CHAPTER X.

'Me thinketh,' quod I, 'that ye have right wel declared, that way to the knot shuld not ben in none of these disprovinge thinges; and now, order of our purpos this asketh, that ye shulde me shewe if any way be +thider, and whiche thilke way shulde ben; so that openly may be seye the verry 5 hye way in ful confusioun of these other thinges.'

'Thou shalt,' quod she, 'understande that [of] one of three lyves (as I first sayd) every creature of mankynde is sprongen, and so forth procedeth. These lyves ben thorow names departed in three maner of kyndes, as bestialliche, manliche, and resonabliche; 10 of whiche two ben used by flesshely body, and the thirde by his soule. "Bestial" among resonables is forboden in every lawe and every secte, bothe in Cristen and other; for every wight dispyseth hem that liveth by lustes and delytes, as him that is thral and bounden servaunt to thinges right foule; suche 15 ben compted werse than men; he shal nat in their degree ben rekened, ne for suche one alowed. Heritykes, sayn they, chosen lyf bestial, that voluptuously liven; so that (as I first sayde to thee) in manly and resonable livinges our mater was to declare; but [by] "manly" lyfe, in living after flesshe, or els flesshly wayes 20 to chese, may nat blisse in this knotte be conquered, as by reson it is proved. Wherfore by "resonable" lyfe he must nedes it have, sithe a way is to this knotte, but nat by the firste tway lyves; wherfore nedes mot it ben to the thirde; and for to live in flesshe, but nat after flessh, is more resonablich than manliche rekened 25 by clerkes. Therfore how this way cometh in, I wol it blythely declare.

See now (quod she) that these bodily goodes of manliche livinges yelden +sorowfulle stoundes and smertande houres. Who-so +wol remembre him to their endes, in their worchinges they 30 ben thoughtful and sorie. Right as a bee that hath had his hony, anon at his flight beginneth to stinge; so thilke bodily goodes at the laste mote awaye, and than stinge they at her goinge, wherthrough entreth and clene voydeth al blisse of this knot.'

'Forsothe,' quod I, 'me thinketh I am wel served, in shewing 35 of these wordes. Although I hadde litel in respect among other grete and worthy, yet had I a fair parcel, as me thought, for the tyme, in forthering of my sustenaunce; whiche while it dured, I thought me havinge mokel hony to myne estat. I had richesse suffisauntly to weyve nede; I had dignitè to be reverenced in 40 worship. Power me thought that I had to kepe fro myne enemyes, and me semed to shyne in glorie of renomè as manhood asketh in mene; for no wight in myne administracion coude non yvels ne trechery by sothe cause on me putte. Lady, your-selve weten wel, that of tho confederacies maked by my soverains 45 I nas but a servaunt, and yet mokel mene folk wol fully ayenst reson thilke maters maynteyne, in whiche mayntenaunce [they] glorien them-selfe; and, as often ye haven sayd, therof ought nothing in yvel to be layd to me-wardes, sithen as repentaunt I am tourned, and no more I thinke, neither tho thinges ne 50 none suche other to sustene, but utterly distroye, without medlinge maner, in al my mightes. How am I now cast out of al swetnesse of blisse, and mischevously [is] stongen my passed joy! Soroufully muste I bewayle, and live as a wrecche.

Every of tho joyes is tourned in-to his contrary. For richesse, 55 now have I povertè; for dignitè, now am I emprisoned; in stede of power, wrecchednesse I suffre; and for glorie of renomè, I am now dispysed and foulich hated. Thus hath farn Fortune, that sodaynly am I overthrowen, and out of al welth dispoyled. Trewly, me thinketh this way in entree is right hard; god graunt 60 me better grace er it be al passed; the other way, lady, me thought right swete.'

