| |
| WHAN Love had told hem his entente, | |
| The baronage to councel wente; | |
| In many sentences they fille, | |
| And dyversly they seide hir wille: | |
| But aftir discord they accorded, | 5 |
| And hir accord to Love recorded. | |
| ‘Sir,’ seiden they, ‘we been at oon, | |
| By even accord of everichoon, | |
| Out-take Richesse al-only, | |
| That sworen hath ful hauteynly, | 10 |
| That she the castel nil assaile, | |
| Ne smyte a stroke in this bataile, | |
| With dart, ne mace, spere, ne knyf, | |
| For man that speketh or bereth the lyf, | |
| And blameth your empryse, y-wis, | 15 |
| And from our hoost departed is, | |
| (At leeste wey, as in this plyte,) | |
| So hath she this man in dispyte; | |
| For she seith he ne loved hir never, | |
| And therfor she wol hate him ever. | 20 |
| For he wol gadre no tresore, | |
| He hath hir wrath for evermore. | |
| He agilte hir never in other caas, | |
| Lo, here al hoolly his trespas! | |
| She seith wel, that this other day | 25 |
| He asked hir leve to goon the way | |
| That is clepid To-moche-Yeving, | |
| And spak ful faire in his praying; | |
| But whan he prayde hir, pore was he, | |
| Therfore she warned him the entree. | 30 |
| Ne yit is he not thriven so | |
| That he hath geten a peny or two, | |
| That quitly is his owne in hold. | |
| Thus hath Richesse us alle told; | |
| And whan Richesse us this recorded, | 35 |
| Withouten hir we been accorded. | |
| ‘And we finde in our accordaunce, | |
| That False-Semblant and Abstinaunce, | |
| With alle the folk of hir bataile, | |
| Shulle at the hinder gate assayle, | 40 |
| That Wikkid-Tunge hath in keping, | |
| With his Normans, fulle of Iangling. | |
| And with hem Curtesie and Largesse, | |
| That shulle shewe hir hardinesse | |
| To the olde wyf that [kepeth] so harde | 45 |
| Fair-Welcoming within her warde. | |
| Than shal Delyte and Wel-Helinge | |
| Fonde Shame adoun to bringe; | |
| With al hir hoost, erly and late, | |
| They shulle assailen [thilke] gate. | 50 |
| Agaynes Drede shal Hardinesse | |
| Assayle, and also Sikernesse, | |
| With al the folk of hir leding, | |
| That never wist what was fleing. | |
| ‘Fraunchyse shal fighte, and eek Pitee, | 55 |
| With Daunger ful of crueltee. | |
| Thus is your hoost ordeyned wel; | |
| Doun shal the castel every del, | |
| If everiche do his entente, | |
| So that Venus be presente, | 60 |
| Your modir, ful of vassalage, | |
| That can y-nough of such usage; | |
| Withouten hir may no wight spede | |
| This werk, neither for word ne dede. | |
| Therfore is good ye for hir sende, | 65 |
| For thurgh hir may this werk amende.’ | |
| Amour. ‘Lordinges, my modir, the goddesse, | |
| That is my lady, and my maistresse, | |
| Nis not [at] al at my willing, | |
| Ne doth not al my desyring. | 70 |
| Yit can she som-tyme doon labour, | |
| Whan that hir lust, in my socour, | |
| [Al my nedis] for to acheve, | |
| But now I thenke hir not to greve. | |
| My modir is she, and of child-hede | 75 |
| I bothe worshipe hir, and eek drede; | |
| For who that dredith sire ne dame | |
| Shal it abye in body or name. | |
| And, natheles, yit cunne we | |
| Sende aftir hir, if nede be; | 80 |
| And were she nigh, she comen wolde, | |
| I trowe that no-thing might hir holde. | |
| ‘My modir is of greet prowesse; | |
| She hath tan many a forteresse, | |
| That cost hath many a pound er this, | 85 |
| Ther I nas not present, y-wis; | |
| And yit men seide it was my dede; | |
| But I come never in that stede; | |
| Ne me ne lykith, so mote I thee, | |
| Such toures take withoute me. | 90 |
| For-why me thenketh that, in no wyse, | |
