Chaucerian and Other Pieces. Various
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and flatereth; and lightly voydeth whan she most plesauntly
sheweth; and ever, in hir absence, she is aboute to do thee tene
and sorowe in herte. But Unsely, al-be-it with bytande chere,
sheweth what she is, and so doth not that other; wherfore
Unsely doth not begyle. Selinesse disceyveth; Unsely put away
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doute. That oon maketh men blynde; that other openeth their
eyen in shewinge of wrecchidnesse. The oon is ful of drede to
lese that is not his owne; that other is sobre, and maketh men
discharged of mokel hevinesse in burthen. The oon draweth
a man from very good; the other haleth him to vertue by the
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hookes of thoughtes. And wenist thou nat that thy disese hath
don thee mokel more to winne than ever yet thou lostest, and
more than ever the contrary made thee winne? Is nat a greet
good, to thy thinking, for to knowe the hertes of thy sothfast
frendes? Pardè, they ben proved to the ful, and the trewe have
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discevered fro the false. Trewly, at the goinge of the ilke brotel
joye, ther yede no more away than the ilke that was nat thyn
proper. He was never from that lightly departed; thyn owne
good therfore leveth it stille with thee. Now good (quod she);
for how moche woldest thou somtyme have bought this verry
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knowing of thy frendes from the flatteringe flyes that thee glosed,
whan thou thought thy-selfe sely? But thou that playnest of losse
in richesse, hast founden the most dere-worthy thing; that thou
clepest unsely hath made thee moche thing to winnen. And
also, for conclusioun of al, he is frende that now leveth nat his
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herte from thyne helpes. And if that Margarite denyeth now nat
to suffre her vertues shyne to thee-wardes with spredinge bemes,
as far or farther than if thou were sely in worldly joye, trewly,
I saye nat els but she is somdel to blame.'
'Ah! pees,' quod I, 'and speke no more of this; myn herte
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breketh, now thou touchest any suche wordes!'
'A! wel!' quod she, 'thanne let us singen; thou herest no
more of these thinges at this tyme.'
Thus endeth the firste book of the Testament of Love;
and herafter foloweth the seconde.
Ch. X. 1. nowe. 2. abiection; read objeccion. be; read by. the. 3. the. 4. the. encrease the. nowe. 5. obiection. 6. let. 7. maye. se nowe. 12. nowe. 14. set. 15. can ne never; omit ne. 18. wytte. false. 19. auer (sic); for aueir (avoir). howe. cleaped. false. 24. onely. 25. wotte. new. 26. whome. 27. worlde.
29. reason. 32. arne a fayre parsel. 33. nowe. 37. se. 39. pouertie. 40. hydde. forsworne. 44. daye (twice). 46. miscleapynge. 50. wotte. 52. nowe I se. thentent. meanyng. 53. berafte. 54. gatherynge. 55. I supply before that. 56. whose profyte. 57. nowe. 58. the (twice). nowe. 63. dispyte. 64. the. Nowe. 65. woste.
66. the forthe. 67. mothers; read moders. 69. the. 70. haste. lente. 71. propertie. se nowe. 72. owne. 73. the. 74. stretched. fayne. 76. the. 78. arte. 79. ease. loste. 84. Howe. 85. thentent. 88. Wolte. 89. the. 91. their; read his. the. 92. one. 94. ease. he; read she. 99. dothe. awaye. 100–1. one (twice). 101. wretchydnesse.
103. one. 105. disease. 106. done the. 107. the. great. 109. Pardy. 111. awaye. 111–2. thyne. 113. leaueth. the. Nowe. 114. howe. 115. the. 117. thynge. 118. cleapest. the. thynge. 119. nowe leaueth. 120. hert. nowe. 121. the. spreadynge beames. 122. farre. 123. somdele. 124. peace. myne. 125. breaketh nowe. 126. lette.
BOOK II.
CHAPTER I.
Very welth may not be founden in al this worlde; and that
is wel sene. Lo! how in my mooste comfort, as I wende
and moost supposed to have had ful answere of my contrary
thoughtes, sodaynly it was vanisshed. And al the workes of man
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faren in the same wyse; whan folk wenen best her entent for to
have and willes to perfourme, anon chaunging of the lift syde to
the right halve tourneth it so clene in-to another kynde, that never
shal it come to the first plyte in doinge.
O this wonderful steering so soone otherwysed out of knowinge!
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But for my purpos was at the beginninge, and so dureth yet, if god
of his grace tyme wol me graunt, I thinke to perfourme this
worke, as I have begonne, in love; after as my thinne wit, with
inspiracion of him that hildeth al grace, wol suffre. Grevously,
god wot, have I suffred a greet throwe that the Romayne
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emperour, which in unitè of love shulde acorde, and every with
other * * * * in cause of other to avaunce; and namely, sithe
this empyre [nedeth] to be corrected of so many sectes in heresie
of faith, of service, o[f] rule in loves religion. Trewly, al were
it but to shende erroneous opinions, I may it no lenger suffre.
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For many men there ben that sayn love to be in gravel and sande,
that with see ebbinge and flowinge woweth, as riches that sodaynly
vanissheth. And some sayn that love shulde be in windy blastes,
that stoundmele turneth as a phane, and glorie of renomè, which
after lustes of the varyaunt people is areysed or stilled.
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Many also wenen that in the sonne and the moone and other
sterres love shulde ben founden; for among al other planettes
moste soveraynly they shynen, as dignitees in reverence of estates
rather than good han and occupyen. Ful many also there ben
that in okes and in huge postes supposen love to ben grounded,
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as in strength and in might, whiche mowen not helpen their owne
wrecchidnesse, whan they ginne to falle. But [of] suche diversitè
of sectes, ayenst the rightful beleve of love, these errours ben forth
spredde, that loves servantes in trewe rule and stedfast fayth in
no place daren apere. Thus irrecuperable joy is went, and anoy
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endless is entred. For no man aright reproveth suche errours,
but [men] confirmen their wordes, and sayn,