The goode speryte shulde notte be harde to graunt there where he seyth necessite, but reconforte the nedy to his power. As Seynt Gregore seith in his Moralles that, whan we wyll reconforte any that is afrayed in heuynes, we shulde fryst make heuynes with theyme, for he may not veryly reconforte the hevy person which cordeth hyme not with his heuines. For leche a man[[496]] may not ioyne oon yren to anothir yf thei be note hote bothe .iio. and softyd with the fire, on the same wyse we may not redresse anothir yif oure hertes be not softted be compassyon. To this purpose Holy Scripture seith, [“Confortate manus dissolutas et genua debilia roborate”].[[497]]
LXXXIII.
Thou mayst wyth the pleys the solace
Off Vlixes, when thou hast tyme and space
In the tyme of trwes and of fest,
For they be both sotel and honest.
Vlyxes was a baron of Grece and off grete sotylte and duryng the long seege afore Troye, the whiche lestyd .x. yere, [when] that trwes were, he fond pleys full sotyll and feyre for to disporte knyttes therewyth in the tyme of soioure and rest. And some seyne that he fonde the game of the chesse and sich othir lich. Therefor it is seide to the good knyght that in dwe tyme men may wele play at sich games; for Solyn seith, “All thyngges that is sottyl and honest is lefull to be doone.”
The pleyes of Vlixes may be vnderstondyn that, when the knyghtly speryte shall be wery off prayer and of beyng in contemplacion, he may wele disporte in redyng of Holy Scriptures; ffor, as Seynt Jerom seith, Holy Scripture is sete in the yen of owre[[498]] |f. 63.| hertis as a merowre, to the entent that we shuld se the herdly face[[499]] of owre sowle, and therefor may we see the lewdenes, there may we see who myche[[500]] that we profyte and how fayre we ben [fro] profyte.[[501]] To this purpose owre Lord seith in the Gospell, [“Scrutamini scripturas, quia vos putatis in ipsis vitam æternam habere”].[[502]]
LXXXIV.
Yif thou wilt yeff the to Cupido,