Part 9

Grownde yow not opon noone avysyons, Ne opon no lewde illusyons Off grete emprise, thought it be ryght or wrong, And of Paaris remenbre yow among.

Because that Paryis hadde dremed that he shulde ravysch Helayne in Grece, a grete army was made and sent ffro Troye into Grece, where that Paryis ravysshede Heleyne. Than for that wrongfull dede they com after that opon Troye with all the power off Grece. There was soo grete a covnetre at that tyme that it lastyd to the contre that we calle now Puille[420] and Calebre in Ytaly, and that tyme it was called Lytyl Grece.[421] And of that contre was Achilles and þe Mirmedewes, the which were so worthi fyters. That grete quantite of pepill confoundid Troye and all the contre. Therefor it is seyde to the good knyght that he shulde not ondirtake to doo no grete thynge opon avysiones, for grete harme and grete besynes may come thereoff. And that a grete emprise shuld not be done wythowte good deliberacion of counsell, Platon seyth, “Do nothyng,” seith he, “but that thy wytte hath ouerseen afore.”

That a grete empryse shuld not be takyn for avisyon, that is to sey that the good sperite shulde in no vyse presume ne reyse hym selphe in arrogance for no maner of grace that God hath yoven hym. And Seynt Gregorie seyth in his Morales that there be .iiii. spices[422] in the whiche all bolnynges of arrogances be shewed. The fryst is when they noyse they haue of them selfe the goodnes that they haue; the .ii. is when they wene welle that they haue deseruyd and reseyuyd it for ther meritis the goodnes þat they haue; the .iii. is when they avant to haue the goodnes that they haue not; and the .iiii. is when that they dysprese othir and desire that men shuld know the goo[d]nes that is in theyme. Ayens this vyse the wyse man spekyth in his Prouerbes, [“Arrogantiam et superbiam et os bilingue detestor”].[423]

LXIX.

Iff thou loue well houndes an birdes, than On Anteon,[424] the fayre yong gentilman, The which becomme an herte, vmbethynk well þe, And loke that siche fortune com not to the.

Antheon was a full corteis ientylman and of gentyl condicions [Sidenote: f. 50.] and loued houndes and birdes to myche; fore the fabill seith that on a day as he huntyd all alone in a thykke forest, wheryn his men hadde lost hym, thane as Dyane the godesse of the woode hadde huntyd in the forest to it was the oure of noone, she was sore chaffede and hoote for the grete hete of the sunne, for þe which she had a lyste to bathe hir in a f[a]yre welle and a clere, the whiche was ther fast by, and as she was in the welle all nakyde envyrouned wyth fayreis[425] and godes the whiche seruyd hyre, Antheon, the which tooke non heede, com sodeynly opon hire and sawe all the godes, of whome for hire grete castite the vesage wexe reede for shame and was full sory. And than she seide, “Becawse that I know wele that thysse yong gentilman wyll vaunt hym of ladies and gentilwomen—to the entent that thou schalte not mowe vante the that hathe see me naked, I shall take the myght of thy speche from the.” Than she cursyd hym, and anon Antheon becomme a wilde herte and no thyng was lefte hym of mankyndly shape but all only vndirstondyng. Than he, full of grete sorowe and off sodeyne feere, wente fleyng throwe the busches, and anon he was reseyuyd with his owen houndes and halewed wyth hys owen men that serched the forest for hym, but nowe they haue founde hyme and knowe hym not. There Antheon was drawe doune, the whych wepte grete teres afore his owne men and fayne woolde haue cryed theyme mercy yif he myght haue spokyn. And sene that tyme hethir to hertes euer at there dethe wepyn. Antheon was slayne and martired with grete woo with his owen menye, the which in a litell while had all devowred hym. Many exposicions may be made vpon this fable; but to oure purpose it may be seide of a yong man that habaundoneth hym holy in ydylnes and dispendith his goodes and his gettynges in delyte off his body and in disportes of huntyng and to kepe ydel menye. Hereby may it be seide that he was hated of Dyane, the which is noted for chastite, and deuowred of his owen menye. Therefor it is seide to the good knyght that he shuld be ware he were not deuowred in leche wyse. And a wyse man seith, “Idilnes engendyrth idylnes[426] and errour.”

Be Antheon, the which become an herte, we may vnderstond the veray repentaunt man that was wonnte to be a synner and now hath ouercome his fleyssch and made it bonde to the good sperite [and] takyn the state of pennaunce. Seynt Austyn seith in the Sawtyr that pennance is an esy thyng or dede and a lyght charge; it owght not to be called a grete charge for a man but wenges off a byrde fleyng, for, as a birde in herth here bereth the charge of [Sidenote: f. 51.] there wenges and there wenges berith theyme to heven, on the same wyse, yff we bere on erthe here the charge off pennawnce, it shal bere vs to heven. To this purpose þe Gospell seith, [“Pœnitentiam agite, appropinquavit enim regnum cœlorum”].[427]

LXX.

