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

Book III.

Cap. 85. Off Rigℏt.

Rigℏt ys a louable praysynge of propertes of þe heye simple glorious, wharefore swilk oon shulde reygne þat god hauys chosyn and stabyld on his seruantȝ, to whom þe nedes and gouernance vpon subgitȝ fallys to, þat awe to purueye and defende þaire poscessiouns, richesse, and blood, and alle þaire wirkynges als þaire god, ffor yn þat he ys lyk to god; And forþy it byhoues resemble and folwe þe heigℏenesse yn aƚƚ his werkys. God ys wys and conynge, his louynges and his name er glorious yn hym, And þe gretnesse of his lordschipe ys gretter þanne alle tongys suffissent to determyn; þanne it ys to wete þat contrary of his rigℏt ys vnrigℏt; In rigℏt dwellys þe heuens, and er stablyd abouen̛ þe erthe; In rygℏt was þe holy prophetys sent fortℏ; Rigℏt ys þe shappe of vnderstondynge þat þe heye god makyd, and þare by ["and þare by" repeated in MS.] alle creatures hauys dwellynge; ffor by

righℏt ys þe erthe byggyd, and kynges er stabyld, and [A space left in MS. here filled by "terrible."] [terrible] subgitȝ er obeissant & tame, And aƚƚ þare-by is vnderstandant, and negℏys negℏ, þat þat ys remued of farre; þarby sawles er sauyd and delyueryd of alle vyces, and of aƚƚ corupciouns ynens þayre gouernours; And þerfore þay of Inde sayen, þe rigℏt of hym þat reygnytℏ ys more profitable to subgitȝ þan plente of good tyme; And also þai sayd þat rigℏt of a lord ys [folio 29a] mor better þan rayn wel norsshant. And it was founden̛ wretyn yn a stoon yn þe langage of Caldee þat kynges and vnderstandynge er brether, and þat þe oon suffyce nogℏt witℏ-outyn þe oþer, and þat aƚƚ þinges al haly er termyned by rigℏt. And vnderstandynge ys þe inchesoun þat puttys yn werk aƚƚ hys beinges and werkes, ffor it ys his Makynge, It ys rigℏtwys Iuge: and by þe consequent þe beynge of rygℏt, þat ys rote of [it, is] vnderstondyng, & it ys wirkand, and þerto ledand; It ys his mygℏt, & wherby he wirkys; It is his entent, and it waytys science; It ys Iuge wirkand and witℏhaldand þat þat vndoynge by-comes, and ressayues þat þat ledys to ryght, ffor it ys opyn þinge þat rigℏt ys double, þat ys to wete opyn and hyd, opyn whanne he shewys hym yn dede wrogℏt. And a pesable rigℏt & mesuryd ys, to byholde vpon statys by þe self vnderstondyng: and Iugement ressayues his hide name of hym. Certeynesse & confirmaciouns of saynges is yn þe faitℏ or trowynge of þe Iuge wirkand his werkys. Wherfore it semys, as we byfore haue sayd, þat a kynge holdys a resemlance in rigℏt to þe simple hyest; And þarfore it nedys þat he be fast and stable, yn aƚƚ his wirkynges propres & comouns. He þanne þat bowys fro his awen̛ rihℏt & þe comoun's, In part he tynys þe frendschipe of god, Iuge most he, & passys fro his wyl, & leuys faith, and suys þe lawe aȝeyn perfeccioun of lordshipe; als it shal shewe by his werkys, he schaƚƚ ryue þe hert of his subgitȝ, þat ys to say, so as his werkys shewyn, his subgitȝ shaƚƚ fele hym at þaire hertes. And rigℏtes er propre & comoun̛ in dyuers degreeȝ; And in trespasyng of rigℏt er greet difference, and þe names of rigℏ ter relatyf, or aȝeynledynge to some þinges sayd, & amendyng of wronge, and adressynge of stature, & shape of mesure; And it ys a name colectyf, or gederand togeder, byholdyng curtasye, and maners of larges, & wirkynge of goodnesse. And rigℏt is departyd [folio 29b] in diuisiouns, ffor oon rigℏt ys, þat byholdys Iugementȝ,

