2. Hic loquitur con And ftant of alle vertue bare Here after as I fhall declare. Qui nichil attemptat, nichil expedit, oreque muta Eft modus in verbis, fed ei qui parcit amori Touchend of flouth in his degre, feffor de quadam There is yet pufillamite, fpecie accidie, que pufillanimitas dicta Which is to fay in this langage eft, cuius ymagina tiva formido neque He that hath litel of corage virtutes aggredi, neque vicia fugere And dare no mannes werk beginne, audet, ficque utri ufque vite tam ac- So may he nought by refon winne. tive quam contem plative premium For who that nought dare undertake, By right he shall no profit take. non attingit. But of this vice the nature Dare nothing fet in aventure, Him lacketh bothe worde and dede, Him thenketh the wolfe is in the way. He maketh his excusacion And feigneth caufe of pure drede And ever he faileth ate nede, Till all be spilt, that he with deleth. He woll nought ones ftere his fote, Min herte is yet and ever was, As though the world fhuld al to-breke, Confeffor. Amans. Confeffor. Hic in amoris caufa loquitur contra pu fillanimes et dicit, quod amans pro ti more verbis obtumef Ful oft and yiveth her happy chaunce Which was a lufty man of youthe. cere non debet, fed The werkes of entaile he couthe concinnando preces fui amoris expedicio- Above all other men as tho. nem tucius profequa tur, et ponit confef- And through fortune it felle him fo for exemplum, quali ter Pigmaleon pro eo, As he, whom love shall travaile, quod preces continu avit, quandam ymagi- He made an ymage of entaile nem eburneam, cuius Lich to a woman in semblaunce pulcritudinis concu pifcencia illaqueatus Of feture and of contenaunce, extitit, in carnem et fanguinem ad latus So faire yet never was figure. fuum transformatam fenciit. Right as a lives creature She femeth, for of yvor white With all the herte of his corage Was ever by, that ate mete He wold her ferve and praide her ete And put unto her mouth the cup. And whan the bord was taken up, He hath her unto his chambre nome, And after whan the night was come, He laide her in bed all naked. He was forwept, he was forwaked, He kiste her colde lippes ofte And wissheth, that they weren fofte. And ofte he rouneth in her ere, And ofte his arm now here now there He laide, as he her wolde embrace. And ever among he axeth grace, As though the wifte what it mente. And thus him felf he gan tormente With fuch difefe of loves peine, That no man might him more peine. But how it were of his penaunce He made fuche contenaunce Fro day to night and praid fo longe, That his praiere is underfonge, Which Venus of her grace herde By night, and whan that he worst ferde And it lay in his naked arme, The colde ymage he feeleth warme Of flesshe and bone and full of life. Lo, thus he wanne a lufty wife, Whiche obeifaunt was at his will. And if he wolde have hold him still Confeffor. Hic ponit exemplum fuper eodem, qualiter And nothing spoke, he fhuld have failed. And durfte speke, his love he spedde Men clepe, and of his name it rose. By this ensample thou might finde, Whiche I fhall telle in remembraunce The king Ligdus upon a ftrife rex Ligdus uxori fue Spake unto Thelacuse his wife, Thelacufe pregnanti Which thanne was with childe minabatur, quod fi fi grete, liam pareret, infans He fwore it fholde nought be lette, occideretur, que ta men poftea cum fili- That if the have a doughter bore, am ediderat, Yfis dea partus tunc prefens That it ne fholde be forlore |