I seye go notte to the yates of helle For to seke Euridice be my counselle. Litell he wanne there with his harpe and play, Orpheus, as that I haue ofte herd seye.

Orpheus the poyete, the which harpede so well,[428] a fabil seith that he maried hym to Euridice, but on the day of mariage thei wente to disporte theyme in a medwe barefoote ffor the grete hete of the sonne, and an herde coveytyd that fayyr woman and ranne ffor to a rauysshed hyr, and as she flede afore hym for fere of hym she was betyn with a serpent that was hyd wnder the gresse of the medwe, and within a litell while after the mayden dyed. Orpheus was ryght heuy of that mysse aventure; yit he tooke his harpe and wentte to þe yattes of helle in the dyrke waly afore the helle paleys, and thanne he begane to harppe pytously and he pleyyd so swetely that all the tormentes off helle cesyd and all the helly offices lefte there besynes for to here the sownde of the harppe, and anamly Proserpyne, the godes off helle, was meuyd with grete pete. Than Pluto, Lucifere, Cerebrus and Acaron,[429] the which for the harpor sawe that the offices off hell peynnes lefte and cesed, toke hym hys wyff vpon a condicion that he shulde goo afore and sche after, and that he shulde notte loke behynde hym to he come owt of the valy of helle, and yff he looked behynde hym he shuld lefe hire. Opon this condicion she was delyuered to hym ayen. So Orpheus wente afore and his loue after, but he that was to hoote in loue, the which desired to beholde hire, myght not kepe hym from lokyng ayen after his loue, and anoon as [he] loked byhynd hym Euredice partyd from hyme and was ayen in helle, so that he myght no more haue hire. This fable may be vndyrstondyn in many maneres. It myght be so that some man had his wyff takyn fro hyme and he had getten hire ayen; on the same wyse it may be of a castell or of anothir thyng. But to owre purpose it may be seide that he seketh veryly Euredice in hell, the which sekyth an inpossibyl thyng and, thowgh a man may notte recouer that, he owghte not to be wrothe. Salamon seyth the same, “It is a foly thyng,” he seith, “to seke that the which is impossybylle to be hadde.” [Sidenote: f. 52.]

Be that a man shulde not goo to seke Euredice in hell, we may vndirstond that the goode speryte shulde aske ne requyre of God no thyng that is meruellious,[430] ne that mervell to be thyng oon, that is to sey, to tempte God. And Seynt Austyn seith opon Seynt John Gospell that Godes creature is not exavced when he requiryth a thyng the which may not be doone or shuld not be doone, or a thyng the which he wolde vse amysse yf that it were grawntyd hyme, or ell a thyng that shuld hurte the sowle yf it were exauuced. And therfor it comyth of the mercy off God, if he gyff not to a creature a thyng the which he knowyth he wolde vse amysse. To this purpose Seynt James the apostell seyth in his Pistell, [“Petitis et non accipitis eo quod male petatis”].[431]

LXXI.

Iff thou will veraly knowe a knyght In cloystir or clos where he be dyght, The say[432] that was made to Achilles Sall lerne the to proue theym doutles.

The fable seith that Achilles was sone to the godes Thetis, and becawse that, as a godes, she knew if hir sone haunted armes that he shu[l]d dye, she, the which louyd hym with to grete love, hide hym in maydinis clothyng and made hyme were a vaile leche a nonne. In the godesse abbay[433] he lyffed so, and Achilles was long hydde vnto that some persones perseyuyd hym, and the fabill seith that there he begate Pirus[434] opon the kynges dougther, the which was after that full cheualerous. Than began the Troyens grete werres, and the Grekes knew wele that thei hadde nede of Achilles for to streynght theyme. He was sowte ouer all, but thei myght not here of hym. Vlixes, the which was full of grete malice, sowgth hym ouer all [and] come to the temple, but yit he myght not perseyue the trowght. He avysyd hym of grete malice and sotilte, and than Vlixes toke keuercheffes, girdill and all maner of iowell[435] longyng to ladies and therwith feyre armure and bryghte and cast all doune in the myddes of the place in presens of the ladyes and praide iche of theyme to take[436] that the which plessede theyme best; and than, as euery thyng drawith to his nature, the ladies ronne to the jowell and Achilles sessede the armure. And thanne Vlixes ranne and tooke hyme in his armys and seyde, “This is he that I seke.” And becawse that knyghtes shulde be more inclyned to armes than to plesawnce,[437] which longgeth to ladies, the auctorite seith that therby a man may knowe the veray knyght. And to this purpose Legaron[438] seith that a knyghte is not [Sidenote: f. 53.] knowen but be his dedes of armes.[439] And Hermes seith that thou shuldest preue a man afore or that thou trost hym to gretely.

