The Voynich Ninja

Say that one is very young, perhaps the woman will say: "You are not of that age that you are wise enough to love, so you are much to blame for asking something of which you are not worthy; you must be very wise and have made good deeds before you ask for the love of a wise woman, but what sense is in you, or goodness, I cannot see. If I wanted to love, many would want it who are important and of great wisdom: I could have one of them. So, before you ask for something, do what is needed to deserve it."

The man replies: "If I did not believe that you are joking in order to make me ashamed, I would say that you are very wrong. I confess that those who have done good deeds are more worthy of being served, but this is certain: neither good nor courtesy are possible if they do not come from love. Love is the source and cause of the good learner. So, without love, nobody can be good; which good can exist without the force of love? Therefore, you must give me what I ask, because from you I will have a cause for doing well and being courteous and not vain. You will have a greater honour if you give me your love, or the hope of having it, by grace rather than for a service I have done beforehand, because then you would be obliged to give it, but now it would be by grace only. Also, isn't the teacher who makes an unlearned disciple wise more worthy of praise than him who makes a wise man wiser? Therefore, I who am new and ignorant of love, ask that you teach me your doctrine. What a great honour it will be if you teach me. It suits the ignorant and unwise to serve such love, so that they may become wise."

The woman replies: "Young man, you speak against the reason of love, because love commands: whoever serves is worthy of great honour and of a greater service. But doing as you say would harm those who have done well and it would do good to those who have not done the same thing. You also say that you want to be taught by me; I refuse to do so, because I need to have a wise man, not to form one. Therefore, if you want to learn, go to Paris and not to women. It is too crazy that those who are ignorant of love want to love women who are wise."

To this the plebeian replies: "I very much marvel that you try to subtly confute my words, since you do not understand well what I said, that it would be your greatest honour if by grace you gave me love, rather than for the servitude that I had done to you. If there were two men of the same age, and one had done well and the other could not do it, the latter must not be loved, but him who did good. But you apply this same rule to a younger man, who hardly had a chance to do well, so in this case he must be loved, rather than the one who served, not because he is more worthy, but because the world would have a greater benefit: yes, how it is written of God who rejoices more when a sinner is converted, than if ninety-nine wise men get better. This is because of the resulting benefit. Similarly, a woman who makes good someone who is less than good is better than one who improves someone who already is good. As it is to God, the gain of a converted sinner is the greatest, so it is in the world when one not-so-good is made good, rather than a wise man made wiser.  What I said, that it is preferable to love him who did no good rather than him who served, is not true in the fourth degree of love; love has three degrees before the fourth. If you can not understand this, I will make you understand. Since ancient times, there have been four degrees of love: the first is giving hope, the second is kissing, the third is embracing, the fourth is giving the whole person. ..."