The complete works of Geoffrey Chaucer. Vol. 7. Chaucerian and other pieces / edited from numerous mauscripts by the Rev. Walter W. Skeat.

CHAPTER IX.

OF twey thinges art thou answered, as me thinketh (quod [CH. IX. 1. arte.] Love); and if any thing be in doute in thy soule, shewe [2. thynge.] it forth, thyn ignoraunce to clere, and leve it for no shame.' [3. thyne. leaue.]

'Certes,' quod I, 'there is no body in this worlde, that aught coude saye by reson ayenst any of your skilles, as I leve; and by [5. reason.] [ 5] my witte now fele I wel, that yvel-spekers or berers of enfame [6. nowe. bearers.] may litel greve or lette my purpos, but rather by suche thinge my [7. purpose,] quarel to be forthered.'

'Ye,' quod she, 'and it is proved also, that the ilke jewel in [9. Yea.] my kepinge shal nat there-thorow be stered, of the lest moment [10. -thorowe. steered.] [ 10] that might be imagined.'

'That is soth,' quod I.

'Wel,' quod she, 'than †leveth there, to declare that thy in∣suffisance [13. leneth; read leueth.] is no maner letting, as thus: for that she is so worthy, thou shuldest not clymbe so highe; for thy moebles and thyn [15. thyne.] [ 15] estate arn voyded, thou thinkest [thee] fallen in suche miserie, [16. arne. I supply thee.] that gladnesse of thy pursute wol nat on thee discende.' [17. the.]

'Certes,' quod I, 'that is sothe; right suche thought is in myn [18. myne hert.] herte; for commenly it is spoken, and for an olde proverbe it is

leged: "He that heweth to hye, with chippes he may lese [ 20] [20. maye.] his sight." Wherfore I have ben about, in al that ever I might, to studye wayes of remedye by one syde or by another.'

'Now,' quod she, 'god forbede †that thou seke any other [23. Nowe. are; read that.] doinges but suche as I have lerned thee in our restinge-whyles, [24. the.] and suche herbes as ben planted in oure gardins. Thou shalt [ 25] [25. shalte.] wel understande that above man is but oon god alone.' [26. one.]

'How,' quod I, 'han men to-forn this tyme trusted in writtes [27. Howe. to forne.] and chauntements, and in helpes of spirites that dwellen in the ayre, and therby they han getten their desyres, where-as first, for al his manly power, he daunced behynde?' [ 30]

'O,' quod she, 'fy on suche maters! For trewly, that is [31. fye.] sacrilege; and that shal have no sort with any of my servauntes; in myne eyen shal suche thing nat be loked after. How often is it commaunded by these passed wyse, that "to one god shal men serve, and not to goddes?" And who that liste to have myne [ 35] helpes, shal aske none helpe of foule spirites. Alas! is nat man maked semblable to god? Wost thou nat wel, that al vertue of lyvelich werkinge, by goddes purveyaunce, is underput to reson∣able [38. vnderputte.] creature in erthe? Is nat every thing, a this halfe god, mad [39. thynge. made.] buxom to mannes contemplation, understandinge in heven and [ 40] [40. buxome.] in erthe and in helle? Hath not man beinge with stones, soule of [41. manne.] wexing with trees and herbes? Hath he nat soule of felinge, with beestes, fisshes, and foules? And he hath soule of reson and [43. reason.] understanding with aungels; so that in him is knit al maner [44. knytte.] of lyvinges by a resonable proporcioun. Also man is mad of [ 45] [45. lyuenges. reasonable. made.] al the foure elementes. Al universitee is rekened in him alone; he hath, under god, principalitè above al thinges. Now is his [47. Nowe.] soule here, now a thousand myle hence; now fer, now nygh; [48. nowe. nowe ferre nowe. thousande.] now hye, now lowe; as fer in a moment as in mountenaunce of [49. nowe (twice). ferre. momente.] ten winter; and al this is in mannes governaunce and disposicion. [ 50] [50. tenne. disposytion.] Than sheweth it that men ben liche unto goddes, and children of moost heyght. But now, sithen al thinges [arn] underput to the [52. nowe. I supply arn. vnderputte.] wil of resonable creatures, god forbede any man to winne that lord∣ship, [53. reasonable.] and aske helpe of any-thing lower than him-selfe; and than, [54. lordshippe. thynge.] namely, of foule thinges innominable. Now than, why shuldest [ 55]

