--- DICTIONARIES (in Dictionaries, in Quotes, in Chapters)

--- QUOTES [1 / 1 - 56 / 56] (in Dictionaries, in Quotes, in Chapters)

KEYS (10k)

   1 Tom Butler-Bowdon

NEW FULL DB (2.4M)

   5 Bill Bryson

   4 Ram Dass

   4 Kevin Horsley

   2 Neale Donald Walsch

   2 George Harrison

   2 Anne Lamott

1:reading ::: 50 Spiritual Classics: List of Books Covered: Muhammad Asad - The Road To Mecca (1954) St Augustine - Confessions (400) Richard Bach - Jonathan Livingston Seagull (1970) Black Elk Black - Elk Speaks (1932) Richard Maurice Bucke - Cosmic Consciousness (1901) Fritjof Capra - The Tao of Physics (1976) Carlos Castaneda - Journey to Ixtlan (1972) GK Chesterton - St Francis of Assisi (1922) Pema Chodron - The Places That Scare You (2001) Chuang Tzu - The Book of Chuang Tzu (4th century BCE) Ram Dass - Be Here Now (1971) Epictetus - Enchiridion (1st century) Mohandas Gandhi - An Autobiography: The Story of My Experiments With Truth (1927) Al-Ghazzali - The Alchemy of Happiness (1097) Kahlil Gibran - The Prophet (1923) GI Gurdjieff - Meetings With Remarkable Men (1960) Dag Hammarskjold - Markings (1963) Abraham Joshua Heschel - The Sabbath (1951) Hermann Hesse - Siddartha (1922) Aldous Huxley - The Doors of Perception (1954) William James - The Varieties of Religious Experience (1902) Carl Gustav Jung - Memories, Dreams, Reflections (1955) Margery Kempe - The Book of Margery Kempe (1436) J Krishnamurti - Think On These Things (1964) CS Lewis - The Screwtape Letters (1942) Malcolm X - The Autobiography of Malcolm X (1964) Daniel C Matt - The Essential Kabbalah (1994) Dan Millman - The Way of the Peaceful Warrior (1989) W Somerset Maugham - The Razor's Edge (1944) Thich Nhat Hanh - The Miracle of Mindfulness (1975) Michael Newton - Journey of Souls (1994) John O'Donohue - Anam Cara: A Book of Celtic Wisdom (1998) Robert M Pirsig - Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance (1974) James Redfield - The Celestine Prophecy (1994) Miguel Ruiz - The Four Agreements (1997) Helen Schucman & William Thetford - A Course in Miracles (1976) Idries Shah - The Way of the Sufi (1968) Starhawk - The Spiral Dance: A Rebirth of the Ancient Religion of the Great Goddess (1979) Shunryu Suzuki - Zen Mind, Beginner's Mind (1970) Emanuel Swedenborg - Heaven and Hell (1758) Teresa of Avila - Interior Castle (1570) Mother Teresa - A Simple Path (1994) Eckhart Tolle - The Power of Now (1998) Chogyam Trungpa - Cutting Through Spiritual Materialism (1973) Neale Donald Walsch - Conversations With God (1998) Rick Warren - The Purpose-Driven Life (2002) Simone Weil - Waiting For God (1979) Ken Wilber - A Theory of Everything (2000) Paramahansa Yogananda - Autobiography of a Yogi (1974) Gary Zukav - The Seat of the Soul (1990) ~ Tom Butler-Bowdon, 50 Spirital Classics (2017 Edition) ,

*** NEWFULLDB 2.4M ***

1:Remember, Be Here Now. ~ Ram Dass

2:Don't think about the past. Just be here now. ~ Ram Dass

3:Don’t think about the past. Just be here now. ~ Ram Dass

4:Don’t think about the future. Just be here now. ~ Ram Dass

5:Be here now. It keeps us in a place of love, not fear. ~ Alysia Reiner

6:eliminate your excuses, clean up your beliefs, and be here now! ~ Kevin Horsley

7:I probably wouldn't even be here now if it weren't for chiropractic ~ Merle Haggard

8:Be Here Now is all about being present and not fearing what you don't know. ~ Andy Whitfield

9:You need to bury it," Cary tells me. "All of that's over. You have to be here now. ~ Courtney Summers

10:A mind that wants to wander around a corner is an un-wise mind. Now, is, be here now. ~ George Harrison

11:It is nearly impossible to be here now when you think there is somewhere else to be. ~ Guru Gobind Singh

12:If his mother hadn’t begun to see him and forced the divorce, Brian wouldn’t be here now. He ~ Gary Paulsen

13:Be Here Now, a guide to meditation and the wonders of psychedelic drugs by Baba Ram Dass, born Richard Alpert. ~ Walter Isaacson

14:Stop worrying about tomorrow. Stop thinking about yesterday. Mindfulness is to be here now, in the moment. Focus on this moment. ~ Frederick Lenz

15:For you to be here now, trillions of drifting atoms had somehow to assemble in an intricate and curiously obliging manner to create you. ~ Bill Bryson

16:Miniskirts have become quite a fad. They're even some guys wearing them. Don't laugh, if you had thought to of that, you'd not be here now. ~ Bob Hope

17:do you want to improve your concentration or don’t you? It is always up to you. Therefore, eliminate your excuses, clean up your beliefs, and be here now! ~ Kevin Horsley

18:I thought the secret of life was obvious: be here now, love as if your whole life depended on it, find your life's work, and try to get hold of a giant panda. ~ Anne Lamott

19:Allow ourselves to do as Ram Dass said in his delicious phrase "Be Here Now." If you are here now you cannot fall into falsely constructed gender projections. ~ Seamus Heaney

20:You just never know with contract situations and the whole business side of it. I'm here now and I'm happy to be here now. The future will take care of itself. ~ Darrelle Revis

21:To be here now, alive in the twenty-first century and smart enough to know it, you also had to be the beneficiary of an extraordinary string of biological good fortune. ~ Bill Bryson

22:You are so bloody frustrating!” he roared, back fisting another rabid with the axhead. “Do you really think the cure is worth this? You think I’d be here now if that’s all I wanted? ~ Julie Kagawa

23:But I wouldn’t be here now,” said Mrs. Wiggins. “I’d rather be a cow. Oh, dear,” she said, “Every time I get a little excited the rhyming comes on again. I guess I’d better go lie down. ~ Walter R Brooks

24:You need to make a decision today: do you want to improve your concentration or don’t you? It is always up to you. Therefore, eliminate your excuses, clean up your beliefs, and be here now! ~ Kevin Horsley

25:Ignore your previous experience and go into the moment. Be Here Now. See what there is to work with right now in creating yourself anew. Life is an ongoing, never-ending process of re-creation. ~ Neale Donald Walsch

26:Mankind is a young race, my son. O yes..even a very young one. We couldn't stand a damned chance to be here now on earth..and live in this flesh, if not taken care of by the older ones, our real parents. ~ Toba Beta

27:Training your concentration isn’t that hard. You just have to learn to become more peaceful and find the moment. You have to learn to be here now. When you are at work, be at work. When you are at home, be at home. ~ Kevin Horsley