| It may ben cleped but marchandise. | |
| ‘Go bye a courser, blak or whyte, | |
| And pay therfor; than art thou quyte. | |
| The marchaunt oweth thee right nought, | 95 |
| Ne thou him, whan thou [hast] it bought. | |
| I wol not selling clepe yeving, | |
| For selling axeth no guerdoning; | |
| Here lyth no thank, ne no meryte, | |
| That oon goth from that other al quyte. | 100 |
| But this selling is not semblable; | |
| For, whan his hors is in the stable, | |
| He may it selle ageyn, pardee, | |
| And winne on it, such hap may be; | |
| Al may the man not lese, y-wis, | 105 |
| For at the leest the skin is his. | |
| Or elles, if it so bityde | |
| That he wol kepe his hors to ryde, | |
| Yit is he lord ay of his hors. | |
| But thilke chaffare is wel wors, | 110 |
| There Venus entremeteth nought; | |
| For who-so such chaffare hath bought, | |
| He shal not worchen so wysly, | |
| That he ne shal lese al outerly | |
| Bothe his money and his chaffare; | 115 |
| But the seller of the ware | |
| The prys and profit have shal. | |
| Certeyn, the byer shal lese al; | |
| For he ne can so dere it bye | |
| To have lordship and ful maistrye, | 120 |
| Ne have power to make letting | |
| Neither for yift ne for preching, | |
| That of his chaffare, maugre his, | |
| Another shal have as moche, y-wis, | |
| If he wol yeve as moche as he, | 125 |
| Of what contrey so that he be; | |
| Or for right nought, so happe may, | |
| If he can flater hir to hir pay. | |
| Ben than suche marchaunts wyse? | |
| No, but fooles in every wyse, | 130 |
| Whan they bye such thing wilfully, | |
| Ther-as they lese her good [fully]. | |
| But natheles, this dar I saye, | |
| My modir is not wont to paye, | |
| For she is neither so fool ne nyce, | 135 |
| To entremete hir of sich vyce. | |
| But truste wel, he shal paye al, | |
| That repente of his bargeyn shal, | |
| Whan Poverte put him in distresse, | |
| Al were he scoler to Richesse, | 140 |
| That is for me in gret yerning, | |
| Whan she assenteth to my willing. | |
| ‘But, [by] my modir seint Venus, | |
| And by hir fader Saturnus, | |
| That hir engendrid by his lyf, | 145 |
| But not upon his weddid wyf! | |
| Yit wol I more unto you swere, | |
| To make this thing the seurere; | |
| Now by that feith, and that leautee | |
| I owe to alle my brethren free, | 150 |
| Of which ther nis wight under heven | |
| That can her fadris names neven, | |
| So dyvers and so many ther be | |
| That with my modir have be privee! | |
| Yit wolde I swere, for sikirnesse, | 155 |
| The pole of helle to my witnesse, | |
| Now drinke I not this yeer clarree, | |
| If that I lye, or forsworn be! | |
| (For of the goddes the usage is, | |
| That who-so him forswereth amis, | 160 |
| Shal that yeer drinke no clarree). | |
| Now have I sworn y-nough, pardee; | |
| If I forswere me, than am I lorn, | |
| But I wol never be forsworn. | |
| Sith Richesse hath me failed here, | 165 |
| She shal abye that trespas dere, | |
| At leeste wey, but [she] hir arme | |
| With swerd, or sparth, or gisarme. | |
| For certes, sith she loveth not me, | |
| Fro thilke tyme that she may see | 170 |
| The castel and the tour to-shake, | |
| In sory tyme she shal awake. | |
| If I may grype a riche man, | |
| I shal so pulle him, if I can, | |
| That he shal, in a fewe stoundes, | 175 |
| Lese alle his markes and his poundes. | |
| I shal him make his pens outslinge, | |
| But-[if] they in his gerner springe; | |
| Our maydens shal eek plukke him so, | |
| That him shal neden fetheres mo, | 180 |
| And make him selle his lond to spende, | |
