Chapter 38

The tuelfthe, which is last of alle Of Signes, Piscis men it calle, The which, as telleth the scripture, Berth of tuo fisshes the figure. So is he cold and moiste of kinde, And ek with sterres, as I finde, 1220 Beset in sondri wise, as thus: Tuo of his ende Aquarius Hath lent unto his heved, and tuo This Signe hath of his oghne also Upon his wombe, and over this Upon his ende also ther is A nombre of twenty sterres bryghte, Which is to sen a wonder sighte. Toward this Signe into his hous Comth Jupiter the glorious, 1230 And Venus ek with him acordeth To duellen, as the bok recordeth. The Monthe unto this Signe ordeined Is Februer, which is bereined, And with londflodes in his rage At Fordes letteth the passage.

Nou hast thou herd the proprete Of Signes, bot in his degre Albumazar yit over this Seith, so as therthe parted is 1240 In foure, riht so ben divised The Signes tuelve and stonde assised, That ech of hem for his partie Hath his climat to justefie. Wherof the ferste regiment Toward the part of Orient From Antioche and that contre Governed is of Signes thre, That is Cancer, Virgo, Leo: And toward Occident also 1250 From Armenie, as I am lerned, Of Capricorn it stant governed, Of Pisces and Aquarius: And after hem I finde thus, Southward from Alisandre forth Tho Signes whiche most ben worth In governance of that doaire, Libra thei ben and Sagittaire With Scorpio, which is conjoint With hem to stonde upon that point: 1260 Constantinople the Cite, So as the bokes tellen me, The laste of this division Stant untoward Septemtrion, Wher as be weie of pourveance Hath Aries the governance Forth with Taurus and Gemini. Thus ben the Signes propreli Divided, as it is reherced, Wherof the londes ben diversed. 1270

Lo thus, mi Sone, as thou myht hiere, Was Alisandre mad to liere Of hem that weren for his lore. But nou to loken overmore, Of othre sterres hou thei fare I thenke hierafter to declare, So as king Alisandre in youthe Of him that suche thinges couthe Enformed was tofore his yhe Be nyhte upon the sterres hihe. 1280

Upon sondri creacion Stant sondri operacion, Som worcheth this, som worcheth that; The fyr is hot in his astat And brenneth what he mai atteigne, The water mai the fyr restreigne, The which is cold and moist also. Of other thing it farth riht so Upon this erthe among ous here; And forto speke in this manere, 1290 Upon the hevene, as men mai finde, The sterres ben of sondri kinde And worchen manye sondri thinges To ous, that ben here underlinges. Among the whiche forth withal Nectanabus in special, Which was an Astronomien And ek a gret Magicien, And undertake hath thilke emprise To Alisandre in his aprise 1300 As of Magique naturel To knowe, enformeth him somdel Of certein sterres what thei mene; Of whiche, he seith, ther ben fiftene, And sondrily to everich on A gras belongeth and a Ston, Wherof men worchen many a wonder To sette thing bothe up and under.

To telle riht as he began, The ferste sterre Aldeboran, 1310 The cliereste and the moste of alle, Be rihte name men it calle; Which lich is of condicion To Mars, and of complexion To Venus, and hath therupon Carbunculum his propre Ston: His herbe is Anabulla named, Which is of gret vertu proclamed.

The seconde is noght vertules; Clota or elles Pliades 1320 It hatte, and of the mones kinde He is, and also this I finde, He takth of Mars complexion: And lich to such condicion His Ston appropred is Cristall, And ek his herbe in special The vertuous Fenele it is.

The thridde, which comth after this, Is hote Algol the clere rede, Which of Satorne, as I may rede, 1330 His kinde takth, and ek of Jove Complexion to his behove. His propre Ston is Dyamant, Which is to him most acordant; His herbe, which is him betake, Is hote Eleborum the blake.

