HEC DUM MECUM TACITUS. — Prosa 1
In the mene while that I, stille, recordede these thynges with
myself and merkid my weply compleynte with office of poyntel, I
saw, stondynge aboven the heghte of myn heved, a womman of ful
greet reverence by semblaunt, hir eien brennynge and cleer-seynge
over the comune myghte of men; with a lifly colour and with swich
vigour and strengthe that it ne myghte nat ben emptid, al were
it so that sche was ful of so greet age that men ne wolden nat
trowen in no manere that sche were of our elde. The stature of
hire was of a doutous jugement, for somtyme sche constreyned and
schronk hirselven lik to the comune mesure of men, and somtyme
it semede that sche touchede the hevene with the heghte of here
heved. And whan sche hef hir heved heyere, sche percede the selve
hevene so that the sighte of men lokynge was in ydel.
Hir clothes weren makid of right delye thredes and subtil
craft of perdurable matere; the whiche clothes sche hadde woven
with hir owene handes, as I knew wel aftir by hirselve declarynge
and schewynge to me. The beaute [of] the whiche clothes a
derknesse of a forleten and despised elde hadde duskid and
dirked, as it is wont to dirken besmokede ymages. In the
nethereste hem or bordure of thise clothes, men redden ywoven in
a Grekissch P (that signifieth the lif actif); and aboven that
lettre, in the heieste bordure, a Grekyssh T (that signifieth the
lif contemplatif). And bytwixen thise two lettres ther were seyn
degrees nobly ywrought in manere of laddres, by whiche degrees
men myghten clymben fro the nethereste lettre to the uppereste.
Natheles handes of some men hadden korve that cloth by violence
and by strengthe, and everich man of hem hadde boren awey swiche
peces as he myghte geten. And forsothe this forseide womman bar
smale bokis in hir right hand, and in hir left hand sche bar a
ceptre.
And whan she saughe thise poetical muses aprochen aboute my
bed and enditynge wordes to my wepynges, sche was a litil
amoeved, and glowede with cruel eighen. "Who," quat sche,
"hath
suffred aprochen to this sike man thise comune strompettis of
swich a place that men clepen the theatre? The whiche nat oonly
ne asswagen noght his sorwes with none remedies, but thei wolden
fedyn and noryssen hym with sweete venym. Forsothe thise ben tho
that with thornes and prikkynges of talents or affeccions, whiche
that ne bien nothyng fructifyenge nor profitable, destroyen the
corn plentyvous of fruytes of resoun. For thei holden hertes of
men in usage, but thei delyvre noght folk fro maladye. But yif
ye muses hadden withdrawen fro me with youre flateries any
unkunnynge and unprofitable man, as men ben wont to fynde comonly
among the peple, I wolde wene suffre the lasse grevosly; forwhi,
in swych an unprofitable man, myne ententes weren nothyng
endamaged. But ye withdrawen me this man, that hath ben noryssed
in the studies or scoles of Eleaticis and Achademycis in Grece.
But goth now rather awey, ye mermaydenes, whiche that ben swete
til it be at the laste, and suffreth this man to ben cured and
heeled by myne muses (that is to seyn, by noteful sciences)."
And thus this companye of muses, iblamed, casten wrothly the
chere dounward to the erthe, and, schewynge by rednesse hir
schame, thei passeden sorwfully the thresschefold. And I, of whom
the sighte, ploungid in teeres, was dirked so that Y ne myghte
noght knowen what that womman was of so imperial auctorite, I wax
al abayssched and astoned, and caste my syghte doun to the erthe,
and bygan stille for to abide what sche woolde doon aftirward.
Tho com sche ner and sette her doun uppon the uttereste corner
of my bed; and sche, byholdynge my chere that was cast to the
erthe
hevy and grevous of wepynge, compleynede with
thise wordis that I schal seyn the perturbacion of my thought.
