CHAPTER IX.

'Every argument, lady,' quod I tho, 'that ye han maked in these fore-nempned maters, me thinketh hem in my ful witte conceyved; shal I no more, if god wil, in the contrarye be begyled. But fayn wolde I, and it were your wil, blisse of the knotte to me were declared. I might fele the better how my 5 herte might assente, to pursue the ende in service, as he hath begonne.'

'O,' quod she, 'there is a melodye in heven, whiche clerkes clepen "armony"; but that is not in brekinge of voice, but it is a maner swete thing of kyndely werching, that causeth joye[s] 10 out of nombre to recken, and that is joyned by reson and by wysdome in a quantitè of proporcion of knitting. God made al thing in reson and in witte of proporcion of melody, we mowe not suffyse to shewe. It is written by grete clerkes and wyse, that, in erthly thinges, lightly by studye and by travayle the knowinge 15 may be getten; but of suche hevenly melody, mokel travayle wol bringe out in knowing right litel. Swetenesse of this paradyse hath you ravisshed; it semeth ye slepten, rested from al other diseses; so kyndely is your herte therein y-grounded. Blisse of two hertes, in ful love knitte, may not aright ben imagined; ever 20 is their contemplacion, in ful of thoughty studye to plesaunce, mater in bringinge comfort everiche to other. And therfore, of erthly thinges, mokel mater lightly cometh in your lerning. Knowledge of understonding, that is nigh after eye, but not so nigh the covetyse of knittinge in your hertes. More soverain 25 desyr hath every wight in litel heringe of hevenly conninge than of mokel material purposes in erthe. Right so it is in propertee of my servauntes, that they ben more affiched in steringe of litel thinge in his desyr than of mokel other mater lasse in his conscience. This blisse is a maner of sowne delicious in 30 a queynte voice touched, and no dinne of notes; there is non impression of breking labour. I can it not otherwyse nempne, for wantinge of privy wordes, but paradyse terrestre ful of delicious melody, withouten travayle in sown, perpetual service in ful joye coveyted to endure. Only kynde maketh hertes in understonding 35 so to slepe, that otherwyse may it nat be nempned, ne in other maner names for lyking swetnesse can I nat it declare; al sugre and hony, al minstralsy and melody ben but soot and galle in comparison, by no maner proporcion to reken, in respect of this blisful joye. This armony, this melody, this perdurable joye may 40 nat be in doinge but betwene hevens and elementes, or twey kyndly hertes ful knit in trouth of naturel understonding, withouten weninge and disceit; as hevens and planettes, whiche thinges continually, for kyndly accordaunces, foryeteth al contrarious mevinges, that in-to passive diseses may sowne; evermore it 45 thirsteth after more werking. These thinges in proporcion be so wel joyned, that it undoth al thing whiche in-to badnesse by any way may be accompted.'

'Certes,' quod I, 'this is a thing precious and noble. Alas! that falsnesse ever, or wantrust shulde ever be maynteyned, this 50 joye to voyde. Alas! that ever any wrecche shulde, thorow wrath or envy, janglinge dare make, to shove this melody so farre a-backe, that openly dar it nat ben used; trewly, wrecches ben fulfilled with envy and wrathe, and no wight els. Flebring and tales in suche wrecches dare appere openly in every wightes 55 eere, with ful mouth so charged, [with] mokel malice moved many innocentes to shende; god wolde their soule therwith were strangled! Lo! trouth in this blisse is hid, and over-al under covert him hydeth; he dar not come a-place, for waytinge of shrewes. Commenly, badnesse goodnesse amaistreth; with my-selfe 60 and my soule this joye wolde I bye, if the goodnesse were as moche as the nobley in melody.'

'O,' quod she, 'what goodnesse may be acompted more in this material worlde? Truly, non; that shalt thou understonde. Is nat every thing good that is contrariant and distroying yvel?' 65

'How els?' quod I.

