Part 17

Eneas ek withinne Ytaile, Ne hadde he wonne the bataille And don his miht so besily Ayein king Turne his enemy, He hadde noght Lavine wonne; Bot for he hath him overronne And gete his pris, he gat hire love.

Be these ensamples here above, 2190 Lo, now, mi Sone, as I have told, Thou miht wel se, who that is bold And dar travaile and undertake The cause of love, he schal be take The rathere unto loves grace; For comunliche in worthi place The wommen loven worthinesse Of manhode and of gentilesse, For the gentils ben most desired.

Mi fader, bot I were enspired 2200 Thurgh lore of you, I wot no weie What gentilesce is forto seie, Wherof to telle I you beseche.

The ground, Mi Sone, forto seche Upon this diffinicion, The worldes constitucion Hath set the name of gentilesse Upon the fortune of richesse Which of long time is falle in age. Thanne is a man of hih lignage 2210 After the forme, as thou miht hiere, Bot nothing after the matiere. For who that resoun understonde, Upon richesse it mai noght stonde, For that is thing which faileth ofte: For he that stant to day alofte And al the world hath in hise wones, Tomorwe he falleth al at ones Out of richesse into poverte, So that therof is no decerte, 2220 Which gentilesce makth abide. And forto loke on other side Hou that a gentil man is bore, Adam, which alle was tofore With Eve his wif, as of hem tuo, Al was aliche gentil tho; So that of generacion To make declaracion, Ther mai no gentilesce be. For to the reson if we se, 2230 Of mannes berthe the mesure, It is so comun to nature, That it yifth every man aliche, Als wel to povere as to the riche; For naked thei ben bore bothe, The lord nomore hath forto clothe As of himself that ilke throwe, Than hath the povereste of the rowe. And whan thei schulle both passe, I not of hem which hath the lasse 2240 Of worldes good, bot as of charge The lord is more forto charge, Whan god schal his accompte hiere, For he hath had hise lustes hiere. Bot of the bodi, which schal deie, Althogh ther be diverse weie To deth, yit is ther bot on ende, To which that every man schal wende, Als wel the beggere as the lord, Of o nature, of on acord: 2250 Sche which oure Eldemoder is, The Erthe, bothe that and this Receiveth and alich devoureth, That sche to nouther part favoureth. So wot I nothing after kinde Where I mai gentilesse finde.

For lacke of vertu lacketh grace, Wherof richesse in many place, Whan men best wene forto stonde, Al sodeinly goth out of honde: 2260 Bot vertu set in the corage, Ther mai no world be so salvage, Which mihte it take and don aweie, Til whanne that the bodi deie; And thanne he schal be riched so, That it mai faile neveremo; So mai that wel be gentilesse, Which yifth so gret a sikernesse. For after the condicion Of resonable entencion, 2270 The which out of the Soule groweth And the vertu fro vice knoweth, Wherof a man the vice eschuieth, Withoute Slowthe and vertu suieth, That is a verrai gentil man, And nothing elles which he can, Ne which he hath, ne which he mai. Bot for al that yit nou aday, In loves court to taken hiede, The povere vertu schal noght spiede, 2280 Wher that the riche vice woweth; For sielde it is that love alloweth The gentil man withoute good, Thogh his condicion be good. Bot if a man of bothe tuo Be riche and vertuous also, Thanne is he wel the more worth: Bot yit to putte himselve forth He moste don his besinesse, For nowther good ne gentilesse 2290 Mai helpen him whiche ydel be.

Bot who that wole in his degre Travaile so as it belongeth, It happeth ofte that he fongeth Worschipe and ese bothe tuo. For evere yit it hath be so, That love honeste in sondri weie Profiteth, for it doth aweie The vice, and as the bokes sein, It makth curteis of the vilein, 2300 And to the couard hardiesce It yifth, so that verrai prouesse Is caused upon loves reule To him that can manhode reule; And ek toward the wommanhiede, Who that therof wol taken hiede, For thei the betre affaited be In every thing, as men may se. For love hath evere hise lustes grene In gentil folk, as it is sene, 2310 Which thing ther mai no kinde areste: I trowe that ther is no beste, If he with love scholde aqueinte, That he ne wolde make it queinte As for the while that it laste. And thus I conclude ate laste, That thei ben ydel, as me semeth, Whiche unto thing that love demeth Forslowthen that thei scholden do.

