CHAPTER V.

'In this mater toforn declared,' quod Love, 'I have wel shewed, that every man hath free arbitrement of thinges in his power, to do or undo what him lyketh. Out of this grounde muste come the spire, that by processe of tyme shal in greetnesse sprede, to have braunches and blosmes of waxing frute in grace, 5 of whiche the taste and the savour is endelesse blisse, in joye ever to onbyde.'*

'Now, trewly, lady, I have my grounde wel understonde; but what thing is thilke spire that in-to a tree shulde wexe? Expowne me that thing, what ye therof mene.' 10

'That shal I,' quod she, 'blithly, and take good hede to the wordes, I thee rede. Continuaunce in thy good service, by longe processe of tyme in ful hope abyding, without any chaunge to wilne in thyne herte, this is the spire. Whiche, if it be wel kept and governed, shal so hugely springe, til the fruit of grace is 15 plentuously out-sprongen. For although thy wil be good, yet may not therfore thilk blisse desyred hastely on thee discenden; it must abyde his sesonable tyme. And so, by processe of growing, with thy good traveyle, it shal in-to more and more wexe, til it be found so mighty, that windes of yvel speche, ne scornes 20 of envy, make nat the traveyle overthrowe; ne frostes of mistrust, ne hayles of jelousy right litel might have, in harming of suche springes. Every yonge setling lightly with smale stormes is apeyred; but whan it is woxen somdel in gretnesse, than han grete blastes and +weders but litel might, any disadvantage to 25 them for to werche.'

'Myne owne soverayne lady,' quod I, 'and welth of myne herte, and it were lyking un-to your noble grace therthrough nat to be displesed, I suppose ye erren, now ye maken jelousy, envy, and distourbour to hem that ben your servauntes. I have lerned 30 ofte, to-forn this tyme, that in every lovers herte greet plentee of jelousyes greves ben sowe, wherfore (me thinketh) ye ne ought in no maner accompte thilke thing among these other welked wivers and venomous serpentes, as envy, mistrust, and yvel speche.' 35

'O fole,' quod she, 'mistrust with foly, with yvel wil medled, engendreth that welked padde! Truely, if they were distroyed, jelousy undon were for ever; and yet some maner of jelousy, I wot wel, is ever redy in al the hertes of my trewe servauntes, as thus: to be jelous over him-selfe, lest he be cause of his own 40 disese. This jelousy in ful thought ever shulde be kept, for ferdnesse to lese his love by miskeping, thorow his owne doing in leudnesse, or els thus: lest she, that thou servest so fervently, is beset there her better lyketh, that of al thy good service she compteth nat a cresse. These jelousies in herte for acceptable 45 qualitees ben demed; these oughten every trewe lover, by kyndly [maner], evermore haven in his mynde, til fully the grace and blisse of my service be on him discended at wil. And he that than jelousy caccheth, or els by wening of his owne folisshe wilfulnesse mistrusteth, truely with fantasy of venim he is foule 50 begyled. Yvel wil hath grounded thilke mater of sorowe in his leude soule, and yet nat-for-than to every wight shulde me nat truste, ne every wight fully misbeleve; the mene of these thinges +oweth to be used. Sothly, withouten causeful evidence mistrust in jelousy shulde nat be wened in no wyse person commenly; 55 suche leude wickednesse shulde me nat fynde. He that is wyse and with yvel wil nat be acomered, can abyde wel his tyme, til grace and blisse of his service folowing have him so mokel esed, as his abydinge toforehande hath him disesed.'

'Certes, lady,' quod I tho, 'of nothing me wondreth, sithen 60 thilke blisse so precious is and kyndly good, and wel is and worthy in kynde whan it is medled with love and reson, as ye toforn have declared. Why, anon as hye oon is spronge, why springeth nat the tother? And anon as the oon cometh, why receyveth nat the other? For every thing that is out of his kyndly place, by ful 65 appetyt ever cometh thiderward kyndely to drawe; and his kyndly being ther-to him constrayneth. And the kyndly stede of this blisse is in suche wil medled to +onbyde, and nedes in that it shulde have his kyndly being. Wherfore me thinketh, anon as that wil to be shewed and kid him profreth, thilke blisse shulde him 70 hye, thilk wil to receyve; or els kynde[s] of goodnesse worchen nat in hem as they shulde. Lo, be the sonne never so fer, ever it hath his kynde werching in erthe. Greet weight on hye on-lofte caried stinteth never til it come to +his resting-place. Waters to the see-ward ever ben they drawing. Thing that is light 75 blythly wil nat sinke, but ever ascendeth and upward draweth. Thus kynde in every thing his kyndly cours and his beinge-place sheweth. Wherfore +by kynde, on this good wil, anon as it were spronge, this blisse shulde thereon discende; her kynde[s] wolde, they dwelleden togider; and so have ye sayd your-selfe.' 80

'Certes,' quod she, 'thyne herte sitteth wonder sore, this blisse for to have; thyne herte is sore agreved that it tarieth so longe; and if thou durstest, as me thinketh by thyne wordes, this blisse woldest thou blame. But yet I saye, thilke blisse is kyndly good, and his kyndely place [is] in that wil to +onbyde. Never-the-later, 85 their comming togider, after kyndes ordinaunce, nat sodaynly may betyde; it muste abyde tyme, as kynde yeveth him leve. For if a man, as this wil medled gonne him shewe, and thilke blisse in haste folowed, so lightly comminge shulde lightly cause going. Longe tyme of thursting causeth drink to be the more 90 delicious whan it is atasted.'

'How is it,' quod I than, 'that so many blisses see I al day at myne eye, in the firste moment of a sight, with suche wil accorde? Ye, and yet other-whyle with wil assenteth, singulerly by him-selfe; there reson fayleth, traveyle was non; service had no tyme. This 95 is a queynt maner thing, how suche doing cometh aboute.'

