somtyme stonken †han caught the
name of love among idiotes and badde-meninge people. Never-the-later,
95
yet how-so-it-be that men clepe thilke †thing preciousest
in kynde, with many eke-names, that other thinges that the soule
yeven the ilke noble name, it sheweth wel that in a maner men
have a greet lykinge in worshippinge of thilke name. Wherfore
this worke have I writte; and to thee, tytled of Loves name,
100
I have it avowed in a maner of sacrifyse; that, where-ever it be
rad, it mowe in merite, by the excellence of thilke name, the
more wexe in authoritè and worshippe of takinge in hede; and to
what entent it was ordayned, the inseëres mowen ben moved.
Every thing to whom is owande occasion don as for his ende,
105
Aristotle supposeth that the actes of every thinge ben in a maner
his final cause. A final cause is noblerer, or els even as noble,
as thilke thing that is finally to thilke ende; wherfore accion of
thinge everlasting is demed to be eternal, and not temporal;
sithen it is his final cause. Right so the actes of my boke 'Love,'
110
and love is noble; wherfore, though my book be leude, the cause
with which I am stered, and for whom I ought it doon, noble
forsothe ben bothe. But bycause that in conninge I am yong,
and can yet but crepe, this leude A. b. c. have I set in-to lerning;
for I can not passen the telling of three as yet. And if god
115
wil, in shorte tyme, I shal amende this leudnesse in joininge
syllables; whiche thing, for dulnesse of witte, I may not in three
letters declare. For trewly I saye, the goodnesse of my Margaryte-perle
wolde yeve mater in endyting to many clerkes; certes, her
mercy is more to me swetter than any livinges; wherfore my
120
lippes mowen not suffyse, in speking of her ful laude and worshippe
as they shulde. But who is that [wolde be wyse] in
knowing of the orders of heven, and putteth his resones in the
erthe? I forsothe may not, with blere eyen, the shyning sonne of
vertue in bright whele of this Margaryte beholde; therfore as yet
125
I may her not discryve in vertue as I wolde. In tyme cominge,
in another tretyse, thorow goddes grace, this sonne in clerenesse
of vertue to be-knowe, and how she enlumineth al this day,
I thinke to declare.
Ch. I. 2. howe. comforte. 3. hadde. 5. folke. 6. anone. 10. purpose. 12. wytte. 14. wotte. great. 16. (Something seems to be lost here). 17. I supply nedeth. 18. o; read of. 19. erronyous. maye. 20. menne. sayne. 26. amonge.
31. wretchydnesse. fal. I supply of. 32. forthe. 33. stedfaste faythe. 34. darne. 35. endlesse. 36. I supply men. 37. folke. 39. great. 40. onely. 42. fathers; read faders. 44. faythe. 47. put. miracles; read miracle. 48. thangel. 50. saythe. 51. werne. 53. discomfyte. 54. I supply arn. 55. wotte. 56. reason. erroure. 57. reason. bewonde (sic). catchende wytte. 59. with; read whiche. 60. reason. 61. Nowe. 62. alwaye. 63. booke. rancoure. 64. althoughe. 65. booke.
67. I supply of. nowe. 69. wotte. 70. wysdome 71. toke. 73. reason. 75. reasons. 76. parfyte. 78–9. reason (twice). 79. parfyte. 80. maye. persel. 81. parfyte. 85. reason. 86. none. 88. amonge. sayne. 88–91. sede. 91. mowen; read mowe. 92. londe-tyllers. set. 93. hath; read han. 94. meanynge. 95. howe. menne cleape. kynge (sic); read thing. 98. great. 99. the. 101. radde.
104. thynge. done. 107. thynge. 110. boke. 111. done (sic). 112. yonge. 113. canne. sette. 114. thre. 116. thynge. maye. thre. 121. that in knowyng (sic); supply wolde be wyse before in knowing. 125. maye. 126. thorowe. 127. howe.
CHAPTER II.
In this mene whyle this comfortable lady gan singe a wonder
mater of endytinge in Latin; but trewly, the noble colours in
rethorik wyse knitte were so craftely, that my conning wol not
strecche to remembre; but the sentence, I trowe, somdel have
5
I in mynde. Certes, they were wonder swete of sowne, and they
were touched al in lamentacion wyse, and by no werbles of
myrthe. Lo! thus gan she singe in Latin, as I may constrewe it
in our Englisshe tonge.
'Alas! that these hevenly bodyes their light and course shewen,
10
as nature yave hem in commaundement at the ginning of the first
age; but these thinges in free choice of reson han non
understondinge. But man that ought to passe al thing of doinge, of
right course in kynde, over-whelmed sothnesse by wrongful tytle,
and hath drawen the sterre of envye to gon by his syde, that the
15
clips of me, that shulde be his shynande sonne, so ofte is seye,
that it wened thilke errour, thorow hem come in, shulde ben myn
owne defaute. Trewly, therfore, I have me withdrawe, and mad
my dwellinge out of lande in an yle by my-selfe, in the occian
closed; and yet sayn there many, they have me harberowed; but,
20
god wot, they
