Thus as I made my passage 4615 In compleynt, and in cruel rage, And I not wher to finde a leche That couthe unto myn helping eche, Sodeynly agayn comen doun Out of hir tour I saugh Resoun, 4620 Discrete and wys, and ful plesaunt, And of hir porte ful avenaunt. The righte wey she took to me, Which stood in greet perplexite, That was posshed in every side, 4625 That I nist where I might abyde, Til she, demurely sad of chere, Seide to me as she com nere:-- 'Myn owne freend, art thou yit greved? How is this quarel yit acheved 4630 Of Loves syde? Anoon me telle; Hast thou not yit of love thy fille? Art thou not wery of thy servyse That thee hath [pyned] in sich wyse? What Ioye hast thou in thy loving? 4635 Is it swete or bitter thing? Canst thou yit chese, lat me see, What best thy socour mighte be? 'Thou servest a ful noble lord, That maketh thee thral for thy reward, 4640 Which ay renewith thy turment, With foly so he hath thee blent. Thou felle in mischeef thilke day, Whan thou didest, the sothe to say, Obeysaunce and eek homage; 4645 Thou wroughtest no-thing as the sage. Whan thou bicam his liege man, Thou didist a gret foly than; Thou wistest not what fel therto, With what lord thou haddist to do. 4650 If thou haddist him wel knowe, Thou haddist nought be brought so lowe; For if thou wistest what it were, Thou noldist serve him half a yeer, Not a weke, nor half a day, 4655 Ne yit an hour withoute delay, Ne never [han] loved paramours, His lordship is so ful of shoures. Knowest him ought?' _L'Amaunt._ 'Ye, dame, parde!' _Raisoun._ 'Nay, nay.' _L'Amaunt._ 'Yes, I.' _Raisoun._ 'Wherof, lat see?' 4660 _L'Amaunt._ 'Of that he seyde I shulde be Glad to have sich lord as he, And maister of sich seignory.' _Raisoun._ 'Knowist him no more?' _L'Amaunt._ 'Nay, certis, I, Save that he yaf me rewles there, 4665 And wente his wey, I niste where, And I abood bounde in balaunce.' _Raisoun._ 'Lo, there a noble conisaunce! But I wil that thou knowe him now Ginning and ende, sith that thou 4670 Art so anguisshous and mate, Disfigured out of astate; Ther may no wrecche have more of wo, Ne caitif noon enduren so. It were to every man sitting 4675 Of his lord have knowleching. For if thou knewe him, out of dout, Lightly thou shulde escapen out Of the prisoun that marreth thee.' _L'Amaunt._ 'Ye, dame! sith my lord is he, 4680 And I his man, maad with myn honde, I wolde right fayn undirstonde To knowen of what kinde he be, If any wolde enferme me.' _Raisoun._ 'I wolde,' seid Resoun, 'thee lere, 4685 Sith thou to lerne hast sich desire, And shewe thee, withouten fable, A thing that is not demonstrable. Thou shalt [here lerne] without science, And knowe, withoute experience, 4690 The thing that may not knowen be, Ne wist ne shewid in no degree. Thou mayst the sothe of it not witen, Though in thee it were writen. Thou shalt not knowe therof more 4695 Whyle thou art reuled by his lore; But unto him that love wol flee, The knotte may unclosed be, Which hath to thee, as it is founde, So long be knet and not unbounde. 4700 Now sette wel thyn entencioun, To here of love discripcioun. 'Love, it is an hateful pees, A free acquitaunce, without relees, [A trouthe], fret full of falshede, 4705 A sikernesse, al set in drede; In herte is a dispeiring hope, And fulle of hope, it is wanhope; Wyse woodnesse, and wood resoun, A swete peril, in to droune, 4710 An hevy birthen, light to bere, A wikked wawe awey to were. It is Caribdis perilous, Disagreable and gracious. It is discordaunce that can accorde, 4715 And accordaunce to discorde. It is cunning withoute science, Wisdom withoute sapience, Wit withoute discrecioun, Havoir, withoute possessioun. 4720 It is sike hele and hool siknesse, A thrust drowned [in] dronkenesse, An helthe ful of maladye, And charitee ful of envye, An [hunger] ful of habundaunce, 4725 And a gredy suffisaunce; Delyt right ful of hevinesse, And drerihed ful of gladnesse; Bitter swetnesse and swete errour, Right evel savoured good savour; 4730 Sinne that pardoun hath withinne, And pardoun spotted without [with] sinne; A peyne also it is, Ioyous, And felonye right pitous; Also pley that selde is stable, 4735 And stedefast [stat], right mevable; A strengthe, weyked to stonde upright, And feblenesse, ful of might; Wit unavysed, sage folye, And Ioye ful of turmentrye; 4740 A laughter it is, weping ay, Rest, that traveyleth night and day; Also a swete helle it is, And a sorowful Paradys; A plesaunt gayl and esy prisoun, 4745 And, ful of froste, somer sesoun; Pryme temps, ful of frostes whyte, And May, devoide of al delyte, With seer braunches, blossoms ungrene; And newe fruyt, fillid with winter tene.