'Envy, wrathe, and falsnesse ben general,' quod she; 'and that wot every man being in his right mynde; the knotte, the whiche we have in this blisse, is contrariaunt and distroyeth such maner yvels. _Ergo_, it is good. What hath caused any wight 70 to don any good dede? Fynd me any good, but-if this knotte be the cheef cause. Nedes mot it be good, that causeth so many good dedes. Every cause is more and worthier than thing caused; and in that mores possession al thinges lesse ben compted. As the king is more than his people, and hath in 75 possession al his rëalme after, right so the knot is more than al other goodes; thou might recken al thinges lasse; and that to him longeth, oweth in-to his mores cause of worship and of wil +to turne; it is els rebel and out of his mores defending to voyde. Right so of every goodnesse; in-to the knotte and 80 in-to the cause of his worship [it] oweth to tourne. And trewly, every thing that hath being profitably is good, but nothing hath to ben more profitably than this knot; kinges it mayntayneth, and hem, their powers to mayntayne. It maketh misse to ben amended with good governaunce in doing. It closeth hertes 85 so togider, that rancour is out-thresten. Who that it lengest kepeth, lengest is glad[d]ed.'

'I trowe,' quod I, 'heretykes and misse-mening people hence-forward wol maintayne this knotte; for therthorough shul they ben maintayned, and utterly wol turne and leve their olde yvel 90 understanding, and knitte this goodnesse, and profer so ferre in service, that name of servauntes might they have. Their jangles shal cese; me thinketh hem lacketh mater now to alege.'

'Certes,' quod Love, 'if they, of good wil thus turned, as thou sayst, wolen trewly perfourme, yet shul they be abled party 95 of this blisse to have; and they wol not, yet shul my servauntes the werre wel susteyne in myn helpe of maintenaunce to the ende. And they, for their good travayle, shullen in reward so ben meded, that endelesse joye body and soule +to-gider in this shullen abyden. There is ever accion of blisse withouten possible 100 corrupcion; there is accion perpetuel in werke without travayle; there is everlasting passife, withouten any of labour; continuel plyte, without cesinge coveyted to endure. No tonge may telle, ne herte may thinke the leest point of this blisse.'

'God bring me thider!' quod I than. 105

'Continueth wel,' quod she, 'to the ende, and thou might not fayle than; for though thou spede not here, yet shal the passion of thy martred lyfe ben written, and rad toforn the grete Jupiter, that god is of routhe, an high in the holownesse of heven, there he sit in his trone; and ever thou shalt forward ben holden 110 amonge al these hevins for a knight, that mightest with no penaunce ben discomfited. He is a very martyr that, livingly goinge, is gnawen to the bones.'

'Certes,' quod I, 'these ben good wordes of comfort; a litel myne herte is rejoyced in a mery wyse.' 115

'Ye,' quod she; 'and he that is in heven felith more joye, than whan he firste herde therof speke.'

'So it is,' quod I; 'but wist I the sothe, that after disese comfort wolde folowe with blisse, so as ye have often declared, I wolde wel suffre this passion with the better chere. But my 120 thoughtful sorowe is endelesse, to thinke how I am cast out of a welfare; and yet dayneth not this yvel non herte, non hede, to meward throwe: which thinges wolde greetly me by wayes of comfort disporte, to weten in my-selfe a litel with other me[n] ben y-moved; and my sorowes peysen not in her balaunce the 125 weyght of a peese. Slinges of her daunger so hevily peysen, they drawe my causes so hye, that in her eyen they semen but light and right litel.'

'O! for,' quod she, 'heven with skyes that foule cloudes maken and darke +weders, with gret tempestes and huge, 130 maketh the mery dayes with softe shyning sonnes. Also the yere with-draweth floures and beautee of herbes and of erth; the same +yere maketh springes and jolitè in Vere so to renovel with peinted coloures, that erthe semeth as gay as heven. Sees that blasteth and with wawes throweth shippes, of whiche the 135 living creatures for greet peril for hem dreden; right so, the same sees maketh smothe waters and golden sayling, and comforteth hem with noble haven that firste were so ferde. Hast thou not (quod she) lerned in thy youth, that Jupiter hath in his warderobe bothe garmentes of joye and of sorowe? What 140 wost thou how soone he wol turne of the garment of care, and clothe thee in blisse? Pardè, it is not ferre fro thee. Lo, an olde proverbe aleged by many wyse:--"Whan bale is greetest, than is bote a nye-bore." Wherof wilt thou dismaye? Hope wel and serve wel; and that shal thee save, with thy good bileve.' 145

'Ye, ye,' quod I; 'yet see I not by reson how this blisse is coming; I wot it is contingent; it may falle on other.'

'O,' quod she, 'I have mokel to done to clere thyne understanding, and voyde these errours out of thy mynde. I wol prove it by reson, thy wo may not alway enduren. Every thing 150 kyndely (quod she) is governed and ruled by the hevenly bodyes, whiche haven ful werchinge here on erthe; and after course of these bodyes, al course of your doinges here ben governed and ruled by kynde.