| But he the bet cunne him defende. | |
| ‘Pore men han maad hir lord of me; | |
| Although they not so mighty be, | |
| That they may fede me in delyt, | 185 |
| I wol not have hem in despyt. | |
| No good man hateth hem, as I gesse, | |
| For chinche and feloun is Richesse, | |
| That so can chase hem and dispyse, | |
| And hem defoule in sondry wyse. | 190 |
| They loven ful bet, so god me spede, | |
| Than doth the riche, chinchy grede, | |
| And been, in good feith, more stable | |
| And trewer, and more serviable; | |
| And therfore it suffysith me | 195 |
| Hir goode herte, and hir leautee. | |
| They han on me set al hir thought, | |
| And therfore I forgete hem nought. | |
| I wolde hem bringe in greet noblesse, | |
| If that I were god of Richesse, | 200 |
| As I am god of Love, sothly, | |
| Such routhe upon hir pleynt have I. | |
| Therfore I must his socour be, | |
| That peyneth him to serven me; | |
| For if he deyde for love of this, | 205 |
| Than semeth in me no love ther is.’ | |
| ‘Sir,’ seide they, ‘sooth is, every del, | |
| That ye reherce, and we wot wel | |
| Thilk oth to holde is resonable; | |
| For it is good and covenable, | 210 |
| That ye on riche men han sworn. | |
| For, sir, this wot we wel biforn; | |
| If riche men doon you homage, | |
| That is as fooles doon outrage; | |
| But ye shul not forsworen be, | 215 |
| Ne let therfore to drinke clarree, | |
| Or piment maked fresh and newe. | |
| Ladyes shulle hem such pepir brewe, | |
| If that they falle into hir laas, | |
| That they for wo mowe seyn “Allas!” | 220 |
| Ladyes shuln ever so curteis be, | |
| That they shal quyte your oth al free. | |
| Ne seketh never other vicaire, | |
| For they shal speke with hem so faire | |
| That ye shal holde you payed ful wel, | 225 |
| Though ye you medle never a del. | |
| Lat ladies worche with hir thinges, | |
| They shal hem telle so fele tydinges, | |
| And moeve hem eke so many requestis | |
| By flatery, that not honest is, | 230 |
| And therto yeve hem such thankinges, | |
| What with kissing, and with talkinges, | |
| That certes, if they trowed be, | |
| Shal never leve hem lond ne fee | |
| That it nil as the moeble fare, | 235 |
| Of which they first delivered are. | |
| Now may ye telle us al your wille, | |
| And we your hestes shal fulfille. | |
| ‘But Fals-Semblant dar not, for drede | |
| Of you, sir, medle him of this dede, | 240 |
| For he seith that ye been his fo; | |
| He not, if ye wol worche him wo. | |
| Wherfore we pray you alle, beausire, | |
| That ye forgive him now your ire, | |
| And that he may dwelle, as your man, | 245 |
| With Abstinence, his dere lemman: | |
| This our accord and our wil now.’ | |
| ‘Parfay,’ seide Love, ‘I graunte it yow; | |
| I wol wel holde him for my man; | |
| Now lat him come:’ and he forth ran. | 250 |
| ‘Fals-Semblant,’ quod Love, ‘in this wyse | |
| I take thee here to my servyse, | |
| That thou our freendis helpe alway, | |
| And hindre hem neithir night ne day, | |
| But do thy might hem to releve, | 255 |
| And eek our enemies that thou greve. | |
| Thyn be this might, I graunt it thee, | |
| My king of harlotes shalt thou be; | |
| We wol that thou have such honour. | |
| Certeyn, thou art a fals traitour, | 260 |
| And eek a theef; sith thou were born, | |
| A thousand tyme thou art forsworn. | |
| But, natheles, in our hering, | |
| To putte our folk out of douting, | |
| I bid thee teche hem, wostow how? | 265 |
| By somme general signe now, | |
| In what place thou shalt founden be, | |
| If that men had mister of thee; | |
| And how men shal thee best espye, | |
