Here folweth the Prologe of the Persones Tale.
By that the maunciple hadde his tale al ended, The sonne fro the south lyne was descended So lowe, that he nas nat, to my sighte, Degreës nyne and twenty as in highte. Foure of the clokke it was tho, as I gesse; For eleven foot, or litel more or lesse, My shadwe was at thilke tyme, as there, Of swich feet as my lengthe parted were In six feet equal of proporcioun. Ther-with the mones exaltacioun, I mene Libra, alwey gan ascende, As we were entringe at a thropes ende; For which our host, as he was wont to gye, As in this caas, our Ioly companye, Seyde in this wyse, 'lordings everichoon, Now lakketh us no tales mo than oon. Fulfild is my sentence and my decree; I trowe that we han herd of ech degree. Almost fulfild is al myn ordinaunce; I prey to god, so yeve him right good chaunce, That telleth this tale to us lustily. Sir preest,' quod he, 'artow a vicary? Or art a person? sey sooth, by thy fey! Be what thou be, ne breke thou nat our pley; For every man, save thou, hath told his tale, Unbokel, and shewe us what is in thy male; For trewely, me thinketh, by thy chere, Thou sholdest knitte up wel a greet matere. Tel us a tale anon, for cokkes bones!'
This Persone him answerde, al at ones, 'Thou getest fable noon y-told for me; For Paul, that wryteth unto Timothee, Repreveth hem that weyven soothfastnesse, And tellen fables and swich wrecchednesse. Why sholde I sowen draf out of my fest, Whan I may sowen whete, if that me lest? For which I seye, if that yow list to here Moralitee and vertuous matere, And thanne that ye wol yeve me audience, I wol ful fayn, at Cristes reverence, Do yow plesaunce leefful, as I can. But trusteth wel, I am a Southren man, I can nat geste—rum, ram, ruf—by lettre, Ne, god wot, rym holde I but litel bettre; And therfor, if yow list, I wol nat glose. I wol yow telle a mery tale in prose To knitte up al this feeste, and make an ende. And Iesu, for his grace, wit me sende To shewe yow the wey, in this viage, Of thilke parfit glorious pilgrimage That highte Ierusalem celestial. And, if ye vouche-sauf, anon I shal Biginne upon my tale, for whiche I preye Telle your avys, I can no bettre seye. But nathelees, this meditacioun I putte it ay under correccioun Of clerkes, for I am nat textual; I take but the sentens, trusteth wel. Therfor I make protestacioun That I wol stonde to correccioun.'
Up-on this word we han assented sone, For, as us semed, it was for to done, To enden in som vertuous sentence, And for to yeve him space and audience; And bede our host he sholde to him seye, That alle we to telle his tale him preye.
Our host hadde the wordes for us alle:—
'Sir preest,' quod he, 'now fayre yow bifalle! Sey what yow list, and we wol gladly here'— And with that word he seyde in this manere— 'Telleth,' quod he, 'your meditacioun. But hasteth yow, the sonne wol adoun; Beth fructuous, and that in litel space, And to do wel god sende yow his grace!'
Explicit prohemium.
Ier. 6º. State super vias et videte et interrogate de viis antiquis, que sit via bona; et ambulate in ea, et inuenietis refrigerium animabus vestris, &c.
§ 1. Our swete lord god of hevene, that no man wole perisse, but wole that we comen alle to the knoweleche of him, and to the blisful lyf that is perdurable, / amonesteth us by the prophete Ieremie, that seith in this wyse: / 'stondeth upon the weyes, and seeth and axeth of olde pathes (that is to seyn, of olde sentences) which is the goode wey; / and walketh in that wey, and ye shul finde refresshinge for your soules,' &c. / Manye been the weyes espirituels that leden folk to oure Lord Iesu Crist, and to the regne of glorie. / Of whiche weyes, ther is a ful noble wey and a ful covenable, which may nat faile to man ne to womman, that thurgh sinne hath misgoon fro the righte wey of Ierusalem celestial; / and this wey is cleped Penitence, of which man sholde gladly herknen and enquere with al his herte; / to witen what is Penitence, and whennes it is cleped Penitence, and in how manye maneres been the accions or werkinges of Penitence, / and how manye spyces ther been of Penitence, and whiche thinges apertenen and bihoven to Penitence, and whiche thinges destourben Penitence. /