For I shall no thyng sey but that schalle falle.
Thynke wele the comyng is not yet at all.
Othea opon the Greke may be takyn for the wysedome off man and woman[[113]], and as ancient pepyll of hold tyme, not havynge yit at that tyme lyght of feythe, wirchippyd many goddys, vndyr the which lawe be passed the hyest lordes that hathe ben in the world, as the reaume off Assire, of Perse, the Grekys, the Troyens, Alexandre, the Romaynes and many other, anamly the grettest philosophurs that[[114]] euer was—so as yet at that tyme God hade not oppenyd the ȝate off mercy, but we Crysten men and women now at this tyme by the grace of God enlumynid wyth very feyth may bryng ayene to morall mynde the oppinyons of ancient pepyll and thereopon many feyre allegories may be made—and as they hade |f. 6.| a costom to worchipe all thynge the which above the comon cours of thynges hade prerogatyue of some grace, many wyse ladyes in there tyme were called godesses. And trwe it ys, aftyr the storie, that in the tyme that grete[[115]] Troye fflorishede in his grete name a ful wyse ladie callede Othea, consyderyng the ffre thought[[116]] of Hector of Troye, the which that tyme ffloryshed in vertues, and that it be a shewynge of fortunes to be in hym in tyme commynge, sche sent hyme many grete and notabil yiftys, and namly the fayre stede that men callyd Galathee, the which had no felawe in all the worlde. And becavse that all wordly grace that a good man oughte for to have were in Hector, morally we may sey that he toke theyme by the cownsel of Othea, the which sent hyme this pystylle.
By Othea we schall vndirstond by the vertu of prudence and of wysedome, wherewyth he was arayed; and because the Cardinal Vertues ben necessarie to good pollicie, we schall speke of them, sewynge ich after othyr. And to þe fryst we have youen a name and takyn a maner of speche in some wyse poetykly, the bettyr to folewe owre matere acordyng to the very storie, and to owre purpoyse we schall take some auctoritees of ancient philosophres. Thus we schall sey that by the seyde lady this present was yovyn or sente to goode Hector, the which in lech wyse may be to all other desirynge bounte and wysedome. And as the vertue of prudence ought gretely to be recomendede, Aristotle, the prynce off philosophurs, seyth, “Becavse that wysedome is þe most noble off all othir thynges, it schulde be shevyd by the best resone and the most behouely maner that myghte be.”
Fore to bryng ayen to allegorie the purpos of owre matyr to owre wordes, we schall applique Holy Scrypture to edificacion of the soule, beyng in wrecheed worlde. As by the grete wysedome and hye myȝte of God all thynges that be resonabily made all scholde streche to the ende of hyme, and becawse that owre speryt, mad off God to hys lekenes, is made of thynges moste noble aftyr the aungelles, it is behouely and necessarie that it be arayed wyth vertues, whereby it may be conveyed to the ende for the which it was made. And becavse it was lettyd by the assautes of the wacches[[117]] of the enemy of helle, the which is his dedely enemye and aduersarie and oftyn distourbeth it to come to hys beaute,[[118]] we may calle mankyndely lyfe very cheualrie, as the Scripture seyth in many partes, and standyng[[119]] all erthyly thynges[[120]] be desceyvable,[[121]] we schulde haue in contynuell mynde the tyme |f. 7.| for to come, which is wythowte ende. And because this is the grete wysedome of perfite knygthhode and that all othir be of no comparison to regarde of the victorius peple the which be corounede in blys, we schal take a maner of speche of gostly knyhthode, that [is] to be done princypally to the preysynge of God and to the profyth of thoo þat wylle delyte theyme to here this present dittee.
Howe prudence and wysedome is modyr and conditoures of all vertues, wythowte the which the tothire may not be well gouernede, it is necessarie to gostly knyghthode to be arayed wyth prudence, as Seynte Austyn seyth in the book of Singularite off Clerkes,[[122]] that in what maner of place prudence be men may lyghtly cesse and amende[[123]] all contrarius thynges, but there w[h]ere prudence is despisyd all cont[r]arius thynges hath domynacyon. And to this purpoose Salamon seyth in his Proverbis, “Si [intraverit sapientia cor tuum et scientia animæ tuæ placuerit, consilium custodiet te et prudentia servabit te.”][[124]]
II.
And to the entent that know may be
What thou schuldeste do, drawe vnto þe
The vertues that may the most restore,