Syth a woman shuld be loued and knowe,
Off whom so noble a voys is sowe.[[207]]
Pantasselle was a ful fayre mayden and qwen of Damazonie[[208]] and off mervelyous worthines in armes and in hardines; and for the grete goodnes that the hy name witnessed through the worlde of Hector the worthy she loved hyme ryght hertyly, and fro the parties of the est she come to Troye in the tyme of the grete segge for to se Hector. But qwen she fond hym dede, she was owte off mesure hevy and wyth a grete oste [of] ful cheualrous gentilwomen vigerously she vengyd his dethe, where she dide mervelyous worthynesses. And many grete greuaunces she dide to the Grekes. And because she was vertuouse, it is seide to the good knyght that he shuld love hyr, and that is to vndirstonde that euery good knyght shulde loue and prayse euer[y] vertuous persone, anamely a woman in strong vertue of wytte and off concyens. And this woman that is woofull for the dethe of Hector is vndirstonde by worthines and valure, when it is dull and deded in knyghthode. And a wyse man seyth, “Bounte shulde be alowyd where that it is perceyued.”
Be Pantasselle, that was socourable, we may vndirstonde the |f. 19.| vertue off cherite, the whiche is the .iiie. devyne vertue that the good speryte shuld perfytely haue in hym self. Cassyodir[[209]] seith that charyte is as the reyne, the which fallyth in the prime temps, for it distillyth the dropes of vertues, vndir the whiche greine [of] good wille groweth[[210]] and good hoope fructifyeth, that is to be pacient in aduersite, tempered in prosperyte, pacient in mekenesse, ioyeus in afflicciones, wellwyllyng to his enemyes and frendes, anamely to his enemyes to be comuniall of his goodis.[[211]] To this purpose seyth Poule the postel, [“Caritas patiens est, benigna est, caritas non emulatur, non agit perperam,” etc.].[[212]]
XVI.
Narcisus[[213]] looke ye resemble not,
Nor into mych pride knyt your knot;
For to ouerwenyng hawteyn knyght
Off many a grace is voide full ryght.
Narcisus [was] a yonge bachelere that ffor his grete beaute seysyd hym in so grete pride[[214]] that he hadde all other in disprayes. And because that he praysed noon but hym selphe, it is seyde that he was so amerous and assottede of hym selfe that he dyede after that he hade beholden hym selfe in the welle. This is to vndirstonde by the ouerwenyng or ouctrecuidez man of hym selfe, wherein he beholdyth hym.[[215]] Therefor it is diffendyth the good knyght to beholde hym selfe in hys good dedes, where throwe he myght be ouerwenyng. And to this purpose seith Socrates, “Sone, be ware thou be not disseyvyd in thi beaute of thi youthe, ffor that is no durable thyng.”