Thomas Usk

“ For goodnesse, of mans propre body were they
maked, after the sawes of the bible, rehersing goddes wordes in 90
this wyse: "It is good to mankynde that we make to him an
helper." Lo! in paradyse, for your helpe, was this tree graffed,
out of whiche al linage of man discendeth. If a man be noble
frute, of noble frute it is sprongen; the blisse of paradyse, to
mennes sory hertes, yet in this tree abydeth. O! noble helpes 95
ben these trees, and gentil jewel to ben worshipped of every
good creature! He that hem anoyeth doth his owne shame; it is
a comfortable perle ayenst al tenes. ”

“ Ergo,
richesse is no cause of the knot. And many men, as I sayd,
setten the cause of the knotte in richesse; thilke knitten the
richesse, and nothing the yvel; thilke persons, what-ever they 35
ben, wenen that riches is most worthy to be had; and that make
they the cause; and so wene they thilke riches be better than the
person. Commenly, suche asken rather after the quantitè than
after the qualitè; and suche wenen, as wel by hem-selfe as by
other, that conjunccion of his lyfe and of his soule is no more 40
precious, but in as mikel as he hath of richesse. Alas! ”

“ If any man yeve to another wight, to whom 130
that he ought not, and whiche that of him-selfe nothing may
have, a garnement or a cote, though he were the cote or els
thilke clothing, it is not to putte to him that was naked the cause
of his clothinge, but only to him that was yever of the garnement.
Wherfore I saye, thou that were naked of love, and of thy-selfe 135
non have mightest, it is not to putte to thyne owne persone,
sithen thy love cam thorow thy Margaryte-perle. Ergo, she was
yever of the love, although thou it use; and there lente she thee
grace, thy service to beginne. ”

“ Boece sheweth this thing at the ful, that
this name "good" is, in general, name in kynde, as it is comparisoned 50
generally to his principal ende, which is god, knotte of
al goodnesse. Every creature cryeth "god us made"; and so
they han ful apeted to thilke god by affeccion such as to hem
longeth; and in this wyse al thinges ben good of the gret god,
which is good alone.' 55
'This wonder thing,' quod I, 'how ye have by many resons
proved my first way to be errour and misgoing, and cause [d] of
badnesse and feble meninge in the grounde ye aleged to be roted. ”

“ Al thing that hath soule is reduced in-to good by mene thinges,
as thus: In-to god man is reduced by soules resonable; and so
forth beestes, or bodyes that mowe not moven, after place ben
reduced in-to manne by beestes †mene that moven from place to
place. So that thilke bodyes that han felinge soules, and move 60
not from places, holden the lowest degree of soulinge thinges in
felinge; and suche ben reduced in-to man by menes. ”

“ The seconde spece is moral, whiche, in order, of living maners
techeth; and by reson proveth vertues of soule moste worthy in
our living; whiche ben prudence, justice, temperaunce, and
strength. Prudence is goodly wisdom in knowing of thinges.
Strength voideth al adversitees aliche even. Temperaunce distroyeth 75
beestial living with esy bering. And Justice rightfully
jugeth; and juging departeth to every wight that is his owne.
The thirde spece turneth in-to reson of understanding; al
thinges to be sayd soth and discussed ”

“ For al thing, a this halfe the first being, is
being through participacion, taking partie of being; so that [in]
every creature is difference bitwene being of him through whom 25
it is, and his own being. Right as every good is a maner of
being, so is it good thorow being; for it is naught other to be.
And every thing, though it be good, is not of him-selfe good;
but it is good by that it is ordinable to the greet goodnesse.
This dualitè, after clerkes †determinison, is founden in every 30
creature, be it never so single of onhed.' ”

“ And thus trewly 85
for you, lady, I have desyred suche cure; and certes, in your
service was I nat ydel, as fer as suche doinge of my cure
streccheth.'
'That is a thing,' quod she, 'that may drawe many hertes of
noble, and voice of commune in-to glory; and fame is nat but 90
wrecched and fickle. Alas! that mankynde coveyteth in so leude
a wyse to be rewarded of any good dede, sithe glorie of fame, in
this worlde, is nat but hindringe of glorie in tyme comminge!
And certes (quod she) yet at the hardest suche fame, in-to heven,
is nat the erthe but a centre to the cercle of heven? ”

“ He that hath no worthinesse on it-selfe, now it ryseth
and now it vanissheth, after the variaunt opinion in false hertes
of unstable people. Wherfore, if thou desyre the knotte of this
jewel, or els if thou woldest suppose she shulde sette the knotte 150
on thee for suche maner dignitè, than thou wenest beautee or
goodnesse of thilke somwhat encreseth the goodnesse or vertue in
the body. But dignite [es] of hemself ben not good, ne yeven
reverence ne worshippe by their owne kynde. How shulde they
than yeve to any other a thing, that by no waye mowe they have 155
hem-selfe? ”