| For thee to knowe is greet maistrye; | 270 |
| Tel in what place is thyn haunting.’ | |
| F. Sem. ‘Sir, I have fele dyvers woning, | |
| That I kepe not rehersed be, | |
| So that ye wolde respyten me. | |
| For if that I telle you the sothe, | 275 |
| I may have harm and shame bothe. | |
| If that my felowes wisten it, | |
| My tales shulden me be quit; | |
| For certeyn, they wolde hate me, | |
| If ever I knewe hir cruelte; | 280 |
| For they wolde over-al holde hem stille | |
| Of trouthe that is ageyn hir wille; | |
| Suche tales kepen they not here. | |
| I might eftsone bye it ful dere, | |
| If I seide of hem any thing, | 285 |
| That ought displeseth to hir hering. | |
| For what word that hem prikke or byteth, | |
| In that word noon of hem delyteth, | |
| Al were it gospel, the evangyle, | |
| That wolde reprove hem of hir gyle, | 290 |
| For they are cruel and hauteyn. | |
| And this thing wot I wel, certeyn, | |
| If I speke ought to peire hir loos, | |
| Your court shal not so wel be cloos, | |
| That they ne shal wite it atte last. | 295 |
| Of good men am I nought agast, | |
| For they wol taken on hem nothing, | |
| Whan that they knowe al my mening; | |
| But he that wol it on him take, | |
| He wol himself suspecious make, | 300 |
| That he his lyf let covertly, | |
| In Gyle and in Ipocrisy, | |
| That me engendred and yaf fostring.’ | |
| ‘They made a ful good engendring,’ | |
| Quod Love, ‘for who-so soothly telle, | 305 |
| They engendred the devel of helle! | |
| ‘But nedely, how-so-ever it be,’ | |
| Quod Love, ‘I wol and charge thee, | |
| To telle anoon thy woning-places, | |
| Hering ech wight that in this place is; | 310 |
| And what lyf that thou livest also, | |
| Hyde it no lenger now; wherto? | |
| Thou most discover al thy wurching, | |
| How thou servest, and of what thing, | |
| Though that thou shuldest for thy soth-sawe | 315 |
| Ben al to-beten and to-drawe; | |
| And yit art thou not wont, pardee. | |
| But natheles, though thou beten be, | |
| Thou shalt not be the first, that so | |
| Hath for soth-sawe suffred wo.’ | 320 |
| F. Sem. ‘Sir, sith that it may lyken you, | |
| Though that I shulde be slayn right now, | |
| I shal don your comaundement, | |
| For therto have I gret talent.’ | |
| Withouten wordes mo, right than, | 325 |
| Fals-Semblant his sermon bigan, | |
| And seide hem thus in audience:— | |
| ‘Barouns, tak hede of my sentence! | |
| That wight that list to have knowing | |
| Of Fals-Semblant, ful of flatering, | 330 |
| He must in worldly folk him seke, | |
| And, certes, in the cloistres eke; | |
| I wone no-where but in hem tweye; | |
| But not lyk even, sooth to seye; | |
| Shortly, I wol herberwe me | 335 |
| There I hope best to hulstred be; | |
| And certeynly, sikerest hyding | |
| Is undirneth humblest clothing. | |
| ‘Religious folk ben ful covert; | |
| Seculer folk ben more appert. | 340 |
| But natheles, I wol not blame | |
| Religious folk, ne hem diffame, | |
| In what habit that ever they go: | |
| Religioun humble, and trewe also, | |
| Wol I not blame, ne dispyse, | 345 |
| But I nil love it, in no wyse. | |
| I mene of fals religious, | |
| That stoute ben, and malicious; | |
| That wolen in an abit go, | |
| And setten not hir herte therto. | 350 |
| ‘Religious folk ben al pitous; | |
| Thou shalt not seen oon dispitous. | |
| They loven no pryde, ne no stryf, | |
| But humbly they wol lede hir lyf; | |
| With swich folk wol I never be. | 355 |
| And if I dwelle, I feyne me | |
| I may wel in her abit go; | |
| But me were lever my nekke atwo, | |
| Than lete a purpose that I take, | |