Where it is seyde, “Yf thou wylte knowe a goode knyght,” we may vnderstondyn that the good knyght [of] Cryst Jhesu shuld be know by the dede of armes in goode workyng, and that siche a knyght shulde haue the dwe prayse that longgeth to goode men. Seynt Jerom seith in a pistil that, as the ryghtvisnes of God levyth non evil thyng vnponysshede, on the same wyse it levith no goode thyng vnrewarded. So than to good pepill noo labour shulde be thought to harde, ne no tyme to longe, standyng that thei [are] abydyng[440] the euerlastyng hire and blys. Therfor Holy Scripture seith, [“Confortamini et non dissolvantur manus vestræ, erit enim merces operi vestro”].[441]

LXXII.

Wyth Athalenta stryue thou not nowe, For she hath gretter talent þan thou. It was hir crafte for to renne fast. To siche a rennyng haue thou non hast.

Athalenta was on of the fayre[442] and lyche to a gentilvoman of grete beaute, but hire destonye was diuerse; ffor because of hire mony lost ther lyves. This gentilvoman for hire grete beaute was covetyde of mony oon to be hadde to maryage, but ther was made sich a conuenawnt that non shulde haue hire but he ouerranne hir, and yf she ouerranne hym, he shuld dye. Athalenta was mervelious swyft, so that non myght streche to hir in rennyng and that cawsed many on for to die. This rennyng may be vnderstondyn in many maneres. It may be as some thyng that is gretly covetyid of many persones, but yit it may notte be hadde withowte grete traueyle; the rennyng that she made is the defence or the resistence of the same thynges. And allso the fabill may be noted anamly for tho that makyth grete stryve and nedith not. Also the auctorite seyth that a hard man and a coragius ought not to myche to stryve for onprofytabyll thynges, the whiche he shulde not set by, stondyng that thei [t]owche[443] not to his worchyppe for many grete [h]urtes folwyth off sich stryues. And Thessille[444] [se]ith, “Thou shuldest doo that the which is moste [pro]fetable to the body and most behouely to the soule and fle the contrarye.”

That we shulde notte stryve wyth Athalenta may be vnderstondyn that the goode speryte shulde not be letted with non thyng [Sidenote: f. 54.] that the worlde dothe, of what gouernans it be. And to the same Seynt Austyn seyth in a pistil that the worlde is more perlious to creaturis when it is eesy than whan it is sharpe, for the softer he seeth it the les it shulde lete hym and lees he shulde drawe it to his love then whenne it yeffyth hym cause to dispite it. To this purpose Seynt John the Euaungelist seyth in his fryst Pistill, [“Si quis diligit mundum, non est charitas Patris in eo”].[445]

LXXIII.

As that Paris iugede iuge thou noght, For many men hau ben full hard brought Be grauntyng of evil sentence And had þerfor ryght greuous recompence.

The fable seith that .iii. godesses of grete myght, that is to sey, Pallas godes of kunnyng,[446] Juno godes of goode,[447] and Venus godes off love, com before Paris holdyng an apple of golde,[448] the which seide, “Lete this be youen to the fayrest and the myghttyest of vs.” There was grete discord ffor this appyll, for iche of theyme seyde they ought to haue it, and at the last thei tooke Paris for to iuge the cavse. Paris sought delegently the strenghte and the myghte of ich of theyme by the selfe. Than seide Pallas, “I am godes of cheualry and of wysdom, for by me armes is departed to knyghtes and konyng to clerkes, and yf thou wilt yiff me the appyll, tryst veryli that I shall make the to paase[449] all othir in koonyng and in knytehode.” After that Juno, godes of goode, seide, “And by me is departyd the grete lordshippes and also tresowrys off the worlde. If thou wyl gyff me the appyll, I shall make the recher and mygh[t]ier than ony othir.” And than spake Venus wyth full louyng wordes and seide, “I am she that kepyth scoles of loue and off iolines[450] and maketh fooles to be wyse men and wyse men to do foly, and I make ryche men poore and tho þat be exiled riche. There is no myght that may compare wyth my myght. Iff thou wylt yeffve me the appyll, by me thou shalt haue þe love of fayre Helaine of Grece, the which may avayle the more than any maner of ryches.” And thanne Paris gaff his sentence and forsoke bothe knyghthode, wisdom and riches for Venus, to whome he gaff the appyll; for the which after that Troye was dystryd. This is to vnderstonde, because that Paris was not cheuallrous ne reche, he sette be noo thyng, but all his thought was on loue, and therefor yaffe he the appill to Venus. Werefor it is seide to the goode knyght that he shuld not demene hym so. And Pictagoras seith, [Sidenote: f. 55.] “The iuge that iugede not iustyly, diserveth myche evyll.”

