But now, thou reder, who is thilke that wil not in scorne 85 laughe, to here a dwarfe, or els halfe a man, say he wil rende out the swerde of Hercules handes, and also he shuld sette Hercules Gades a myle yet ferther; and over that, he had power of strengthe to pulle up the spere, that Alisander the noble might never wagge? And that, passing al thinge, to ben 90 mayster of Fraunce by might, there-as the noble gracious Edward the thirde, for al his greet prowesse in victories, ne might al yet conquere?
Certes, I wot wel, ther shal be mad more scorne and jape of me, that I, so unworthily clothed al-togider in the cloudy cloude 95 of unconninge, wil putten me in prees to speke of love, or els of the causes in that matter, sithen al the grettest clerkes han had ynough to don, and (as who sayth) +gadered up clene toforn hem, and with their sharpe sythes of conning al mowen, and mad therof grete rekes and noble, ful of al plentees, to fede me 100 and many another. Envye, forsothe, commendeth nought his reson that he hath in hayne, be it never so trusty. And al-though these noble repers, as good workmen and worthy their hyre, han al drawe and bounde up in the sheves, and mad many shockes, yet have I ensample to gadere the smale crommes, 105 and fullen my walet of tho that fallen from the borde among the smale houndes, notwithstandinge the travayle of the almoigner, that hath drawe up in the cloth al the remissailes, as trenchours, and the relief, to bere to the almesse.
Yet also have I leve of the noble husbande Boëce, al-though 110 I be a straunger of conninge, to come after his doctrine, and these grete workmen, and glene my handfuls of the shedinge after their handes; and, if me faile ought of my ful, to encrese my porcion with that I shal drawe by privitees out of the shocke. A slye servaunt in his owne helpe is often moche commended; 115 knowing of trouth in causes of thinges was more hardyer in the first sechers (and so sayth Aristotle), and lighter in us that han folowed after. For their passing +studies han fresshed our wittes, and our understandinge han excyted, in consideracion of trouth, by sharpnesse of their resons. Utterly these thinges be no 120 dremes ne japes, to throwe to hogges; it is lyflich mete for children of trouthe; and as they me betiden, whan I pilgrimaged out of my kith in winter; whan the +weder out of mesure was boystous, and the wylde wind Boreas, as his kind asketh, with dryinge coldes maked the wawes of the occian-see so to aryse 125 unkyndely over the commune bankes, that it was in poynte to spille al the erthe.