The workes of Geffray Chaucer newlye printed, wyth dyuers workes whych were neuer in print before: as in the table more playnly doth appere. Cum priuilegio ad imprimendum solum.

ME thynketh ({quod} I) that ye haue ryght wel declared that way to y^e knot shuld not ben in non of these dis¦prouing thinges, & nowe ordre of our purpose this asketh, that ye shulde me shewe yf any waye be thyther, and whyche thylke waye shulde ben, so that openly may be sey, the very hye waye in full confusyoun of these other thynges.

Thou shalt ({quod} she) vnderstande, that one of thre lyues (as I first sayd) euery creature of mankinde is sprongen, and so forth proce¦deth. These lyues bene thorowe names de∣parted in thre maner of kyndes, as bestyal∣lyche, manlyche, and resonablyche, of which two bene vsed by fleshlye bodye, and the thyrde by his soule. Bestyall amonge rea∣s••nables is forboden in euery lawe and eue∣ry sect, both in chrysten and other, for euerye wyght dispyseth hem that lyueth by lustes, and delyttes, as hym that is thrall & boun∣den seruaunt to thynges ryght foule, suche ben counted werse than men, he shall not in theyr degre ben rekened, ne for such one alo∣wed. Heretykes sayne they chosen lyfe be∣stial, that voluptuouslye lyuen, so that (as I fyrst sayde to the) in manly and reasona∣ble lyuynges, our mater was to declare, but manly lyfe in lyuyng after flesh or els fleshly wayes to chese, maye not blysse in this knot be conquered, as by reason it is proued.

wherfore by resonable lyfe he must nedes it haue, syth away is to this knotte, but not by the fyrste tway lyues, wherefore neades mote it ben to the thyrde, and for to lyue in flesh but not after flesh, is more resonablyeh than manliche rekened by clerkes. Therfore how this way commeth in, I wol it blithly declare.

Se now (quod she) that these bodyly goo¦des of manlyche lyuynges, yelden sorowful stoundes and smeretande houres, who so wele remembre hym to theyr endes, in their worchynges they ben thoughtfull and sory. Ryght as a bee that hath hadde his honye, anon at his flyght begynneth to stynge: So thylke bodyly goodes at the last mot away and than stynge they at her goinge, where•• through entreth and clene voydeth al blysse of this knotte.

Forsoth (quod I) me thynketh I am wel serued, in shewīg of these wordes, although I had lytle in respect amonge other greate and worthye, yet had I a fayre parcell, as me thought for the tyme, in fortherynge of my sustenaunce, whiche whyle it dured, I thought me hauyng mokell hony to myne e∣state. I had rychesse suffyciauntly to weyue nede, I had dignitie to be reuerenced in wor¦ship. Power me thought that I had to kepe fro myne enemyes, and me semed to shyne in glory of renoume as manhode asketh, in meane, for no wyght in myne administra∣tion coude none euyls ne trecherye by sothe cause on me put. Lady your selfe weten wel that of tho confedecacyes maked by my so∣ueraynes I nas but a seruaunt, and yet mo¦kell meane folke woll fullye ayenste reason thilke maters mayntayne, in which mayn∣tenaunce glorye them selfe, and as often ye

hauen sayde, therof ought nothyng in euyll to be layde to mewardes, sythen as repen∣taunt I am tourned, and nomore I thynke neyther tho thynges ne none suche other to susteyne, but vtterly destroy without med∣lynge maner, in all my myghtes. Howe am I nowe caste oute of all swetnesse of blysse, and myscheuously stongen my passed ioye? sorowfullye muste I wayle, and lyue as a wretche.

Euery of tho ioyes is turned into his con¦trary: For rychesse nowe haue I pouertye, for dignitie now am I emprysoned, in stede of power, wretchednesse I suffer, and for glory of renoume I am now dispysed, and soulyche hated: thus hath farne Fortune, that sodaynly am I ouerthrowen, and out of all wealth dispoyled.

