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Many men there ben that with eeres openly sprad so moche swalowen the dely- ciousnesse of jestes and of ryme by queynt knyttyng coloures that of the goodnesse or of the badnesse of the sentence take they lytel hede or els none. Sothely, dul wytte and a thoughtful soule so sore have myned and graffed in my spyrites that suche craft of endytyng wol not ben of myn acqueyntaunce. And, for rude wordes and boystous, percen the herte of the herer to the inrest poynte and planten there the sentence of thynges, so that with lytel helpe it is able to spring, this boke, that nothyng hath of the great floode of wyt ne of semelych colours, is dolven with rude wordes and boystous, and so drawe togyder to maken the catchers therof ben the more redy to hent sentence.    Some men there ben that peynten with colours ryche and some with vers as with red ynke and some with coles and chalke; and yet is there good matere to the leude people of thilke chalky purtreyture, as hem thynketh for the tyme; and afterwarde the syght of the better colours yeven to hem more joye for the first leudenesse. So, sothly, this leude clowdy occupacion is not to prayse but by the leude; for comenly leude leudenesse commendeth. Eke it shal yeve syght that other precious thynges shal be the more in reverence. In Latyn and French hath many soverayne wyttes had gret delyte to endyte and have many noble thynges fulfylde; but, certes, there ben some that speken their poysye mater in Frenche of whiche speche the Frenche men have as good a fantasye as we have in heryng of Frenche mennes Englysshe. And many termes there ben in Englysshe whiche unneth we Englysshmen connen declare the knowlegynge: howe shulde than a Frenche man borne suche termes conne jumpere in his mater, but as thejay chatereth Englyssh? Right so, trewly, the understandyng of Englysshmen wol not stretche to the privy termes in Frenche whatsoever we bosten of straunge langage. Let than clerkes endyten in Latyn, for they have the propertie of science and the knowynge in that facultie; and lette Frenchmen in their Frenche also endyten their queynt termes, for it is kyndely to their mouthes; and let us shewe our fantasyes in suche wordes as we lerneden of our dames tonge.     And although this boke be lytel thankeworthy for the leudnesse in travaile, yet suche writynges exciten men to thilke thynges that ben necessarie. For every man therby may, as by a perpetual myrrour, sene the vyces or vertues of other in whiche thyng lightly may be conceyved to eschewe peryls and necessaryes to catche after as aventures have fallen to other people or persons. Certes, the soveraynst thing of desyre and moste creature reasonable have, or els shulde have, ful appetyte to their perfection; unresonable beestes mowen not, sythe reason hath in hem no werkyng. Than reasonable that wol not is comparysoned to unresonable and made lyke hem. Forsothe the most soverayne and fynal perfection of man is in knowyng of a sothe, withouten any entent disceyvable, and in love of one very God that is inchaungeable; that is, to knowe and love his creatour.     Nowe, principally, the meane to bringe in knowlegyng and lovyng his creatour is the consyderacion of thynges made by the creatour, wherthrough be thylke thynges that ben made understonding here to our wyttes arne the unsene privytees of God made to us sightful and knowyng in our contemplacion and understondyng. These thynges than, forsoth, moche bringen us to the ful knowlegynge sothe and to the parfyte love of the maker of hevenly thynges. Lo, David sayth, "Thou haste delyted me in makynge," as who sayth to have delyte in the tune, how God hath lent me in consyderacion of thy makynge. Wherof Aristotle in the boke de Animalibus saythe to naturel phylosophers: "It is a great lykyng in love of knowynge their creatour, and also in knowynge of causes in kyndely thynges consydred." Forsoth, the formes of kyndly thynges and the shap, a great kyndely love me shulde have to the werkman that hem made. The crafte of a werkman is shewed in the werke. Herfore, truly the phylosophers with a lyvely studye many noble thynges ryght precious and worthy to memory writen, and, by a great swetande travayle, to us leften of causes the propertyes in natures of thynges. To whiche, therfore, Phylosophers it was more joy, more lykynge, more herty lust in kyndely vertues and matters of reason, the perfection by busy study to knowe, than to have had al the treasour, al the richesse, al the vainglory that the passed emperours, prynces, or kynges hadden. Therfore the names of hem in the boke of perpetual memory in vertue and peace arn wryten; and, in the contrarye, that is to sayne, in Stixe, the foule pytte of helle, arn thilke pressed that suche goodnesse hated. And bycause this boke shal be of love and the pryme causes of sterynge in that doynge, with passyons and dyseases for wantynge of desyre I wyl that this boke be cleped     But nowe, thou reder, who is thylke that wyl not in scorne laughe to here a dwarfe or els halfe a man, say he wyl rende out the swerde of Hercules handes, and also he shulde set Hercules Gades a myle yet ferther; and over that, he had power of strengthe to pul up the spere that Alisander the noble might never wagge?     And that passyng al thynge to ben mayster of Fraunce by myght, thereas the noble gracyous Edwarde the thyrde, for al his great prowesse in victories, ne myght al yet conquere?    Certes, I wote wel there shal be made more scorne and jape of me, that I, so unworthely clothed altogyder in the cloudy cloude of unconnynge, wyl putten me in prees to speke of love or els of the causes in that matter, sythen al the grettest clerkes han had ynough to don and, as who sayth, gathered up clene toforne hem, and with theyr sharpe sythes of connyng al mowen, and made therof great rekes and noble ful of al plentyes to fede me and many another. Envye forsothe commendeth nought his reason that he hath in hayn, be it never so trusty. And althoughe these noble repers, as good workmen and worthy theyr hyer, han al drawe and bounde up in the sheves and made many shockes, yet have I ensample to gader the smale crommes and fullyn my walet of tho that fallen from the borde amonge the smale houndes, notwithstandynge the travayle of the almoygner that hath drawe up in the cloth al the remyssayles as trenchours and the relyef to bere to the almesse. Yet also have I leve of the noble husbande Boece, although I be a straunger of connynge, to come after his doctryne and these great workmen and glene my handfuls of the shedynge after theyr handes; and, if me fayle ought of my ful, to encrease my porcyon with that I shal drawe by privytyes out of the shocke. A slye servaunt in his owne helpe is often moche commended; knoweyng of trouth in causes of thynges was more hardyer in the first sechers, and so sayth Aristotle, and lyghter in us that han folowed after. For theyr passyng study han fresshed our wyttes, and our understandynge han excyted in consideracion of trouth by sharpnesse of theyr reasons. Utterly, these thynges be no dremes ne japes to throwe to hogges. It is lyfelyche meate for chyldren of trouthe, and as they me betiden whan I pilgrymaged out of my kyth in wynter, whan the wether out of measure was boystous and the wylde wynde Borias, as his kynde asketh, with dryenge coldes maked the wawes of the occian see so to aryse unkyndely over the commune bankes that it was in poynte to spyl al the erthe. Thus endeth the prologue, and hereafter foloweth the fyrst boke of The Testa- ment of Love.