Cap. VI. How He Was Receyved of Logycke

So up I went unto a chambre bryghte, Where was wonte to be a ryght fayre lady, Before whome than, it was my hole delyght, I kneeled adowne ful well and mekely, Besechynge her to enstructe me shortely In her noble science, which is expedient For man to knowe in many an argument.

You shall, quod she, my scyence wel lerne, In tyme and space, to your gret utilite; So that in lokynge you shal than decerne A frende from fo, and good from iniquyte: Ryght from wronge ye shall know in certainte. My scyence is all the yll to eschewe, And for to knowe the false from the trewe.

Who wyll take payne to folowe the trace, In this wrecched world, of trouth and ryghtwysenes, In heven above he shal have dwellynge place. And who that walketh the waye of derkenes, Spendyng his tyme in worldly wretchednes, Amyddes the erth, in hel most horrible, He shall have payne nothyng extinguyssible.

So by logyke is good perceyveraunce To devyde the good and the evyll asondre: It is alwaye at mannes pleasaunce To take the good and caste the evyll under. If God made hell, it is thereof no wonder, For to punyshe man that hadde intelligence, To knowe goode from yll by trewe experience.

Logyke alwaye doth make probacion, Provyng the pro well from the contrary, In sondry wyse by argumentacion, Grounded on reason well and wonderly. Who understod all Logyke truely, Nothynge by reason myght be in pledynge, But he the trouth should have in knowlegyng.

Her wyse doctryne I marked in memory, And toke my leve of her hye person, Because that I myght no lenger tary. The yere was spent, and so ferre than gon, And of my lady yet syght had I none, Whych was abydyng in the toure of Musyke: Wherfore anone I went to Rethoryke.