(Thynne)
<325ra>MANY men there ben/that with eeres openly
sprad so moche swalowen the delyciousnesse of iestes and of ryme/by queynt
knyttyng coloures/that of the goodnesse or of the badnesse of the sentence
take they lytel hede or els none. Sothely dul wytte and a thoughtful soule/so
sore haue myned and graffed in my spyrites/that suche craft of endytyng
wol not ben of myn acqueyntaunce. And for rude wordes and boystous
percen the herte of the herer to the inrest poynte/and planten there the
sentence of thynges/so that with lytel helpe it is able to spring. This
boke that nothyng hath of the great floode of wyt/ne of semelych colours/is
doluen with rude wordes and boystous/and so drawe togyder to maken the
catchers therof ben the more redy to hent sentence.
Some men there ben that peynten with colours ryche/and
some with vers/as with red ynke/and some with coles and chalke: and yet
is there good matere to the leude people of thilke chalky purtreyture/as
hem thynketh for the tyme/and afterwarde the syght of the better colours
yeuen to hem more ioye for the first leudenesse. So sothly this leude clowdy
occupacion is not to prayse/but by the leude: for comenly leude leudenesse
commendeth. Eke it shal yeue syght that other precious thynges shal
be the more in reuerence. In latyn and french hath many souerayne wyttes
had gret delyte to endyte/and haue many noble thynges fulfylde/but certes
there ben some that speken their poysye mater in frenche/of whiche speche
the frenche men haue as good a fantasye as we haue in heryng of frenche
mennes englysshe. And many termes there ben in englysshe/whiche vnneth
we englysshmen connen declare the knowlegynge: howe shulde than a frenche
man borne/suche termes conne iumpere in his mater/but as the iay chatereth
englyssh. Right so trewly the vnderstandyng of englysshmen wol not stretche
to the priuy termes in frenche/what so euer we bosten of straunge langage.
Let than clerkes endyten in latyn/for they haue the propertie of science<325ra><325rb>and
the knowynge in that facultie: and lette frenchmen in their frenche also
endyten their queynt termes/for it is kyndely to their mouthes/and let
vs shewe our fantasyes in suche wordes as we lerneden of our dames tonge.
And although this boke be lytel thanke worthy for the
leudnesse in trauaile/yet suche writynges exciten men to thilke thynges
that ben necessarie: for euery man therby may as by a perpetual myrrour
sene the vyces or vertues of other/in whiche thyng lightly may be conceyued
to eschewe peryls/and necessaryes to catche/after as auentures haue fallen
to other people or persons. Certes the soueraynst thing of desyre
and moste creature reasonable haue/or els shulde haue ful appetyte to their
perfection: vnresonable beestes mowen not/sythe reason hath in hem no werkyng.
Than reasonable that wol not/is comparysoned to vnresonable/and made lyke
hem. Forsothe the most souerayne and fynal perfection of man is in knowyng
of a sothe/withouten any entent disceyuable/and in loue of one very god/that
is inchaungeable/that is to knowe and loue his creatour.
Nowe principally the meane to bringe in knowlegyng and
louyng his creatour/is the consyderacion of thynges made by the creatour/wherthrough
be thylke thynges that ben made vnderstonding here to our wyttes/arne the
vnsene priuytees of god made to vs sightful and knowyng/in our contemplacion
and vnderstondyng. These thynges than forsoth moche bringen
vs to the ful knowlegynge sothe/and to the parfyte loue of the maker
of heuenly thynges. Lo Dauid sayth: thou haste delyted me in makynge/as
who sayth/to haue delyte in the tune how god hath lent me in consyderacion
of thy makynge. Wherof Aristotle in the boke de Animalibus/saythe to naturel
phylosophers: It is a great lykyng in loue of knowynge their creatour:
and also in knowynge of causes in kyndely thynges consydred.
Forsoth the formes of kyndly thynges and the shap/a great kyndely loue
me shulde haue to the werkman that hem made. The crafte of a werkman
is shewed in the werke. Herfore truly the phylosophers with a lyuely studye
many noble thynges/ryght<325rb><325va>precious and worthy
to memory writen/and by a great swetande trauayle to vs leften of
causes the propertyes in natures of thynges. To whiche therfore Phylosophers
it was more ioy/more lykynge/more herty lust in kyndely vertues and matters
of reason the perfection by busy study to knowe/than to haue had al the
treasour/al the richesse/al the vainglory that the passed Emperours/prynces/or
kynges hadden. Therfore the names of hem in the boke of perpetual
memory in vertue and peace arn wryten/and in the contrarye/that is to sayne/in
stixe the foule pytte of helle arn thilke pressed that suche goodnesse
hated. And bycause this boke shal be of loue/and the pryme causes of sterynge
in that doynge with passyons and dyseases for wantynge of desyre/I wyl
that this boke be cleped the Testament of loue.
But nowe thou reder/who is thylke that wyl not in scorne
laughe/to here a dwarfe or els halfe a man/say he wyl rende out the swerde
of Hercules handes/and also he shulde set Hercules gades a myle yet ferther/and
ouer that he had power of strengthe to pul vp the spere/that Alisander
the noble might neuer wagge.
And that passyng al thynge to ben mayster of Fraunce
by myght/there as the noble gracyous Edwarde the thyrde for al his great
prowesse in victories ne myght al yet conquere.
Certes I wote wel/there shal be made more scorne and
iape of me/that I so vnworthely clothed al togyder in the cloudy cloude
of vnconnynge wyl putten me in prees to speke of loue/or els of the causes
in that matter/sythen al the grettest clerkes han had ynough to don/and
as who sayth gathered vp clene toforne hem/and with theyr sharpe sythes
of connyng al mowen and made therof great rekes and noble/ful of al plentyes
to fede me and many another. Enuye forsothe commendeth nought his
reason/that he hath in hayn/be it neuer so trusty. And al thoughe these
noble repers/as good workmen and worthy theyr hyer/han al drawe and bounde
vp in the sheues/and made many shockes/yet haue I ensample
to gader the smale crommes/and fullyn my walet of tho that fallen
from the borde amonge the smale houndes/notwithstandynge the trauayle of<325va><325vb>the
almoygner/that hath drawe vp in the cloth al the remyssayles/as
trenchours/and the relyef to bere to the almesse. Yet also haue I leue
of the noble husbande Boece/al though I be a straunger of connynge to come
after his doctryne/and these great workmen/and glene my handfuls of the
shedynge after theyr handes/and if me fayle ought of my ful/to encrease
my porcyon with that I shal drawe by priuytyes out of the shocke/a slye
seruaunt in his owne helpe is often moche commended/knoweyng of
trouth in causes of thynges/was more hardyer in the first sechers/and so
sayth Aristotle/and lyghter in vs that han folowed after. For theyr
passyng study han fresshed our wyttes/and our vnderstandynge han excyted
in consideracion of trouth by sharpnesse of theyr reasons. Vtterly these
thynges be no dremes ne iapes/to throwe to hogges/it is lyfelyche meate
for chyldren of trouthe/and as they me betiden whan I pilgrymaged out of
my kyth in wynter/whan the wether out of measure was boystous/and
the wylde wynde Borias as his kynde asketh with dryenge coldes/maked the
wawes of the occian see so to aryse vnkyndely ouer the commune bankes
that it was in poynte to spyl al the erthe.
Thus endeth the prologue/and here after foloweth the fyrst boke of the Testament of Loue.<325vb>