II.

Thanne preyede hym Cypyoun to telle hym al
the weye to come intō that hevene blisse;
and he seyde: 'know thyself fyrst immortal
and lõke ay besyly thow werke and wysse
to comoun profit, and thow shalt nat mysse
tō comen swiftly to this place deere,

that ful of blysse is and of squles cleere.

12.

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But brekers of the lawe, sōth tō seyne,
and lykerous folk after that they ben dede,
shul whirle aboute there alwey in peyne,

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tyl many a world be passed out of drede
and that foryiven is his wikked dede;
than shal they com into this blysful place
to which tō comen God the sende his grace.'

13.

The day gan failen, and the derke nyght,
That reveth bęstes from here besynesse,

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Berafte mẽ mỹ bok for lak of lyght;

And to my bed i gan me for to dresse,

Fulfyld of thoght and busy hevynesse;

For bothe i hadde thyng which that i nolde,
And ęk i nadde that thyng that i wolde.

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14.

But fynally my spirit at the laste,

Forwery of my labour al the day,

Tōk reste that māde mē [for] tō slēpe faste ;
And in my slēp i mette, as i lay,

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How Affrican ryght in the same aray

That Cipioun hym say byfore that tyde

Was come, and stōd right at my beddes sỹde.

15.

The wery hunter slēpynge in his bed,
tō wode again his mỹnde goth anon;

the jüġe dręmeth how hise plęęs been sped;
the cartere dremeth how his cartes gon;

the riche of gold; the knyght fyght with his fon;
the syke met hē drynketh of the tunne;

the lovere met hē hath his lady wonne.

16.

I can nat seyn if that the cause were,
that i hadde red of Affrican byforn,

that made me [for] tō męte that he stōd theere.
But thus seyde hē: 'Thow hast thẽ so wēl bọrn
in lōkynge of mỹn ọlde bōk byforn,
of which Mac'robỹe roghte nat a lỹte,
that sumdel of thỹ labour wol i quỹte.'

17.

Cytherea, thow blysful lady swēte,

that with thy fyrbrond dauntest whom the lest,
and mādest me this swevene for tō męte,

bē thow myn helpe in this, for thow mayst best:
as wissly as i say the north-north-west,
whan i began my swevene for tō write,
so yif mẽ myght to rỹme and ęk t'endyte.

18.

This forseyde Affricān mē hente anon, and forth with hym untō a gate broghte ryght of a parrok walled of grēne sto̟n; and on the gate with letteres large iwroghte there were iwrite verses, as me thoghte, 122. park, parke MSS. etc. MSS.

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105

ΙΙΟ

115

120

123. ouyr. 124. vers iwrete, verses wreton

E

on eyther syde, of ful gręt difference,

of whiche i shal now seyn the pleyn sentence :

19.

Thurgh me men gọn into that blysful place
of hertes hele and dedly woundes cure;
thurgh me men gọn unto the welle of grace,
theere grēne and lusty May shal evere endure.
This is the weye to al good aventure.
Be glad thow rędere, and thỹ sorwe ofcaste;
al open am i passe in, and sped the faste.'

20.

Thurgh mẽ men gọn than, spak that other side, 'unto the mortal strokes of the spere,

of whiche disdayn and daunger is the gÿde,
ther never tree shal frūt ne leves bere;
this stręm yow lędeth to the sorwful were
there as the fissh in prysoun is al drye;
th'eschuing is only the remedye.'

21

Thise vers of gōld and blak iwriten were,
the whiche i gan astoned to beholde :
for with that on encręsede ay my fęre,
and with that ōther gan mỹ herte bolde;
that on me hette, that other dide me colde.
No wit hadde i, for errour, for tō chẽse:
tō entre or flēn, or me to save or lese.

22.

Right as betwixen adamauntes twō

of even myght a pēce of yren set,

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130

135

140

145

ne hath no myght tō mēve too ne fro

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for what that on may hale that ōther let

ferde i that nyste whether me was best,

to entre or leve, til Affrycan mỹ gide
me hente and shof in at the gates wide;

23.

And seyde: 'it stondeth writen in thy face
thyn errour, thogh thow telle it nat tō mē;
but dred the nat tō come intō this place:
for this writ'yng nys nothyng ment bi thē,
ne by non but he Loves servaunt bē;
for thow of love hast lost thỹ tāst, i gesse,
as sēk man hath of swete and bytternesse.

24.

But nathelęs, althogh that thow be dul,

if that thow canst nat dō, yet mayst thow sẽ;
for many a man that may nat stonde a pul,
it liketh hym at wrastelyng for tō bē,
and demen whether he dō bet or hē:
and if thow havest cunnying for t'endite,
i shal the shewe mater for tō wryte.'

25.

With that myn họnd hẽ tōk in his anon,
of which i confort kaughte, and wente in faste.
But lord so i was glad and wēl begoon!
for overal where that i mine yen caste,
were trees [y]clad with leves that ay shal laste,
ęch in his kynde of colour fressh and greene
as emeraude, that joye was tō seene.

26.

The byldere ok; and ęk the hardy assh;
the piler elm, the cofre unto careyne;
the boxtrē pipere; holm tō whippes lassh;
the saylynge fyr; the cipresse, dęth tō pleyne;
the shētere ew; the asp, for shaftes pleyne;

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160

165

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the olỹve of pęs; and ęk the dronke vỹne; the victor palm; the laurer, tō devỹne.

27.

A gardyn say i, ful of blosmy bowys,

upon a river in a grēne męde,

there as swetnesse ęveremore inowgh is;

with floures white, blēwe, and yelwe, and rede, and colde welle-stręmes, nothyng dede,

that swymmen ful of smale fisshes lighte with fynnes rede and skāles sylver-bryghte.

28.

On every bowgh the bryddes herde i synge with voys of aungels in here armonỹe;

some besyede hem here bryddes forth tō brynge ; the litele conyes to here pleye gunne hye;

and ferther al aboute i gan aspỹe

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190

the dredful ro, the bukke, and hert, and hỹnde, 195 squyrēles, and bestes smale of gentil kynde.

29.

Of instruments of strenges in acord herde i so pleye ravy'shyng swētnesse that God that makere is of al and lord ne herde nevere beter, as i gesse;

therwith a wÿnd-unnęthe it myght be lessemade in the leves grēne a noyse softe, acordaunt to the bryddes song alofte.

30.

The eyre of that place so attempre was that nevere was grēvaunce of hot ne cold; there wex ęk every holsum spice and gras; ne no man may there waxe sek ne old; yet was there more joye a thousandfold

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