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IN these thinges,' quod she, 'that me list now to shewe openly, shal be founde the mater of thy sicknesse, and what shal ben the medicyn that may be thy sorowes lisse and comfort, as wel thee as al other that amisse have erred and out of the way walked, so that any drope of good wil in amendement [ 5] [may] ben dwelled in their hertes. Proverbes of Salomon openly techeth, how somtyme an innocent walkid by the way in blynd∣nesse
of a derke night; whom mette a woman (if it be leefly to saye) as a strumpet arayed, redily purveyed in turninge of thoughtes with veyne janglinges, and of rest inpacient, by dis∣simulacion [ 10] of my termes, saying in this wyse: "Com, and be we dronken of our swete pappes; use we coveitous collinges." And thus drawen was this innocent, as an oxe to the larder.'
'Lady,' quod I, 'to me this is a queynte thing to understande; I praye you, of this parable declare me the entent.' [ 15]
'This innocent,' quod she, 'is a scoler lerninge of my lore, in seching of my blisse, in whiche thinge the day of his thought turning enclyneth in-to eve; and the sonne, of very light faylinge, maketh derke night in his conninge. Thus in derknesse of many doutes he walketh, and for blyndenesse of understandinge, he ne [ 20] wot in what waye he is in; forsothe, suche oon may lightly ben begyled. To whom cam love fayned, not clothed of my livery, but [of] unlefful lusty habit, with softe speche and mery; and with fayre honyed wordes heretykes and mis-meninge people skleren and wimplen their errours. Austen witnesseth of an [ 25] heretyk, that in his first beginninge he was a man right expert in resons and swete in his wordes; and the werkes miscorden. Thus fareth fayned love in her firste werchinges. Thou knowest these thinges for trewe; thou hast hem proved by experience somtyme, in doing to thyne owne person; in whiche thing thou hast [ 30] founde mater of mokel disese. Was not fayned love redily purveyed, thy wittes to cacche and tourne thy good thoughtes? Trewly, she hath wounded the conscience of many with florissh∣inge of mokel jangling wordes; and good worthe thanked I it for no glose. I am glad of my prudence thou hast so manly her [ 35] †weyved. To me art thou moche holden, that in thy kynde course of good mening I returne thy mynde. I trowe, ne had I shewed thee thy Margaryte, thou haddest never returned. Of first in good parfit joye was ever fayned love impacient, as the water of Siloë, whiche evermore floweth with stilnesse and privy [ 40] noyse til it come nighe the brinke, and than ginneth it so out of mesure to bolne, with novelleries of chaunging stormes, that in course of every renning it is in pointe to spille al his circuit of †bankes. Thus fayned love prively, at the fullest of his flowinge,
[ginneth] newe stormes [of] debat to arayse. And al-be-it that [ 45] Mercurius [servants] often with hole understandinge knowen suche perillous maters, yet Veneriens so lusty ben and so leude in their wittes, that in suche thinges right litel or naught don they fele; and wryten and cryen to their felawes: "here is blisse, here is joye"; and thus in-to one same errour mokel folk they [ 50] drawen. "Come," they sayen, "and be we dronken of our pappes"; that ben fallas and lying glose, of whiche mowe they not souke milke of helthe, but deedly venim and poyson, corrupcion of sorowe. Milke of fallas is venim of disceyt; milke of lying glose is venim of corrupcion. Lo! what thing cometh out of these [ 55] pappes! "Use we coveited collinges"; desyre we and meddle we false wordes with sote, and sote with false! Trewly, this is the sori∣nesse of fayned love; nedes, of these surfettes sicknesse muste folowe. Thus, as an oxe, to thy langoring deth were thou drawen; the sote of the smoke hath thee al defased. Ever the deper thou [ 60] somtyme wadest, the soner thou it founde; if it had thee killed, it had be litel wonder. But on that other syde, my trewe servaunt[s] not faynen ne disceyve conne; sothly, their doinge is open; my foundement endureth, be the burthen never so greet; ever in one it lasteth. It yeveth lyf and blisful goodnesse [ 65] in the laste endes, though the ginninges ben sharpe. Thus of two contraries, contrarye ben the effectes. And so thilke Margaryte thou servest shal seen thee, by her service out of perillous tribulacion delivered, bycause of her service in-to newe disese fallen, by hope of amendement in the laste ende, with joye [ 70] to be gladded. Wherfore, of kynde pure, her mercy with grace of good helpe shal she graunte; and els I shal her so strayne, that with pitè shal she ben amaystred. Remembre in thyne herte how horribly somtyme to thyne Margaryte thou trespasest, and in a grete wyse ayenst her thou forfeytest! Clepe ayen thy [ 75] mynde, and know thyne owne giltes. What goodnesse, what bountee, with mokel folowing pitè founde thou in that tyme? Were thou not goodly accepted in-to grace? By my pluckinge was she to foryevenesse enclyned. And after, I her styred to drawe thee to house; and yet wendest thou utterly for ever [ 80] have ben refused. But wel thou wost, sithen that I in suche
sharpe disese might so greetly avayle, what thinkest in thy wit? How fer may my wit strecche? And thou lache not on thy syde, I wol make the knotte. Certes, in thy good bering I wol acorde with the psauter: "I have founde David in my service true, and [ 85] with holy oyle of pees and of rest, longe by him desyred, utterly he shal be anoynted." Truste wel to me, and I wol thee not fayle. The †leving of the first way with good herte of continuance that I see in thee grounded, this purpose to parfourme, draweth me by maner of constrayning, that nedes muste I ben thyne helper. [ 90] Although mirthe a whyle be taried, it shal come at suche seson, that thy thought shal ben joyed. And wolde never god, sithen thyne herte to my resons arn assented, and openly hast confessed thyne amisse-going, and now cryest after mercy, but-if mercy folowed; thy blisse shal ben redy, y-wis; thou ne wost how sone. [ 95] Now be a good child, I rede. The kynde of vertues, in thy Margaryte rehersed, by strength of me in thy person shul werche. Comfort thee in this; for thou mayst not miscary.' And these wordes sayd, she streyght her on length, and rested a whyle.
CH. XIV. 1. nowe.
4. the.
6. Supply may.
7. teacheth. howe.
8. lefely.
11. sayeng. Come.
14. thynge.
16. scholer.
17. daye.
21. wote. one.
22. whome came.
23. Supply of. unleful lustye habyte.
24. misse-.
26. heretyke. experte.
27. resones.
29. haste.
32. catche.
35. gladde.
36. veyned; read weyved. arte.
37. meanyng.
38. the.
39. parfyte.
42. measure.
43. spyl.
44. cankes (!); read bankes.
45. I supply ginneth and of. debate.
46. I supply servants.
51. sayne.
52-4. lyeng.
54. disceyte.
55. thynge.
58. must.
60. the.
61. the.
63. seruaunt.
65. great. lyfe.
68. sene the.
72. graunt.
74. howe.
75. great.
76. knowe.
77. bountie.
80. the.
70,82. disease.
82. greatly.
83. howe ferre maye my wytte stretche.
86. peace.
87. the.
88. leanyng (!)
89. se. the.
93. reasones arne. haste.
94. nowe.
96. chylde.
98. Comforte the.
99. sayde. COLOPHON. booke. boke.