CHAPTER V.

Remembrest nat,' quod she, 'ensample is oon of the strongest maner[es], as for to preve a mannes purpos? Than if I now, by ensample, enduce thee to any proposicion, is it nat preved by strength?'

'Yes, forsothe,' quod I. 5

'Wel,' quod she, 'raddest thou never how Paris of Troye and Heleyne loved togider, and yet had they not entrecomuned of speche? Also Acrisius shette Dane his doughter in a tour, for suertee that no wight shulde of her have no maistry in my service; and yet Jupiter by signes, without any speche, had 10 al his purpose ayenst her fathers wil. And many suche mo have ben knitte in trouthe, and yet spake they never togider; for that is a thing enclosed under secretnesse of privytè, why twey persons entremellen hertes after a sight. The power in knowing, of such thinges +to preven, shal nat al utterly be yeven to you 15 beestes; for many thinges, in suche precious maters, ben reserved to jugement of devyne purveyaunce; for among lyving people, by mannes consideracion, moun they nat be determined. Wherfore I saye, al the envy, al the janglinge, that wel ny [al] people upon my servauntes maken +ofte, is rather cause of esployte 20 than of any hindringe.'

'Why, than,' quod I, 'suffre ye such wrong; and moun, whan ye list, lightly al such yvels abate? Me semeth, to you it is a greet unworship.'

'O,' quod she, 'hold now thy pees. I have founden to many 25 that han ben to me unkynde, that trewly I wol suffre every wight in that wyse to have disese; and who that continueth to the ende wel and trewly, hem wol I helpen, and as for oon of myne in-to blisse [don] to wende. As [in] marcial doing in Grece, who was y-crowned? By god, nat the strongest; but he that rathest 30 com and lengest abood and continued in the journey, and spared nat to traveyle as long as the play leste. But thilke person, that profred him now to my service, [and] therin is a while, and anon voideth and [is] redy to another; and so now oon he thinketh and now another; and in-to water entreth and anon respireth: 35 such oon list me nat in-to perfit blisse of my service bringe. A tree ofte set in dyvers places wol nat by kynde endure to bringe forth frutes. Loke now, I pray thee, how myne olde servauntes of tyme passed continued in her service, and folowe thou after their steppes; and than might thou not fayle, in case thou worche 40 in this wyse.'

'Certes,' quod I, 'it is nothing lich, this world, to tyme passed; eke this countrè hath oon maner, and another countrè hath another. And so may nat a man alway putte to his eye the salve that he heled with his hele. For this is sothe: betwixe 45 two thinges liche, ofte dyversitè is required.'

'Now,' quod she, 'that is sothe; dyversitè of nation, dyversitè of lawe, as was maked by many resons; for that dyversitè cometh in by the contrarious malice of wicked people, that han envyous hertes ayenst other. But trewly, my lawe to my servauntes ever hath 50 ben in general, whiche may nat fayle. For right as mannes +lawe that is ordained by many determinacions, may nat be knowe for good or badde, til assay of the people han proved it and [founden] to what ende it draweth; and than it sheweth the necessitè therof, or els the impossibilitè: right so the lawe of my servauntes 55 so wel hath ben proved in general, that hitherto hath it not fayled.

Wiste thou not wel that al the lawe of kynde is my lawe, and by god ordayned and stablisshed to dure by kynde resoun? Wherfore al lawe by mannes witte purveyed ought to be underput to lawe of kynde, whiche yet hath be commune to every kyndely 60 creature; that my statutes and my lawe that ben kyndely arn general to al peoples. Olde doinges and by many turninges of yeres used, and with the peoples maner proved, mowen nat so lightly ben defased; but newe doinges, contrariauntes suche olde, ofte causen diseses and breken many purposes. Yet saye I nat 65 therfore that ayen newe mischeef men shulde nat ordaynen a newe remedye; but alwaye looke it contrary not the olde no ferther than the malice streccheth. Than foloweth it, the olde doinges in love han ben universal, as for most exployte[s] forth used; wherfore I wol not yet that of my lawes nothing be adnulled. 70 But thanne to thy purpos: suche jangelers and lokers, and wayters of games, if thee thinke in aught they mowe dere, yet love wel alwaye, and sette hem at naught; and let thy port ben lowe in every wightes presence, and redy in thyne herte to maynteyne that thou hast begonne; and a litel thee fayne with 75 mekenesse in wordes; and thus with sleyght shalt thou surmount and dequace the yvel in their hertes. And wysdom yet is to seme flye otherwhyle, there a man wol fighte. Thus with suche thinges the tonges of yvel shal ben stilled; els fully to graunte thy ful meninge, for-sothe ever was and ever it shal be, that myn enemyes 80 ben aferde to truste to any fightinge. And therfore have thou no cowardes herte in my service, no more than somtyme thou haddest in the contrarye. For if thou drede suche jangleres, thy viage to make, understand wel, that he that dredeth any rayn, to sowe his cornes, he shal have than [bare] bernes. Also he that 85 is aferd of his clothes, let him daunce naked! Who nothing undertaketh, and namely in my service, nothing acheveth. After grete stormes the +weder is often mery and smothe. After moche clatering, there is mokil rowning. Thus, after jangling wordes, cometh "huissht! pees! and be stille!"' 90

