Three prose versions of the Secreta Secretorum / edited with an introduction and notes by Robert Steele and a glossary by T. Henderson

[Epistle dedicatory.]

[folio 1a] To his lord most hegℏ and in worschippynge of Cristes religioun most noble Guy sothely of Valence of þe Citee of Tripol glorious Bisshop, Phelip þe lest of his clerks hym and trew seruice of deuocioun recomendys. As mikel as þe mone ys more shinynge þan þe oþer sterrys, and as þe bem of þe sonne ys moor brygℏt þan þe ligℏt of the mone, As mekyl þe clernesse of ȝoure wyt & þe depnesse of ȝoure conynge passys aƚƚ men þat now er on any syde þe see, as wel Barbarys as Latyns yn litterure. No-þer ys non of hool mynde þat may stryf aȝeyn þis sentence, ffor where þe Gyuer of graces, fro whom aƚƚ goodis passys fortℏ, to ilke man his goodis deles, It semys he has gyuen to þe oon þe gyftes of graces & of conynge, ffor yn þe er founden aƚƚ þe graces of halowes, þe clennesse of Noe, þe strentℏ of abraham, þe faitℏ of ysaak, þe longe lastynge of Iacob, þe sofferynge of Moyse, þe stabilnesse of Iosue, þe deuocioun of hely, þe perfeccioun of helise, þe Benignite of dauid, þe wit of Salamon, þe pacience of Iob, þe chastite of daniel, þe ffaconde of ysae, þe perseuerance of Ieremi with aƚƚ oþer vertuȝ of halowes yn þi halynes most fully dwelles; ȝit yn aƚƚ fre conynges þou ys best lettridd, yn decretals of haly chirche & lawes wysest, In diuinite & moralite beste taugℏt. Wher-fore worthy ys þat ȝoure swetnesse haue þe booke of thys werke, yn þe whilk some profitable þinges negℏ of aƚƚ sciences ys contend. When y was with ȝow at Antyoche, and þis precious margarite of Philosophye ffouden̛, it likyd to ȝoure lordschip þat it were translatyd out of þe tonge of arabye yn to latyn. Sothely y coueytynge mekly to bowe to ȝoure biddynge & to ȝoure wyl as y am holdyn to serue, þys booke þat latyns wantyd and ys founden̛ with fewe arabyes I haue translatyd with greet trauaille ynto opyn vnderstandynge of latyn out of þe langage of araby, to ȝoure hegℏnesse and

worschipe som tyme expounande letter of letter, and som tyme vndirstandynge of vndirstondynge, ffor other maner of spekynge ys with arabys & oþer with Latyns. [folio 1b] þe wilke booke Aristotel þe wyseste Prynce of Philosofers made at þe askynge of kynge Alexander his disciple þat askyd of him þat he sholde come to him or elles þat he sholde shewe to him þe preuyteȝ of diuers craftes, þat ys to say þe sterynge of wirkynges and power of sternes in astronomy, þe craft of alkenamy in kynde, and þe craft of kennynge kyndes & of wirkynge eschauntementȝ in [piromancye] [Blank in MS.] & gewmatry, þe whilke Aristotel for elde eldand, and heuynes of body mygℏt nougℏt goo, and yf aƚƚ he hadde purposyd in aƚƚ manere to hide þe preuytes of þes craftes forsayd, Noþeles he durste nougℏt ne sholde nougℏt aȝeyn say þe wyl and þe askynge of swylke a lord. He willand in party to make assetℏ to þe Emperour; & in party þe preuytes of þe craftes to hide, he made þis booke, spekand by tokyns & ensamples, & lyke spekyngges techand outward by lettre philosofre techinge falland to lordlynes of lordes, to hele of body to be kepyd, & to profyt þat may nought be nombred of kennynge of heuenly bodis to be had. Inward he shewys to þe margℏ by toknys & preuyly to Alexander þe principal purpos þat he askyd him witℏ greet praiere, departand þis booke yn distinccons or bokes, ten of the whilke ylkon yn hym contentys, Chapytrys, and partyes termynd. And I yn þe begynnynge of þys booke haues gedird to gedyr & wretyn þe bigynnynge of þe bokes and aƚƚ þe Chapitres of the titles, so þat þat ys askyd may mor redily be founden̛ yn certeyns tetlys. GOODLY ffader, þys werke y haue translatid to ȝoure glorye and worschipe þat þe mynde of me with ȝow more fast dwelle, and my deuocioun to ȝoure seruice mekly shewe hym, prayand deuoutly, þat yn þys weke is founden̛ profitable & acceptable, be hit assigned to his gyft þat gaf me grace to translate it, and to Aristotyl þat made it; And if þer be ougℏt founden̛ nougℏt rigℏt or nougℏt conable sette, be it attornyd to myn vnconynge & vnwyt mor þan to my malyce. [folio 2a] And ouer ȝoure ffaconde þat I wele knowe in enterpretacioun in wordes and yn properte of abundaunce of blisful spekynge do to amende þat ys to amende, þe mercy of god safe & hale longe kepe ȝow to þe glorye & worschipe of criste and Cristyn men, & after greet lengℏ of tyme he make ȝow blysfully to come to euer lastynge ioye.