“ For badde is nothing els but absence of good;
and [as] that god in good maketh that good dedes ben good, 265
in yvel he maketh that they ben but naught, that they ben bad;
for to nothing is badnesse to be [lykned] .'
'I have,' quod I tho, 'ynough knowing therin; me nedeth of
other thinges to here, that is to saye, how I shal come to my
blisse so long desyred.' 270
Ch. ”

“ Wherfore thy braunches must burjonen in presence of thy lady, if
thou desyre any frute of thy ladies grace. But beware of thy lyfe,
that thou no wode lay use, as in asking of thinges that strecchen
in-to shame! For than might thou nat spede, by no maner way
that I can espy. Vertue wol nat suffre villany out of him-selfe to 55
springe. Thy wordes may nat be queynt, ne of subtel maner
understandinge. Freel-witted people supposen in suche poesies
to be begyled; in open understandinge must every word be used. ”

“ As the king is more than his people, and hath in 75
possession al his rëalme after, right so the knot is more than
al other goodes; thou might recken al thinges lasse; and that
to him longeth, oweth in-to his mores cause of worship and of
wil †to turne; it is els rebel and out of his mores defending to
voyde. Right so of every goodnesse; in-to the knotte and 80
in-to the cause of his worship [it] oweth to tourne. And trewly,
every thing that hath being profitably is good, but nothing hath
to ben more profitably than this knot; kinges it mayntayneth,
and hem, their powers to mayntayne. ”

“ Here of this mater,' quod she, 'thou shalt understande
that, right as it is nat nedeful, god to wilne that he wil,
no more in many thinges is nat nedeful, a man to wilne that
he wol. And ever, right as nedeful is to be, what that god wol,
right so to be it is nedeful that man wol in tho thinges, whiche 5
that god hath put in-to mannes subjeccion of willinge; as, if
a man wol love, that he love; and if he ne wol love, that he love
nat; and of suche other thinges in mannes disposicion. ”

“ But how that desyre of suche perfeccion in
my service be kindely set in lovers hertes, yet her erroneous
opinions misturne it by falsenesse of wening. And although 10
mannes understanding be misturned, to knowe whiche shuld ben
the way unto my person, and whither it abydeth; yet wote they
there is a love in every wight, [whiche] weneth by that thing that
he coveyteth most, he shulde come to thilke love; and that
is parfit blisse of my servauntes; but than fulle blisse may not 15
be, and there lacke any thing of that blisse in any syde. ”

“ Nedes shame foloweth therof to hem that with wrong
prayseth, and also to the desertes praysed; and vilanye and
reproof of him that disclaundreth.
Good child (quod she) what echeth suche renomè to the 75
conscience of a wyse man, that loketh and mesureth his goodnesse,
not by slevelesse wordes of the people, but by sothfastnesse
of conscience? By god, nothing. And if it be fayr, a mans name
be eched by moche folkes praysing, and fouler thing that mo folk
not praysen? I sayd to thee a litel here-beforn, that no folk in 80
straunge countreyes nought praysen ”

“ Intencion of god was,
that rightfully and blissed shulde resonable nature ben maked, 110
himselfe for to kepe; but neyther blisful ne rightful might it not
be, withouten wil in them bothe. Wil of rightfulnesse is thilke
same rightfulnesse, as here-to-forn is shewed; but wil of blisse
is not thilke blisse, for every man hath not thilke blisse, in whom
the wil therof is abydinge. In this blisse, after every 115
understandinge, is suffisaunce of covenable comoditees without any
maner nede, whether it be blisse of aungels or els thilke that
grace first in paradise suffred Adam to have. ”

“ Everiche qualitè and every
accion, and every thing that hath any maner of beinge, it is of
god; and god it made, of whom is al goodnesse and al being. 10
Of him is no badnesse. Badde to be, is naught; good to be,
is somwhat; and therfore good and being is oon in
understanding.'
'How may this be?' quod I. 'For often han shrewes me
assailed, and mokel badnesse therin have I founden; and so me 15
semeth bad to be somwhat in kynde.'
'Thou shalt,' quod she, 'understande that suche maner badnesse,
whiche is used to purifye wrong-doers, is somwhat; and god it
made, and being [it] hath ”

“ But now, sithen al thinges [arn] underput to the
wil of resonable creatures, god forbede any man to winne that
lordship, and aske helpe of any-thing lower than him-selfe; and than,
namely, of foule thinges innominable. Now than, why shuldest 55
thou wene to love to highe, sithen nothing is thee above but god
alone? Trewly, I wot wel that thilke jewel is in a maner even in
lyne of degree there thou art thy-selfe, and nought above, save
thus: aungel upon angel, man upon man, and devil upon devil
han a maner of soveraigntee ”

“ 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
yet, although the party be yolden, he may with wordes saye his 30
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
knowlegeth tho thinges." ”

“ Now, precious Margaryte, that with thy noble vertue hast
drawen me in-to love first, me weninge therof to have blisse,
[ther] -as galle and aloes are so moche spronge, that savour of 100
swetnesse may I not ataste. Alas! that your benigne eyen, in
whiche that mercy semeth to have al his noriture, nil by no
waye tourne the clerenesse of mercy to me-wardes! Alas! that
your brennande vertues, shyning amonges al folk, and enlumininge
al other people by habundaunce of encresing, sheweth to me 105
but smoke and no light! ”

