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
