Chaucerian and Other Pieces. Various

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СКАЧАТЬ that no wight shulde of her have no maistry in my

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      service; and yet Jupiter by signes, without any speche, had

      al his purpose ayenst her fathers wil. And many suche mo have

      ben knitte in trouthe, and yet spake they never togider; for

      that is a thing enclosed under secretnesse of privytè, why twey

      persons entremellen hertes after a sight. The power in knowing,

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      of such thinges †to preven, shal nat al utterly be yeven to you

      beestes; for many thinges, in suche precious maters, ben

      reserved to jugement of devyne purveyaunce; for among lyving

      people, by mannes consideracion, moun they nat be determined.

      Wherfore I saye, al the envy, al the janglinge, that wel ny [al]

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      people upon my servauntes maken †ofte, is rather cause of esployte

      than of any hindringe.'

      'Why, than,' quod I, 'suffre ye such wrong; and moun, whan

      ye list, lightly al such yvels abate? Me semeth, to you it is

      a greet unworship.'

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      'O,' quod she, 'hold now thy pees. I have founden to many

      that han ben to me unkynde, that trewly I wol suffre every wight

      in that wyse to have disese; and who that continueth to the ende

      wel and trewly, hem wol I helpen, and as for oon of myne in-to

      blisse [don] to wende. As [in] marcial doing in Grece, who

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      was y-crowned? By god, nat the strongest; but he that rathest

      com and lengest abood and continued in the journey, and spared

      nat to traveyle as long as the play leste. But thilke person, that

      profred him now to my service, [and] therin is a while, and anon

      voideth and [is] redy to another; and so now oon he thinketh

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      and now another; and in-to water entreth and anon respireth:

      such oon list me nat in-to perfit blisse of my service bringe.

      A tree ofte set in dyvers places wol nat by kynde endure to bringe

      forth frutes. Loke now, I pray thee, how myne olde servauntes

      of tyme passed continued in her service, and folowe thou after

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      their steppes; and than might thou not fayle, in case thou worche

      in this wyse.'

      'Certes,' quod I, 'it is nothing lich, this world, to tyme

      passed; eke this countrè hath oon maner, and another countrè

      hath another. And so may nat a man alway putte to his eye the

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      salve that he heled with his hele. For this is sothe: betwixe

      two thinges liche, ofte dyversitè is required.'

      'Now,' quod she, 'that is sothe; dyversitè of nation, dyversitè of

      lawe, as was maked by many resons; for that dyversitè cometh in

      by the contrarious malice of wicked people, that han envyous hertes

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      ayenst other. But trewly, my lawe to my servauntes ever hath

      ben in general, whiche may nat fayle. For right as mannes †lawe

      that is ordained by many determinacions, may nat be knowe for

      good or badde, til assay of the people han proved it and [founden]

      to what ende it draweth; and than it sheweth the necessitè

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      therof, or els the impossibilitè: right so the lawe of my servauntes

      so wel hath ben proved in general, that hitherto hath it not fayled.

      Wiste thou not wel that al the lawe of kynde is my lawe, and

      by god ordayned and stablisshed to dure by kynde resoun?

      Wherfore al lawe by mannes witte purveyed ought to be underput

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      to lawe of kynde, whiche yet hath be commune to every kyndely

      creature; that my statutes and my lawe that ben kyndely arn

      general to al peoples. Olde doinges and by many turninges of

      yeres used, and with the peoples maner proved, mowen nat so

      lightly ben defased; but newe doinges, contrariauntes suche olde,

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      ofte causen diseses and breken many purposes. Yet saye I nat

      therfore that ayen newe mischeef men shulde nat ordaynen

      a newe remedye; but alwaye looke it contrary not the olde no

      ferther than the malice streccheth. Than foloweth it, the olde

      doinges in love han ben universal, as for most exployte[s] forth

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      used; wherfore I wol not yet that of my lawes nothing be adnulled.

      But thanne to thy purpos: suche jangelers and lokers, and

      wayters of games, if thee thinke in aught they mowe dere, yet

      love wel alwaye, and sette hem at naught; and let thy port ben

      lowe in every wightes presence, and redy in thyne herte to

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      maynteyne that thou hast begonne; and a litel thee fayne with

      mekenesse in wordes; and thus СКАЧАТЬ