_Quisquis profunda mente uestigat uerum._
Who-so that seketh sooth by a deep thoght, and coveiteth nat to ben deceived by no mis-weyes, lat him rollen and trenden with-inne him-self the light of his inward sighte; and lat him gadere ayein, enclyninge in-to a compas, the longe moevinges _of his thoughtes_; and lat him techen his corage that he hath 5 enclosed and hid in his tresors, al that he compasseth or seketh fro with-oute. And thanne thilke thinge, that the blake cloude of errour whylom hadde y-covered, shal lighten more cleerly thanne Phebus him-self ne shyneth.
GLOSA. _Who-so wole seken the deep grounde of sooth in his 10 thought, and wol nat be deceived by false proposiciouns that goon amis fro the trouthe, lat him wel examine and rolle with-inne him-self the nature and the propretees of the thing; and lat him yit eftsones examine and rollen his thoughtes by good deliberacioun, or that he deme; and lat him techen his sowle that it hath, by natural 15 principles kindeliche y-hid with-in it-self, alle the trouthe the whiche he imagineth to ben in thinges with-oute. And thanne alle the derknesse of his misknowinge shal seme more evidently to sighte of his understondinge thanne the sonne ne semeth to sighte with-oute-forth._ 20
For certes the body, bringinge the weighte of foryetinge, ne hath nat chased out of your thoughte al the cleernesse _of your knowinge_; for certeinly the seed of sooth haldeth and clyveth with-in your corage, and it is awaked and excyted by the winde and by the blastes of doctrine. For wherfor elles demen ye of 25 your owne wil the rightes, whan ye ben axed, but-yif so were that the norisshinge _of resoun_ ne livede y-plounged in the depthe of your herte? _this is to seyn, how sholden men demen the sooth of any thing that were axed, yif ther nere a rote of soothfastnesse that were y-plounged and hid in naturel principles, the whiche soothfastnesse 30 lived with-in the deepnesse of the thought_. And yif so be that the Muse and the doctrine of Plato singeth sooth, al that every wight lerneth, he ne doth no-thing elles thanne but recordeth, as men recorden thinges that ben foryeten.'
ME. XI. 2. Ed. _om._ nat. // Ed. treaten (_for_ trenden). 18. Ed. derknesse; C. dyrknesse. // Ed. seme; C. seen (_but note_ semeth _below_). 24. Ed. wyndes. 26. Ed. asked. 27. Ed. norisshyng; C. noryssynges; Lat. _fomes_. 29. Ed. asked. 30. Ed. naturel; C. the nature (_sic_).