So as it falleth upon lot, The ferthe sterre is Alhaiot, Which in the wise as I seide er Of Satorne and of Jupiter 1340 Hath take his kinde; and therupon The Saphir is his propre Ston, Marrubium his herbe also, The whiche acorden bothe tuo.

And Canis maior in his like The fifte sterre is of Magique, The whos kinde is venerien, As seith this Astronomien. His propre Ston is seid Berille, Bot forto worche and to fulfille 1350 Thing which to this science falleth, Ther is an herbe which men calleth Saveine, and that behoveth nede To him that wole his pourpos spede.

The sexte suiende after this Be name Canis minor is; The which sterre is Mercurial Be weie of kinde, and forth withal, As it is writen in the carte, Complexion he takth of Marte. 1360 His Ston and herbe, as seith the Scole, Ben Achates and Primerole.

The sefnthe sterre in special Of this science is Arial, Which sondri nature underfongeth. The Ston which propre unto him longeth, Gorgonza proprely it hihte: His herbe also, which he schal rihte Upon the worchinge as I mene, Is Celidoine freissh and grene. 1370

Sterre Ala Corvi upon heihte Hath take his place in nombre of eighte, Which of his kinde mot parforne The will of Marte and of Satorne: To whom Lapacia the grete Is herbe, bot of no beyete; His Ston is Honochinus hote, Thurgh which men worchen gret riote.

The nynthe sterre faire and wel Be name is hote Alaezel, 1380 Which takth his propre kinde thus Bothe of Mercurie and of Venus. His Ston is the grene Amyraude, To whom is yoven many a laude: Salge is his herbe appourtenant Aboven al the rememant.

The tenthe sterre is Almareth, Which upon lif and upon deth Thurgh kinde of Jupiter and Mart He doth what longeth to his part. 1390 His Ston is Jaspe, and of Planteine He hath his herbe sovereine.

The sterre ellefthe is Venenas, The whos nature is as it was Take of Venus and of the Mone, In thing which he hath forto done. Of Adamant is that perrie In which he worcheth his maistrie; Thilke herbe also which him befalleth, Cicorea the bok it calleth. 1400

Alpheta in the nombre sit, And is the twelfthe sterre yit; Of Scorpio which is governed, And takth his kinde, as I am lerned; And hath his vertu in the Ston Which cleped is Topazion: His herbe propre is Rosmarine, Which schapen is for his covine.

Of these sterres, whiche I mene, Cor Scorpionis is thritiene; 1410 The whos nature Mart and Jove Have yoven unto his behove. His herbe is Aristologie, Which folweth his Astronomie: The Ston which that this sterre alloweth, Is Sardis, which unto him boweth.

The sterre which stant next the laste, Nature on him this name caste And clepeth him Botercadent; Which of his kinde obedient 1420 Is to Mercurie and to Venus. His Ston is seid Crisolitus, His herbe is cleped Satureie, So as these olde bokes seie.

Bot nou the laste sterre of alle The tail of Scorpio men calle, Which to Mercurie and to Satorne Be weie of kinde mot retorne After the preparacion Of due constellacion. 1430 The Calcedoine unto him longeth, Which for his Ston he underfongeth; Of Majorane his herbe is grounded. Thus have I seid hou thei be founded, Of every sterre in special, Which hath his herbe and Ston withal, As Hermes in his bokes olde Witnesse berth of that I tolde.