þat ys to say domes, and þat fallys to doomysmen. Anoþer rigℏt ys, þat fallys to vche man to lede hym-self by resoun yn alle þinges þat er bytwen̛ him & his creatour; þarfore make þou rigℏt stable yn þinges þat er bytwen̛ þe & þe poeple, þat ys to wete, mesure of thewes, and setynges of tokenynges, of þe whylk I geue þe a fuƚƚ fayre shappe, to be praysed of þe worthy knowynge of Philosophie by ensample. And y shaƚƚ aƚƚ holy [show thee by a form] al þat ys in man̛ þat takytℏ on him gouernance of subgitȝ, & shewe þe, þaire degrees and þaire qualiteȝ, & þe rotys þat þe moste haue of rigℏt in vche degree; þarfore it ys departyd in two diuisiouns of cerculers and speres, And vche diuision̛ is oon degree. Bygynne þanne, of whether þow wylt say, and it shaƚƚ gif þe þat, þat no þinge ys moor precious, þat ys to wete, þe sercle of þe firmament, and þe ceyte of aƚƚ ordinance, and of aƚƚ gouernance, of þinges bynetℏe and abowen̛, to þe kepynge of þis world. Thaune þinkytℏ me, þat it ys þus to begynne touchand þe werld, and þis ys þe profyt of þis booke, And þis ys þe lyknesse. Þe world ys a gardyn, his cloþinge or his echynge ys dome, doomesmen̛ er gounours knowynge þe lawe; Lawe ys þe kyng, dome þat gouernys a kynge, kynge ys þe Pastour of Barouns, Barounser soudeours, susteyned of hauynge; hauynge ys a auenture, gedryd of subgitȝ; subgytȝ er seruantȝ, þat er vndyr-put by rygℏt. Rigℏt ys, þat a man ȝelde to vche man̛ þat his ys, [per se] ["purthy" in MS.] it ys sayd, be it-seluyn, ffor yn it ys þe hele of subgitȝ.

Cap. 86. [Off þe makyng of þinges in order.]

And wete þat it ys þe firste þinge þat þe glorious hyest maade, a simple substance spirytueƚƚ yn þe ende of perfeccioun, yn spedynge of goodnesse, yn þe whilk þinge, vndirstandynge vpon aƚƚ þinges ys first namyd, And after of þat substance [came another], lesse yn his degree, þat ys clepyd þe sawle; And of þe saule commys anoþer substance, þat ys clepyd þe yle, before þe mesurynge, þat ys vndirstondyd, in lengℏe, in brede, [folio 30a] in hegℏnesse, yn depnesse, yn þe whilk a body ys maad symple; and after, þe body be, ffor þe moste noble lyknesse þat ouer passys aƚƚ oþer lyknes, and ys most sothfast yn comparyson̛, And þe moste [ancient, & it] [A blank in MS.] dwellys yn a stede of þe speres, and of þe planetes. And þe spere þat enuirouns to þe terme of

þe spere of þe mone, is most clene and most symple, and þat ys þe firste of þe speres.

Cap. 87. [Off þe steryng of heuens.]