'Now, certes,' quod Love, 'me list for to chyde. What ayleth thy darke dulnesse? Wol it nat in clerenesse ben sharped? Have I nat by many resons to thee shewed, suche bodily goodes 65 faylen to yeve blisse, their might so ferforth wol nat strecche? Shame (quod she) it is to say, thou lyest in thy wordes. Thou ne hast wist but right fewe that these bodily goodes had al atones; commenly they dwellen nat togider. He that plentè hath in riches, of his kinne is ashamed; another of linage right noble and wel 70 knowe, but povert him handleth; he were lever unknowe. Another hath these, but renomè of peoples praysing may he nat have; overal he is hated and defamed of thinges right foule. Another is fair and semely, but dignitè him fayleth; and he that hath dignitè is croked or lame, or els misshapen and foully dispysed. 75 Thus partable these goodes dwellen commenly; in one houshold ben they but silde. Lo! how wrecched is your truste on thing that wol nat accorde! Me thinketh, thou clepest thilke plyte thou were in "selinesse of fortune"; and thou sayest, for that the selinesse is departed, thou art a wrecch. Than foloweth 80 this upon thy wordes; every soule resonable of man may nat dye; and if deth endeth selinesse and maketh wrecches, as nedes of fortune maketh it an ende. Than soules, after deth of the body, in wrecchednesse shulde liven. But we knowe many that han geten the blisse of heven after their deth. How than may this 85 lyf maken men blisful, that whan it passeth it yeveth no wrecchednesse, and many tymes blisse, if in this lyfe he con live as he shulde? And wolt thou acompt with Fortune, that now at [t]he first she hath don thee tene and sorowe? If thou loke to the maner of al glad thinges and sorouful, thou mayst nat nay it, that 90 yet, and namely now, thou standest in noble plyte in a good ginning, with good forth-going herafter. And if thou wene to be a wrecch, for such welth is passed, why than art thou nat wel fortunate, for badde thinges and anguis wrecchednesse ben passed? Art thou now come first in-to the hostry of this lyfe, or els the 95 both of this worlde? Art thou now a sodayn gest in-to this wrecched exile? Wenest there be any thing in this erthe stable? Is nat thy first arest passed, that brought thee in mortal sorowe? Ben these nat mortal thinges agon with ignorance of beestial wit, and hast receyved reson in knowing of vertue? What comfort is 100 in thy herte, the knowinge sikerly in my service [to] be grounded? And wost thou nat wel, as I said, that deth maketh ende of al fortune? What than? Standest thou in noble plyte, litel hede or recking to take, if thou let fortune passe dy[i]ng, or els that she fly whan her list, now by thy lyve? Pardy, a man hath 105 nothing so leef as his lyf; and for to holde that, he doth al his cure and diligent traveyle. Than, say I, thou art blisful and fortunat sely, if thou knowe thy goodes that thou hast yet +beleved, whiche nothing may doute that they ne ben more worthy than thy lyf?' 110

'What is that?' quod I.

'Good contemplacion,' quod she, 'of wel-doing in vertue in tyme coming, bothe in plesaunce of me and of thy Margarit-peerle. Hastely thyn hert in ful blisse with her shal be esed. Therfore dismay thee nat; Fortune, in hate grevously ayenst thy bodily person, 115 ne yet to gret tempest hath she nat sent to thee, sithen the holding cables and ankers of thy lyfe holden by knitting so faste, that thou discomforte thee nought of tyme that is now, ne dispayre thee not of tyme to come, but yeven thee comfort in hope of weldoing, and of getting agayn the double of thy lesing, with 120 encresing love of thy Margarite-perle therto! For this, hiderto, thou hast had al her ful daunger; and so thou might amende al that is misse and al defautes that somtyme thou diddest; and that now, in al thy tyme, to that ilke Margaryte in ful service of my lore thyne herte hath continued; wherfore she ought moche 125 the rather enclyne fro her daungerous sete. These thinges ben yet knit by the holding anker in thy lyve, and holden mote they; to god I pray, al these thinges at ful ben perfourmed. For whyle this anker holdeth, I hope thou shalt safely escape; and [in a] whyle thy trewe-mening service aboute bringe, in dispyte of al 130 false meners that thee of-newe haten; for [in] this trewe service thou art now entred.'