And overthis, mi Sone, also 2320 After the vertu moral eke To speke of love if I schal seke, Among the holi bokes wise I finde write in such a wise, “Who loveth noght is hier as ded”; For love above alle othre is hed, Which hath the vertus forto lede, Of al that unto mannes dede Belongeth: for of ydelschipe He hateth all the felaschipe. 2330 For Slowthe is evere to despise, Which in desdeign hath al apprise, And that acordeth noght to man: For he that wit and reson kan, It sit him wel that he travaile Upon som thing which mihte availe, For ydelschipe is noght comended, Bot every lawe it hath defended. And in ensample therupon

The noble wise Salomon, 2340 Which hadde of every thing insihte, Seith, “As the briddes to the flihte Ben made, so the man is bore To labour,” which is noght forbore To hem that thenken forto thryve. For we, whiche are now alyve, Of hem that besi whylom were, Als wel in Scole as elleswhere, Mowe every day ensample take, That if it were now to make 2350 Thing which that thei ferst founden oute, It scholde noght be broght aboute. Here lyves thanne were longe, Here wittes grete, here mihtes stronge, Here hertes ful of besinesse, Wherof the worldes redinesse In bodi bothe and in corage Stant evere upon his avantage. And forto drawe into memoire Here names bothe and here histoire, 2360 Upon the vertu of her dede In sondri bokes thou miht rede.

Of every wisdom the parfit The hyhe god of his spirit Yaf to the men in Erthe hiere Upon the forme and the matiere Of that he wolde make hem wise: And thus cam in the ferste apprise Of bokes and of alle goode Thurgh hem that whilom understode 2370 The lore which to hem was yive, Wherof these othre, that now live, Ben every day to lerne newe. Bot er the time that men siewe, And that the labour forth it broghte, Ther was no corn, thogh men it soghte, In non of al the fieldes oute; And er the wisdom cam aboute Of hem that ferst the bokes write, This mai wel every wys man wite, 2380 Ther was gret labour ek also. Thus was non ydel of the tuo, That on the plogh hath undertake With labour which the hond hath take, That other tok to studie and muse, As he which wolde noght refuse The labour of hise wittes alle. And in this wise it is befalle, Of labour which that thei begunne We be now tawht of that we kunne: 2390 Here besinesse is yit so seene, That it stant evere alyche greene; Al be it so the bodi deie, The name of hem schal nevere aweie. In the Croniqes as I finde,

Cham, whos labour is yit in minde, Was he which ferst the lettres fond And wrot in Hebreu with his hond: Of naturel Philosophie He fond ferst also the clergie. 2400

Cadmus the lettres of Gregois Ferst made upon his oghne chois.

Theges of thing which schal befalle, He was the ferste Augurre of alle:

And Philemon be the visage Fond to descrive the corage.

Cladyns, Esdras and Sulpices, Termegis, Pandulf, Frigidilles, Menander, Ephiloquorus, Solins, Pandas and Josephus 2410 The ferste were of Enditours, Of old Cronique and ek auctours:

And Heredot in his science Of metre, of rime and of cadence The ferste was of which men note.

And of Musique also the note In mannes vois or softe or scharpe, That fond Jubal; and of the harpe The merie soun, which is to like, That fond Poulins forth with phisique. 2420

Zenzis fond ferst the pourtreture, And Promotheus the Sculpture; After what forme that hem thoghte, The resemblance anon thei wroghte.

