Here He Seeth
Doctryne Lyckyng a Sowle
Capitulo Visesimo Quarto
Whyle that we wente bothe
talkynge thus to geders, within a lytel whyle I sawe
a lady syttynge in a chair, hauyng oute her tonge
and lyckynge a pylgrym that come passynge by hyr,
which pylgrym was wonder fowle defourmed and euyl
facioned, as it semeth me.
Than spak I to myn angel and seyde: `I merueyled
nought soo moche', quod I, `of no thyng that I sawe
now a grete whyle, as I doo now of this nyce syght, wherfore I beseke
yow telle me what it meneth.'
`Hast thou nought herd speke', quod he, `how beres
ben brought forthe al fowle and transformyd? And
after that, by lyckynge of the fader and the moder
they ben brought in to theyr kyndely
shap, soo as thou hast sene them? Ryght so fareth it
of euery erthely pylgrym that passeth here by this
worldly wey: vnparfyte is he born, defourmed with
the fyrst synne of Adam, withouten vertu or connynge or ony discression.
Soo is he borne dede, in a maner, withouten lyf,
wherof seyth the apostel Seint Powle that our Lord
had shewed hym self to hym as to an abortyue67, defourmed in
fylthe.
`Now thenne I sey the for certeyn, what pilgrym that
euer hit be, that wylle he be wel fourmed and shapen
parfitely, hym nedyth that the tonge of Doctryne
& of techyng be occupyed vppon hym, and that he
habandounea hym self to the yonder lady what
tyme she wylle lycken; that is to seye: teche hym
and enfourme.
`And what pilgrym that thus dothe, soothly doth ful
wel, by cause that he considereth his
owne defourmyte and his imperfection. He enclyneth
hym self to the tonge of Doctryne, for soo is she cleped, this lady that thou
seest.
`This is the maystresse of mannes informacion to prynten and impressynge connynge and vertu in mannes
sowle or herte, [70v] and also for to auoyden
cursid vyce, whiche that destroyeth the myght and
the rygour of the sowle. The payment to this lady
& reward of hir laboure is none other thyng but besy entendement
to that that she techeth, for at the begynnynge, as
seyth the philosofre, euery sowle is lyke to a newe
polysshed table, in whiche noo thyng is depeynted,
able to receyue ymages and impressions ful dyuerse
and discordauntb,
but sothly the ymage that first is impressid, is
most likely to abiden and hard to auoiden.
`And yf thou haddest somtyme entended to this scole
duely as thou sholdest, thou haddest nought at this
tyme now ben here in this presente peyne - at the
lest nought suffred soo moche, ne soo long time. For
thenne sholdest thou better haue knowen more lustly
and goodly to haue gouerned and mayntened thy seluen
than thou hast done.
`And hast thou nought in mynde how well and how
goodly Grace Dieu had taught the in tyme that is
passid? But she fond the soo dulle and soo lothe to
hir wordes, that she
had also lefe leuen as to preche the ony more,
for cause that hir besinesse;
auailed nought at al. But thou hast rather ben the
wors than ony thyng amendid. And that I be trowed of this that I haue
said, we shalle take the right weye to the yonder
lady that thou seest, of whiche we ben in speche.
And thou shalt here thy self what she wylle seye to
the.'