The science of Astronomie, Which principal is of clergie 1440 To dieme betwen wo and wel In thinges that be naturel, Thei hadde a gret travail on honde That made it ferst ben understonde; And thei also which overmore Here studie sette upon this lore, Thei weren gracious and wys And worthi forto bere a pris. And whom it liketh forto wite Of hem that this science write, 1450 On of the ferste which it wrot After Noë, it was Nembrot, To his disciple Ychonithon And made a bok forth therupon The which Megaster cleped was. An other Auctor in this cas Is Arachel, the which men note; His bok is Abbategnyh hote. Danz Tholome is noght the leste, Which makth the bok of Almageste; 1460 And Alfraganus doth the same, Whos bok is Chatemuz be name. Gebuz and Alpetragus eke Of Planisperie, which men seke, The bokes made: and over this Ful many a worthi clerc ther is, That writen upon this clergie The bokes of Altemetrie, Planemetrie and ek also, Whiche as belongen bothe tuo, 1470 So as thei ben naturiens, Unto these Astronomiens. Men sein that Habraham was on; Bot whether that he wrot or non, That finde I noght; and Moises Ek was an other: bot Hermes Above alle othre in this science He hadde a gret experience; Thurgh him was many a sterre assised, Whos bokes yit ben auctorized. 1480 I mai noght knowen alle tho That writen in the time tho Of this science; bot I finde, Of jugement be weie of kinde That in o point thei alle acorden: Of sterres whiche thei recorden That men mai sen upon the hevene, Ther ben a thousend sterres evene And tuo and twenty, to the syhte Whiche aren of hemself so bryhte, 1490 That men mai dieme what thei be, The nature and the proprete.

Nou hast thou herd, in which a wise These noble Philosophres wise Enformeden this yonge king, And made him have a knowleching Of thing which ferst to the partie Belongeth of Philosophie, Which Theorique cleped is, As thou tofore hast herd er this. 1500 Bot nou to speke of the secounde, Which Aristotle hath also founde, And techeth hou to speke faire, Which is a thing full necessaire To contrepeise the balance, Wher lacketh other sufficance.

Above alle erthli creatures The hihe makere of natures The word to man hath yove alone, So that the speche of his persone, 1510 Or forto lese or forto winne, The hertes thoght which is withinne Mai schewe, what it wolde mene; And that is noghwhere elles sene Of kinde with non other beste. So scholde he be the more honeste, To whom god yaf so gret a yifte, And loke wel that he ne schifte Hise wordes to no wicked us; For word the techer of vertus 1520 Is cleped in Philosophie. Wherof touchende this partie, Is Rethorique the science Appropred to the reverence Of wordes that ben resonable: And for this art schal be vailable With goodli wordes forto like, It hath Gramaire, it hath Logiqe, That serven bothe unto the speche. Gramaire ferste hath forto teche 1530 To speke upon congruite: Logique hath eke in his degre Betwen the trouthe and the falshode The pleine wordes forto schode, So that nothing schal go beside, That he the riht ne schal decide. Wherof full many a gret debat Reformed is to good astat, And pes sustiened up alofte With esy wordes and with softe, 1540 Wher strengthe scholde lete it falle. The Philosophre amonges alle Forthi commendeth this science, Which hath the reule of eloquence.

In Ston and gras vertu ther is, Bot yit the bokes tellen this, That word above alle erthli thinges Is vertuous in his doinges, Wher so it be to evele or goode. For if the wordes semen goode 1550 And ben wel spoke at mannes Ere, Whan that ther is no trouthe there, Thei don fulofte gret deceipte; For whan the word to the conceipte Descordeth in so double a wise, Such Rethorique is to despise In every place, and forto drede. For of Uluxes thus I rede, As in the bok of Troie is founde, His eloquence and his facounde 1560 Of goodly wordes whiche he tolde, Hath mad that Anthenor him solde The toun, which he with tresoun wan. Word hath beguiled many a man; With word the wilde beste is daunted, With word the Serpent is enchaunted, Of word among the men of Armes Ben woundes heeled with the charmes, Wher lacketh other medicine; Word hath under his discipline 1570 Of Sorcerie the karectes. The wordes ben of sondri sectes, Of evele and eke of goode also; The wordes maken frend of fo, And fo of frend, and pes of werre, And werre of pes, and out of herre The word this worldes cause entriketh, And reconsileth whan him liketh. The word under the coupe of hevene Set every thing or odde or evene; 1580 With word the hihe god is plesed, With word the wordes ben appesed, The softe word the loude stilleth; Wher lacketh good, the word fulfilleth, To make amendes for the wrong; Whan wordes medlen with the song, It doth plesance wel the more.

