withouten any mesure of trouthe.'
Ch. VI. 2. great. beare. 3. read enfame; see l. 6. one. obiections. 7. Nowe. leasynges put on the. 8. wronge. 9. se. encreaseth. 10. the. 11. arte encreased. 12. I supply is. 13. the. harme. false. 15. I supply voyd. arte. 17. disease. 22. reason. 23. fulfylde. 24. sayne. lente. 25. sayne. weaked; read wikked? 26. anoye.
27. sayne. 29. great. 30. forsaken; read forsake. 31. encrease. 32. arne. 33. nowe. howe. 36. disease. se. 37. vnderstande. 38. fame or by goodnesse enfame; read fame by goodnesse or enfame. 39. Supply of. reasonable. 40. wytte. reason to-forne. 41. herde. 42. toforne. 45. conuercion. 48. Howe. zedeoreys or ȝedeoreys. 53. meane se nowe. 55. great. 56. exitours. werne. 61. tel.
63. One. comforte. 64. profyte. 65. profyte. comynaltie. peace. 66. profyte. 68. meanynge. 71. I supply the and that. 72. rancoure. 73. fornecaste. distruction. 74. blynde. 76. Nowe. caste. 77. dwel. 78. threde. 80. howe peace. 81. endused. 84. done. maye. helpe (repeated after comen); read wele. thynge. 86. distroyeng. 87. misdede. 88. frende maye. 94. -forthe. debate. 95. stryfe. distruction. 96. peace. comunaltie. 97. cytie. 98. forthe.
101–6. peace (five times). 104. thynge. perfyte. 107. left. 108. came. 109. perfytely. 110. none. 111–2. peace (twice). 112. one (twice). 113. howe. 114–5. peace (twice). 115. comunalties and cytes. 116. toforne. 119. meanynge. feoble. 120. none. gubernatyfe. 122. passyfe. 126. election. 128. agayne. 129. subiection. 131. distruction. 135. doone.
138. meanynge. 139. heauy. 141. election. Supply was mad. great (twice). Supply that. 142. disease. election. 143. face; read fate. 146. onely. 147. reason. to-forne. 148. shope. 149. electyon. 151. amonge. 154. to forne hande. peace. 156. to forne. 158. apertely. 159. leasynges. 160. nowe. 162. maye. 164. sayde. 165. onely. leigeaunce. 166. se. nowe. 168. Se. 171. cleapen. false.
172. howe. 173. maye. folke. 174. stretch. 179. Nowe. 181. knowyuge (sic). sayng. arne nowe. 183. sayne. 184. nothynge. 185. wote. 186. none. 188. se. 194. werne. 195. meanynge. 196. beare. 197. submytten (!). 198. nowe. sayne. 199. dothe. 200. meane. 201. measure.
CHAPTER VII.
Than gan Love sadly me beholde, and sayd in a changed
voyce, lower than she had spoken in any tyme: 'Fayn
wolde I,' quod she, 'that thou were holpen; but hast thou sayd
any-thing whiche thou might not proven?'
5
'Pardè,' quod I, 'the persones, every thing as I have sayd, han
knowleged hem-selfe.'
'Ye,' quod she, 'but what if they hadden nayed? How
woldest thou have maynteyned it?'
'Sothely,' quod I, 'it is wel wist, bothe amonges the greetest
10
and other of the realme, that I profered my body so largely in-to
provinge of tho thinges, that Mars shulde have juged the ende;
but, for sothnesse of my wordes, they durste not to thilke juge
truste.'
'Now, certes,' quod she, 'above al fames in this worlde, the
15
name of marcial doinges most plesen to ladyes of my lore; but
sithen thou were redy, and thyne adversaryes in thy presence
refused thilke doing; thy fame ought to be so born as if in dede
it had take to the ende. And therfore every wight that any
droppe of reson hath, and hereth of thee infame for these thinges,
20
hath this answere to saye: "trewly thou saydest; for thyne
adversaryes thy wordes affirmed." And if thou haddest lyed, yet
are they discomfited, the prise leved on thy syde; so that fame
shal holde down infame; he shal bringe [it in] upon none
halfe. What greveth thee thyne enemye[s] to sayn their owne
25
shame, as thus: "we arn discomfited, and yet our quarel is
trewe?" Shal not the loos of thy frendes ayenward dequace thilke
enfame, and saye they graunted a sothe without a stroke or fighting?
Many men in batayle ben discomfited and overcome in
a rightful quarel, that is goddes privy jugement in heven; but
30
yet, although the party be yolden, he may with wordes saye his
quarel is trewe, and to yelde him, in the contrarye, for drede of
dethe he is compelled; and he that graunteth and no stroke hath
feled, he may not crepe away in this wyse by none excusacion.
Indifferent folk wil say: "ye, who is trewe, who is fals, him-selfe
35
knowlegeth tho thinges." Thus in every syde fame sheweth to
thee good and no badde.'
'But yet,' quod I, 'some wil say, I ne shulde, for no dethe,
have discovered my maistresse; and so by unkyndnesse they
wol knette infame, to pursue me aboute. Thus enemyes of wil,
40
in manyfolde maner, wol seche privy serpentynes queintyses, to
quenche and distroye, by venim of many besinesses, the light of
tr[o]uthe; to make hertes to murmure ayenst my persone, to have
me in hayne withouten any cause.'
'Now,' quod she, 'here me a fewe wordes, and thou shalt fully
45
ben answered, I trowe. Me thinketh (quod she) right now, by
thy wordes, that sacrament of swering, that is to say, charging by
othe, was oon of the causes to make thee discover the malicious
imaginacions tofore nempned. Every ooth, by knittinge of copulation,
muste have these lawes, that is, trewe jugement and rightwysenesse;
50