| What covenaunt that ever I make. | 360 |
| I dwelle with hem that proude be, | |
| And fulle of wyles and subtelte; | |
| That worship of this world coveyten, | |
| And grete nedes cunne espleyten; | |
| And goon and gadren greet pitaunces, | 365 |
| And purchace hem the acqueyntaunces | |
| Of men that mighty lyf may leden; | |
| And feyne hem pore, and hem-self feden | |
| With gode morcels delicious, | |
| And drinken good wyn precious, | 370 |
| And preche us povert and distresse, | |
| And fisshen hem-self greet richesse | |
| With wyly nettis that they caste: | |
| It wol come foul out at the laste. | |
| They ben fro clene religioun went; | 375 |
| They make the world an argument | |
| That hath a foul conclusioun. | |
| “I have a robe of religioun, | |
| Than am I al religious:” | |
| This argument is al roignous; | 380 |
| It is not worth a croked brere; | |
| Habit ne maketh monk ne frere, | |
| But clene lyf and devocioun | |
| Maketh gode men of religioun. | |
| Nathelesse, ther can noon answere, | 385 |
| How high that ever his heed he shere | |
| With rasour whetted never so kene, | |
| That Gyle in braunches cut thrittene; | |
| Ther can no wight distincte it so, | |
| That he dar sey a word therto. | 390 |
| ‘But what herberwe that ever I take, | |
| Or what semblant that ever I make, | |
| I mene but gyle, and folowe that; | |
| For right no mo than Gibbe our cat | |
| [Fro myce and rattes went his wyle], | 395 |
| Ne entende I [not] but to begyle; | |
| Ne no wight may, by my clothing, | |
| Wite with what folk is my dwelling; | |
| Ne by my wordis yet, pardee, | |
| So softe and so plesaunt they be. | 400 |
| Bihold the dedis that I do; | |
| But thou be blind, thou oughtest so; | |
| For, varie hir wordis fro hir dede, | |
| They thenke on gyle, withouten drede, | |
| What maner clothing that they were, | 405 |
| Or what estat that ever they bere, | |
| Lered or lewd, lord or lady, | |
| Knight, squier, burgeis, or bayly.’ | |
| Right thus whyl Fals-Semblant sermoneth, | |
| Eftsones Love him aresoneth, | 410 |
| And brak his tale in the speking | |
| As though he had him told lesing; | |
| And seide: ‘What, devel, is that I here? | |
| What folk hast thou us nempned here? | |
| May men finde religioun | 415 |
| In worldly habitacioun?’ | |
| F. Sem. ‘Ye, sir; it foloweth not that they | |
| Shulde lede a wikked lyf, parfey, | |
| Ne not therfore her soules lese, | |
| That hem to worldly clothes chese; | 420 |
| For, certis, it were gret pitee. | |
| Men may in seculer clothes see | |
| Florisshen holy religioun. | |
| Ful many a seynt in feeld and toun, | |
| With many a virgin glorious, | 425 |
| Devout, and ful religious, | |
| Had deyed, that comun clothe ay beren, | |
| Yit seyntes never-the-les they weren. | |
| I coude reken you many a ten; | |
| Ye, wel nigh alle these holy wimmen, | 430 |
| That men in chirchis herie and seke, | |
| Bothe maydens, and these wyves eke, | |
| That baren many a fair child here, | |
| Wered alwey clothis seculere, | |
| And in the same dyden they, | 435 |
| That seyntes weren, and been alwey. | |
| The eleven thousand maydens dere, | |
| That beren in heven hir ciergis clere, | |
| Of which men rede in chirche, and singe, | |
| Were take in seculer clothing, | 440 |
| Whan they resseyved martirdom, | |
| And wonnen heven unto her hoom. | |
| Good herte makith the gode thought; | |
| The clothing yeveth ne reveth nought. | |
| The gode thought and the worching, | 445 |
| That maketh religioun flowring, | |
| Ther lyth the good religioun | |
| Aftir the right entencioun. | |
| ‘Who-so toke a wethers skin, | |