Bot forto loke upon the lore Hou Tullius his Rethorique Componeth, ther a man mai pike 1590 Hou that he schal hise wordes sette, Hou he schal lose, hou he schal knette, And in what wise he schal pronounce His tale plein withoute frounce. Wherof ensample if thou wolt seche, Tak hiede and red whilom the speche Of Julius and Cithero, Which consul was of Rome tho, Of Catoun eke and of Cillene, Behold the wordes hem betwene, 1600 Whan the tresoun of Cateline Descoevered was, and the covine Of hem that were of his assent Was knowe and spoke in parlement, And axed hou and in what wise Men scholde don hem to juise. Cillenus ferst his tale tolde, To trouthe and as he was beholde, The comun profit forto save, He seide hou tresoun scholde have 1610 A cruel deth; and thus thei spieke, The Consul bothe and Catoun eke, And seiden that for such a wrong Ther mai no peine be to strong. Bot Julius with wordes wise His tale tolde al otherwise, As he which wolde her deth respite, And fondeth hou he mihte excite The jugges thurgh his eloquence Fro deth to torne the sentence 1620 And sette here hertes to pite. Nou tolden thei, nou tolde he; Thei spieken plein after the lawe, Bot he the wordes of his sawe Coloureth in an other weie Spekende, and thus betwen the tweie, To trete upon this juggement, Made ech of hem his Argument. Wherof the tales forto hiere, Ther mai a man the Scole liere 1630 Of Rethoriqes eloquences, Which is the secounde of sciences Touchende to Philosophie; Wherof a man schal justifie Hise wordes in disputeisoun, And knette upon conclusioun His Argument in such a forme, Which mai the pleine trouthe enforme And the soubtil cautele abate, Which every trewman schal debate. 1640

The ferste, which is Theorique, And the secounde Rethorique, Sciences of Philosophie, I have hem told as in partie, So as the Philosophre it tolde To Alisandre: and nou I wolde Telle of the thridde what it is, The which Practique cleped is.

Practique stant upon thre thinges Toward the governance of kinges; 1650 Wherof the ferst Etique is named, The whos science stant proclamed To teche of vertu thilke reule, Hou that a king himself schal reule Of his moral condicion With worthi disposicion Of good livinge in his persone, Which is the chief of his corone. It makth a king also to lerne Hou he his bodi schal governe, 1660 Hou he schal wake, hou he schal slepe, Hou that he schal his hele kepe In mete, in drinke, in clothinge eke: Ther is no wisdom forto seke As for the reule of his persone, The which that this science al one Ne techeth as be weie of kinde, That ther is nothing left behinde.

That other point which to Practique Belongeth is Iconomique, 1670 Which techeth thilke honestete Thurgh which a king in his degre His wif and child schal reule and guie, So forth with al the companie Which in his houshold schal abyde, And his astat on every syde In such manere forto lede, That he his houshold ne mislede.

Practique hath yit the thridde aprise, Which techeth hou and in what wise 1680 Thurgh hih pourveied ordinance A king schal sette in governance His Realme, and that is Policie, Which longeth unto Regalie In time of werre, in time of pes, To worschipe and to good encress Of clerk, of kniht and of Marchant, And so forth of the remenant Of al the comun poeple aboute, Withinne Burgh and ek withoute, 1690 Of hem that ben Artificiers, Whiche usen craftes and mestiers, Whos Art is cleped Mechanique. And though thei ben noght alle like, Yit natheles, hou so it falle, O lawe mot governe hem alle, Or that thei lese or that thei winne, After thastat that thei ben inne.