'O,' quod she, 'that is thus. The erthe kyndely, after sesons and tymes of the yere, bringeth forth innumerable herbes and trees, bothe profitable and other; but suche as men might leve (though they nought in norisshinge to mannes kynde serven, or 100 els suche as tournen sone unto mennes confusion, in case that therof they ataste), comen forth out of the erthe by their owne kynde, withouten any mannes cure or any businesse in traveyle. And the ilke herbes that to mennes lyvelode necessarily serven, without whiche goodly in this lyfe creatures mowen nat enduren, 105 and most ben +norisshinge to mankynde, without greet traveyle, greet tilthe, and longe abydinge-tyme, comen nat out of the erthe, and [y]it with sede toforn ordayned, suche herbes to make springe and forth growe. Right so the parfit blisse, that we have in meninge of during-tyme to abyde, may nat come so lightly, but with greet 110 traveyle and right besy tilth; and yet good seed to be sowe; for ofte the croppe fayleth of badde seede, be it never so wel traveyled. And thilke blisse thou spoke of so lightly in comming, trewly, is nat necessary ne abydinge; and but it the better be stamped, and the venomous jeuse out-wrongen, it is lykely to enpoysonen 115 al tho that therof tasten. Certes, right bitter ben the herbes that shewen first [in] the yere of her own kynde. Wel the more is the harvest that yeldeth many graynes, tho longe and sore it hath ben traveyled. What woldest thou demen if a man wold yeve three quarters of nobles of golde? That were a precious gift?' 120

'Ye, certes,' quod I.

'And what,' quod she, 'three quarters ful of perles?'

'Certes,' quod I, 'that were a riche gift.'

'And what,' quod she, 'of as mokel azure?'

Quod I, 'a precious gift at ful.' 125

'Were not,' quod she, 'a noble gift of al these atones?'

'In good faith,' quod I, 'for wanting of Englissh naming of so noble a worde, I can not, for preciousnesse, yeve it a name.'

'Rightfully,' quod she, 'hast thou demed; and yet love, knit in vertue, passeth al the gold in this erthe. Good wil, accordant 130 to reson, with no maner propertè may be countrevayled. Al the azure in the worlde is nat to accompte in respect of reson. Love that with good wil and reson accordeth, with non erthly riches may nat ben amended. This yeft hast thou yeven, I know it my-selfe, and thy Margarite thilke gift hath receyved; in whiche 135 thinge to rewarde she hath her-selfe bounde. But thy gift, as I said, by no maner riches may be amended; wherfore, with thinge that may nat be amended, thou shalt of thy Margarites rightwisenesse be rewarded. Right suffred yet never but every good dede somtyme to be yolde. Al wolde thy Margarite with 140 no rewarde thee quyte, right, that never-more dyeth, thy mede in merit wol purvey. Certes, such sodayn blisse as thou first nempnest, right wil hem rewarde as thee wel is worthy; and though at thyn eye it semeth, the reward the desert to passe, right can after sende suche bitternesse, evenly it to rewarde. So 145 that sodayn blisse, by al wayes of reson, in gret goodnesse may not ben acompted; but blisse long, both long it abydeth, and endlesse it wol laste. See why thy wil is endelesse. For if thou lovedest ever, thy wil is ever ther t'abyde and neveremore to chaunge; evenhed of rewarde must ben don by right; than muste 150 nedes thy grace and this blisse [ben] endelesse in joye to +onbyde. Evenliche disese asketh evenliche joye, whiche hastely thou shalt have.'

'A!' quod I, 'it suffyseth not than alone good wil, be it never so wel with reson medled, but-if it be in good service longe 155 travayled. And so through service shul men come to the joye; and this, me thinketh, shulde be the wexing tree, of which ye first meved.*

CH. V. 2. fre. 4. greatnesse. 6. ioy. * _A break here in_ Th. 8. Nowe. 10. meane. 12. the. 15. fruite. 16. al thoughe. 17. the. 24. somdele. 25. great. wethers; _read_ weders. 28. hert. 29. displeased. nowe. 31. to-forne. hert great plentie. 33. thynge.

38. vndone. 41. disease. 42. thorowe. 47. _I supply_ maner. 49. catcheth. 50. venyme. 53. trust. meane. 54. owen; _read_ oweth. 58. eased. 59. diseased. 62. reason. 63. one. sprong. 64. anone. one. 66. appetite. thiderwarde. 68. vnbyde; _read_ onbyde. 70. kydde. 71. kynde; _read_ kyndes. 72. ferre.

73. great. 74. this; _read_ his. 75. see warde. 77. course. 78. be; _read_ by. 79. kynde; _read_ kyndes. 80. sayde. 81-2. hert. 85. _I supply_ is. vnbyde; _read_ onbyde. 87. maye. leaue. 90. drinke. 92. Howe. se. daye. 95. reason. none. 96. thynge howe. 97. seasons. 98. forthe. 99. leaue. 100. they were nought; _omit_ were. 101. soone. 102. forthe. 106. norisshen; _read_ norisshinge. 106-7. great (_twice_). 108. it; _read_ yit; _see_ l. 111. seede toforne. spring.

109. forthe. parfyte. meanynge. 110. great. 111. seede. 117. _I supply_ in. 119-122. thre (_twice_). 122. peerles. 123-6. gifte (_thrice_). 129. haste. knytte. 130. golde. 131. reason. 132. respecte. 132-3. reason (_twice_). 136. gifte. 141. the. 142. sodayne. 143. the. 144. rewarde.

146. sodayne. reason. 148. last. Se. 149. tabyde. 151. _I supply_ ben. ioy. vnbyde (!). 152. ioy. 157. tre. * _A break here in_ Th.