Or if folkis complexions
Make 'hem dreme of reflexions;
Or ellis thus," as othir faine,
For the'grete feblenesse of ther braine,
By abstinence or by fickneffe,
By prison, strief, or grete distresse;
Or ellis by disordinaunce,
Or naturall accuslomaunce,
That some men be to curious
In studie or melancolious;
Or thus, so inly full of drede
That no man maie 'hem botè rede;
Or ellis that devocion
Of some and contemplacion
Causin to them soche dremis ofte;
Or that the cruill life unfofte
Of 'hem that unkind lovis leden,
That oftin hopin moche or dreden,
That purely ther impressions
Causin 'hem to have visions ;
Or if that spirites han the might
To makin folke to dreme on night;
Or if the soule of propir kinde
Be so perfite as men yfinde,
That it wele wote what is to come,
And that he warnith all and some
Of everiche of ther avintorcs
By avisions or by figures,
In this book is served bow the deeds of all men and women,
be they good or bad, are carry'd by report to pofterity.
God tourne us everie dreme to gode,
For it is wondir thyng by the’rode,
To my witte, what caufith swevines
On the morowe or on evines,
And why the’effecte folowech of fome,
And of some it Thall nevir come,
Why that is an avifion,
And this a revelacion,
Why this a dreme, why that a sweven,
And not to every man liche even,
Why this a fantome, why that oracles,
In'ot; but whoso of these miracles
The causis knowith bet than i
Define he, for I certainly
Ne can'hem not, ne nevir thinke
To busie my witte for to swinke
To knowe of ther fignificacions,
The gendris, ne the distinccions
Of the tymes of 'hem, ne the caufis,
Or why that this is more then that is,
Or if folkis complexions
Make 'hem dreme of reflexions;
Or ellis thus, as othir faine,
For the' grete feblenesse of ther braine,
By abstinence or by sicknesse,
By prison, strief, or grete distresse;
Or ellis by disordinaunce,
Or naturall accuslomaunce,
That some men be to curious
In studie or melancolious;
Or thus, so inly full of drede
That no man maie 'hem botè rede;
Or ellis that devocion
Of some and contemplacion
Causin to them soche dremis ofte;
Or that the cruill life unfofte
Of 'hem that unkind lovis leden,
That oftin hopin moche or dreden,
That purely ther impresfions
Causin'hem to have visions;
Or if that spirites han the might
To makin folke to dreme on night;
Or if the soule of propir kinde
Be so perfite as men yfinde,
That it wele wote what is to come,
And that he warnith all and some
Ofeveriche of ther avintures
By avisions or by figures,
But that our fleshe ne hath no might
To understandin it aright,
For it is warnid to derkely,
But why the cause is not wote I;
Well wotin of this chyngè clerkes
That treten of that and othir werkes,
For I of none opinion
N'ill as now makin mencion,
Bat onely that the holy rode
Tournin us every dreme to gode,
For nevir fithin I was borne,
Ne no man ellis me beforne,
Ymette I trowe right stedfastly
So wondirfull a drome as I
The tenthe daie now of December,
The whiche, as I can remember,
I woll
you
tellin
every
dele:
But at beginnyng truftith wele
I woll make invocacion
With devoute speciall devocion
Unto the god of Slepe anone,
That dwellith in a čave of sone,
Upon a ftreme that cometh fro Lete,
That is a flode of heil unswete,
Beside a fulke men clepe Cimerie,
There llepith aye this god unmerie,
With his flepie thousande fonnis,
That alwaie to slepe ther won is:
And to this god that I of rede
Praie I that he wollin me spede
My swevin for to tell aright,
If every dreme ftande in his might,
And he that movir is of all
That is and was, and evit shall,
So give 'hem joyè that it here
Of all that thei dremin to yere;
And for to standin all in grace
Of ther lovis, or in what place
That 'hem were levist for to stonde,
And shelde 'hem from poverte' and shonde,
And from every’unhappe and disese,
And sende 'hem that which maie 'hem plese,
That takith well and scornith nought,
Ne it misdemin in ther thought
Through malicious entencion;
And whoso through presumpcion,
Or hate, or (corne, or through envie,
Dispite, or jape, or felonie,
Misdeme it, praie I Jesus gode,
Dreme he barefore or dreme he shode,
That every harme that any man
Hath had sithin the worlde began
Befall hym thereof or he sterve,
And graunt that he maie it deserve!
Lo! with right soche conclusion
As had of his avision
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