CHAPTER XII.

Right with these wordes, on this lady I threw up myne eyen, to see her countenaunce and her chere; and she, aperceyving this fantasye in myne herte, gan her semblaunt goodly on me caste, and sayde in this wyse.

'It is wel knowe, bothe to reson and experience in doinge, 5 every active worcheth on his passive; and whan they ben togider, "active" and "passive" ben y-cleped by these philosophers. If fyr be in place chafinge thing able to be chafed or hete[d], and thilke thinges ben set in suche a distaunce that the oon may werche, the other shal suffre. Thilke Margarite thou desyrest is 10 ful of vertue, and able to be active in goodnesse: but every herbe sheweth his vertue outforth from within. The sonne yeveth light, that thinges may be seye. Every fyr heteth thilke thing that it +neigheth, and it be able to be hete[d]. Vertue of this Margarite outforth +wercheth; and nothing is more able to suffre worching, 15 or worke cacche of the actife, but passife of the same actife; and no passife, to vertues of this Margaryte, but thee, in al my Donet can I fynde! So that her vertue muste nedes on thee werche; in what place ever thou be, within distaunce of her worthinesse, as her very passife thou art closed. But vertue may thee nothing 20 profyte, but thy desyr be perfourmed, and al thy sorowes cesed. _Ergo_, through werchinge of her vertue thou shalt esely ben holpen, and driven out of al care, and welcome to this longe by thee desyred!'

'Lady,' quod I, 'this is a good lesson in ginning of my joye; 25 but wete ye wel forsothe, though I suppose she have moche vertue, I wolde my spousaile were proved, and than may I live out of doute, and rejoice me greetly, in thinking of tho vertues so shewed.'

'I herde thee saye,' quod she, 'at my beginning, whan I receyved 30 thee firste for to serve, that thy jewel, thilke Margaryte thou desyrest, was closed in a muskle with a blewe shel.'

'Ye, forsothe,' quod I; 'so I sayd; and so it is.'

'Wel,' quod she, 'every-thing kyndly sheweth it-selfe; this jewel, closed in a blewe shel, [by] excellence of coloures sheweth 35 vertue from within; and so every wight shulde rather loke to the propre vertue of thinges than to his forayne goodes. If a thing be engendred of good mater, comenly and for the more part, it foloweth, after the congelement, vertue of the first mater (and it be not corrupt with vyces) to procede with encrees of good 40 vertues; eke right so it fareth of badde. Trewly, greet excellence in vertue of linage, for the more part, discendeth by kynde to the succession in vertues to folowe. Wherfore I saye, the +colour of every Margarit sheweth from within the fynesse in vertue. Kyndely heven, whan mery +weder is a-lofte, apereth in mannes 45 eye of coloure in blewe, stedfastnesse in pees betokening within and without. Margaryte is engendred by hevenly dewe, and sheweth in it-selfe, by fynenesse of colour, whether the engendrure were maked on morowe or on eve; thus sayth kynde of this perle. This precious Margaryte that thou servest, sheweth it-selfe 50 discended, by nobley of vertue, from this hevenlich dewe, norisshed and congeled in mekenesse, that +moder is of al vertues; and, by werkes that men seen withouten, the significacion of the coloures ben shewed, mercy and pitee in the herte, with pees to al other; and al this is y-closed in a muskle, who-so redily these vertues 55 loken. Al thing that hath soule is reduced in-to good by mene thinges, as thus: In-to god man is reduced by soules resonable; and so forth beestes, or bodyes that mowe not moven, after place ben reduced in-to manne by beestes +mene that moven from place to place. So that thilke bodyes that han felinge soules, and move 60 not from places, holden the lowest degree of soulinge thinges in felinge; and suche ben reduced in-to man by menes. So it foloweth, the muskle, as +moder of al vertues, halt the place of mekenesse, to his lowest degree discendeth downe of heven, and there, by a maner of virgine engendrure, arn these Margarytes 65 engendred, and afterward congeled. Made not mekenesse so lowe the hye heven, to enclose and cacche out therof so noble a dewe, that after congelement, a Margaryte, with endelesse vertue and everlasting joy, was with ful vessel of grace yeven to every creature, that goodly wolde it receyve?' 70

'Certes,' quod I, 'these thinges ben right noble; I have er this herd these same sawes.'

'Than,' quod she, 'thou wost wel these thinges ben sothe?'

'Ye, forsothe,' quod I, 'at the ful.'