“ Art thou now come first in-to the hostry of this lyfe, or els the 95
both of this worlde? Art thou now a sodayn gest in-to this
wrecched exile? Wenest there be any thing in this erthe stable?
Is nat thy first arest passed, that brought thee in mortal sorowe?
Ben these nat mortal thinges agon with ignorance of beestial wit,
and hast receyved reson in knowing of vertue? What comfort is 100
in thy herte, the knowinge sikerly in my service [to] be grounded?
And wost thou nat wel, as I said, that deth maketh ende of al
fortune? ”

“ Ergo,
thou seest thy-selfe what foloweth! But now (quod she) woldest
thou not skorne, and thou see a flye han power to don harm to 135
an-other flye, and thilke have no might ne ayenturning him-selfe
to defende?'
'Yes, certes,' quod I.
'Who is a frayler thing,' quod she, 'than the fleshly body of
a man, over whiche have oftentyme flyes, and yet lasse thing than 140
a flye, mokel might in grevaunce and anoying, withouten any
withsittinge, for al thilke mannes mightes? ”

“ Ergo, thing naughty, badde, and nedy in kyndely
understandinge is more worthy than thing kyndely good, most 10
desyred and praysed! The consequence is fals; nedes, the
antecedent mot ben of the same condicion. But that richesses
ben bad, naughty, and nedy, that wol I prove; wherfore they
mowe cause no suche thing that is so glorious and good. The
more richesse thou hast, the more nede hast thou of helpe hem 15
to kepe. Ergo, thou nedest in richesse, whiche nede thou
shuldest not have, if thou hem wantest. ”

“ In thee lyth the grace
thorough whiche any creature in this worlde hath any goodnesse.
Trewly, al maner of blisse and preciousnesse in vertue out of 150
thee springen and wellen, as brokes and rivers proceden from
their springes. And lyke as al waters by kynde drawen to the see,
so al kyndely thinges thresten, by ful appetyte of desyre, to drawe
after thy steppes, and to thy presence aproche as to their kyndely
perfeccion. ”

“ Also furthermore I found, of perdurable
letters wonderly there graven, these maters whiche I shal nempne.
Certes, non age ne other thing in erthe may the leest sillable of 15
this in no poynte deface, but clerely as the sonne in myne
understandinge soule they shynen. This may never out of my mynde,
how I may not my love kepe, but thorow willinge in herte; wilne
to love may I not, but I lovinge have. Love have I non, but
thorow grace of this Margarite-perle. It is no maner doute, that 20
wil wol not love but for it is lovinge, as wil wol not rightfully but
for it is rightful it-selve. ”

“ No power is wrecchednesse and nothing els;
but in this maner hath kinges more porcion of wrecchednesse
than of power. Trewly, suche powers ben unmighty; for ever
they ben in drede how thilke power from lesing may be keped 40
of sorow; so drede sorily prikkes ever in their hertes: litel
is that power whiche careth and ferdeth it-selfe to mayntayne.
Unmighty is that wrecchednesse whiche is entred by the ferdful
weninge of the wrecche him-selfe; and knot y-maked by wrecchednesse
is betwene wrecches; and wrecches al thing bewaylen; 45
wherfore the knot shulde be bewayled ”

“ For though
predestinacion be as wel of good as of badde, sithen that it is
sayd, god †hath destenees made, whiche he never ne wrought; but,
for he suffreth hem to be maked, as that he hardeth, whan he 10
naught missayth, or †let in-to temptacion, whan he not delivereth:
wherfore it is non inconvenient if in that maner be sayd, god toforn
have destenyed bothe badde and her badde werkes, whan
hem ne their yvel dedes [he] neyther amendeth ne therto hem
grace †leneth. But specialliche, predestinacion of goodnesse 15
alone is sayd by these grete clerkes ”

“ Soroufully muste I bewayle, and live as a wrecche.
Every of tho joyes is tourned in-to his contrary. For richesse, 55
now have I povertè; for dignitè, now am I emprisoned; in
stede of power, wrecchednesse I suffre; and for glorie of renomè,
I am now dispysed and foulich hated. Thus hath farn Fortune,
that sodaynly am I overthrowen, and out of al welth dispoyled.
Trewly, me thinketh this way in entree is right hard; god graunt 60
me better grace er it be al passed; the other way, lady, me
thought right swete.'
'Now, certes,' quod Love, 'me list for to chyde. ”

“ For we sayn it is
thorow necessitè god to be immortal, nought deedliche; and it 65
is necessitè, god to be rightful; but not that any strength of
violent maner constrayneth him to be immortal, or defendeth him
to be unrightful; for nothing may make him dedly or unrightful.
Right so, if I say, thorow necessitè is thee to be a lover or els
noon; only thorow wil, as god beforn wete. It is nat to understonde 70
that any thing defendeth or forbit thee thy wil, whiche shal
nat be ”