| And wrapped a gredy wolf therin, | 450 |
| For he shulde go with lambis whyte, | |
| Wenest thou not he wolde hem byte? | |
| Yis! never-the-las, as he were wood, | |
| He wolde hem wery, and drinke the blood; | |
| And wel the rather hem disceyve, | 455 |
| For, sith they coude not perceyve | |
| His treget and his crueltee, | |
| They wolde him folowe, al wolde he flee. | |
| ‘If ther be wolves of sich hewe | |
| Amonges these apostlis newe, | 460 |
| Thou, holy chirche, thou mayst be wayled! | |
| Sith that thy citee is assayled | |
| Thourgh knightis of thyn owne table, | |
| God wot thy lordship is doutable! | |
| If they enforce [hem] it to winne, | 465 |
| That shulde defende it fro withinne, | |
| Who might defence ayens hem make? | |
| Withouten stroke it mot be take | |
| Of trepeget or mangonel; | |
| Without displaying of pensel. | 470 |
| And if god nil don it socour, | |
| But lat [hem] renne in this colour, | |
| Thou moost thyn heestis laten be. | |
| Than is ther nought, but yelde thee, | |
| Or yeve hem tribute, doutelees, | 475 |
| And holde it of hem to have pees: | |
| But gretter harm bityde thee, | |
| That they al maister of it be. | |
| Wel conne they scorne thee withal; | |
| By day stuffen they the wal, | 480 |
| And al the night they mynen there. | |
| Nay, thou most planten elleswhere | |
| Thyn impes, if thou wolt fruyt have; | |
| Abyd not there thy-self to save. | |
| ‘But now pees! here I turne ageyn; | 485 |
| I wol no more of this thing seyn, | |
| If I may passen me herby; | |
| I mighte maken you wery. | |
| But I wol heten you alway | |
| To helpe your freendis what I may, | 490 |
| So they wollen my company; | |
| For they be shent al-outerly | |
| But-if so falle, that I be | |
| Oft with hem, and they with me. | |
| And eek my lemman mot they serve, | 495 |
| Or they shul not my love deserve. | |
| Forsothe, I am a fals traitour; | |
| God iugged me for a theef trichour; | |
| Forsworn I am, but wel nygh non | |
| Wot of my gyle, til it be don. | 500 |
| ‘Thourgh me hath many oon deth resseyved, | |
| That my treget never aperceyved; | |
| And yit resseyveth,and shal resseyve, | |
| That my falsnesse never aperceyve: | |
| But who-so doth, if he wys be, | 505 |
| Him is right good be war of me. | |
| But so sligh is the [deceyving | |
| That to hard is the] aperceyving. | |
| For Protheus, that coude him chaunge | |
| In every shap, hoomly and straunge, | 510 |
| Coude never sich gyle ne tresoun | |
| As I; for I com never in toun | |
| Ther-as I mighte knowen be, | |
| Though men me bothe might here and see. | |
| Ful wel I can my clothis chaunge, | 515 |
| Take oon, and make another straunge. | |
| Now am I knight, now chasteleyn; | |
| Now prelat, and now chapeleyn; | |
| Now prest, now clerk, and now forstere; | |
| Now am I maister, now scolere; | 520 |
| Now monk, now chanoun, now baily; | |
| What-ever mister man am I. | |
| Now am I prince, now am I page, | |
| And can by herte every langage. | |
| Som-tyme am I hoor and old; | 525 |
| Now am I yong, [and] stout, and bold; | |
| Now am I Robert, now Robyn; | |
| Now frere Menour,now Iacobyn; | |
| And with me folweth my loteby, | |
| To don me solas and company, | 530 |
| That hight dame Abstinence-Streyned, | |
| In many a queynt array [y]-feyned. | |
| Right as it cometh to hir lyking, | |
| I fulfille al hir desiring. | |
| Somtyme a wommans cloth take I; | 535 |
| Now am I mayde, now lady. | |
| Somtyme I am religious; | |
| Now lyk an anker in an hous. | |
| Somtyme am I prioresse, | |
| And now a nonne, and now abbesse; | 540 |
| And go thurgh alle regiouns, | |
