Part 44

aftir þat 3024 he hadde maked by hys wepely songes þe wodes meueable to rennen. {and} hadde ymaked þe ryueres to stonden stille. {and} maked þe hertys {and} hyndes to ioignen dredles hir sides to cruel lyou{n}s to herkene his songe. 3028 {and} had maked þat þe hare was nat agast of þe hounde whiche þat was plesed by hys songe.

so þat whane þe most ardaunt loue of hys wijf brende þe entrailes of his brest. ne þe songes þat hadde ouer [[pg 107]] comen alle þinges ne myȝten nat assuage hir lorde 3033 orpheus.

¶ He pleyned hym of þe godes þat were{n} cruel to hym. he wente hym to þe houses of helle

{and} þere he tempred hys blaundissyng songes by resounyng 3036 of hys strenges. ¶ And spak {and} song in wepynge alle þat euer he hadde resceyued {and} laued oute of þe noble welles of hys modir calliope þe goddesse.

{and} he song wiþ as mychel as he myȝt of 3040 wepynge. {and} wiþ as myche as loue þat doubled his sorwe myȝt ȝeuen hym {and} teche hy{m} in his seke h{er}te. ¶ And he commoeuede þe helle {and} requered {and} souȝte by swete p{re}iere þe lordes of soules in helle 3044 of relesynge. þat is to seyne to ȝelden hym hys wif.

¶ Cerberus þe porter of helle wiþ his þre heuedes was cauȝt {and} al abaist for þe new songe.

{and} þe þre goddesses furijs {and} vengerisse of felonies þat to{ur}mente{n} 3048 {and} agaste{n} þe soules by anoye wexen sorweful {and} sory {and} wepen teres for pitee.

þan was nat þe heued of Ixion{e} yto{ur}mented by þe ou{er}þrowi{n}g whele.

¶ And tantalus þat was destroied by þe woodnesse of longe 3052 þrust dispiseþ þe flodes to drynke.

þe fowel þat hyȝt voltor þat etiþ þe stomak or þe giser of ticius is so fulfilled of his songe þat it nil etyn ne tyren no more.

¶ Atte þe laste þe lorde {and} Iuge of soules was moeued 3056 to misericordes {and} cried we ben ouer comen q{uo}d he. yif we to orpheus his wijf to bere hym co{m}paignye he haþ welle I-bouȝt hir by his faire songe {and} his ditee. [[pg 108]]

but we wil putte{n} a lawe in þis. {and} couenaunt 3060 in þe ȝifte. þ{a}t is to seyne. þat til he be out of helle yif he loke byhynden hym [þ{a}t] hys wijf shal come{n} aȝeine to vs

¶ but what is he þat may ȝeue a lawe to loueres. loue is a gretter lawe {and} a strengere to 3064 hym self þan any lawe þ{a}t men may ȝeuen.

¶ Allas whan Orpheus {and} his wijf were al most at þe termes of þe nyȝt. þat is to seyne at þe last boundes of helle. Orpheus loked abakwarde on Erudice his wijf {and} 3068 lost hir {and} was deed.

¶ þis fable app{er}teineþ to ȝow alle who so euer desireþ or sekiþ to lede his þouȝte in to þe souereyne day. þat is to seyne to clerenes of souereyne goode.

¶ For who so þat eu{er}e be so ouer 3072 come{n} þat he fycche hys eyen in to þe put of helle. þat is to seyne who so setteþ his þouȝtes in erþely þinges. al þat euer he haþ drawen of þe noble good celestial he lesiþ it whan he lokeþ þe helles. þat is to 3076 seyne to lowe þinges of þe erþe.

EXPLICIT LIBER TERCIUS.

*INCIPIT LIBER QUARTUS.

HEC CUM PHILOSOPHIA DIGNITATE UULT{US}.

++Whanne philosophie hadde songe{n} softly {and} delitably þe forseide þinges kepynge þe dignitee of hir choere in þe weyȝte of hir wordes. I þan þat ne hadde 3080 nat al out{er}ly forȝeten þe wepyng {and} mournyng þat was set in myne herte for-brek þe entenc{i}ou{n} of hir þat entended ȝitte to seyne oþ{er} þinges.

¶ Se q{uo}d I. þou þat art gideresse of verray lyȝte þe þinges þat þou 3084 hast seid hider to ben to me so clere {and} so shewyng [[pg 109]] by þe deuyne lokyng of hem {and} by þi resou{n}s þat þei ne mowe nat ben ouercomen.

¶ And þilke þi{n}g{us} þat þou toldest me. al be it so þat I hadde som tyme 3088 foȝeten hem for sorwe of þe wronge þat haþ ben don to me. ȝit naþeles þei ne were nat alouterly vnknowen to me.

but þis same is namly a gret cause of my sorwe. þat so as þe gouernoure of þinges is goode. 3092 yif þat yuelys mowen ben by any weyes. or ellys yif þat yuelys passen wiþ outen punyssheinge.

þe whiche þinge oonly how worþi it is to ben wondred vpon. þou considerest it weel þi self certeynly.

but ȝitte to þis 3096 þing þere is an oþer þing y-ioigned more to ben ywondred vpon. ¶ For felonie is emperisse {and} flowreþ ful of rycchesse. and vertues nis nat al oonly wiþ outen medes. but it is cast vndir {and} fortroden vndir þe feet of felonous 3100 folk. {and} it abieþ þe to{ur}me{n}tes in sted of wicked felou{n}s

¶ Of al whiche þing þer nis no wyȝt þat merueyllen ynouȝ ne compleyne þat swiche þinges ben don in þe regne of god þat alle þinges woot. 3104 and alle þinges may {and} ne wool nat but only goode þinges.

¶ þan seide she þus. certys q{uo}d she þat were a grete meruayle {and} an enbaissynge wiþouten ende. {and} wel more horrible þan alle monstres yif it were as 3108 þ{o}u wenest. þat is to sein. þat in þe ryȝt ordeyne house of so mochel a fader {and} an ordenour of meyne. þat þe vesseles þat ben foule {and} vyle sholde ben hono{ur}ed {and} heried. and þe p{re}cious uesseles sholde ben defouled 3112 {and} vyle. but it nis nat so.

For yif þe þinges þat I haue co{n}cluded a litel here byforne ben kept hoole [[pg 110]] {and} vnraced. þou shalt wel knowe by þe auctorite of god. of þe whos regne I speke þat certys þe good 3116 folk ben alwey myȝty. {and} shrewes ben alwey yuel {and} feble.