CHAPTER VII.

Than gan Love sadly me beholde, and sayd in a changed voyce, lower than she had spoken in any tyme: 'Fayn wolde I,' quod she, 'that thou were holpen; but hast thou sayd any-thing whiche thou might not proven?'

'Pardè,' quod I, 'the persones, every thing as I have sayd, han 5 knowleged hem-selfe.'

'Ye,' quod she, 'but what if they hadden nayed? How woldest thou have maynteyned it?'

'Sothely,' quod I, 'it is wel wist, bothe amonges the greetest and other of the realme, that I profered my body so largely in-to 10 provinge of tho thinges, that Mars shulde have juged the ende; but, for sothnesse of my wordes, they durste not to thilke juge truste.'

'Now, certes,' quod she, 'above al fames in this worlde, the name of marcial doinges most plesen to ladyes of my lore; but 15 sithen thou were redy, and thyne adversaryes in thy presence refused thilke doing; thy fame ought to be so born as if in dede it had take to the ende. And therfore every wight that any droppe of reson hath, and hereth of thee infame for these thinges, hath this answere to saye: "trewly thou saydest; for thyne 20 adversaryes thy wordes affirmed." And if thou haddest lyed, yet are they discomfited, the prise leved on thy syde; so that fame shal holde down infame; he shal bringe [it in] upon none halfe. What greveth thee thyne enemye[s] to sayn their owne shame, as thus: "we arn discomfited, and yet our quarel is 25 trewe?" Shal not the loos of thy frendes ayenward dequace thilke enfame, and saye they graunted a sothe without a stroke or fighting? Many men in batayle ben discomfited and overcome in a rightful quarel, that is goddes privy jugement in heven; but yet, although the party be yolden, he may with wordes saye his 30 quarel is trewe, and to yelde him, in the contrarye, for drede of dethe he is compelled; and he that graunteth and no stroke hath feled, he may not crepe away in this wyse by none excusacion. Indifferent folk wil say: "ye, who is trewe, who is fals, him-selfe knowlegeth tho thinges." Thus in every syde fame sheweth to 35 thee good and no badde.'

'But yet,' quod I, 'some wil say, I ne shulde, for no dethe, have discovered my maistresse; and so by unkyndnesse they wol knette infame, to pursue me aboute. Thus enemyes of wil, in manyfolde maner, wol seche privy serpentynes queintyses, to 40 quenche and distroye, by venim of many besinesses, the light of tr[o]uthe; to make hertes to murmure ayenst my persone, to have me in hayne withouten any cause.'

'Now,' quod she, 'here me a fewe wordes, and thou shalt fully ben answered, I trowe. Me thinketh (quod she) right now, by 45 thy wordes, that sacrament of swering, that is to say, charging by othe, was oon of the causes to make thee discover the malicious imaginacions tofore nempned. Every ooth, by knittinge of copulation, muste have these lawes, that is, trewe jugement and rightwysenesse; in whiche thinge if any of these lacke, the ooth is 50 y-tourned in-to the name of perjury. Than to make a trewe serment, most nedes these thinges folowe. For ofte tymes, a man to saye sothe, but jugement and justice folowe, he is forsworn; ensample of Herodes, for holdinge of his serment was [he] dampned. 55

Also, to saye tr[o]uthe rightfulliche (but in jugement) otherwhile is forboden, by that al sothes be nat to sayne. Therfore in jugement, in tr[o]uthe, and rightwisenesse, is every creature bounden, up payne of perjury, ful knowing to make, tho[ugh] it were of his owne persone, for drede of sinne; after that worde, 60 "better is it to dey than live false." And, al wolde perverted people fals report make in unkyndnesse, in that entent thy [en]fame to reyse, whan light of tr[o]uthe in these maters is forth sprongen and openly publisshed among commens, than shal nat suche derke enfame dare appere, for pure shame of his falsnesse. As some 65 men ther ben that their owne enfame can none otherwyse voide or els excuse, but +by hindringe of other mennes fame; which that by non other cause clepen other men false, but for [that] with their owne falsnesse mowen they nat ben avaunsed; or els by false sklaund[r]inge wordes other men shenden, their owne 70 trewe sklaunder to make seme the lasse. For if such men wolden their eyen of their conscience revolven, [they] shulden seen the same sentence they legen on other springe out of their sydes, with so many braunches, it were impossible to nombre. To whiche therefore may it be sayd in that thinge, "this man thou demest, 75 therein thy-selfe thou condempnest."