| Seking alle religiouns. | |
| But to what ordre that I am sworn, | |
| I take the strawe, and lete the corn; | |
| To [blynde] folk [ther] I enhabite, | 545 |
| I axe no-more but hir abite. | |
| What wol ye more? in every wyse, | |
| Right as me list, I me disgyse. | |
| Wel can I bere me under weed; | |
| Unlyk is my word to my deed. | 550 |
| Thus make I in my trappis falle, | |
| Thurgh my pryvileges, alle | |
| That ben in Cristendom alyve. | |
| I may assoile, and I may shryve, | |
| That no prelat may lette me, | 555 |
| Al folk, wher-ever they founde be: | |
| I noot no prelat may don so, | |
| But it the pope be, and no mo, | |
| That made thilk establisshing. | |
| Now is not this a propre thing? | 560 |
| But, were my sleightis aperceyved, | |
| [Ne shulde I more been receyved] | |
| As I was wont; and wostow why? | |
| For I dide hem a tregetry; | |
| But therof yeve I litel tale, | 565 |
| I have the silver and the male; | |
| So have I preched and eek shriven, | |
| So have I take, so have [me] yiven, | |
| Thurgh hir foly, husbond and wyf, | |
| That I lede right a Ioly lyf, | 570 |
| Thurgh simplesse of the prelacye; | |
| They know not al my tregetrye. | |
| ‘But for as moche as man and wyf | |
| Shuld shewe hir paroche-prest hir lyf | |
| Ones a yeer, as seith the book, | 575 |
| Er any wight his housel took, | |
| Than have I pryvilegis large, | |
| That may of moche thing discharge; | |
| For he may seye right thus, pardee:— | |
| “Sir Preest,in shrift I telle it thee, | 580 |
| That he, to whom that I am shriven, | |
| Hath me assoiled, and me yiven | |
| Penaunce soothly, for my sinne, | |
| Which that I fond me gilty inne; | |
| Ne I ne have never entencioun | 585 |
| To make double confessioun, | |
| Ne reherce eft my shrift to thee; | |
| O shrift is right y-nough to me. | |
| This oughte thee suffyce wel, | |
| Ne be not rebel never-a-del; | 590 |
| For certis, though thou haddest it sworn, | |
| I wot no prest ne prelat born | |
| That may to shrift eft me constreyne. | |
| And if they don, I wol me pleyne; | |
| For I wot where to pleyne wel. | 595 |
| Thou shalt not streyne me a del, | |
| Ne enforce me, ne [yit] me trouble, | |
| To make my confessioun double. | |
| Ne I have none affeccioun | |
| To have double absolucioun. | 600 |
| The firste is right y-nough to me; | |
| This latter assoiling quyte I thee. | |
| I am unbounde; what mayst thou finde | |
| More of my sinnes me to unbinde? | |
| For he, that might hath in his hond, | 605 |
| Of alle my sinnes me unbond. | |
| And if thou wolt me thus constreyne, | |
| That me mot nedis on thee pleyne, | |
| There shal no Iugge imperial, | |
| Ne bisshop, ne official, | 610 |
| Don Iugement on me; for I | |
| Shal gon and pleyne me openly | |
| Unto my shrift-fadir newe, | |
| (That hight not Frere Wolf untrewe!) | |
| And he shal chevise him for me, | 615 |
| For I trowe he can hampre thee. | |
| But, lord! he wolde be wrooth withalle, | |
| If men him wolde Frere Wolf calle! | |
| For he wolde have no pacience, | |
| But don al cruel vengeaunce! | 620 |
| He wolde his might don at the leest, | |
| [Ne] no-thing spare for goddis heest. | |
| And, god so wis be my socour, | |
| But thou yeve me my Saviour | |
| At Ester, whan it lyketh me, | 625 |
| Withoute presing more on thee, | |
| I wol forth, and to him goon, | |
| And he shal housel me anoon, | |
| For I am out of thy grucching; | |
| I kepe not dele with thee nothing.” | 630 |
| Thus may he shryve him, that forsaketh | |
| His paroche-prest, and to me taketh. | |
| And if the prest wol him refuse, | |
| I am ful redy him to accuse, | |
