Whan that it is awey therfro.
As thus, loo, thou maist al day se
That any thinge that hevy be,
As stoon or lede, or thynge of wight,1
And bere hyt never so hye on hight,
Lat goo thyn hande, hit falleth doune.
"Ryght so sey I, be fire, or soune,
Or smoke, or other thynges lyghte,
Alwey they seke upward on highte,
While eche of hem is at his large;2
Lyghte thinge upwarde, and dounwarde charge.* "And for this cause mayste thou see,
That every ryver to the see
Enclyned ys to goo by kynde.
And by these skilles, as I fynde,
Hath fyssh duellynge in floode and see,
And trees eke in erthe bee.
Thus every thinge by this reasoun
Hath his propre mansyoun,
To which he seketh to repaire,
As there hit shulde not apaire.'
Loo, this sentence ys knowen kouthe
Of every philosophres mouthe,
As Aristotile and daun Platoun,
And other clerkys many oon,
And to confirme my reasoun,
Thou wost wel this, that speche is soun,
Or elles no man myght hyt here;
Now herke what I wol the lere.
1 Weight. 2 Free (at large). (Tend) upward. Abiding-place. 7 Suffer detriment.
Heavy things • Familiarly.
"Soune ys noght but eyre ybroken,1 And every speche that ys yspoken,
Lowde or pryvee, foule or faire,
In his substaunce ys but aire;
For as flaumbe ys but lyghted smoke,
Ryght soo soune ys aire ybroke.
But this may be in many wyse,
Of which I wil the twoo devyse,
As soune that cometh of pipe or harpe.
For whan a pipe is blowen sharpe,
The aire ys twyst with violence,
And rent loo, this ys my sentence;
Eke, whan men harpe strynges smyte,
Whether hyt be moche or lyte,
Loo, with the stroke the ayre to-breketh ;
Right so hit breketh whan men speketh.
Thus wost thou wel what thinge is speche.
"Now hennesforthe I wol the teche,
How every speche, or noyse, or soune,
Thurgh hys multiplicacioune,
Thogh hyt were piped of a mouse,
Mote nede come to Fames House.
I preve hyt thus take hede now
Be experience, for yf that thow
Throwe on water now a stoon,
Wel wost thou hyt wol make anoon
A litel roundelle as a sercle,
Paraventure brode as a covercle ;3
And ryght anoon thow shalt see wele,
1 Cf. Canterbury Tales, l. 12,276.
That sercle wol cause another whele,
And that the thridde, and so forth, brother,
Every sercle causynge other,
Wydder than hymselfe was.
And this fro roundel to compas,
Eche aboute other goynge,
Caused of othres sterynge,
And multiplyinge evermoo,
Til that hyt be so fer ygoo
That hyt at bothe brynkes bee.
Al thou mowen hyt not ysee
Above, hyt gooth yet ay under,
Although thou thenke hyt a grete wounder.
And who-so seyth of trouthe I varye,1
Bid hym proven the contrarye.
And ryght thus every worde, ywys,
That lowde or pryvee yspoken ys,
Moveth first an ayre aboute,
And of thys movynge, out of doute,
Another ayre anoon ys meved,
As I have of the watir preved,
That every cercle causeth other.
Ryght so of ayre, my leve brother;
Everych ayre other stereth
More and more, and speche up bereth,
Or voys, or noyse, or worde, or soun,
Aye through multiplicacioun,
Til hyt be atte House of Fame,
Take yt in ernest or in game.
1 I vary from truth. 2 Directeth.
"Now have I tolde, yf ye have in mynde,
How speche or soun, of pure kynde
Enclyned ys upwarde to meve;
This mayst thou fele wel y-preve.
And that summe stide,1 ywys,
That every thynge enclyned to ys,
Hath his kyndelyche stede :
That sheweth hyt, withoute drede,
That kyndely the mansioun 2
Of every speche, of every soun,
Be hyt eyther foule or faire,
Hath hys kynde place in ayre.
And syn that every thynge that is
Out of hys kynde place, ywys,
Moveth thidder for to goo,
Gif hyt a-wey be therfro,
As I before have preved the,
Hyt seweth, every soun, parde,
Moveth kyndely to pace
Al up into his kyndely place.
And this place of which I telle,
Ther as Fame lyst to duelle,
Ys sette amyddys of these three,
Hevene, erthe, and eke the see,
As most conservatyf the soun.
Than ys this the conclusyoun,
That every speche of every man,
As I the telle first began,
Moveth up on high to pace
Kyndely to Fames place.
1 Place. Naturally the abode. Followeth.
"Telle me this feythfully,
Have I not preved thus symply,
Withouten any subtilite
Of speche, or grete prolyxite
Of termes of philosophie,
Of figures of poetrie,
Or coloures, or rethorike?
Pardee, hit oughte the to lyke ;
For harde langage, and hard matere
Ys encombrouse for to here
Attones; wost thou not wel this?"
And I answered and seyde, "Yis."
"A ha!" quod he, "lo, so I can,
Lewdely to a lewed 1 man
Speke, and shewe hym swyche skiles,"
That he may shake hem be the biles,"
So palpable they shulden be.
But telle me this now pray I the,
How thenketh the my conclusyoun?'
"A goode persuasioun,"
Quod I, "hyt is; and lyke to be
Ryght so as thou hast preved me."
"Be God," quod he, " and as I leve,*
Thou shalt have yet, or hit be eve,
Of every word of thys sentence
A preve by experience;
And with thyn eres heren wel
Toppe and taylle, and everidel,"
1 Unlearnedly to a layman. 2 Reasons.
with them. (Bills is an appropriate word in an eagle's mouth.) Believe. Everything.
|