But (quod she) understand nat by these wordes, that thou wene me saye thee to be worthy sclaunder, for any mater tofore written; truely I wolde witnesse the contrary; but I saye that the bemes of sclaundring wordes may not be don awaye til the 80 daye of dome. For how shulde it nat yet, amonges so greet plentee of people, ben many shrewes, sithen whan no mo but eight persons in Noes shippe were closed, yet oon was a shrewe and skorned his father? These thinges (quod she) I trowe, shewen that fals fame is nat to drede, ne of wyse persons to accepte, and 85 namely nat of thy Margarite, whose wysdom here-after I thinke to declare; wherfore I wot wel suche thing shal nat her asterte; than of unkyndnesse thyn ooth hath thee excused at the fulle. But now, if thou woldest nat greve, me list a fewe thinges to shewe.' 90

'Say on,' quod I, 'what ye wol; I trowe ye mene but trouthe and my profit in tyme cominge.'

'Trewly,' quod she, 'that is sothe, so thou con wel kepe these wordes, and in the in[ne]rest secrè chambre of thyne herte so faste hem close that they never flitte; than shalt thou fynde hem 95 avayling. Loke now what people hast thou served; whiche of hem al in tyme of thyne exile ever thee refresshed, by the valewe of the leste coyned plate that walketh in money? Who was sory, or made any rewth for thy disese? If they hadden getten their purpose, of thy misaventure sette they nat an hawe. Lo, whan 100 thou were emprisonned, how faste they hyed in helpe of thy deliveraunce! I wene of thy dethe they yeve but lyte. They loked after no-thing but after their owne lustes. And if thou liste say the sothe, al that meyny that in this +brige thee broughten, lokeden rather after thyne helpes than thee to have releved. 105

Owen nat yet some of hem money for his commens? Paydest nat thou for some of her dispences, til they were tourned out of Selande? Who yave thee ever ought for any rydinge thou madest? Yet, pardè, some of hem token money for thy chambre, and putte tho pens in his purse, unwetinge of the renter. 110

Lo for which a company thou medlest, that neither thee ne them-selfe mighten helpe of unkyndnesse; now they bere the name that thou supposest of hem for to have. What might thou more have don than thou diddest, but-if thou woldest in a fals quarel have been a stinkinge martyr? I wene thou fleddest, as 115 longe as thou might, their privitè to counsayle; which thing thou hele[de]st lenger than thou shuldest. And thilke that ought thee money no penny wolde paye; they wende thy returne hadde ben an impossible. How might thou better have hem proved, but thus in thy nedy diseses? Now hast thou ensaumple for whom thou 120 shalt meddle; trewly, this lore is worth many goodes.'

CH. VII. 2. Fayne. 3. haste. 4. -thynge. 7. Yea. Howe. 9. wyste. amongest. greatest. 14. Nowe. 15. moste pleasen. 17. borne. 19. reason. the. 22. leaued. 23. _Supply_ it in. 24. the. enemye (_sic_). sayne. 25. arne. 30. partie. 33. maye.

34. folke. false. 36. the. 44. Nowe. shalte. 45. answerde. nowe. 46. swearyng. 47. one. the. 48. othe. copulation. 50. othe. 53. forsworne. 54. _Supply_ he. 61. false. 62. reporte. 63. forthe. 67. be; _for_ by. 68. cleapen. _Supply_ that. 70. sklaundynge. shendyn.

72. _I supply_ they. sene. 73. legen [_for_ aleggen]. 75. maye. 77. vndersta_n_de. 78. the. 80. beames. done. 81. howe. great. 82. plentie. 83. one. 85. false. 86. wysedom. 87. wotte. thynge. 88. thyne othe. the. 89. nowe. 91. meane. 92. profyte. 94. inrest. 95. shalte. 96. nowe. haste. 97. the. 98. sorye. 99. disease. 101. howe. 103. -thynge. 104. brigge; _read_ brige. 104, 105. the.

108. the. 109. pardye. 111. the. 112. now. beare. 114. done. false. 117. helest; _read_ heledest. the. 119. Howe. 120. diseases. Nowe haste. 121. shalte. worthe.