good, and goodnesse is badde; to which folk the prophete biddeth
wo without ende.
Also manye tonges of greet false techinges in gylinge maner,
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principally in my tymes, not only with wordes but also with armes,
loves servauntes and professe in his religion of trewe rule pursewen,
to confounden and to distroyen. And for as moche as holy †faders,
that of our Christen fayth aproved and strengthed to the Jewes, as
to men resonable and of divinitè lerned, proved thilke fayth with
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resones, and with auctoritès of the olde testament and of the newe,
her pertinacie to distroy: but to paynims, that for beestes and
houndes were holde, to putte hem out of their errour, was †miracle
of god shewed. These thinges were figured by cominge of th'angel
to the shepherdes, and by the sterre to paynims kinges; as who
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sayth: angel resonable to resonable creature, and sterre of miracle
to people bestial not lerned, wern sent to enforme. But I, lovers
clerk, in al my conning and with al my mightes, trewly I have no
suche grace in vertue of miracles, ne for no discomfit falsheedes
suffyseth not auctoritès alone; sithen that suche [arn] heretikes
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and maintaynours of falsitès. Wherfore I wot wel, sithen that
they ben men, and reson is approved in hem, the clowde of errour
hath her reson beyond probable resons, whiche that cacchende
wit rightfully may not with-sitte. By my travaylinge studie I have
ordeyned hem, †whiche that auctoritè, misglosed by mannes
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reson, to graunt shal ben enduced.
Now ginneth my penne to quake, to thinken on the sentences
of the envyous people, whiche alway ben redy, both ryder and
goer, to scorne and to jape this leude book; and me, for rancour
and hate in their hertes, they shullen so dispyse, that although
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my book be leude, yet shal it ben more leude holden, and by
wicked wordes in many maner apayred. Certes, me thinketh,
[of] the sowne of their badde speche right now is ful bothe myne
eeres. O good precious Margaryte, myne herte shulde wepe if
I wiste ye token hede of suche maner speche; but trewly, I wot
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wel, in that your wysdom shal not asterte. For of god, maker of
kynde, witnesse I took, that for none envy ne yvel have I drawe
this mater togider; but only for goodnesse to maintayn, and
errours in falsetees to distroy. Wherfore (as I sayd) with reson
I thinke, thilke forsayd errours to distroye and dequace.
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These resons and suche other, if they enduce men, in loves
service, trewe to beleve of parfit blisse, yet to ful faithe in
credence of deserte fully mowe they nat suffyse; sithen 'faith hath
no merite of mede, whan mannes reson sheweth experience in
doing.' For utterly no reson the parfit blisse of love by no waye
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may make to be comprehended. Lo! what is a parcel of lovers
joye? Parfit science, in good service, of their desyre to comprehende
in bodily doinge the lykinge of the soule; not as by
a glasse to have contemplacion of tyme cominge, but thilke first
imagined and thought after face to face in beholding. What
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herte, what reson, what understandinge can make his heven to be
feled and knowe, without assaye in doinge? Certes, noon. Sithen
thanne of love cometh suche fruite in blisse, and love in him-selfe
is the most among other vertues, as clerkes sayn; the seed of
suche springinge in al places, in al countreys, in al worldes shulde
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ben sowe.
But o! welawaye! thilke seed is forsake, and †mowe not ben
suffred, the lond-tillers to sette a-werke, without medlinge of
cockle; badde wedes whiche somtyme stonken †han caught the
name of love among idiotes and badde-meninge people. Never-the-later,
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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,
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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,
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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,'
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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
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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;