CHAPTER III.

GRETLY was I tho gladded of these wordes, and (as who, *. [CH. III. 1. gladed; see l. 5.] saith) wexen somdel light in herte; both for the auctoritè *. [2. somdele.] of witnesse, and also for sikernesse of helpe of the forsayd beheste, and sayd:—

'Trewly, lady, now am I wel gladded through comfort of *. [5. nowe. comforte.] [ 5] your wordes. Be it now lykinge unto your nobley to shewe *. [6. nowe.] whiche folk diffame your servauntes, sithe your service ought *. [7. folke.] above al other thinges to ben commended.'

'Yet,' quod she, 'I see wel thy soule is not al out of the *. [9. se.] amased cloude. Thee were better to here thing that thee might *. [10. the (twice).] [ 10] lighte out of thyn hevy charge and after knowing of thyn owne *. [11. light.] helpe, than to stirre swete wordes and such resons to here; for in a thoughtful soule (and namely suche oon as thou art) *. [13. one. arte.] wol not yet suche thinges sinken. Come of, therfore, and let Page  15 me seen thy hevy charge, that I may the lightlier for thy comfort [ 15] *. [15. sene. comforte.] purveye.' *. [16. puruey.]

'Now, certes, lady,' quod I, 'the moste comfort I might have *. [17. Nowe. comforte.] were utterly to wete me be sure in herte of that Margaryte I serve; and so I thinke to don with al mightes, whyle my lyfe dureth.' [ 20]

'Than,' quod she, 'mayst thou therafter, in suche wyse that *. [21. mayste.] misplesaunce ne entre?'

'In good fayth,' quod I, 'there shal no misplesaunce be caused through trespace on my syde.'

'And I do thee to weten,' quod she, 'I sette never yet person [ 25] *. [25. the. set.] to serve in no place (but-if he caused the contrary in defautes and trespaces) that he ne spedde of his service.'

'Myn owne erthly lady,' quod I tho, 'and yet remembre to your worthinesse how long sithen, by many revolving of yeres, *. [29. howe.] in tyme whan Octobre his leve ginneth take and Novembre [ 30] *. [30. leaue.] sheweth him to sight, whan bernes ben ful of goodes as is the nutte on every halke; and than good lond-tillers ginne shape *. [32. londe-.] for the erthe with greet travayle, to bringe forth more corn to *. [33. great. forthe. corne.] mannes sustenaunce, ayenst the nexte yeres folowing. In suche tyme of plentee he that hath an home and is wyse, list not to [ 35] *. [35. plentie. lyste.] wander mervayles to seche, but he be constrayned or excited. Oft the lothe thing is doon, by excitacion of other mannes *. [37. doone.] opinion, whiche wolden fayne have myn abydinge. [Tho gan I] *. [38. I supply Tho gan I.] take in herte of luste to travayle and see the wynding of the erthe *. [39. se.] in that tyme of winter. By woodes that large stretes wern in, [ 40] *. [40. werne.] by smale pathes that swyn and hogges hadden made, as lanes *. [41. swyne.] with ladels their maste to seche, I walked thinkinge alone a wonder greet whyle; and the grete beestes that the woode *. [43. great. great.] haunten and adorneth al maner forestes, and heerdes gonne to *. [44. gone; read gonne.] wilde. Than, er I was war, I neyghed to a see-banke; and for [ 45] *. [45. ware.] ferde of the beestes "shipcraft" I cryde. For, lady, I trowe ye *. [46. shypcrafte.] wete wel your-selfe, nothing is werse than the beestes that shulden ben tame, if they cacche her wildenesse, and ginne ayen *. [48. catche.] waxe ramage. Thus forsothe was I a-ferd, and to shippe me *. [49. a-ferde.] hyed. [ 50]