thou wene to love to highe, sithen nothing is thee above but god [56. nothynge. the.] alone? Trewly, I wot wel that thilke jewel is in a maner even in [57. wote. euyn.] lyne of degree there thou art thy-selfe, and nought above, save [58. arte.] thus: aungel upon angel, man upon man, and devil upon devil [59. manne (twice).] han a maner of soveraigntee; and that shal cese at the daye [60. soueraygntie. cease.] [ 60] of dome. And so I say: though thou be put to serve the [61. thoughe putte.] ilke jewel duringe thy lyfe, yet is that no servage of under∣puttinge, but a maner of travayling plesaunce, to conquere and gette that thou hast not. I sette now the hardest: in my service [64. haste.] now thou deydest, for sorowe of wantinge in thy desyres; trewly, [64-5. nowe.] [ 65] al hevenly bodyes with one voyce shul come and make melody in thy cominge, and say—"Welcome, our fere, and worthy to entre into Jupiters joye! For thou with might hast overcome deth; [68. haste. dethe.] thou woldest never flitte out of thy service; and we al shul now praye to the goddes, rowe by rowe, to make thilk Margarite, [70. nowe pray.] [ 70] that no routh had in this persone, but unkyndely without comfort [71. For in read on? comforte.] let thee deye, shal besette her-selfe in suche wyse, that in erthe, [72. lette the.] for parte of vengeaunce, shal she no joye have in loves service; and whan she is deed, than shal her soule ben brought up in-to thy presence; and whider thou wilt chese, thilke soule shal ben [75. wylte.] [ 75] committed." Or els, after thy deth, anon al the foresayd hevenly [76. dethe anone.] bodyes, by one accorde, shal †benimen from thilke perle al the [77. benommen; read benimen.] vertues that firste her were taken; for she hath hem forfeyted by that on thee, my servaunt, in thy lyve, she wolde not suffre [79. the.] to worche al vertues, withdrawen by might of the hygh bodyes. [ 80] Why than shuldest thou wene so any more? And if thee liste [81. the.] to loke upon the lawe of kynde, and with order whiche to me was ordayned, sothely, non age, non overtourninge tyme but [83. none (twice).] †hiderto had no tyme ne power to chaunge the wedding, ne [84. hytherto.] the knotte to unbynde of two hertes [that] thorow oon assent, in [85. Supply that. thorowe one.] [ 85] my presence, †togider accorden to enduren til deth hem departe. [86. togyther. dethe.] What? trowest thou, every ideot wot the meninge and the privy [87. ydeot wotte.] entent of these thinges? They wene, forsothe, that suche accord [88. accorde.] may not be, but the rose of maydenhede be plucked. Do way, [89. waye (twice).] do way; they knowe nothing of this. For consent of two hertes [ 90] [90. consente.]

alone maketh the fasteninge of the knotte; neither lawe of kynde ne mannes lawe determineth neither the age ne the qualitè of persones, but only accord bitwene thilke twaye. And trewly, [93. onely.] after tyme that suche accord, by their consent in hert, is enseled, [93-4. accorde.] [94. ensealed.] and put in my tresorye amonges my privy thinges, than ginneth [ 95] the name of spousayle; and although they breken forward bothe, [96. breaken forwarde.] yet suche mater enseled is kept in remembrance for ever. And [97. ensealed. kepte.] see now that spouses have the name anon after accord, though [98. se nowe. accorde.] the rose be not take. The aungel bad Joseph take Marye his [99. bade.] spouse, and to Egypte wende. Lo! she was cleped "spouse," [ 100] and yet, toforn ne after, neither of hem bothe mente no flesshly [101. toforne.] lust knowe. Wherfore the wordes of trouthe acorden that my [102. luste.] servauntes shulden forsake bothe †fader and moder, and be ad∣herand [103. father and mother; rather, fader and moder. adherande.] to his spouse; and they two in unitè of one flesshe shulden accorde. And this wyse, two that wern firste in a litel [ 105] [105. werne.] maner discordaunt, hygher that oon and lower that other, ben [106. one.] mad evenliche in gree to stonde. But now to enfourme thee [107. made. nowe. the.] that ye ben liche to goddes, these clerkes sayn, and in deter∣minacion [108. sayne.] shewen, that "three thinges haven [by] the names [109. thre. I supply by.] of goddes ben cleped; that is to sayn: man, divel, and images"; [ 110] [110. cleaped.] but yet is there but oon god, of whom al goodnesse, al grace, and [111. one.] al vertue cometh; and he †is loving and trewe, and everlasting, [112. his; read is.] and pryme cause of al being thinges. But men ben goddes lovinge and trewe, but not everlasting; and that is by adop∣cioun of the everlastinge god. Divels ben goddes, stirringe by [ 115] a maner of lyving; but neither ben they trewe ne everlastinge; [116. lyueng.] and their name of godliheed th[e]y han by usurpacion, as the [117. thy; read they.] prophete sayth: "Al goddes of gentyles (that is to say, paynims) [118. saythe.] are divels." But images ben goddes by nuncupacion; and they ben neither livinge ne trewe, ne everlastinge. After these wordes [ 120] they clepen "goddes" images wrought with mennes handes. [121. cleapen.] But now [art thou a] resonable creature, that by adopcion alone [122. nowe. I supply art thou a. reasonable.] art to the grete god everlastinge, and therby thou art "god" [123. arte (twice). great.] cleped: let thy †faders maners so entre thy wittes that thou might [124. lette.] folowe, in-as-moche as longeth to thee, thy †faders worship, so [ 125] [124-5. fathers; read faders.] [125. the. worshyppe.]

that in nothinge thy kynde from his wil declyne, ne from his nobley perverte. In this wyse if thou werche, thou art above [127. arte.] al other thinges save god alone; and so say no more "thyn herte to serve in to hye a place." [ 129]