28:They used us as an excuse to go mad and then blamed it on us. Gandhi says create and preserve the image of your choice. The image of my choice is not Beatle George - those who want that can go and see Wings. Why live in the past? Be here now. ~ George Harrison

29:The purpose of meditation is to create focus. It is about focusing your attention on your experience. The reason for focus: it allows you to be here now. Your only reality is This Moment, right here, right now. Peace is found in such awareness. ~ Neale Donald Walsch

30:Your memories are eroding away. The futures you anticipate, will mostly not come to pass, and the real richness is in the moment. And it's not necessarily some kind of 'Be Here Now' feel-good thing because it doesn't always feel good. But it always feels. It is a domain of feeling. It's primary. ~ Terence McKenna

31:If you see yourself as God and then you come back from this state and somebody says, “Hey, Sam, empty the garbage!” it catches you back into the model of “I'm Sam who empties the garbage.” You can't maintain these new kinds of structures. It takes a while to realize that God can empty garbage. ~ Ram Dass, Be Here Now (1971)

32:We were born ahead of our time. Don't forget that the riot-grrl scene had a lot to do with making The Slits a legend, and that didn't happen until the early '90s. We couldn't get together before then, because the legend hadn't been built yet. In the 2000s, we've become bigger than life in that way. It's become really important for The Slits to be here now, but idealistically, we should have done it in the '90s. ~ Ari Up

33:I said that I thought the secret of life was obvious: be here now, love as if your whole life depended on it, find your life's work, and try to get hold of a giant panda. If you had a giant panda in your back yard, anything could go wrong — someone could die, or stop loving you, or you could get sick — and if you could look outside and see this adorable, ridiculous, boffo panda, you'd start to laugh; you'd be so filled with thankfulness and amusement that everything would be O.K. again. ~ Anne Lamott

34:More platform-sensitive generations will make distinctions between online and in-person intimacy, whereas fourteen-year-olds have very nuanced online selves and might embody their virtual identity in the physical, analogue version of themselves. They have a much more pluralistic understanding of the self. I don't think we'd be here now in this amazing sexual and gender revolution without the online space where young people can see and share other versions of identity and sexuality. ~ Charlotte Cotton

35:for you to be here now trillions of drifting atoms had somehow to assemble in an intricate and intriguingly obliging manner to create you. It’s an arrangement so specialized and particular that it has never been tried before and will only exist this once. For the next many years (we hope) these tiny particles will uncomplainingly engage in all the billions of deft, cooperative efforts necessary to keep you intact and let you experience the supremely agreeable but generally underappreciated state known as existence. ~ Bill Bryson

36:To begin with, for you to be here now, trillions of drifting atoms had somehow to assemble in an intricate and intriguingly obliging manner to create you. It’s an arrangement so specialized and particular that it has never been tried before and will only exist this once. For the next many years (we hope) these tiny particles will uncomplainingly engage in all the billions of deft, cooperative efforts necessary to keep you intact and let you experience the supremely agreeable but generally under appreciated state known as existence ~ Bill Bryson

37:Surfers are the ‘throw-aheads’ of mankind, not the dregs; they aren’t the black sheep of humanity, but the futurists and they are leading the way to where man ultimately wants to be. The act of the ride is the epitome of ‘be here now’, and the tube ride is the most acute form of that. Which is: your future is right ahead of you, the past is exploding behind you, your wake is disappearing, your footprints are washed from the sand. It’s a non-productive, non-depletive act that’s done purely for the value of the dance itself. And that is the destiny of man. ~ Timothy Leary

38:Now that I am older, I am rounder and softer, which isn’t always a bad thing. I remember fewer names so I try to focus on someone’s eyes instead. Sex is better and I’m better at it. I don’t miss the frustration of youth, the anticipation of love and pain, the paralysis of choices still ahead. The pressure of “What are you going to do?” makes everybody feel like they haven’t done anything yet. Young people can remind us to take chances and be angry and stop our patterns. Old people can remind us to laugh more and get focused and make friends with our patterns. Young and old need to relax in the moment and live where they are. Be Here Now, ~ Amy Poehler

39:Fearghus watched his mate a moment longer. It had been five years since he last saw her. Five years since he last touched her, kissed her, fucked her, saw her smile, told her to calm down, yanked a weapon from her hands before she hurt someone, or stopped her from getting in a pit brawl with her own daughter. It had been too long since he’d done all that and it was a bit overwhelming to be here now, so close to her after all this time. Annwyl slammed her spear into another Sovereign, then leaned against it, wiping her brow with the back of her hand and looking out over all the bodies she and her troops had left behind. She looked rather proud. ~ G A Aiken

40:THE HYGGE MANIFESTO 1. ATMOSPHERE Turn down the lights. 2. PRESENCE Be here now. Turn off the phones. 3. PLEASURE Coffee, chocolate, cookies, cakes, candy. Gimme! Gimme! Gimme! 4. EQUALITY “We” over “me.” Share the tasks and the airtime. 5. GRATITUDE Take it in. This might be as good as it gets. 6. HARMONY It’s not a competition. We already like you. There is no need to brag about your achievements. 7. COMFORT Get comfy. Take a break. It’s all about relaxation. 8. TRUCE No drama. Let’s discuss politics another day. 9. TOGETHERNESS Build relationships and narratives. “Do you remember the time we . . . ?” 10. SHELTER This is your tribe. This is a place of peace and security. ~ Meik Wiking

41:Welcome. And congratulations. I am delighted that you could make it. Getting here wasn’t easy, I know. In fact, I suspect it was a little tougher than you realize. To begin with, for you to be here now trillions of drifting atoms had somehow to assemble in an intricate and intriguingly obliging manner to create you. It’s an arrangement so specialized and particular that it has never been tried before and will only exist this once. For the next many years (we hope) these tiny particles will uncomplainingly engage in all the billions of deft, cooperative efforts necessary to keep you intact and let you experience the supremely agreeable but generally underappreciated state known as existence. Why ~ Bill Bryson

42:He grinned again. We'd only been seeing each other for a few weeks now, but this easy give-and-take still surprised me. From that very first day in my room, I felt like we'd somehow skipped the formalities of the Beginning of a Relationship: those awkward moments when you're not all over each other and are still feeling out the other person's boundaries and limits. Maybe this was because we'd been circling each other for a while before he finally catapulted through my window. But if I let myself think about it much - and I didn't - I had flashes of realising that I'd been comfortable with him even at the very start. Clearly, he'd been comfortable with me, grabbing my hand as he had that first day. As if he knew, even then, that we'd be here now. ~ Sarah Dessen

43:— Где лебеди? — А лебеди ушли. — А во́роны? — А во́роны — остались. — Куда ушли? — Куда и журавли. — Зачем ушли? — Чтоб крылья не достались. — А папа где? — Спи, спи, за нами Сон, Сон на степном коне сейчас приедет. — Куда возьмет? — На лебединый Дон. Там у меня — ты знаешь? — белый лебедь… - Where are the swans? - They went away, the swans. - The ravens too? - They stayed behind, the ravens. - Where did they go? - There where the cranes have gone. - Why did they go? - For fear their wings be taken. - And where's papa? - Sleep, sleep, the Sandman on His steppe-steed will be here now very shortly. - Where will he take us? - to the swanly Don. There - fancy! - I've a white swan waiting for me... ~ Marina Tsvetaeva