Be Parys that iuged folely is vnderstonden that the goode sperite shulde be ware how he iuged oþer. Seynt Austyn spekyth thereoff ayens the [Manichees][451] that there be .ii. thynges the whych in especiall we shulde eschewe, fryst to iuge othir persones, for we know not of what corage thynges be done, the which to contempne it is þerfor[452] grete presumcion, for we shuld take theyme to the better partye; secundly for because we be not incerteyne what the[i] shall be that now be goode or now evill. Owre Lord to this purpose seith in þe Gospell, [“Nolite judicare et non judicabimini, in quo enim judicio judicaveritis judicabimini.”][453]

LXXIV.

In Fortvne, that grete myghty godesse, Trist not to mych, ne in hyre promyse; For in a lytell space she chaungeth, And the hyest ofte ouerthroweth.

Fortune aftyr the spekyng off poyetis may be wele called the grete godes, for by hire we see that wordly thynges be gouernde. And becauce she promysyth to many prosperite inowght—and indede to some she yeffeth it—and in litell space takyth it awaye when it plesyth hire, it is seide to the goode knyght that he shuld not trost in hire promysses ne discomfort hym not in his aduersites. And Socrates seith the cours of fortvne farith as engins.[454]

Becavse whi that he seith that he shulde not trost in fortvne, we may vnderstond that the good spirite shuld fle and disprayse wordly delittes. Therefor Boys[455] seith in the .iii. booke of Consolacion that the felicite off the Epicuriens shulde be called vnfelicite, for the full and the perfyȝth felicite it is that the which [can] make man sufficiently myghty, reuerende, solempne and ioyeux, the which condicions resiste not to thynges whereopon wordly peple settyth there felycite.[456] Thereffor God seyth by the profyte Ysaie, [“Popule meus, qui te beatum dicunt, ipsi te decipiunt”].[457]

LXXV.

To vndirtake to avance werre, [Sidenote: f. 56.] Make thou not Paris the begynner; Better he cowde (take vittenes aboue) Disporte in the feyre armes of his loue.

Paris was nothyng condicionned to armes, but all to loue. Therefor it is seide to the goode knyght that he shuld not make a cheuetayne of his host ne of his bateilles a knyght the whiche is not apte to armes. And therefor Aristotyl seith to Alizaunder, “Thou shuldest make hym connestabil of thyne oste that thou knowes is wyse and experte in armes.”

That ye shulde not make Paaris to begynne yowre werres, it is to vnderstonde that the good knyght gostly, tendyng only to the knyghthode of heuen, shuld be holly drawen fro the worlde and ches contemplatyue lyffe. And Seynt Grigore seith vpon Ezeciell that the lyffe contemplatyue is of ryght preferred afore the actiue liue as for the worthier and the gretter, for the actiue life travellith hymselfe in the laboure of this present lyfe, but the contemplatyve lyfe farith as he that tristith[458] the sauour of the reste that is for to come. Wherefor the Gospell seith off Mary Magdalene, be whom contemplacion is figured, [“Optimam partem elegit sibi Maria, quæ non auseretur ab ea”].[459]

LXXVI.

Sette the not to be a spy, I the seye, But loke thou kepe euer the hey weye. Sephalus[460] wyth his [s]harpe iaueloth[461] Lereth it the, and the wyff of Lothe.

