were arested and firste tyme enprisoned, thou were loth to chaunge thy way, for in thy hert thou wendest to have ben there 105 thou shuldest. And for I had routhe to sene thee miscaried, and wiste wel thyn ablenesse my service to forther and encrese, I com my-selfe, without other mene, to visit thy person in comfort of thy hert. And perdy, in my comming thou were greetly glad[d]ed; after whiche tyme no disese, no care, no tene, might 110 move me out of thy hert. And yet am I glad and greetly enpited, how continually thou haddest me in mynde, with good avysement of thy conscience, whan thy king and his princes by huge wordes and grete loked after variaunce in thy speche; and ever thou were redy for my sake, in plesaunce of the Margarite-perle and 115 many mo other, thy body to oblige in-to Marces doing, if any contraried thy sawes. Stedfast way maketh stedfast hert, with good hope in the ende. Trewly, I wol that thou it wel knowe; for I see thee so set, and not chaunginge herte haddest in my service; and I made thou haddest grace of thy kinge, in 120 foryevenesse of mikel misdede. To the gracious king art thou mikel holden, of whos grace and goodnesse somtyme hereafter I thinke thee enforme, whan I shew the ground where-as moral vertue groweth. Who brought thee to werke? Who brought this grace aboute? Who made thy hert hardy? Trewly, it was I. For 125 haddest thou of me fayled, than of this purpos had[dest thou] never taken [hede] in this wyse. And therfore I say, thou might wel truste to come to thy blisse, sithen thy ginninge hath ben hard, but ever graciously after thy hertes desyr hath proceded. Silver fyned with many hetes men knowen for trew; and safely men 130 may trust to the alay in werkinge. This +disese hath proved what way hence-forward thou thinkest to holde.'

'Now, in good fayth, lady,' quod I tho, 'I am now in; me semeth, it is the hye way and the right.'

'Ye, forsothe,' quod she, 'and now I wol disprove thy first 135 wayes, by whiche many men wenen to gette thilke blisse. But for-as-moche as every herte that hath caught ful love, is tyed with queynt knittinges, thou shalt understande that love and thilke foresayd blisse toforn declared in this[e] provinges, shal hote the knot in the hert.' 140

'Wel,' quod I, 'this inpossession I wol wel understande.'

'Now also,' quod she, 'for the knotte in the herte muste ben from one to an-other, and I knowe thy desyr, I wol thou understande these maters to ben sayd of thy-selfe, in disproving of thy first service, and in strengthinge of thilke that thou hast 145 undertake to thy Margaryte-perle.'

'A goddes halfe,' quod I, 'right wel I fele that al this case is possible and trewe; and therfore I +admitte it altogither.'

'+Understand wel,' quod she, 'these termes, and loke no contradiccion thou graunt.' 150

'If god wol,' quod I, 'of al these thinges wol I not fayle; and if I graunt contradiccion, I shulde graunte an impossible; and that were a foul inconvenience; for whiche thinges, lady, y-wis, herafter I thinke me to kepe.'

CH. IV. 1. shalte. amonge. 2. parfyte. 4. wretche. 5. seke; _read_ seketh. 6. p_ar_fyte. 7. lyueth; _read_ leveth. thynge. 8. howe. perfection. 9. erronyous. 13. _I supply_ whiche. 14. moste. 15. parfyte. maye. 16. thynge. 20. sothe; _read_ soghte. toforne.

21. thrages (_sic_); _read_ thinges. 22. heere. 23. get; _read_ getten. 26. wol; _read_ wot. 30. p_ar_fite. 33. some (_twice_). 37. the. shalte. con. 39. howe ye meanen. 41. so_m_e deale. 42. entention. thre. lyuenges. 43. one. 44. thre. 45. great. cleaped. _I supply_ and manlich. Resonablich. 47. nothynge. 47-9. reason (_twice_). 49. lyueng. thynge. 50. maye. 51. fathers. toforne. 52. lyuenges. 54. determination. 56. lyuenges (_twice_). lyueth; _read_ leveth. to; _read_ two.

57. the. 58. lyuenges. 59. made. 60. be; _read_ by. 62. cleaped. 64. begon. 65. werne. 66. obey. 70. greatly. 73. Se. 75. folke. 80. wretch. 89. disceite. 92. reason. 94. arte.

95-6. the (_twice_). 97-100. purpose. 98. lyueng. 99. the. 100-2. the. 101. parte. dethe. 103. one. 106. the. 107. wyst. thyne. encrease. 108. come. mean. _For_ person _read_ prison? comforte. 109. greatly gladed. 110. disease. 111. gladde. greatly. 112. howe. 114. great. 115. peerle. 119. se the. 121. arte. 122. whose. 123. the. grounde. 124. the. 126. purpose. had; _read_ haddest thou. _I supply_ hede. 128. harde. 129. desyre. 130. heates.

131. diseases (_sic_). waye. -forwarde. 133-142. Nowe (_four times_). 139. toforne. 143. desyre. 145. stre_n_ghthynge. haste. 148. admytted; _read_ admytte it. 149. Vnderstanden (_sic_). 149-152. contradyction (_twice_). 153. foule. ladye.