44:I saw a picture of you and Vincent in a 1968 newspaper that said you died in a fire," I said, turning to Ambrose. He nodded at me with a little smile, urging me on. "So how can you be here now?" "Well, I'm glad we're starting with the easy questions," he said, stretching his powerful arms and then leaning toward me. "The answer would be ... because we're zombies!" and he let out a horrible groan, stretching his mouth open and baring his teeth as he curled his hands into claws. Seeing my terrified expression, Ambrose began cracking up and slapping his knee with his hand. "Just kidding," he cackled, and then, calming down, looked at me sedately. "But no, seriously. We're zombies." "We are not zombies!" said Charlotte, her voice rising with annoyance. ~ Amy Plum

45:Immortality: "It is impossible to be conscious of being unconscious." It is not possible to be aware of being unconscious from your own perspective. You cannot be aware of not being aware. You can be less aware/conscious, such as when you are asleep, but not completely unconscious (dead), because time would stand still for you. A billion years could pass, and you would not know it. How do you know you are dead? It is not possible to be aware of any gaps in life; it is continuous and never-ending from your own point of view. Death and birth are a continuous event from your own perspective. You will die physically, but you will be born into a new physical body. Being born happens, or you would not be here now. You were born into this life. It is what we know happens. There is no evidence anything else happens. True or false? ~ Michael Smith

46:Look for a wave shaped like an A. An A. Hmm. I saw Zs and H's and Vs. I saw the Hindi alphabet and the Thai alphabet. I saw Arabic script. I saw no As. Finally I gave up, and chose the next wave that would have me, which turned out to be a poor move. There is a moment, shortly after one accepts the imminence of one's demise, when it occurs that you could be elsewhere: that if you simply left the house a little later, or lingered over a Mai Tai, you would not be here now confronting your mortality. This moment occurred just as I encountered a very large (from my perspective), rare and surprising wave. A wave that was pitching and howling, and it really had no business being where it was - underneath me. The demon wave picked me up, and after that I have only a a vague recollection of spinning limbs, a weaponized surf board, and chaotic white water, churning together over a reef. I decided surfing was not for me. I generally no longer engage in adrenaline rush activities that carry with them a strong likely hood of life-altering injury. (p. 138) ~ J Maarten Troost

47:I don’t.” She rubbed her arms and looked away. “It … I don’t like it when you’re violent.” “Me, either.” He crossed the room to crouch down in front of her. “But if I ever had scruples against it, I wouldn’t be here now. Neither would you.” “I know. I just wish … it didn’t have to be so … ugly.” “You’ve seen what the world’s like now. It’s a damned ugly place.” She finally turned her gaze to him. “Do we have to make it worse?” “Survival doesn’t mean making things worse. It means we live to see another day.” “I wonder if Les Grillons rationalizes it that way, too.” He rose up from his crouch. “Do you want me to apologize for the things I’ve done? Because I won’t.” She also stood. “Not even for cutting Devere’s face the way you did? As if you enjoyed it.” “I didn’t enjoy it,” he said through clenched teeth. “I was interrogating him. He wouldn’t have given us the information we wanted without a little coercion.” “It seemed more like torture than coercion,” she fired back. He spread his hands wide. “The hell is this about? You want me to be something that I’m not. A stainless hero. But I’m not a goddamn hero, I’m doing a job few can stomach but which benefits many.” His jab wounded her with its accuracy. Perhaps she did want him to be more than he was. Perhaps she asked too much of him—but she hated seeing him kill and care nothing about it. It had to hurt him, in a way he couldn’t realize or admit. ~ Zoe Archer

48:I would give anything for them not to be here now, not to have them. Don’t misunderstand me: it’s not that I suddenly regret having had them, their existence is vital to me and they’re what I love most, more even than Miguel probably, or, rather, I realize that their loss would have been far worse, the loss of either of them, it would have killed me. But I just can’t cope with them at the moment, they weigh too much on me. I wish I could put them in parentheses or into hibernation, I don’t know, send them to sleep and not wake them up until further notice. I’d like them to leave me in peace and not ask or demand anything of me, not keep tugging at me and hanging on me, poor loves. I need to be alone, without responsibilities, and not to have to make a superhuman effort of which I feel incapable, not to have to worry if they’ve eaten or are well wrapped up or if they’ve got a cold or a fever. I’d like to stay in bed all day or do what I like without having to concern myself about anything except me, and just get better gradually, with no interruptions and no obligations. If, that is, I ever do get better, I hope I do, although I don’t see how. It’s just that I feel so debilitated that the last thing I need is to have by my side two even weaker people, who can’t cope on their own and who have even less of an understanding of what happened than I do. More than that, I feel so sad for them, so unalterably, constantly sad for them, and that feeling goes beyond the present circumstances. The circumstances simply accentuate that feeling, but it’s always been there. ~ Javier Mar as

49:taken and I might not be here now. We might still be living in the orphanage, or maybe I would have taken a job and started earning enough to become his official guardian, and for us to move into our own home. Tim might have begun an apprenticeship. Why has this man come to see me? He had entered armed with a crossbow and a shoulder bag. I eyed the bow's loaded tip. Perhaps I had been right about the wardens not wanting to wait until the main labs opened. Perhaps he was going to finish me off sooner: now. I had no idea why a man of such high status would do it personally though, and he didn't move any closer. He strode to a chair near the clock and sat down, his weapon resting casually on his knee. Then he let out a subdued cough, clearing his throat. "I have some news for you, Ms. Bates," he said, his voice nasally and off-puttingly high-pitched. “Ms. Bradbury passed away in the hospital about an hour ago.” My heart stilled. “I also have a proposal for you,” he went on. “A proposal that I suspect you will not refuse." He paused for a moment, scrutinizing me. "A situation has led Her Majesty and the Court to find use for a person with… your type of background. We have been watching the detention facilities, waiting for the right young woman to whom we may offer this opportunity." “Opportunity?" I managed. "You took defense lessons with Ms. Dale up until the age of fourteen, did you not?" he asked, as though I hadn't spoken. I nodded. "The opportunity involves embarking on a mission which, if successfully completed, would suspend your sentence. It would allow you another chance to redeem yourself and reintegrate into society. Your previous crimes would be erased from your record. Forgotten about. ~ Bella Forrest