Than were there y-nowe to lacche myn handes, and drawe me *. [51. lache.]Page  16 to shippe, of whiche many I knew wel the names. Sight was *. [52. many; read meynee. knewe.] the first, Lust was another, Thought was the thirde; and Wil eke was there a mayster; these broughten me within-borde of this shippe of Traveyle. So whan the sayl was sprad, and this ship *. [55. sayle. shyppe.] [ 55] gan to move, the wind and water gan for to ryse, and overthwartly *. [56. wynde.] to turne the welken. The wawes semeden as they kiste togider; but often under colour of kissinge is mokel old hate prively *. [58. olde.] closed and kept. The storm so straungely and in a devouring *. [59. kepte. storme.] maner gan so faste us assayle, that I supposed the date of my [ 60] deth shulde have mad there his ginning. Now up, now downe, *. [61. made.] nowe under the wawe and now aboven was my ship a greet *. [61, 62. nowe.]*. [62. shyppe.] whyle. And so by mokel duresse of †weders and of stormes, *. [63. wethers; read weders.] and with greet avowing [of] pilgrimages, I was driven to an yle, *. [62, 64. great.]*. [64. I supply of.] where utterly I wende first to have be rescowed; but trewly, †at *. [65. as; read at.] [ 65] the first ginning, it semed me so perillous the haven to cacche, *. [66. catche.] that but thorow grace I had ben comforted, of lyfe I was ful *. [67. thorowe.] dispayred. Trewly, lady, if ye remembre a-right of al maner thinges, your-selfe cam hastely to sene us see-driven, and to *. [69. came.] weten what we weren. But first ye were deynous of chere, after [ 70] whiche ye gonne better a-lighte; and ever, as me thought, ye *. [71. a-lyght.] lived in greet drede of disese; it semed so by your chere. *. [72. great. disease.] And whan I was certifyed of your name, the lenger I loked in you, the more I you goodly dradde; and ever myn herte on you opened the more; and so in a litel tyme my ship was out of *. [75. shyppe.] [ 75] mynde. But, lady, as ye me ladde, I was war bothe of beestes *. [76. lad. ware.] and of fisshes, a greet nombre thronging togider; among whiche *. [77. great. amonge.] a muskel, in a blewe shel, had enclosed a Margaryte-perle, the moste precious and best that ever to-forn cam in my sight. *. [79. to-forne came.] And ye tolden your-selfe, that ilke jewel in his kinde was so [ 80] good and so vertuous, that her better shulde I never finde, al sought I ther-after to the worldes ende. And with that I held *. [82. helde.] my pees a greet whyle; and ever sithen I have me bethought on *. [83. peace. great.] the man that sought the precious Margarytes; and whan he had founden oon to his lyking, he solde al his good to bye that jewel. *. [85. one.] [ 85] Y-wis, thought I, (and yet so I thinke), now have I founden the *. [86. nowe.] jewel that myn herte desyreth; wherto shulde I seche further? *. [87. myne.]Page  17 Trewly, now wol I stinte, and on this Margaryte I sette me for *. [88. nowe.] ever: now than also, sithen I wiste wel it was your wil that *. [89. Nowe.] I shulde so suche a service me take; and so to desyre that thing, [ 90] of whiche I never have blisse. There liveth non but he hath *. [91. none.] disese; your might than that brought me to suche service, that to *. [92. disease.] me is cause of sorowe and of joye. I wonder of your worde that ye sayn, "to bringen men in-to joye"; and, pardè, ye wete wel *. [94. sayne.] that defaut ne trespace may not resonably ben put to me-wardes, [ 95] *. [95. reasonably.] as fer as my conscience knoweth. *. [96. ferre.]