'Certayn,' quod I, 'among thinges I asked a question, whiche was the way to the knot. Trewly, lady, how-so it be I tempt you with questions and answers, in speking of my first service, I am 135 now in ful purpos in the pricke of the herte, that thilke service was an enprisonment, and alway bad and naughty, in no maner to be desyred; ne that, in getting of the knot, may it nothing aveyle. A wyse gentil herte loketh after vertue, and none other bodily joyes alone. And bycause toforn this in tho wayes I was 140 set, I wot wel my-selfe I have erred, and of the blisse fayled; and so out of my way hugely have I ronne.'

'Certes,' quod she, 'that is sothe; and there thou hast miswent, eschewe the path from hens-forward, I rede. Wonder I trewly why the mortal folk of this worlde seche these ways 145 outforth; and it is preved in your-selfe. Lo, how ye ben confounded with errour and folly! The knowing of very cause and way is goodnesse and vertue. Is there any thing to thee more precious than thy-selfe? Thou shalt have in thy power that thou woldest never lese, and that in no way may be taken fro thee; and thilke 150 thing is that is cause of this knot. And if deth mowe it nat reve more than an erthly creature, thilke thing than abydeth with thy-selfe soule. And so, our conclusion to make, suche a knot, thus getten, abydeth with this thinge and with the soule, as long as they laste. A soule dyeth never; vertu and goodnesse evermore 155 with the soule endureth; and this knot is parfit blisse. Than this soule in this blisse endlesse shal enduren. Thus shul hertes of a trewe knot ben esed: thus shul their soules ben plesed: thus perpetually in joye shul they singe.'

'In good trouth,' quod I, 'here is a good beginning; yeve us 160 more of this way.'

Quod she, 'I said to thee nat longe sithen, that resonable lyf was oon of three thinges; and it was proved to the soule.

CH. X. 3. nowe. purpose. 4. thyther. 5. maye be sey. 6. waye. 7. _I supply_ of. 7-10. thre (_twice_). 9. thorowe. 13. christen. 17. sayne. 18. lyfe. 19. the. lyueng_es_. 20. _Supply_ by. lyueng. 21. reason. 24. mote. 26. howe. waye. 28. Se nowe. 29. lyuenges. soroufully; _read_ sorowfulle. 30. wele; _read_ wol.

31. hadde. 32. anone. 36. respecte amonge. 37. great. faire. 39. estate. 42. manhode. 43. meane. -tion. 46. meane folke. 47. reason. _I supply_ they. 48. sayde. 49. nothynge. layde. 52. Howe. nowe caste. 53. _Supply_ is. 54. wretche. 56. nowe (_thrice_). 57. wretchednesse. 58. nowe. 60. entre. harde. 61. ladye. 63. Nowe. 65. reasons. the. 66. ferforthe. stretche.

74. faire. 75. fouly. 77. sylde. howe reetched (!). 80. arte a wretch. 82. dethe. wretches. 83. dethe. 84-6. wretchednesse. 85. dethe. Howe. 86. lyfe. 88. wolte. now. he; _read_ the. 89. done the. 91. nowe. 93. wretch. 94. wretchednesse. 95-6. nowe (_twice_). 96. sodayne. 97. wretched. thynge. 98. the (_sic_). 100. reason. co_m_forte. 101. hert. _I supply_ to. 102. woste.

104. rcekyng. dyng (_sic_). 106. lefe. lyfe. 109. beloued; _read_ beleued. nothynge. 112. conte_m_plation. 114. eased. 115-9. the (_five times_). 119. comforte. 120. agayne. encreasynge. 129. shalte. _Supply_ in a. 130. meanyng. 131. meaners. the. _Supply_ in. 132. arte nowe. 133. Certayn _begins with a large capital_ C, _on fol._ 306, verso. amonge. 134. howe. 136. nowe. purpose. 136-9. hert.

140. toforne. 141. sette. wote. 142. ron. 144. pathe. -forwarde. 145. folke. 146. howe. 148. thynge. the. 150. the. 151. dethe. 152. thynge. 155. last. 156. p_ar_fite. 158. eased. pleased. 162. the. lyfe. 163. one. thre.