'O good lady!' quod I than, 'see now how, seven yere passed and more, have I graffed and +grobbed a vyne; and with al the wayes that I coude I sought to a fed me of the grape; but frute have I non founde. Also I have this seven yere served Laban, to a wedded Rachel his doughter; but blere-eyed Lya is brought to 95 my bedde, which alway engendreth my tene, and is ful of children in tribulacion and in care. And although the clippinges and kissinges of Rachel shulde seme to me swete, yet is she so barayne that gladnesse ne joye by no way wol springe; so that I may wepe with Rachel. I may not ben counsayled with solace, 100 sithen issue of myn hertely desyre is fayled. Now than I pray that to me [come] sone fredom and grace in this eight[eth] yere; this eighteth mowe to me bothe be kinrest and masseday, after the seven werkedays of travayle, to folowe the Christen lawe; and, what ever ye do els, that thilke Margaryte be holden so, lady, in 105 your privy chambre, that she in this case to none other person be committed.'

'Loke than,' quod she, 'thou persever in my service, in whiche I have thee grounded; that thilke scorn in thyn enemyes mowe this on thy person be not sothed: "lo! this man began to edefye, 110 but, for his foundement is bad, to the ende may he it not bringe." For mekenesse in countenaunce, with a manly hert in dedes and in longe continuaunce, is the conisance of my livery to al my retinue delivered. What wenest thou, that me list avaunce suche persons as loven the first sittinges at feestes, the highest stoles 115 in churches and in hal, loutinges of peoples in markettes and fayres; unstedfaste to byde in one place any whyle togider; wening his owne wit more excellent than other; scorning al maner devyse but his own? Nay, nay, god wot, these shul nothing parten of my blisse. Truly, my maner here-toforn hath ben [to] worship[pe] 120 with my blisse lyons in the felde and lambes in chambre; egles at assaute and maydens in halle; foxes in counsayle, stil[le] in their dedes; and their proteccioun is graunted, redy to ben a bridge; and their baner is arered, like wolves in the felde. Thus, by these wayes, shul men ben avaunced; ensample of 125 David, that from keping of shepe was drawen up in-to the order of kingly governaunce; and Jupiter, from a bole, to ben Europes fere; and Julius Cesar, from the lowest degrè in Rome, to be mayster of al erthly princes; and Eneas from hel, to be king of the countrè there Rome is now stonding. And so to thee I say; 130 thy grace, by bering ther-after, may sette thee in suche plight, that no jangling may greve the leest tucke of thy hemmes; that [suche] are their +jangles, is nought to counte at a cresse in thy disavauntage.

CH. V. 1. one. 2. maner; _read_ maneres. purpose. 3. nowe. the. 4. proued. 6. howe. 9. suertie. 15. so; _read_ to. 17. lyueng.

19. _I supply_ al. 20. efte; _read_ ofte. 24. great. 25. holde nowe thy peace. 27. disease. 29. one. _I supply_ don. _I supply_ in. 31. come. abode. 32. lest. 33. nowe. _I supply_ and. 34. _I supply_ is. nowe one. 35. nowe. 36. one. p_er_fyte. 38. nowe. the howe. 42. worlde. 43. one. 44. alwaye put. 45. healed. 47. Nowe. 48. reasons. 51. lawes; _read_ lawe. 52. determinati[=o]s. 53. _I supply_ founden.

58. reasoun. 59. purueyde. vnderputte. 61. arne. 65. diseases. breaken. 66. mischefe. 68. stretcheth. 69. exployte forthe. 70. nothynge. 71. purpose. 72. the. 73. lette. porte. 75. the. 77. wysdome. 78. fyght. 79. graunt. 80. meanynge. 84. vnderstande. rayne. 85. _I supply_ bare. 86. aferde. 88. great. wether; _read_ weder. 90. huysshte. peace. styl. 91. se nowe howe.

92. groubed. 94. none. 101. Nowe. 102. _I supply_ come. 103. kynrest (_sic_). 109. skorne. 110. this; _read_ thus? 120. toforne. 121. worship; _read_ worshippe (_verb_). 122. styl. 123. protection.

130. nowe. the. 131. set the. 132. lest. 133. ianghes; _read_ jangles.