50:There you are, princess!” he cried. “I thought you’d changed your mind and given up on our pact before it began.” “Do I look like I’ve changed my mind?” I grumbled. I rubbed my arms, sore and aching, and spat dust from my mouth. My legs were covered with bloody scrapes, and it would take me hours to work the tangles out of my hair. “Then why so long coming out here?” I liked Glaucus better when he was being stern; he had the most aggravating grin of any man alive. “Forget the path? Lose your way?” “I’m watched,” I said. “Ever since the day you promised to teach me how to fight, it’s been next to impossible to get away. Whenever I knew you were taking the boys down here, I’d try to follow, but Ione always seemed to come along with a task for me to do. I wouldn’t be here now if I hadn’t gotten up long before dawn, dressed, and hidden myself in one of the storerooms all morning. Even then, I had to drop from a window and climb down the eastern side of the palace hill to be sure that no one would see me.” “The eastern side…” Glaucus rubbed his chin. “That’s where the briars grow thickest, isn’t it?” And his grin got wider and wider, until suddenly I understood exactly what had been going on. “You did this!” I shouted. “I don’t know what you said to Ione, but you’re the reason why she hasn’t left me alone for a moment all these days!” “You look mad enough to throw a rock at my head,” Glaucus said calmly. “Did you think I was going to make this easy for you, princess? You say you want to learn a fighter’s skills. Well, patience is one of them, cunning’s another, and no one can give those to you but yourself. If you’d rather have gifts fall into your lap, go back to the palace and put on a skirt, but if you still want to learn from me, let’s see you throw something besides a rock. ~ Esther M Friesner

51:Move when it’s time We were touring the ruins at Hovenweep National Monument in the southwestern United States. A sign along the interpretive trail told about the Anasazi who had lived along the small, narrow canyon so long ago. The archaeologists have done their best to determine what these ancient Indians did and how they lived their lives. The signs told about the strategic positioning of the buildings perched precariously on the edge of a cliff, and questioned what had caused this ancient group to suddenly disappear long ago. “Maybe they just got tired of living there and moved,” my friend said. We laughed as we pictured a group of wise ancients sitting around the campfire one night. “You know,” says one of them, “I’m tired of this desert. Let’s move to the beach.” And in our story they did. No mystery. No aliens taking them away. They just moved on, much like we do today. It’s easy to romanticize what we don’t know. It’s easy to assume that someone else must have a greater vision, a nobler purpose than just going to work, having a family, and living a life. People are people, and have been throughout time. Our problems aren’t new or unique. The secret to happiness is the same as it has always been. If you are unhappy with where you are, don’t be there. Yes, you may be here now, you may be learning hard lessons today, but there is no reason to stay there. If it hurts to touch the stove, don’t touch it. If you want to be someplace else, move. If you want to chase a dream, then do it. Learn your lessons where you are, but don’t close off your ability to move and to learn new lessons someplace else. Are you happy with the path that you’re on? If not, maybe it’s time to choose a new one. There need not be a great mysterious reason. Sometimes it’s just hot and dry, and the beach is calling your name. Be where you want to be. God, give me the courage to find a path with heart. Help me move on when it’s time. ~ Melody Beattie

52:The Song Of The Boatwoman From The Lake Dar I got these Crisp and fresh from the Dal Hay valay, come and buy! hay valay, come and buy! These are tiny eggplants, and these are round gourds. Hay valay, come and buy! Hay valay, come and buy! II These are peppers, and these are brinjals. The brinjals are like pitchers of wine banging their heads in this boat of mine, Hay valay, come and buy! Hay valay, come and buy! III The crisp bundles of radishes are glittering in the shade of weeds, the red marsh turnip is blushing like a blushing beauty, as it the dawn has blossomed into flowers. Hay valay, come and buy! hay valay, come and buy! IV May dust fall on you! Stop it! You have taken enough now. I know, dear lady, I cannot blame you, tor the high prices are crushing us all now. Let me go! Come on, lend me a hand with this basket, I really must go now. Hay valay, come and buy! Hay valay, come and buy! 36 V What can I tell you, dear lady. My child was born only last Thursday, Though I didn't feel up to it, I dragged myself out and left my little one behind. It was paintul to leave him away from me. Hay valay, come and buy! Hay valay, come and buy! VI My little one! My little one is pale like a radish, My little one is pale like a jasmine, My little one is naked and nude shivering and cold like a lump of ice. My little one is crying and crying, the tears roll down from his eyes like drops rolling down from lotus leaves. Hay valay, come and buy! Hay valay, come and buy! VII My little one's nose is like a lotus seed, just like his father's nose; My little one's face is tiny, just like his mother's face. To us both he is like a lotus, sprung from the mud of dalay hay Hay valay, come and buy! Hay valay, come and buy! VIII Lo! I seem to hear a baby cry; Lo! I seem to feel a sensation in my breast. My heart doesn't seem to be here now. Dear lady, I must really go now, Hay valay, come and buy! Hay valay, come and buy! 37 ~ Dina Nath Nadim

53:To be ridiculously sweeping: baby boomers and their offspring have shifted emphasis from the communal to the individual, from the future to the present, from virtue to personal satisfaction. Increasingly secular, we pledge allegiance to lowercase gods of our private devising. We are concerned with leading less a good life than the good life. In contrast to our predecessors, we seldom ask ourselves whether we serve a greater social purpose; we are more likely to ask ourselves if we are happy. We shun self-sacrifice and duty as the soft spots of suckers. We give little thought to the perpetuation of lineage, culture or nation; we take our heritage for granted. We are ahistorical. We measure the value of our lives within the brackets of our own births and deaths, and we’re not especially bothered by what happens once we’re dead. As we age—oh, so reluctantly!—we are apt to look back on our pasts and question not did I serve family, God and country, but did I ever get to Cuba, or run a marathon? Did I take up landscape painting? Was I fat? We will assess the success of our lives in accordance not with whether they were righteous, but with whether they were interesting and fun. If that package sounds like one big moral step backward, the Be Here Now mentality that has converted from sixties catchphrase to entrenched gestalt has its upsides. There has to be some value in living for today, since at any given time today is all you’ve got. We justly cherish characters capable of living “in the moment.”…We admire go-getters determined to pack their lives with as much various experience as time and money provide, who never stop learning, engaging, and savoring what every day offers—in contrast to the dour killjoys who are bitter and begrudging in the ceaseless fulfillment of obligation. For the role of humble server, helpmate, and facilitator no longer to constitute the sole model of womanhood surely represents progress for which I am personally grateful. Furthermore, prosperity may naturally lead any well-off citizenry to the final frontier: the self, whose borders are as narrow or infinite as we make them. Yet the biggest social casualty of Be Here Now is children, who have converted from requirement to option, like heated seats for your car. In deciding what in times past never used to be a choice, we don’t consider the importance of raising another generation of our own people, however we might choose to define them. The question is whether kids will make us happy. ~ Lionel Shriver