Thou wost wel, by cours of planettes al your dayes proceden; 155 and to everich of singuler houres be enterchaunged stondmele about, by submitted worching naturally to suffre; of whiche changes cometh these transitory tymes that maketh revolving of your yeres thus stondmele; every hath ful might of worchinge, til al seven han had her course about. Of which worchinges and 160 possession of houres the dayes of the weke have take her names, after denominacion in these seven planettes. Lo, your Sonday ginneth at the first hour after noon on the Saturday, in whiche hour is than the Sonne in ful might of worching; of whom Sonday taketh his name. Next him foloweth Venus, and after 165 Mercurius, and than the Moone; so than Saturnus, after whom Jovis; and than Mars; and ayen than the Sonne; and so forth +by .xxiiii. houres togider; in whiche hour ginning in the seconde day stant the Moone, as maister for that tyme to rule; of whom Monday taketh his name; and this course foloweth of al other 170 dayes generally in doing. This course of nature of these bodyes chaunging stinten at a certain terme, limitted by their first kynde; and of hem al governementes in this elemented worlde proceden, as in springes, constellacions, engendrures, and al that folowen kynde and reson; wherfore [in] the course that foloweth, sorowe 175 and joy kyndely moten entrechangen their tymes; so that alway oon wele, as alway oon wo, may not endure. Thus seest thou appertly, thy sorowe in-to wele mot ben chaunged; wherfore in suche case to better syde evermore enclyne thou shuldest. Trewly, next the ende of sorowe anon entreth joy; by maner 180 of necessitè it wol ne may non other betyde; and so thy conti[n]gence is disproved; if thou holde this opinion any more, thy wit is right leude. Wherfore, in ful conclusion of al this, thilke Margaryte thou desyrest hath ben to thee dere in thy herte, and for her hast thou suffred many thoughtful diseses; herafter shal 185 [she] be cause of mokel mirth and joye; and loke how glad canst thou ben, and cese al thy passed hevinesse with manifolde joyes. And than wol I as blythly here thee speken thy mirthes in joye, as I now have y-herd thy sorowes and thy complayntes. And if I mowe in aught thy joye encrese, by my trouthe, on 190 my syde shal nat be leved for no maner traveyle, that I with al my mightes right blythly wol helpe, and ever ben redy you bothe to plese.' And than thanked I that lady with al goodly maner that I worthily coude; and trewly I was greetly rejoysed in myne herte of her fayre behestes; and profered me to be 195 slawe, in al that she me wolde ordeyne, while my lyf lested.

CH. IX. 4. fayne. 5. howe.

10. ioye; _read_ joyes. 11-3. reason. 14. great. 19. diseases. hertes; _read_ herte. 22. comforte. 24-5. nyghe (_twice_). 25. soueraine desyre. 27. propertie. 29. desyre. 31. none. 32. breakynge laboure. canne. 35. Onely. 38. soote. 39. respecte.

45. diseases. 51. wretch. thorowe. 53. dare. 53-5. wretches. 56. eare. _I supply_ with. 57. innocte_n_es; _misprint for_ innoce_n_tes. 59. dare. 65. distroyeng. 66. Howe. 71. Fynde. 72. chefe. mote. 73. thynge. 79. do; _read_ to, _as in_ l. 81. 81. _Supply_ it.

88. meanynge. 89. forwarde. 90. leaue. 93. cease. nowe. 99. togyther. 100-1. action (_twice_). 103. ceasynge. tel. 104. hert. 108. radde toforne. great. 110. sytte. forwarde. 114. comforte. 118. disease comforte.

121. howe. 122. none (_twice_). 123. mewarde. greatly. 124. comforte. me; _read_ men? 130. wethers; _read_ weders. 132. beautie. 133. yeres; _read_ yere. 136. great. 141. howe. 142. the. 143. greatest. 144. wylte. 145. the. 146. se. reason howe. 147. wote. fal. 150. reason.

162. denomination. 168. be; _for_ by. 169. stante. 172. certayne. 175. _Supply_ in. 177. on (_for_ oon; _twice_). 178. mote. 181. contygence. 184. the. 185. diseases. 186. _Supply_ she. howe. canste. 187. cease. 188. the. 189. ioy. nowe. yherde. 190. encrease. 191. leaued.

194. worthely. greatly. 195. hert. 196. lyfe.