O blisful light of whiche the bemes clere 1Adorneth al the thridde hevene faire!O sonnes lief, O Ioves doughter dere,Plesaunce of love, O goodly debonaire,In gentil hertes ay redy to repaire! 5O verray cause of hele and of gladnesse,Y-heried be thy might and thy goodnesse!In hevene and helle, in erthe and salte seeIs felt thy might, if that I wel descerne;As man, brid, best, fish, herbe and grene tree 10Thee fele in tymes with vapour eterne.God loveth, and to love wol nought werne;And in this world no lyves creature,With-outen love, is worth, or may endure.Ye Ioves first to thilke effectes glade, 15Thorugh which that thinges liven alle and be,Comeveden, and amorous him madeOn mortal thing, and as yow list, ay yeYeve him in love ese or adversitee;And in a thousand formes doun him sente 20For love in erthe, and whom yow liste, he hente.Ye fierse Mars apeysen of his ire,And, as yow list, ye maken hertes digne;Algates, hem that ye wol sette a-fyre,They dreden shame, and vices they resigne; 25Ye do hem corteys be, fresshe and benigne,And hye or lowe, after a wight entendeth;The Ioyes that he hath, your might him sendeth.Ye holden regne and hous in unitee;Ye soothfast cause of frendship been also; 30Ye knowe al thilke covered qualiteeOf thinges which that folk on wondren so,Whan they can not construe how it may io,She loveth him, or why he loveth here;As why this fish, and nought that, comth to were. 35Ye folk a lawe han set in universe,And this knowe I by hem that loveres be,That who-so stryveth with yow hath the werse:Now, lady bright, for thy benignitee,At reverence of hem that serven thee, 40Whos clerk I am, so techeth me devyseSom Ioye of that is felt in thy servyse.Ye in my naked herte sentementInhelde, and do me shewe of thy swetnesse. —Caliope, thy vois be now present, 45For now is nede; sestow not my destresse,How I mot telle anon-right the gladnesseOf Troilus, to Venus heryinge?To which gladnes, who nede hath, god him bringe!Explicit prohemium Tercii Libri.Incipit Liber Tercius.