me the name of thilke privy stoon.”
And Plato answered unto him anon,
“Take the stoon that titanos men name.”
“Which is that?” quoth he. “Magnasia is the same.”
Sayde Plato. “Ye, sir, and is it thus?
That is ignotum per ignotius.
What is magnasia, good sir, I you pray?”
“It is a water that is maad, I say,
Of elementes foure,” quoth Plato.
“Telle me the roote, good sir,” quoth he tho,
“Of that water, if that it be your wille.”
“Nay, nay,” quoth Plato, “not with mine wil.
The philosóphres sworn were every oon,
That thay sholde not discovere it unto noon,
Nor in no book it write in no manére;
For unto Crist it is so leef and deere,
That he wil not that it discovered be,
But when it liketh to his deitee
Man to enspire, and eek for to defende
Whom that him liketh; lo, this is the ende.”

Than thus conclude I, since God on high
Wil not that philosóphres signify,
How that a man shal come unto this stoon,
I counsel for the beste, let it goon.
For who-so maketh God his adversarie,
As for to werke a thing in contrarie
Unto his wil, certes shal never thrive,
Though that he multiplie through al his lyve.
And there a point: my tale is endid so
To each true man God sende wele for wo.