54:reading :::    50 Spiritual Classics: List of Books Covered:    Muhammad Asad - The Road To Mecca (1954)    St Augustine - Confessions (400)    Richard Bach - Jonathan Livingston Seagull (1970)    Black Elk Black - Elk Speaks (1932)    Richard Maurice Bucke - Cosmic Consciousness (1901)    Fritjof Capra - The Tao of Physics (1976)    Carlos Castaneda - Journey to Ixtlan (1972)    GK Chesterton - St Francis of Assisi (1922)    Pema Chodron - The Places That Scare You (2001)    Chuang Tzu - The Book of Chuang Tzu (4th century BCE)    Ram Dass - Be Here Now (1971)    Epictetus - Enchiridion (1st century)    Mohandas Gandhi - An Autobiography: The Story of My Experiments With Truth (1927)    Al-Ghazzali - The Alchemy of Happiness (1097)    Kahlil Gibran - The Prophet (1923)    GI Gurdjieff - Meetings With Remarkable Men (1960)    Dag Hammarskjold - Markings (1963)    Abraham Joshua Heschel - The Sabbath (1951)    Hermann Hesse - Siddartha (1922)    Aldous Huxley - The Doors of Perception (1954)    William James - The Varieties of Religious Experience (1902)    Carl Gustav Jung - Memories, Dreams, Reflections (1955)    Margery Kempe - The Book of Margery Kempe (1436)    J Krishnamurti - Think On These Things (1964)    CS Lewis - The Screwtape Letters (1942)    Malcolm X - The Autobiography of Malcolm X (1964)    Daniel C Matt - The Essential Kabbalah (1994)    Dan Millman - The Way of the Peaceful Warrior (1989)    W Somerset Maugham - The Razor's Edge (1944)    Thich Nhat Hanh - The Miracle of Mindfulness (1975)    Michael Newton - Journey of Souls (1994)    John O'Donohue - Anam Cara: A Book of Celtic Wisdom (1998)    Robert M Pirsig - Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance (1974)    James Redfield - The Celestine Prophecy (1994)    Miguel Ruiz - The Four Agreements (1997)    Helen Schucman & William Thetford - A Course in Miracles (1976)    Idries Shah - The Way of the Sufi (1968)    Starhawk - The Spiral Dance: A Rebirth of the Ancient Religion of the Great Goddess (1979)    Shunryu Suzuki - Zen Mind, Beginner's Mind (1970)    Emanuel Swedenborg - Heaven and Hell (1758)    Teresa of Avila - Interior Castle (1570)    Mother Teresa - A Simple Path (1994)    Eckhart Tolle - The Power of Now (1998)    Chogyam Trungpa - Cutting Through Spiritual Materialism (1973)    Neale Donald Walsch - Conversations With God (1998)    Rick Warren - The Purpose-Driven Life (2002)    Simone Weil - Waiting For God (1979)    Ken Wilber - A Theory of Everything (2000)    Paramahansa Yogananda - Autobiography of a Yogi (1974)    Gary Zukav - The Seat of the Soul (1990)    ~ Tom Butler-Bowdon, 50 Spirital Classics (2017 Edition),

55:The day wore on.While yet Rycca slept, Dragon did all the things she had said he would do-paced back and forth, contemplated mayhem,and even honed his blade on the whetstone from the stable.All except being oblivious to her,for that he could never manage. But when she awoke,sitting up heavy-lidded, her mouth so full and soft it was all he could do not to crawl back into bed with her,he put aside such pursuits and controlled himself admirably well,so he thought. Yet in the midst of preparing a meal for them from the provisions in the pantry of the lodge,he was stopped by Rycca's hand settling upon his. "Dragon," she said softly, "if you add any more salt to that stew, we will need a barrel of water and more to drink with it." He looked down, saw that she was right, and cursed under his breath. Dumping out the spoiled stew, he started over. They ate late but they did eat.He was quite determined she would do so,and for once she seemed to have a decent appetite. "I'm glad to see your stomach is better," he said as she was finishing. She looked up,startled. "What makes you say that?" "You haven't seemed able to eat regularly of late." "Oh,well,you know...so many changes...travel...all that." He nodded,reached for his goblet, and damn near knocked it over as a sudden thought roared through him. "Rycca?" She rose quickly,gathering up the dishes. His hand lashed out, closing on her wrist. Gently but inexorably, he returned her to her seat. Without taking his eyes from her,he asked, "Is there something you should tell me?" "Something...?" "I ask myself what sort of changes may cause a woman to be afflicted with an uneasy stomach and it occurs to me I've been a damned idiot." "Not so! You could never be that." "Oh,really? How otherwise would I fail to notice that your courses have not come of late? Or is that also due to travel,wife?" "Some women are not all that regular." "Some women do not concern me.You do,Rycca. I swear,if you are with child and have not told me, I will-" She squared her shoulders,lifted her head,and met his eyes hard on. "Will what?" "What? Will what? Does that mean-" "I'm sorry,Dragon." Truly repentant, Rycca sighed deeply. "I was going to tell you.I was just waiting for a calmer time.I didn't want you to worry more." Still grappling with what she had just revealed,he stared at her in astonishment. "You mean worry that my wife and our child are bait for a murderous traitor?" "I know you're angry and you have a right to be.But if I had told you, we wouldn't be here now." "Damn right we wouldn't be!" He got up from the table so abruptly that his chair toppled over and crashed to the floor.Ignoring it,Dragon paced back and forth,glaring at her. Rycca waited,trusting the storm to pass. As she did,she counted silently, curious to see just how long it would take her husband to grasp fully what he had discovered. Nine...ten... "We're going to have a baby." Not long at all. She nodded happily. "Yes,we are, and you're going to be a wonderful father." He walked back to the table,picked her up out of her chair,held her high against his chest,and stared at her. "My God-" Rycca laughed. "You can't possibly be surprised.It's not as though we haven't been doing our best to make this happen." "True,but still it's absolutely incredible." Very gently,she touched his face. "Perhaps we think of miracles wrongly. They're supposed to be extraordinarily rare but in fact they're as commonplace as a bouquet of wildflowers plucked by a warrior...or a woman having a baby." Dragon sat down with her still in his arms and held her very close.He swallowed several times and said nothing. Both could have remained contentedly like that for a long while, but only a few minutes passed before they were interrupted. The raven lit on the sill of the open window just long enough to catch their attention,then she was gone into the bloodred glare of the dying day. ~ Josie Litton