The fabill seith that Sephalus was an ancient knyght the which delyted hym grettely all his lyue in the disporte of huntyng, and he coude cast a darte hade sich a propirte that it was neuer cast in veyne, but it kyllyd all þat it tovched. And because that he hade a costome to ryse in the mornyng and to goo to the forest to aspye the wylde bestis, his wyff was ielous ouer hyme and supposed that he loued othir than hire, and for to know the trowthe she went after to aspy hym. Sephalus, the which was in the woode, when he herde the leues make noyse where that his wyff went, supposed that it hadde ben some wylde best, kest his iauelot and kyllyd his wyff. He was hevy of that mysse aventure, but there myght no remedy be hadde. The woman Lothes wyffe, as that Holy Scripture wytnessyth, turnyd ayen ayens the commawndment off the aungell, when she herde that the .v. cetees sanke behynde hyr, and therfor anon she was chawnged into a [Sidenote: f. 57.] salte ston. And be all sich figures may be sette many vndirstondynges. For the trwthe and for to take it in example for the trowthe, no good man shulde delyte hym to spye anothir in thynges that longeth not to hym; and to the entend that no man wolde be aspyed, Hermes seith, “Do not to thi felawe that the which thou woldyst not were done to the, and strech no snaris for to take men wythall, ne purches noon harme to theyme be aspyeng ne be wyles, for at the last it will turne opon þiselfe.”

That a man shulde not sette hym for to spye may be vndirstondyn that the good sperite shuld not peyne hym to knowe othir mennis dedes, ne to enqwere tydyngges of othir. For Seynt John Crisostome seith opon the Gospell of Seynt Mathieu, “Howe takys thow so grete hede,” seith he, “of so many litell defawtes of othir men and latyst pase so many grete defawtes in thyn owyn dedes? Yf thou loued thi selfe better than thi neyghburght, whi empechest thou his dedes and leuys thyne owyn? Be diligent to considir thin owyn dedes fryst, and than consider the dedes off othir.” To this purpose owre Lorde seith in the Gospelle, [“Quid autem vides festucam in oculo fratris tui, trabem autem in oculo tuo non vides?”].[462]

LXXVII.

Disprayse not of Helene the councell; I counsel the so wythowte fayle, For ofte many hurtes falleth then, Because that we beleue not wyse men.

Helene was brothir to Hector and Kyng Priantes sone of Troye. He was a full wyse clerke and full off konyng. As mych as he myght, he counseyled that Paarys shulde not goo into Grece to rauyssh Helayne; but thei wolde not do aftyr hym, for the which the Troyens were hurte. Therefor it is seide to the good knyght that he shuld beleue wyse men and there councell, and Hermes seith, “Who so worchyppyth wyse men and vsyth there councell, thei be euerlestyng pepyll.”

Helene, the which counselled ayens the werre, that is to sey that the goode sperite shulde eschwe temptacions. And Seynt Jerom seith that a synner hath noon excusacion whereby he howght to suffyr temptacions to ouercome hym, for the temptyng feend is so febill that he may ouercome noon but thoo that wyll be yolden to hyme. And thereopon Seynt Povle the apostyl seyth, [“Fidelis [Sidenote: f. 58.] Deus qui non patietur vos temptari supra id quod potestis,” etc.].[463]

LXXVIII.

Be not to mery ne to sori For thi dremes, though thei be hevy. Morpheus byddyth, the messanger Off the god of slepe and dremes seere.[464]

A ffabill seyth that Morpheus is sone to the god of slepe, and he is his massenger and he is god of dremes and cawsyth men to dreme. And because that dremes be trobolous thynges and a derke and some tyme it may syngnifie contrarie to the dreme, þer is noon so wyse that may propirly speke[465] liche as the expositours seith of theyme[466]. Therfor it ys seide to the good knyght that he shulde not be to heuy ne to mery ffor sich avysyons, be the which a man may not shewe no certeyne knowlych ne to what thyng thei sal turne, and anamely þat a man shulde not be to mery ne to hevy ffor thynges off fortune, the which be transsitorie. Socrates seith, “Thou that arte a man, thou shuld not be to hevy ne to mery ffor no maner cawse.”

Where it is seide that a man shuld not be to mery ne to hevy for non avysyons, we shall seye that the good speryte shuld not be to heuy ne to meri for no maner cause that cometh to hym and that he shuld suffre tribulacions paciently. Seynt Austyn seith vpon the Savter, “Fayre son,” seith he, “yf thou wilte wepe for thi sorres that thou felest, veepe vnder the correccion off thi Fadir; yf thou wepe ffor tribulacions that comyth to the, be ware that it be not for indignacion ne for pride, for the aduersyte that God sendyth to the it is a medycyne and no payne, it is a chastisment and no dampnacion. Put not fro the thi Fadris rodde but yf that þou wylt that [he] put the from his heritage; and thynk not on the payne that thow owghtes to suffre of his scorge, but considir what place thow haste in his testament.” To this purpose the wyse [man] seythe, [“Omne quod tibi applicitum fuerit accipe et in dolore sustine, et in humilitate tua patientiam habe.”][467]

LXXIX.

Be the see yf thou wylt vndertake Perlyous viages for to make, Off Alchion[468] beleue the counsell. Ceys therof the soth may the tell.