But of my disese me list now a whyle to speke, and to enforme *. [97. disease.] you in what maner of blisse ye have me thronge. For truly I wene, that al gladnesse, al joye, and al mirthe is beshet under locke, and the keye throwe in suche place that it may not be [ 100] founde. My brenning wo hath altred al my hewe. Whan I shulde slepe, I walowe and I thinke, and me disporte. Thus combred, I seme that al folk had me mased. Also, lady myne, *. [103. folke.] desyre hath longe dured, some speking to have; or els at the lest have ben enmoysed with sight; and for wantinge of these thinges [ 105] my mouth wolde, and he durst, pleyne right sore, sithen yvels *. [106. mouthe.] for my goodnesse arn manyfolde to me yolden. I wonder, lady, *. [107. arne.] trewly, save evermore your reverence, how ye mowe, for shame, *. [108. howe.] suche thinges suffre on your servaunt to be so multiplied. Wherfore, kneling with a lowe herte, I pray you to rue on this [ 110] caytif, that of nothing now may serve. Good lady, if ye liste, *. [111. caytife.] now your help to me shewe, that am of your privyest servantes *. [112. nowe. helpe.] at al assayes in this tyme, and under your winges of proteccion. *. [113. protection.] No help to me-wardes is shapen; how shal than straungers in *. [114. helpe. howe.] any wyse after socour loke, whan I, that am so privy, yet of helpe [ 115] *. [115. socoure.] I do fayle? Further may I not, but thus in this prison abyde; *. [116. maye.] what bondes and chaynes me holden, lady, ye see wel your-selfe. *. [117. se.] A renyant forjuged hath not halfe the care. But thus, syghing and sobbing, I wayle here alone; and nere it for comfort of your *. [119. comforte.] presence, right here wolde I sterve. And yet a litel am I gladded, [ 120] *. [120. gladed.] that so goodly suche grace and non hap have I hent, graciously *. [121. none. hente.] to fynde the precious Margarite, that (al other left) men shulde *. [122. lefte.] bye, if they shulde therfore selle al her substaunce. Wo is me, *. [123. sel.]Page  18 that so many let-games and purpose-brekers ben maked wayters, suche prisoners as I am to overloke and to hinder; and, for [ 125] suche lettours, it is hard any suche jewel to winne. Is this, lady, *. [126. harde.] an honour to thy deitee? Me thinketh, by right, suche people *. [127. deytie.] shulde have no maistrye, ne ben overlokers over none of thy servauntes. Trewly, were it leful unto you, to al the goddes wolde I playne, that ye rule your devyne purveyaunce amonges [ 130] your servantes nothing as ye shulde. Also, lady, my moeble is insuffysaunt to countervayle the price of this jewel, or els to make th'eschange. Eke no wight is worthy suche perles to were *. [133. weare.] but kinges or princes or els their peres. This jewel, for vertue, wold adorne and make fayre al a realme; the nobley of vertue is [ 135] so moche, that her goodnesse overal is commended. Who is it that wolde not wayle, but he might suche richesse have at his wil? The vertue therof out of this prison may me deliver, and naught els. And if I be not ther-thorow holpen, I see my-selfe *. [139. ther-thorowe. se.] withouten recovery. Although I might hence voyde, yet wolde [ 140] I not; I wolde abyde the day that destence hath me ordeyned, *. [141. daye. destenye.] whiche I suppose is without amendement; so sore is my herte bounden, that I may thinken non other. Thus strayte, lady, *. [143. maye. none.] hath sir Daunger laced me in stockes, I leve it be not your wil; and for I see you taken so litel hede, as me thinketh, and wol *. [145. se.] [ 145] not maken by your might the vertue in mercy of the Margaryte on me for to strecche, so as ye mowe wel in case that you liste, *. [147. stretche.] my blisse and my mirthe arn feld; sicknesse and sorowe ben *. [148. arne.] alwaye redy. The cope of tene is wounde aboute al my body, that stonding is me best; unneth may I ligge for pure misesy *. [150. miseasy.] [ 150] sorowe. And yet al this is litel ynough to be the ernest-silver in *. [151. ynoughe.] forwarde of this bargayne; for treble-folde so mokel muste I suffer er tyme come of myn ese. For he is worthy no welthe, that may *. [153. ease. maye.] no wo suffer. And certes, I am hevy to thinke on these thinges; but who shal yeve me water ynough to drinke, lest myn eyen [ 155] drye, for renning stremes of teres? Who shal waylen with me *. [156. teares.] myn owne happy hevinesse? Who shal counsaile me now in *. [157. myne. nowe.] my lyking tene, and in my goodly harse? I not. For ever the *. [158. harse (sic); for harme?] more I brenne, the more I coveyte; the more that I sorow, the more thrist I in gladnesse. Who shal than yeve me a contrarious [ 160] Page  19 drink, to stanche the thurste of my blisful bitternesse? Lo, thus *. [161. drinke.] I brenne and I drenche; I shiver and I swete. To this reversed *. [162. sweate.] yvel was never yet ordeyned salve; forsoth al †leches ben uncon∣ning, *. [163. lyches (for leches).] save the Margaryte alone, any suche remedye to purveye.' *. [164. puruey.]