56:1094 The Wright's Chaste Wife Allemyghty god, maker of alle, Saue you my souereyns in towre & halle, And send you good grace! If ye wylle a stounde blynne, Of a story I wylle begynne, And telle you alle the cas, Meny farleyes ?aue herde, Ye would haue wondyr how yt ferde; Lystyn, and ye schalle here; Of a wryght I wylle you telle That some tyme in thys land gan dwelle, And lyued by hys myster. Whether that he were yn or oute, Of erthely man hadde he no dowte, To werke hows, harowe, nor plowgh, Or other werkes, what so they were, Thous wrought he hem farre and nere, And dyd tham wele I-nough. Thys wryght would wedde no wyfe, Butt yn yougeth to lede hys lyfe In myrthe and o?ody; Ouer alle where he gan wende, Alle they seyd 'welcome, frende, Sytt downe, and do gla[d]ly.' Tylle on a tyme he was wyllyng, As tyme comyth of alle thyng, (So seyth the profesye,) A wyfe for to wedde & haue That myght hys goodes kepe & saue, And for to leue alle foly. Ther dwellyd a wydowe in ?tre That hadde a doughter feyre & fre; Of her, word sprang wyde, For sche was bothe stabylle & trewe, Meke of maners, and feyre of hewe; So seyd men in that tyde. The wryght seyde, 'so god me saue, Such a wyfe would I haue To lye nyghtly by my syde.' 1095 He ?to speke wyth ?, And rose erly on a daye And ?an he to ryde. The wryght was welcome to ?, And her saluyd alle so blyve, And so he dyd her doughter fre: For the erand that he for came Tho he spake, ?d yemane; Than to hym seyd sche: The wydow seyd, 'by heuen kyng, I may geue wyth her no ?r> (And ?thynketh me Saue a garlond I wylle the geue, Ye schalle neuer see, whyle ye lyve, None such in thys contre: Haue here thys garlond of roses ryche, In alle thys lond ys none yt lyche, For ytt wylle euer be newe, Wete ?e withowtyn fable, Alle the whyle thy wyfe ys stable The chaplett wolle hold hewe; And yf thy wyfe vse putry, Or tolle eny man to lye her by, Than wolle yt change hewe, And by the garlond ? see, Fekylle or fals yf ?e be, Or ellys yf sche be trewe.' Of thys chaplett hym was fulle fayne, And of hys wyfe, was nott to layne; He weddyd her fulle sone, And ladde her home wyth solempnite, And hyld her brydalle dayes thre. Whan they home come, Thys wryght in hys hart cast, If that he walkyd est or west As he was wonte to done, 'My wyfe ?so bryght of ble Men wolle desyre here fro me, And ?tly and sone;' Butt sone he hym by?br> That a chambyr schuld be wrought Bothe of lyme and stone, Wyth wallys strong as eny stele, And dorres sotylly made and wele, 1096 He owte framyd yt sone; The chambyr he lett make fast, Wyth plaster of parys ?le last, Such ous know I neuer none; Ther ys kyng ne emperoure, And he were lockyn in ?re, That cowde gete owte of ?ne. Nowe hath he done as he ? And in the myddes of the flore wrought A wondyr strange gyle, A trapdoure rounde abowte That no man myght come yn nor owte; It was made wyth a wyle, That who-so touchyd yt eny thyng, In to ? he schuld flyng Wythyn a lytylle whyle. For hys wyfe he made that place, That no man schuld beseke her of grace, Nor her to begyle. By ?e ? of the towne Hadde ordeynyd tymbyr redy bowne, An halle to make of tre. After the wryght the lord lett sende For ?schuld wyth hym lende Monythys two or thre. The lord seyd, 'woult ?e ?? I wylle send after her blyve That sche may com to the.' The wryght hys garlond hadde take wyth hym, That was bryght and no ?mme, Yt wes feyre on to see. The lord axyd hym as he satt, 'Felowe, where hadyst ? hatte That ys so feyre and newe?' The wryght answerd alle so blyue, And seyd, 'syr, I hadde yt wyth my wyfe, And ?e me neuere rewe; Syr, by my garlond I may see Fekylle or fals yf ?e be, Or yf ?e be trewe; 1097 And yf my wyfe loue a paramoure, Than wylle my garlond vade coloure, And change wylle yt the hewe.' The lord ?'by godys myght, That wylle I wete thys same nyght Whether thys tale be trewe.' To the wryghtys howse anon he went, He fonde the wyfe ther-in presente That was so bryght and schene; Sone he hayled her trewly, And so dyd sche the lord curtesly: Sche seyd, 'welcome ye be;' Thus seyd the wyfe of the hows, 'Syr, howe faryth my swete spowse That hewyth vppon youre tre?' 'Sertes, dame,' he seyd, 'wele, And I am come, so haue I hele, To wete the wylle of the; My loue ys so vppon the cast That me thynketh my hert wolle brest, It wolle none otherwyse be; Good dame, graunt me thy grace To pley with the in some preuy place For gold and eke for fee.' 'Good syr, lett be youre fare, And of such wordes speke no mare For hys loue ?d on tre; Hadde we onys begonne ?, My husbond by his garlond myght see; For sorowe he would wexe woode.' 'Certes, dame,' he seyd, 'naye; Loue me, I pray you, in ?maye: For godys loue change thy mode, Forty marke schalle be youre mede Of syluer and of gold [so] rede, And that schalle do the good.' 'Syr, that deede schalle be done; Take me that mony here anone.' 'I swere by the holy rode I thought when I cam hyddere For to bryng yt alle to-gyddere, As I mott breke my heele.' 1098 Ther sche toke xl marke Of syluer and gold styff and sterke: Sche toke yt feyre and welle; Sche seyd, 'in to the chambyr wylle we, Ther no man schalle vs see; No lenger wylle we spare.' Vp the steyer they gan hye: The stepes were made so queyntly That farther myght he nott fare. The lord stumbyllyd as he went in hast, He felle doune in to ?ste Forty fote and somedele more. The lord began to crye; The wyfe seyd to hym in hye, 'Syr, what do ye there?' 'Dame, I can nott seye howe That I am come hydder nowe To thys hows ?so newe; I am so depe in thys sure flore That I ne can come owte att no dore; Good dame, on me ?e!' 'Nay,' sche seyd, 'so mut y the, Tylle myne husbond come and se, I schrewe hym ??' The lord arose and lokyd abowte If he myght eny where gete owte, But yt holpe hym ryght noght, The wallys were so thycke wythyn, That he no where myght owte wynne But helpe to hym were brought; And euer the lord made euylle chere, And seyd, 'dame, ?alt by thys dere.' Sche seyd that sche ne rought; Sche seyd 'I recke nere Whyle I am here and ? there, I schrewe herre ?doth drede.' The lord was sone owte of her ? The wyfe went in to her lofte, Sche satte and dyd here dede. Than yt felle on ?r daye Of mete and drynke he gan her pray, There of he hadde gret nede. 1099 He seyd, 'dame, for seynt charyte, Wyth some mete ?fort me.' Sche seyd, 'nay, so god me spede, For I swere by swete seynt Iohne, Mete ne drynke ne getyst ?e Butt ?t swete or swynke; For I haue both hempe and lyne, And a betyngstocke fulle fyne, And a swyngylle good and grete; If ?t worke, tell me sone.' 