VI.
And wyth thyne inclynacions
Off Jouis[[164]] softe condiccions
Loke thou haue; the better thou shalt be,
Whene that thow kepes theme ryghtfulle.
As it is seyde, poyetis, the whiche worchipped many godes, they helde the planetis of heuen ffor speciall godes, and of the .vii. planetes they made the .vii. dayes of the weke. They worchypped and helde Jouis or Jubiter for there grettest god, because that he is sette in the hyest spere of the planetis vndyr Saturne. The day off Thurseday is named of Jouis. And anamely the philosophres yaf and compared the vertues of the .vii. metallis to the .vii. planetis and named the teremys of there sciences by the same planetis, as a man may se in Geber[[165]] and Nicholas[[166]] and in othir auctoris of that science. To Jouys is youyne copyr or bras. Jouis or Jubiter is a planete of softe condicion, amiable and ful gladde and fygure[[167]] to sanguyne comp[l]eccion. Therefor Othea seyth, that is to sey, Prudence, that a good knyght shuld haue the condicion of Jubiter, and the same shulde euery nobyll man haue, pursewyng knyghtthode. |f. 13.| To this purpose seythe Pictogoras[[168]] that a kyng shuld be gracyously conuersaunt wyth his peple and shew to them a glade visage; and on the same wyse it is to vnderstond off all wordly peple tendyng to wirchippe.
Now lete vs brynge to owre purpoyse in allegorie the properteis of the .vii. planetis. Jouis, the which is a softe and a mankyndly[[169]] planete, of the whyche the good knyght schulde haue condicions, may sygnifie to vs mercy and compassyon that the good knyght hade, Jhesu Cryste that is, the which the sperit schulde haue in hym selfe. For Seynte Gregorie seyth in the pistylle of Pontian,[[170]] “I remembre not,” seith he, “that euer I herde or redde that he dyed of heuy dethe that hathe wylle to fulfylle the dedes of mercy, ffor mercy hathe many prayeres and it is inpossyble but that many prayeres most nedes be exauced.” To this purpose oure Lord seythe in the Gospell, “Beati [misericordes, quoniam ipsi misericordiam consequentur”].[[171]]