FIX NOT THE THOUGHTS ON EARTHLY THINGS.
At length Pluto himself relented, crying out, ‘We are overcome! Let us give him back his wife, he hath well won her by his song. ¶ Atte þe laste þe lorde and Iuge of soules was moeued [3056]
to misericordes and cried[e] we ben ouer comen quod
he. yif[e] we to orpheus his wijf to bere hym compaignye
he haþ welle I-bouȝt hir by his faire songe and
his ditee. But we will lay this injunction upon him. Till he escape the infernal bounds, he shall not cast a backward look.’ but we wil putten a lawe in þis. and couenaunt [3060]
in þe ȝifte. þat is to seyne. þat til he be out of
helle yif he loke byhynden hym [þat] hys wijf shal
comen aȝeine to vs But, who shall give a lover any law? Love is a greater law than may be given to any earthly man. ¶ but what is he þat may ȝeue a
lawe to loueres. loue is a gretter lawe and a strengere to [3064]
hym self þan any lawe þat men may ȝeuen. Alas! having left the realms of night, Orpheus cast a look behind and lost his too-much-loved Euridice. ¶ Allas
whan Orpheus and his wijf were al most at þe termes of
þe nyȝt. þat is to seyne at þe last[e] boundes of helle.
Orpheus loked[e] abakwarde on Erudice his wijf and [3068]
lost[e] hir and was deed. This fable belongs to all you, whose minds would view the Sovereign Good. ¶ þis fable apperteineþ to
ȝow alle who so euer desireþ or sekiþ to lede his þouȝte
in to þe souereyne day. þat is to seyne to clerenes[se]
of souereyne goode. For he who fixes his thoughts upon earthly things and low, must lose the noble and heaven-imparted Good. ¶ For who so þat euere be so ouer [3072]
comen þat he fycche hys eyen in to þe put[te] of helle.
þat is to seyne who so setteþ his þouȝtes in erþely
þinges. al þat euer he haþ drawen of þe noble good
celestial he lesiþ it whan he lokeþ þe helles. þat is to [3076]
seyne to lowe þinges of þe erþe.
EXPLICIT LIBER TERCIUS.
3022 vnbynde—vnbyndyn
bonde—bondes
3023 [orpheus]—from C.
somtyme—whilom
3024 sorowe—sorwe
3028 dredles—dredeles
to herkene—forto herknen
3029 had[de]—hadde
3030 þat (2)—omitted
3031 most[e]—moste