Trulye me thynketh this way in entre is ryght harde, god graunt me better grace er it be al passed, y^e other way lady me thought ryght swete. Now certes ({quod} Loue) me lyst for to chyde. what ayleth thy darke dulnesse woll it not in clerenesse ben sharped. Haue I not by many reasons to the shewed suche bo¦dily goodes faylen to yeue blis, their might so ferforth wol not stretche? Shame ({quod} she) it is to say, thou lyest in thy wordes. Thou ne hast wyst but ryght fewe, that these bo∣dyly goodes had al at ones, commenly they dwellen not togyther. He that plentie hath in richesse, of his kynne is ashamed: another of lynage ryght noble and well knowe, but pouerte him hādleth he were leuer vnknow An other hath these, but renome of peoples praysyng maye he not haue ouer al he is ha¦ted and defamed of thynges ryght foule.

An other is fayre and semely, but dignite hym fayleth: and he that hath dignite is cro¦ked or lame, or els mishappen and fouly di∣spysed: thus pertable these goodes dwellen cōmenlye in one houshold ben they but selde. Lo how reetched is your trust, on thynge y^t wol not accorde. Me thynketh thou clepest thylke plyte thou were in selynes of fortune and thou sayest for that y^e selynesse is depar¦ted, thou art a wretche. Than foloweth this vpon thy wordes, euerye soule resonable of man, may not dye, and yf death endeth sely∣nesse and maketh wretches, as nedes of for∣tune maketh it an ende. Than soules after deth of y^e body in wretchednesse shuld lyuen.

But we know many that han getten the blysse of heuen after theyr deth. Howe than may this lyfe maken men blysful, that whā it passeth it yeueth no wretchednesse, & ma∣nye tymes blysse, yf in this lyfe he con lyue as he shulde? And wolt thou accompt with fortune, that now at the fyrst she hath done the tene and sorow: yf thou looke to the ma∣ner of al glad thynges & sorowful, y^u mayest not naye it, that yet, and namely nowe thou standest in noble plyt in a good gynnyng, w^t good forth goinge hereafter. And yf thou wene to be a wretch for such welth is passed why thā art thou not wel fortunate for bad thynges & anguys wretchednesse bē passed? Art thou now come first into the hostrye of this lyfe, or els the booth of this world, art thou now a sodayne gest into this wretched exyle? wenest there be any thing in this erth stable? Is not thy fyrst arest passed y^e brouʒt the in mortal sorowe? Ben these not mortal thinges agone with ignoraunce of bestiall wyt, and hast receyued reason in knowynge of vertue? what cōfort is in thy hert? the kno¦wynge sykerly in my seruyce be grounded. And wost thou not wel as I sayde, y^t death maketh ende of al fortune? what thā stādest thou in noble plyte, lytle hede or rekenynge to take, yf thou let fortune passe dyng, or els that she flye whan her lyst, now by thy lyue. Pardy a mā hath nothyng so lefe as his life and for to holde that he doth al his cure and dyligent trauayle. Than saye I, thou arte blisfull & fortunate selye, yf thou knowe thy goodes that thou hast yet beloued, whiche nothinge maye dout, that they ne bene more worthy than thy lyfe? what is that ({quod} I)? Good contēplacion ({quod} she) of well doinge in vertue in tyme coming, both in plesaunce of me & of thy Margaryte perle. Haestly thyne hert in ful blysse with her shalbe eased. Ther¦fore dismay the not, fortune in hate greuou∣sly ayēst thy bodily persō, ne yet to gret tem∣pest hath she not sēt to y^e, sithen y^e holding ca¦bles & ankres of thy life holden by knytting so fast, that thou discomforte the nought of tyme y^t is nowe, ne dispayre the not of tyme to come, but yeuen the cōfort in hope of well doing, and of gettyng agayne the double of thy lesynge, w^t encreasyng loue of thy Mar∣garite perle therto. For this hytherto y^u hast had al her ful daūger, and so thou myght a∣mende

all that is mysse, and all defautes that somtyme thou dyddest, and that nowe in all thy tyme to that ylke Margaryte in full ser∣uyce of my lore thyne herte hath contynued, wherfore she ought moch the rather enclyne fro h••t daungerous sete. These thynges ben yet ••••yt by the holdynge anker in thy lyue, & holden mote they: To god I praye all these thynges at full ben performed. For whyle thys anker holdeth I hope thou shalte safely escape, and whyle thy trew meanyng seruice aboute brynge in dispyte of all false meaners that the of newe haten, for this trew seruyce thou arte nowe entred.