'Now,' quod she, 'that this Margaryte is ful of vertue, it is wel 75 proved; wherfore som grace, som mercy, among other vertues, I wot right wel, on thee shal discende?'

'Ye,' quod I; 'yet wolde I have better declared, vertues in this Margarite kyndely to ben grounded.'

'That shal I shew thee,' quod she, 'and thou woldest it lerne.' 80

'Lerne?' quod I, 'what nedeth suche wordes? Wete ye nat wel, lady, your-selfe, that al my cure, al my diligence, and al my might, have turned by your counsayle, in plesaunce of that perle? Al my thought and al my studye, with your helpe, desyreth, in worshippe [of] thilke jewel, to encrese al my travayle and al my 85 besinesse in your service, this Margaryte to gladde in some halve. Me were lever her honour, her plesaunce, and her good chere thorow me for to be mayntayned and kept, and I of suche thinge in her lykinge to be cause, than al the welthe of bodily goodes ye coude recken. And wolde never god but I putte my-selfe in 90 greet jeopardy of al that I +welde, (that is now no more but my lyf alone), rather than I shulde suffre thilke jewel in any pointe ben blemisshed; as ferre as I may suffre, and with my mightes strecche.'

'Suche thing,' quod she, 'may mokel further thy grace, and 95 thee in my service avaunce. But now (quod Love) wilt thou graunte me thilke Margaryte to ben good?'

'O! good +god,' quod I, 'why tempte ye me and tene with suche maner speche? I wolde graunt that, though I shulde anon dye; and, by my trouthe, fighte in the quarel, if any wight wolde 100 countreplede.'

'It is so moche the lighter,' quod Love, 'to prove our entent.'

'Ye,' quod I; 'but yet wolde I here how ye wolde prove that she were good by resonable skil, that it mowe not ben denyed. For although I knowe, and so doth many other, manifold goodnesse 105 and vertue in this Margaryte ben printed, yet some men there ben that no goodnesse speken; and, wher-ever your wordes ben herd and your resons ben shewed, suche yvel spekers, lady, by auctoritè of your excellence, shullen be stopped and ashamed! And more, they that han non aquayntaunce in her persone, yet 110 mowe they knowe her vertues, and ben the more enfourmed in what wyse they mowe sette their hertes, whan hem liste in-to your service any entree make. For trewly al this to beginne, I wot wel my-selfe that thilke jewel is so precious perle, as a womanly woman in her kynde; in whom of goodnesse, of vertue, and also 115 of answeringe shappe of limmes, and fetures so wel in al pointes acording, nothing fayleth. I leve that kynde her made with greet studye; for kynde in her person nothing hath foryet[en], and that is wel sene. In every good wightes herte she hath grace of commending and of vertuous praysing. Alas! that ever kynde 120 made her deedly! Save only in that, I wot wel, that Nature, in fourminge of her, in no-thinge hath erred.'

CH. XII. 1. threwe. 2. se. 5. Reason. 7. ycleaped. 8. fyre. thynge. hete; _read_ heted. 9. sette. one. 12. outforthe. 13. sey. fyre. 14. neighed; _read_ neigheth. hete; _read_ heted.

15. wrethe (!); _read_ wercheth. nothynge. 16. catche. 17-8. the (_twice_). 20. arte. the. 21. desyre. ceased. 22. shalte easely. 24. the. 26. thoughe. 27. maye. 28. greatly. 30. the say. 31. the. 35. _Supply_ by. 38. parte. 40. encrease. 41. great. 42. parte. 43. colours; _read_ colour. 45. wether; _read_ weder. 46. peace. 48. coloure.

52, 63. mother; _read_ moder. 53. sene. signification. 54. pytie. 56. meane. 58. forthe. 59. meue; _misprint for_ mene. mouyn. 62. meanes. 63. halte. 65. arne. 66. afterwarde. 67. catche. 72. herde. 73. woste. 75. Nowe. 76. some (_twice_). amonge. 77. wotte. 77, 80. the (_twice_). 85. _I supply_ of. encrease. 87. leauer. pleasaunce.

88. thorowe. kepte. 90. put. 91. great ieoperdye. wolde; _read_ welde. nowe. lyfe. 94. stretche. 95. maye. 96. the. nowe. wylte. 98. good good; _read_ good god. 99. thoughe. anone. 100. fyght. 103. howe. 104. reasonable. 105. dothe. 108. herde. reasons. 110. none. 113. entre. wote. 115. whome. 117. nothynge. great. 118. foryet. 121. onely.