And þer ar nyne heuens, oon in erthe, þe oþer amonge hem seluyn, ilk oon amonge oþer; þe firste & þe souerayne of þe speres, is þe spere couerant, and þanne with-ynne þat þe spere of þe sterrys; after þat þe spere of Saturne, and so to þe spere of þe mone, vnder whom̛ ys þe spere of þe elemenȝ, þat er fyre, Eyre, water, and erthe. Þe Erthe þanne ys yn þe myddyl stede of þe oþer elementȝ, and it ys most thyk substance, a hool body & most thyk yn beynge; and þes speres wer ordeyned, some yn oþer and oþer yn hem self, as it ys sayd, after þe wit & þe ordynance of god symple, most glorious; yn ordinance of meruaiƚƚ, and of ffayrheede ahournyd; And þes speres er steryd by sercles in þaire partys, And þe planetys, vpon þe ffoure elementȝ aftyr þaire body, nygℏt and day, wynter & somer, hoot and cold; & oon er mellyd in oþer, And þe thyne tempred togedir with þe thykke, and heuy witℏ ligℏt & hoote witℏ cold, and moyst with drye; And þanne of hem ys maad by lengℏthe of tyme aƚƚ maner of kynde of composisiouns þat originals, minerals, vegitables, & bestyals. And originals er what þyng ys engelyd yn þe entrailles of þe erthe, and yn þe depnesse of þe sees, & in Cauees of hilles, & in [A blank in MS.] fumositeȝ stoppyd & [from vapours] vpsteyinge, and moystures engelyd, and in concauacion̛ of Cauernes, In whom ertℏly Eyre hauys most lordschipe, as gold, syluer, Bras, Iryn, leed, and tynne; and stones, Margarites, Corale, Tuty, and alany, and swylk lyk, to hem̛ þat er seene and knowyn, hauynge sawle. And aƚƚ þys manere of engendrynge stirres hem, and felys, and passys fro stede to stede by hem seluyn, as þe strengthe of þe Eyre hauys yn hem more [folio 30b] lordschipe. Þe composision̛ vegitable þat is sustinable is mor noble þan þe originale, [and almaiƚƚ ys moor noble þan vegitable], And [man's] sawle ys moor noble in composicion̛ þan aƚƚ manere of almaiƚƚ, And ffyre yn his properte hauys most lordschipe, and aƚƚ þinges accorden̛ yn his composiscion̛ þat er founden̛ yn symple eldys, and contrarious, ffor man ys maad of body þyke, togedyr mesuryd, and of saule simple, and substance spiritueƚƚ.

Cap. 88. Knowynge of Sawle.

Now þe nedys if þow be knowynge vpon sciences and soth-fastnes of þinges þat er & be dwellynge, þat first þou begynne at þe knawynge of þyn owen̛ sawle, þat is nest to þe and after to haue þe science of oþer þinges. Wete þanne, þat vche sawle is a spiritueƚƚ stryngtℏe, growynge of vnderstondyng at godys wylle, and it hauys two stryngthes rennynge to-gedre yn þe body, rigℏt as þe ligℏt of þe sonne yn þe partyes of þe Eyre; oon of þe stryngthes is a tokenynge, þe oþer ys wirkand, þat glorious god hauys inlighℏtyd of vij strengℏes; of stryngthe attractyue, and retractyf, of stryngthe degestyf, and purgatyf, of strengthe nutrityf, and infirmatyf, and sustantyf. Þe wirkynge of þis last, (þat þe Auctour clepys vegetatyf, & I here strengℏt sustantyf),yn composicion̛ of Mannys body, ys yn þe receyte of þe seed in þe mariȝ, And it lastys in his ordenyng seuen Monthys, and after þat tyme fortward it ys mesurid of þe hyest glorious souerayn, & so spedde, þat god þanne puttys þerynne a leuyng saule & feling, fro þat stede to hys outpassynge to hys dwellyng place, and he folwys a gouernance to ffoure ȝeer fulfillyd. And after he geuys hym to resonable vertu, þat þe name sencibilite ledys him to, And þanne he ressayues anoþer gouernance to xv ȝeer fulfillyd, and þanne he ressayues a stryngthe of vndirstandynge þat ys renuciatyf of ffygures and semblance, & of temptacions sensibles, to þe fulfyllynge of xiiij ȝer, And þanne comes to him a strengℏ shewable, or Philosophable, þat byholdys shappys vndirstandable, & þanne he getys anoþer gouernance to þe fulfilynge of xxx ȝeer, And þanne fallys to hym a reale willy vertu, and he ressayues anoþer gouernance to fulfillenn̛ xl ȝeer, and þanne comes to him a lele sett vertu of originals, wharof he ressayues anotℏer gouernance ƚƚ þe tyme [folio 31a] of his lyf. If þe sawle be þanne perfyt and fulfillyd byfore his departynge fro þe body, it shaƚƚ þanne be ressayued of aƚƚ sawly vertu, and þerby be enhyed, to þe heye perfeccion̛ be ledde, And þanne it purchasys anoþer gouernance, to it come to þe sercle or to þe firmament of vnderstondynge, whore it shaƚƚ wel lyk; And if it be nogℏt wel perfyt þe sawle shaƚƚ plunche into þe depnes of helle, and þare he shaƚƚ take a gouernance of kaytefnesse witþ-outyn hope of lykynge.