'Dame, bryng yt forthe, yt schalle be done, Fulle gladly would I ete.' Sche toke the stocke in her honde, And in to the pytt sche yt sclang Wyth a grete hete: Sche brought the lyne and hempe on her backe, 'Syr lord,' sche seyd, 'haue ?, And lerne for to swete.' Ther sche toke hym a bonde For to occupy hys honde, And bade hym fast on to bete. He leyd yt downe on the stone, And leyd on strockes welle good wone, And sparyd nott on to leyne. Whan ?hadde wrought a thraue, Mete and drynke he gan to craue, And would haue hadde yt fayne; 'That I hadde somewhat for to ete Now after my gret swete; Me thynketh yt were ryght, For I haue labouryd nyght and daye The for to plese, dame, I saye, And therto putt my myght.' The wyfe seyd 'so mutt I haue hele, And yf ?e be wrought wele Thou schalt haue to dyne.' Mete and drynke sche hym bare, Wyth a thrafe of flex mare Of fulle long boundyn lyne. So feyre the wyfe the lord gan praye That he schuld be werkyng aye, And nought ?schuld blynne; 1100 The lord was fayne to werke tho, Butt hys men knewe nott of hys woo Nor of ?des pyne. The stuard to ?ht gan saye, 'Sawe ?e of my lord to-daye, Whether that he ys wende?' The wryght answerde and seyd 'naye; I sawe hym nott syth yesterdaye; I trowe ?be schent.' The stuard stode ?ht by, And of hys garlond hadde ferly What ?be-mente. The stuard seyd, 'so god me saue, Of thy garlond wondyr I haue, And who yt hath the sent.' 'Syr,' he seyd, 'be the same hatte I can knowe yf my wyfe be badde To me by eny other man; If my floures ou?e or falle, Then doth my wyfe me wrong wyth-alle, As many a woman can.' The stuard ?'by godes myght, That schalle I preue thys same nyght Whether ?s or banne,' And in to hys chambyr he gan gone, And toke tresure fulle good wone, And forth he spedde hem than. Butt he ne stynt att no stone Tylle he vn-to ?htes hows come That ylke same nyght. He mett the wyfe amydde the gate, Abowte ?e he gan her take, And seyd 'my dere wyght, Alle the good ?myne I wylle the geue to be thyne To lye by the alle nyght.' Sche seyd, 'syr, lett be thy fare, My husbond wolle wete wyth-owtyn mare And I hym dyd that vnryght; I would nott he myght yt wete 1101 For alle the good that I myght gete, So Ihesus mutt me spede; For, and eny man lay me by, My husbond would yt wete truly, It ys wythowtyn eny drede.' The stuard seyd 'for hym ?wrought, There-of, dame, drede the noght Wyth me to do that dede; Haue here of me xx marke Of gold and syluer styf and starke, Thys tresoure schalle be thy mede.' 'Syr, and I graunt ?you, Lett no man wete butt we two nowe.' He seyd, 'nay, wythowtyn drede.' The stuard ? 'sykerly Women beth both queynte & slye.' The mony he gan her bede; He ?wele to haue be spedde, And of his erand he was onredde Or he were fro hem I-gone. Vp the sterys sche hym leyde Tylle he saw the wryghtes bedde: Of tresoure rought he none; He went and stumblyd att a stone, In to ?ere he fylle sone Downe to the bare flore. The lord seyd 'what deuylle art ?> And ?est falle on me nowe, Thowe hadest hurt me fulle sore.' The stuard stert and staryd abowte If he myght ower gete owte Att hole lesse or mare. The lord seyd, 'welcome, and sytt be tyme, For ?alt helpe to dyght thys lyne For alle thy fers fare.' The stuard lokyd on the knyght, He seyd, 'syr, for godes myght, My lord, what do you here?' He seyd 'felowe, wyth-owtyn oth, For o erand we come bothe, The sothe wolle I nott lete.' Tho cam the wyfe them vn-to, And seyd, 'syres, what do you to, 1102 Wylle ye nott lerne to swete?' Than seyd ? her vn-to, 'Dame, youre lyne ys I-doo, Nowe would I fayne ete: And I haue made yt alle I-lyke, Fulle clere, and no ?ycke, Me thynketh yt gret payne.' The stuard seyd 'wyth-owtyn dowte, And euer I may wynne owte, I wyll breke her brayne.' 'Felowe, lett be, and sey nott so, For ?alt worke or euer ?, Thy wordes ?ne agayne, Fayne ?alt be so to doo, And thy good wylle put ?br> As a man buxome and bayne Thowe schalt rubbe, rele, and spynne, And ?t eny mete wynne, That I geue to god a gyfte.' The stuard seyd, 'then haue I wondyr; Rather would I dy for hungyr Wyth-owte hosylle or shryfte.' The lord seyd, 'so haue I hele, Thowe wylt worke, yf ?gyr welle, What worke ? be brought.' The lord satt and dyd hys werke, The stuard drewe in to the derke, Gret sorowe was in hys ? The lord seyd, 'dame, here ys youre lyne, Haue yt in godes blessyng and myne, I hold yt welle I-wrought.' Mete and drynke sche gaue hym yn, 'The stuard,' sche seyd, 'wolle he nott spynne, Wylle he do ryght noght?' The lord seyd, 'by swete sen Ione, Of thys mete schalle he haue none That ye haue me hydder brought.' The lord ete and dranke fast, The stuard hungeryd att ?, For he gaue hym nought. The stuard satt alle in a stody, Hys lord hadde forgote curtesy: Tho seyd ?rd, 'geue me some.' 1103 The lord seyd, 'sorow haue ?elle or sope That schalle come in thy throte; Nott so much as a crome! Butt ?t helpe to dyght ?e, Much hungyr yt schalle be thyne Though ?e much mone.' Vp he rose, and went therto, 'Better ys me ?doo Whyle yt must nedys be do.' The stuard began fast to knocke, The wyfe ?m a swyngelyng stocke, Hys mete ? to wyn; Sche brought a swyngylle at ?, 'Good syres,' sche seyd, 'swyngylle on fast; For no ?at ye blynne.' Sche gaue hym a stocke to sytt vppon, And seyd 'syres, ?ke must nedys be done, Alle that that ys here yn.' The stuard toke vp a stycke to saye, 'Sey, seye, swyngylle better yf ye may, Hytt wylle be the better to spynne.' Were ? neuer so gret, Yet was he fayne to werke for hys mete Though he were neuer so sadde; Butt ?rd ? so stowde, Was fayne to swyngelle ?es owte, Ther-of he was nott glad. The lordys meyne ?e att home Wyst nott where he was bycome, They were fulle sore adrad. The proctoure of ?sche chyrche ryght Came and lokyd on ?ht, He lokyd as he were madde; Fast ?toure gan hym frayne, 'Where hadest ? garlond gayne? It ys euer lyke newe.' The wryght gan say 'felowe, Wyth my wyfe, yf ?t knowe; That dare me nott rewe; For alle the whyle my wyfe trew ys, 1104 My garlond wolle hold hewe I-wys, And neuer falle nor fade; And yf my wyfe take a paramoure, Than wolle my garlond vade ?re, That dare I ley myne hede.' The proctoure ? 'in good faye That schalle I wete thys same daye Whether yt may so be.' To the wryghtes hows he went, He grete ? wyth feyre entente, Sche seyd 'syr, welcome be ye.' 'A! dame, my loue ys on you fast Syth the tyme I sawe you last; I pray you yt may so be That ye would graunt me of youre grace To play wyth you in some priuy place, Or ellys to deth mutt me.' Fast ?toure gan to pray, And euer to hym sche seyd 'naye, That wolle I nott doo. Hadest ?e ?e wyth me, My spouse by hys garlond myght see, That schuld torne me to woe.' The proctoure seyd, 'by heuen kyng, If he sey to the any ?