Chaucerian and Other Pieces: Being a Supplement to the Complete Works of Geoffrey Chaucer
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Chaucerian and Other Pieces: Being a Supplement to the Complete Works of Geoffrey Chaucer
Chaucer, Geoffrey, -1400
'Now see,' quod she, 'thou thy wil shal folowe, thy free wil to
be grounded continuelly to abyde. It is thy free wil, that thou
lovest and hast loved, and yet shal loven this Margaryte-perle;
and in thy wil thou thinkest to holde it. Than is thy wil knit 25
in love, not to chaunge for no newe lust besyde; this wil techeth
thyn herte from al maner varying. But than, although thou be
thretened in dethe or els in otherwyse, yet is it in thyn arbitrement
to chose, thy love to voyde or els to holde; and thilke
arbitrement is in a maner a jugement bytwene desyr and thy 30
herte. And if thou deme to love thy good wil fayleth, than art
thou worthy no blisse that good wil shulde deserve; and if thou
chose continuaunce in thy good service, than thy good wil
abydeth; nedes, blisse folowing of thy good wil must come by
strength of thilke jugement; for thy first wil, that taught thyn 35
herte to abyde, and halt it from th'eschaunge, with thy reson
is accorded. Trewly, this maner of wil thus shal abyde; impossible
it were to turne, if thy herte be trewe; and if every
man diligently the meninges of his wil consider, he shal wel
understande that good wil, knit with reson, but in a false herte 40
never is voyded; for power and might of keping this good wil is
thorow libertè of arbitrement in herte, but good wil to kepe
may not fayle. Eke than if it fayle, it sheweth it-selfe that good
wil in keping is not there. And thus false wil, that putteth out
the good, anon constrayneth the herte to accorde in lovinge of 45
thy good wil; and this accordaunce bitwene false wil and thyn
herte, in falsitè ben lykened +togider. Yet a litel wol I say
thee in good wil, thy good willes to rayse and strengthe. Tak
hede to me (quod she) how thy willes thou shalt understande.
Right as ye han in your body dyvers membres, and fyve sondrye 50
wittes, everiche apart to his owne doing, whiche thinges as
instrumentes ye usen; as, your handes apart to handle; feet,
to go; tonge, to speke; eye, to see: right so the soule hath
in him certayne steringes and strengthes, whiche he useth as
instrumentes to his certayne doinges. Reson is in the soule, 55
which he useth, thinges to knowe and to prove; and wil, whiche
he useth to wilne; and yet is neyther wil ne reson al the soule;
but everich of hem is a thing by him-selfe in the soule. And
right as everich hath thus singuler instrumentes by hemselfe,
they han as wel dyvers aptes and dyvers maner usinges; and 60
thilke aptes mowen in wil ben cleped affeccions. Affeccion is
an instrument of willinge in his apetytes. Wherfore mokel folk
sayn, if a resonable creatures soule any thing fervently wilneth,
affectuously he wilneth; and thus may wil, by terme of equivocas,
in three wayes ben understande. Oon is instrument of willing; 65
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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