Lo, thus this worthi yonge king Was fulli tauht of every thing, 1700 Which mihte yive entendement Of good reule and good regiment To such a worthi Prince as he. Bot of verray necessite The Philosophre him hath betake Fyf pointz, whiche he hath undertake To kepe and holde in observance, As for the worthi governance Which longeth to his Regalie, After the reule of Policie. 1710

To every man behoveth lore, Bot to noman belongeth more Than to a king, which hath to lede The poeple; for of his kinghede He mai hem bothe save and spille. And for it stant upon his wille, It sit him wel to ben avised, And the vertus whiche are assissed Unto a kinges Regiment, To take in his entendement: 1720 Wherof to tellen, as thei stonde, Hierafterward nou woll I fonde.

Among the vertus on is chief, And that is trouthe, which is lief To god and ek to man also. And for it hath ben evere so, Tawhte Aristotle, as he wel couthe, To Alisandre, hou in his youthe He scholde of trouthe thilke grace With al his hole herte embrace, 1730 So that his word be trewe and plein, Toward the world and so certein That in him be no double speche: For if men scholde trouthe seche And founde it noght withinne a king, It were an unsittende thing. The word is tokne of that withinne, Ther schal a worthi king beginne To kepe his tunge and to be trewe, So schal his pris ben evere newe. 1740 Avise him every man tofore, And be wel war, er he be swore, For afterward it is to late, If that he wole his word debate. For as a king in special Above alle othre is principal Of his pouer, so scholde he be Most vertuous in his degre; And that mai wel be signefied Be his corone and specified. 1750

The gold betokneth excellence, That men schull don him reverence As to here liege soverein. The Stones, as the bokes sein, Commended ben in treble wise: Ferst thei ben harde, and thilke assisse Betokneth in a king Constance, So that ther schal no variance Be founde in his condicion; And also be descripcion 1760 The vertu which is in the stones A verrai Signe is for the nones Of that a king schal ben honeste And holde trewly his beheste Of thing which longeth to kinghede: The bryhte colour, as I rede, Which in the stones is schynende, Is in figure betoknende The Cronique of this worldes fame, Which stant upon his goode name. 1770 The cercle which is round aboute Is tokne of al the lond withoute, Which stant under his Gerarchie, That he it schal wel kepe and guye.

And for that trouthe, hou so it falle, Is the vertu soverein of alle, That longeth unto regiment, A tale, which is evident Of trouthe in comendacioun, Toward thin enformacion, 1780 Mi Sone, hierafter thou schalt hiere Of a Cronique in this matiere.

As the Cronique it doth reherce, A Soldan whilom was of Perce, Which Daires hihte, and Ytaspis His fader was; and soth it is That thurgh wisdom and hih prudence Mor than for eny reverence Of his lignage as be descente The regne of thilke empire he hente: 1790 And as he was himselve wys, The wisemen he hield in pris And soghte hem oute on every side, That toward him thei scholde abide. Among the whiche thre ther were That most service unto him bere, As thei which in his chambre lyhen And al his conseil herde and syhen. Here names ben of strange note, Arpaghes was the ferste hote, 1800 And Manachaz was the secounde, Zorobabel, as it is founde In the Cronique, was the thridde. This Soldan, what so him betidde, To hem he triste most of alle, Wherof the cas is so befalle: This lord, which hath conceiptes depe, Upon a nyht whan he hath slepe, As he which hath his wit desposed, Touchende a point hem hath opposed. 1810

The kinges question was this; Of thinges thre which strengest is, The wyn, the womman or the king: And that thei scholde upon this thing Of here ansuere avised be, He yaf hem fulli daies thre, And hath behote hem be his feith That who the beste reson seith, He schal receive a worthi mede.