| And him punisshe and hampre so, | 635 |
| That he his chirche shal forgo. | |
| ‘But who-so hath in his feling | |
| The consequence of such shryving, | |
| Shal seen that prest may never have might | |
| To knowe the conscience aright | 640 |
| Of him that is under his cure. | |
| And this ageyns holy scripture, | |
| That biddeth every herde honeste | |
| Have verry knowing of his beste. | |
| But pore folk that goon by strete, | 645 |
| That have no gold, ne sommes grete, | |
| Hem wolde I lete to her prelates, | |
| Or lete hir prestis knowe hir states, | |
| For to me right nought yeve they.’ | |
| Amour. ‘And why is it?’ | 650 |
| F. Sem. ‘For they ne may. | |
| They ben so bare, I take no keep; | |
| But I wol have the fatte sheep;— | |
| Lat parish prestis have the lene, | |
| I yeve not of hir harm a bene! | 655 |
| And if that prelats grucchen it, | |
| That oughten wroth be in hir wit, | |
| To lese her fatte bestes so, | |
| I shal yeve hem a stroke or two, | |
| That they shal lesen with [the] force, | 660 |
| Ye, bothe hir mytre and hir croce. | |
| Thus Iape I hem, and have do longe, | |
| My priveleges been so stronge.’ | |
| Fals-Semblant wolde have stinted here, | |
| But Love ne made him no such chere | 665 |
| That he was wery of his sawe; | |
| But for to make him glad and fawe, | |
| He seide:—‘Tel on more specialy, | |
| How that thou servest untrewly. | |
| Tel forth, and shame thee never a del; | 670 |
| For as thyn abit shewith wel, | |
| Thou [semest] an holy heremyte.’ | |
| F. Sem. ‘Soth is, but I am an ypocryte.’ | |
| Amour. ‘Thou gost and prechest povertee?’ | |
| F. Sem. ‘Ye, sir; but richesse hath poustee.’ | 675 |
| Amour. ‘Thou prechest abstinence also?’ | |
| F. Sem. ‘Sir, I wol fillen, so mote I go, | |
| My paunche of gode mete and wyne, | |
| As shulde a maister of divyne; | |
| For how that I me pover feyne, | 680 |
| Yit alle pore folk I disdeyne. | |
| ‘I love bet the acqueyntaunce | |
| Ten tymes, of the king of Fraunce, | |
| Than of pore man of mylde mode, | |
| Though that his soule be also gode. | 685 |
| For whan I see beggers quaking, | |
| Naked on mixens al stinking, | |
| For hungre crye, and eek for care, | |
| I entremete not of hir fare. | |
| They been so pore, and ful of pyne, | 690 |
| They might not ones yeve me dyne, | |
| For they have no-thing but hir lyf; | |
| What shulde he yeve that likketh his knyf? | |
| It is but foly to entremete, | |
| To seke in houndes nest fat mete. | 695 |
| Let bere hem to the spitel anoon, | |
| But, for me, comfort gete they noon. | |
| But a riche sike usurere | |
| Wolde I visyte and drawe nere; | |
| Him wol I comforte and rehete, | 700 |
| For I hope of his gold to gete. | |
| And if that wikked deth him have, | |
| I wol go with him to his grave. | |
| And if ther any reprove me, | |
| Why that I lete the pore be, | 705 |
| Wostow how I [mot] ascape? | |
| I sey, and swerë him ful rape, | |
| That riche men han more tecches | |
| Of sinne, than han pore wrecches, | |
| And han of counseil more mister; | 710 |
| And therfore I wol drawe hem ner. | |
| But as gret hurt, it may so be, | |
| Hath soule in right gret poverte, | |
| As soul in gret richesse, forsothe, | |
| Al-be-it that they hurten bothe. | 715 |
| For richesse and mendicitees | |
| Ben cleped two extremitees; | |
| The mene is cleped suffisaunce, | |
| Ther lyth of vertu the aboundaunce. | |
| For Salamon, ful wel I woot, | 720 |
| In his Parables us wroot, | |
| As it is knowe of many a wight, | |
| In his [thrittethe] chapitre right: | |
| “God, thou me kepe, for thy poustee, | |
| