Chaucerian and Other Pieces. Various

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СКАЧАТЬ not strecche to the privy termes in Frenche, what-so-ever we

      bosten of straunge langage. Let than clerkes endyten in Latin,

      for they have the propertee of science, and the knowinge in that

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      facultee; and let Frenchmen in their Frenche also endyten their

      queynt termes, for it is kyndely to their mouthes; and let us

      shewe our fantasyes in suche wordes as we lerneden of our dames

      tonge.

      And although this book be litel thank-worthy for the leudnesse

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      in travaile, yet suche wrytinges excyten men to thilke thinges that

      ben necessarie; for every man therby may, as by a perpetual

      mirrour, seen the vyces or vertues of other, in whiche thing

      lightly may be conceyved to eschewe perils, and necessaries to

      cacche, after as aventures have fallen to other people or persons.

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      Certes, [perfeccion is] the soveraynest thing of desyre, and

      moste †creatures resonable have, or els shulde have, ful appetyte

      to their perfeccion; unresonable beestes mowen not, sith reson

      hath in hem no werking. Than resonable that wol not is comparisoned

      to unresonable, and made lyke hem. For-sothe, the

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      most soverayne and fynal perfeccion of man is in knowing of

      a sothe, withouten any entent disceyvable, and in love of oon

      very god that is inchaungeable; that is, to knowe and love his

      creatour.

      ¶ Now, principally, the mene to bringe in knowleging and

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      loving his creatour is the consideracion of thinges made by the

      creatour, wherthrough, by thilke thinges that ben made understonding

      here to our wittes, arn the unsene privitees of god

      made to us sightful and knowing, in our contemplacion and

      understonding. These thinges than, forsoth, moche bringen us

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      to the ful knowleginge [of] sothe, and to the parfit love of the

      maker of hevenly thinges. Lo, David sayth, 'thou hast delyted

      me in makinge,' as who sayth, to have delyt in the tune, how god

      hath lent me in consideracion of thy makinge.

      Wherof Aristotle, in the boke de Animalibus, saith to naturel

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      philosophers: 'it is a greet lyking in love of knowinge their

      creatour; and also in knowinge of causes in kyndely thinges.'

      Considred, forsoth, the formes of kyndly thinges and the shap,

      a greet kindely love me shulde have to the werkman that

      hem made. The crafte of a werkman is shewed in the werke.

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      Herfore, truly, the philosophers, with a lyvely studie, many

      noble thinges right precious and worthy to memory writen;

      and by a greet swetande travayle to us leften of causes [of] the

      propertees in natures of thinges. To whiche (therfore) philosophers

      it was more joy, more lykinge, more herty lust, in

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      kyndely vertues and maters of reson, the perfeccion by busy

      study to knowe, than to have had al the tresour, al the richesse,

      al the vainglory that the passed emperours, princes, or kinges

      hadden. Therfore the names of hem, in the boke of perpetual

      memory, in vertue and pees arn writen; and in the contrarye, that

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      is to sayne, in Styx, the foule pitte of helle, arn thilke pressed

      that suche goodnesse hated. And bycause this book shal be of

      love, and the pryme causes of steringe in that doinge, with passions

      and diseses for wantinge of desyre, I wil that this book be cleped

      The Testament of Love.

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      But now, thou reder, who is thilke that wil not in scorne

      laughe, to here a dwarfe, or els halfe a man, say he wil rende

      out the swerde of Hercules handes, and also he shuld sette

      Hercules Gades a myle yet ferther; and over that, he had

      power of strengthe to pulle up the spere, that Alisander the

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      noble might never wagge? And that, passing al thinge, to ben

      mayster of Fraunce by might, there-as the noble gracious Edward

      the thirde, for al his greet prowesse in victories, ne might al yet

      conquere?

      Certes, I wot wel, ther shal be mad more scorne and jape

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      of me, that I, so unworthily clothed al-togider in the cloudy cloude

      of unconninge, wil putten me in prees to speke of love, or els

      of the causes in that matter, sithen al the grettest clerkes han

      had ynough to don, and (as who sayth) †gadered up clene toforn

      hem, and with their sharpe sythes of conning al mowen, and

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      mad СКАЧАТЬ