Upon this thing thei token hiede 1820 And stoden in desputeison, That be diverse opinion Of Argumentz that thei have holde Arpaghes ferst his tale tolde, And seide hou that the strengthe of kinges Is myhtiest of alle thinges. For king hath pouer over man, And man is he which reson can, As he which is of his nature The moste noble creature 1830 Of alle tho that god hath wroght: And be that skile it semeth noght, He seith, that eny erthly thing Mai be so myhty as a king. A king mai spille, a king mai save, A king mai make of lord a knave And of a knave a lord also: The pouer of a king stant so, That he the lawes overpasseth; What he wol make lasse, he lasseth, 1840 What he wol make more, he moreth; And as the gentil faucon soreth, He fleth, that noman him reclameth; Bot he al one alle othre tameth, And stant himself of lawe fre. Lo, thus a kinges myht, seith he, So as his reson can argue, Is strengest and of most value.

Bot Manachaz seide otherwise, That wyn is of the more emprise; 1850 And that he scheweth be this weie. The wyn fulofte takth aweie The reson fro the mannes herte; The wyn can make a krepel sterte, And a delivere man unwelde; It makth a blind man to behelde, And a bryht yhed seme derk; It makth a lewed man a clerk, And fro the clerkes the clergie It takth aweie, and couardie 1860 It torneth into hardiesse; Of Avarice it makth largesse. The wyn makth ek the goode blod, In which the Soule which is good Hath chosen hire a resting place, Whil that the lif hir wole embrace. And be this skile Manachas Ansuered hath upon this cas, And seith that wyn be weie of kinde Is thing which mai the hertes binde 1870 Wel more than the regalie.

Zorobabel for his partie Seide, as him thoghte for the beste, That wommen ben the myhtieste. The king and the vinour also Of wommen comen bothe tuo; And ek he seide hou that manhede Thurgh strengthe unto the wommanhede Of love, wher he wole or non, Obeie schal; and therupon, 1880 To schewe of wommen the maistrie, A tale which he syh with yhe As for ensample he tolde this,—

Hou Apemen, of Besazis Which dowhter was, in the paleis Sittende upon his hihe deis, Whan he was hotest in his ire Toward the grete of his empire, Cirus the king tirant sche tok, And only with hire goodly lok 1890 Sche made him debonaire and meke, And be the chyn and be the cheke Sche luggeth him riht as hir liste, That nou sche japeth, nou sche kiste, And doth with him what evere hir liketh; Whan that sche loureth, thanne he siketh, And whan sche gladeth, he is glad: And thus this king was overlad With hire which his lemman was. Among the men is no solas, 1900 If that ther be no womman there; For bot if that the wommen were, This worldes joie were aweie: Thurgh hem men finden out the weie To knihthode and to worldes fame; Thei make a man to drede schame, And honour forto be desired: Thurgh the beaute of hem is fyred The Dart of which Cupide throweth, Wherof the jolif peine groweth, 1910 Which al the world hath under fote. A womman is the mannes bote, His lif, his deth, his wo, his wel; And this thing mai be schewed wel, Hou that wommen ben goode and kinde, For in ensample this I finde.

Whan that the duk Ametus lay Sek in his bedd, that every day Men waiten whan he scholde deie, Alceste his wif goth forto preie, 1920 As sche which wolde thonk deserve, With Sacrifice unto Minerve, To wite ansuere of the goddesse Hou that hir lord of his seknesse, Wherof he was so wo besein, Recovere myhte his hele ayein. Lo, thus sche cride and thus sche preide, Til ate laste a vois hir seide, That if sche wolde for his sake The maladie soffre and take, 1930 And deie hirself, he scholde live. Of this ansuere Alceste hath yive Unto Minerve gret thonkinge, So that hir deth and his livinge Sche ches with al hire hole entente, And thus acorded hom sche wente. Into the chambre and whan sche cam, Hire housebonde anon sche nam In bothe hire Armes and him kiste, And spak unto him what hire liste; 1940 And therupon withinne a throwe This goode wif was overthrowe And deide, and he was hool in haste. So mai a man be reson taste, Hou next after the god above The trouthe of wommen and the love, In whom that alle grace is founde, Is myhtiest upon this grounde And most behovely manyfold.