Chaucerian and Other Pieces: Being a Supplement to the Complete Works of Geoffrey Chaucer
General
Chaucerian and Other Pieces: Being a Supplement to the Complete Works of Geoffrey Chaucer
Chaucer, Geoffrey, -1400
'Wel,' quod she, 'every-thing kyndly sheweth it-selfe; this
jewel, closed in a blewe shel, [by] excellence of coloures sheweth 35
vertue from within; and so every wight shulde rather loke to the
propre vertue of thinges than to his forayne goodes. If a thing
be engendred of good mater, comenly and for the more part, it
foloweth, after the congelement, vertue of the first mater (and
it be not corrupt with vyces) to procede with encrees of good 40
vertues; eke right so it fareth of badde. Trewly, greet excellence
in vertue of linage, for the more part, discendeth by kynde to
the succession in vertues to folowe. Wherfore I saye, the +colour
of every Margarit sheweth from within the fynesse in vertue.
Kyndely heven, whan mery +weder is a-lofte, apereth in mannes 45
eye of coloure in blewe, stedfastnesse in pees betokening within
and without. Margaryte is engendred by hevenly dewe, and
sheweth in it-selfe, by fynenesse of colour, whether the engendrure
were maked on morowe or on eve; thus sayth kynde of this
perle. This precious Margaryte that thou servest, sheweth it-selfe 50
discended, by nobley of vertue, from this hevenlich dewe, norisshed
and congeled in mekenesse, that +moder is of al vertues; and, by
werkes that men seen withouten, the significacion of the coloures
ben shewed, mercy and pitee in the herte, with pees to al other;
and al this is y-closed in a muskle, who-so redily these vertues 55
loken. 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. So it
foloweth, the muskle, as +moder of al vertues, halt the place of
mekenesse, to his lowest degree discendeth downe of heven, and
there, by a maner of virgine engendrure, arn these Margarytes 65
engendred, and afterward congeled. Made not mekenesse so
lowe the hye heven, to enclose and cacche out therof so noble
a dewe, that after congelement, a Margaryte, with endelesse vertue
and everlasting joy, was with ful vessel of grace yeven to every
creature, that goodly wolde it receyve?' 70
'Certes,' quod I, 'these thinges ben right noble; I have er this
herd these same sawes.'
'Than,' quod she, 'thou wost wel these thinges ben sothe?'
'Ye, forsothe,' quod I, 'at the ful.'
'Now,' quod she, 'that this Margaryte is ful of vertue, it is wel 75
proved; wherfore som grace, som mercy, among other vertues,
I wot right wel, on thee shal discende?'
'Ye,' quod I; 'yet wolde I have better declared, vertues in this
Margarite kyndely to ben grounded.'
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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