Tubal in Iren and in Stel Fond ferst the forge and wroghte it wel:

And Jadahel, as seith the bok, Ferst made Net and fisshes tok: Of huntynge ek he fond the chace, Which now is knowe in many place: 2430 A tente of cloth with corde and stake He sette up ferst and dede it make.

Verconius of cokerie Ferst made the delicacie.

The craft Minerve of wolle fond And made cloth hire oghne hond;

And Delbora made it of lyn: Tho wommen were of great engyn.

Bot thing which yifth ous mete and drinke And doth the labourer to swinke 2440 To tile lond and sette vines, Wherof the cornes and the wynes Ben sustenance to mankinde, In olde bokes as I finde, Saturnus of his oghne wit Hath founde ferst, and more yit Of Chapmanhode he fond the weie, And ek to coigne the moneie Of sondri metall, as it is, He was the ferste man of this. 2450

Bot hou that metall cam a place Thurgh mannes wit and goddes grace The route of Philosophres wise Controeveden be sondri wise, Ferst forto gete it out of Myne, And after forto trie and fyne.

And also with gret diligence Thei founden thilke experience, Which cleped is Alconomie, Wherof the Selver multeplie 2460 Thei made and ek the gold also. And forto telle hou it is so, Of bodies sevene in special With foure spiritz joynt withal Stant the substance of this matiere. The bodies whiche I speke of hiere Of the Planetes ben begonne: The gold is titled to the Sonne, The mone of Selver hath his part, And Iren that stant upon Mart, 2470 The Led after Satorne groweth, And Jupiter the Bras bestoweth, The Coper set is to Venus, And to his part Mercurius Hath the quikselver, as it falleth, The which, after the bok it calleth, Is ferst of thilke fowre named Of Spiritz, whiche ben proclamed; And the spirit which is secounde In Sal Armoniak is founde: 2480 The thridde spirit Sulphur is; The ferthe suiende after this Arcennicum be name is hote. With blowinge and with fyres hote In these thinges, whiche I seie, Thei worchen be diverse weie. For as the philosophre tolde Of gold and selver, thei ben holde Tuo principal extremites, To whiche alle othre be degres 2490 Of the metalls ben acordant, And so thurgh kinde resemblant, That what man couthe aweie take The rust, of which thei waxen blake, And the savour and the hardnesse, Thei scholden take the liknesse Of gold or Selver parfitly.

Bot forto worche it sikirly, Betwen the corps and the spirit, Er that the metall be parfit, 2500 In sevene formes it is set; Of alle and if that on be let, The remenant mai noght availe, Bot otherwise it mai noght faile. For thei be whom this art was founde To every point a certain bounde Ordeignen, that a man mai finde This craft is wroght be weie of kinde, So that ther is no fallas inne. Bot what man that this werk beginne, 2510 He mot awaite at every tyde, So that nothing be left aside, Ferst of the distillacion, Forth with the congelacion, Solucion, descencion, And kepe in his entencion The point of sublimacion, And forth with calcinacion Of veray approbacion Do that ther be fixacion 2520 With tempred hetes of the fyr, Til he the parfit Elixir Of thilke philosophres Ston Mai gete, of which that many on Of Philosophres whilom write. And if thou wolt the names wite Of thilke Ston with othre tuo, Whiche as the clerkes maden tho, So as the bokes it recorden, The kinde of hem I schal recorden. 2530

These olde Philosophres wyse Be weie of kinde in sondri wise Thre Stones maden thurgh clergie. The ferste, if I schal specefie, Was lapis vegetabilis, Of which the propre vertu is To mannes hele forto serve, As forto kepe and to preserve The bodi fro siknesses alle, Til deth of kinde upon him falle. 2540

The Ston seconde I thee behote Is lapis animalis hote, The whos vertu is propre and cowth For Ere and yhe and nase and mouth, Wherof a man mai hiere and se And smelle and taste in his degre, And forto fiele and forto go It helpeth man of bothe tuo: The wittes fyve he underfongeth To kepe, as it to him belongeth. 2550