> He schalle haue sorowe vnsowte; Twenty marke I wolle ?, It wolle ?e welle to lyue, The mony here haue I brought.' Nowe hath sche the tresure tane, And vp ?re be they gane, (What helpyth yt to lye?) The wyfe went the steyre be-syde, The proctoure went a lytylle to wyde He felle downe by and by. Whan he in to ?er felle, He wente to haue sonke in to helle, He was in hart fulle sory. The stuard lokyd on the knyght, And seyd 'proctoure, for godes myght, Come and sytt vs by.' The proctoure began to stare, For he was he wyst neuer whare, 1105 Butt wele he knewe ?ht And the stuard ?ngelyd ?. He seyd 'syres, for godes pyne, What do ye here thys nyght?' The stuard seyd, 'god geue the care, Thowe camyst to loke howe we fare, Nowe helpe ?e were dyght.' He stode stylle in a gret ? What to answer he wyst noght: 'By mary fulle of myght,' The proctoure seyd, 'what do ye in ?br> For to bete thys wyfes lyne? For Jhesus loue, fulle of myght,' The proctoure seyd ryght as he ? 'For me yt schalle be euylle wrought And I may see aryght, For I lernyd neuer in londe For to haue a swyngelle in hond By day nor be nyght.' The stuard seyd, 'as good as ? We hold vs that be here now, And lett preue yt be syght; Yet must vs worke for owre mete, Or ellys schalle we none gete, Mete nor drynke to owre honde.' The lord seyd, 'why flyte ye two? I trowe ye wylle werke or ye goo Yf yt be as I vndyrstond.' Abowte he goys twyes or thryes; They ete & drynke in such wyse That ?e hym ryght noght. The proctoure seyd, 'thynke ye no schame, Yheue me some mete, (ye be to blame,) Of that the wyfe ye brought.' The stuard seyd 'euylle spede the soppe If eny morcelle come in thy throte Butt ?h vs hadest wrought.' The proctoure stode in a stody Whether he myght worke hem by; And so to torne hys ? To the lord he drewe nere, And to hym seyd wyth myld chere, 'That mary mott the spede.' The proctoure began to knocke, 1106 The good wyfe rawte hym a rocke, For therto hadde sche nede; Sche seyd 'whan I was mayde att home, Other werke cowde I do none My lyfe ther-wyth to lede.' Sche gaue hym in hande a rocke hynde, And bade hem fast for to wynde Or ellys to lett be hys dede. 'Yes, dame,' he seyd, 'so haue I hele, I schalle yt worke both feyre & welle As ye haue taute me.' He wauyd vp a strycke of lyne, And he span wele and fyne By-fore the swyngelle tre. The lord seyd '?nnest to grete, Therfor ?alt haue no mete, That ?alt welle see.' Thus ?t and wrought fast Tylle ? dayes were past; Then the wryght, home came he, And as he cam by hys hows syde He herd noyse that was not ryde Of persons two or thre; One of hem knockyd lyne, A-nothyr swyngelyd good and fyne By-fore the swyngylle tre, The thyrde did rele and spynne, Mete and drynke ther-wyth to wynne, Gret nede ther-of hadde he. Thus ?ht stode herkenyng; Hys wyfe was ware of hys comyng, And ageynst hym went sche. 'Dame,' he seyd, 'what ys ?ne? I here gret noyse here wythynne; Telle me, so god the spede.' 'Syr,' sche seyd, 'workemen thre Be come to helpe you and me, Ther-of we haue gret nede; Fayne would I wete what they were.' But when he sawe hys lord there, Hys hert bygan to drede To see hys lord in ?ce, 1107 He ?yt was a strange cas, And seyd, 'so god hym spede, What do ye here, my lord and knyght? Telle me nowe for godes myght Howe cam thys vn-to?' The knyght seyd 'What ys best rede? Mercy I aske for my mysdede, My hert ys wondyr wo.' 'So ys myne, verament, To se you among thys flex and hempe, Fulle sore yt ruyth me; To se you in such hevynes, Fulle sore myne hert yt doth oppresse, By god in trinite.' The wryght bade hys wyfe lett hym owte, 'Nay, ?owe come on my snowte If they passe hens to-daye Tylle that my lady come and see Howe ?ld haue done wyth me, Butt nowe late me saye.' Anon sche sent after the lady bryght For to fett home her lord and knyght, Therto sche seyd noght; Sche told her what they hadde ment, And of ther purpos & ther intente That they would haue wrought. Glad was ?y of that tydyng; When sche wyst her lord was lyuyng, Ther-of sche was fulle fayne: Whan sche came vn-to ?re abouen, Sche lokyd vn-to ?er downe, And seyd,-?nott to leyne,'Good syres, what doo you here?' 'Dame, we by owre mete fulle dere, Wyth gret trauayle and peyne; I pray you helpe ?were owte, And I wylle swere wythowtyn dowte Neuer to come here agayne.' The lady spake the wyfe vn-tylle, And seyd 'dame, yf yt be youre wylle, What doo thes meyny here?' The carpentarys wyfe her answerd sykerly, 1108 'Alle they would haue leyne me by, Euerych in ther manere, Gold and syluer they me brought, And forsoke yt, and would yt noght, The ryche gyftes so clere. Wyllyng ?e to do me schame, I toke ther gyftes wyth-owtyn blame, And ther they be alle thre.' The lady answerd her anon, 'I haue thynges to do att home Mo than two or thre; I wyst my lord neuer do ryght noght Of no ?t schuld be wrought, Such as fallyth to me.' The lady lawghed and made good game Whan they came owte alle in-same From the swyngylle tre. The knyght seyd 'felowys in fere, I am glad ?be here, By godes dere pyte; Dame, and ye hadde bene wyth vs, Ye would haue wrought, by swete Ihesus, As welle as dyd we.' And when they cam vp abouen They turnyd abowte and lokyd downe, The lord seyd, 'so god saue me, Yet hadde I neuer such a fytte As I haue hadde in ?e pytte; So mary so mutt me spede.' The knyght and thys lady bryght, Howe they would home that nyght, For no thyng they would abyde; And so they went home; Thys seyd Adam of Cobsam. By the weye as they rode Throwe a wode in ther playeng, For to here the fowlys syng They hovyd stylle and bode. The stuard sware by godes ore, And so dyd the proctoure much more, That neuer in ther lyfe Would they no more come in ?ne 1109 Whan they were onys thens come, Thys forty yere and fyve. Of the tresure that they brought The lady would geue hem ryght noght, Butt gaue yt to the wryghtes wyfe. Thus the wryghtes garlond was feyre of hewe, And hys wyfe bothe good and trewe: There-of was he fulle blythe; I take wytnes att gret and smalle, Thus trewe bene good women alle That nowe bene on lyve, So come thryste on ther hedys Whan they mombylle on ther bedys Ther pater noster ryue. Here ys wretyn a geste of the wryght That hadde a garlond welle I-dyght, The coloure wylle neuer fade. Now god ?heuyn kyng Graunt vs alle hys dere blessyng Owre hertes for to glade; And alle tho that doo her husbondys ryght, Pray we to Ihesu fulle of myght, That feyre mott hem byfalle, And that they may come to heuen blys, For thy dere moderys loue ther-of nott to mys, Alle good wyues alle. Now alle tho that thys tretys hath hard, Ihesu graunt hem for her reward As trew louers to be As was the wryght vn-to hys wyfe And sche to hym duryng her lyfe. Amen, for charyte. Here endyth the wryghtes processe trewe Wyth hys garlond feyre of hewe That neuer dyd fade the coloure. It was made by the avyse Of hys wywes moder wytty and wyse Of flourys most of honoure, 1110 Of roses whyte ?le nott fade, Whych floure alle ynglond doth glade Wyth trewloues medelyd in syght; Vn-to the whych floure I-wys The loue of god and of the comenys Subdued bene of ryght. EXPLICIT ~ Anonymous Olde English

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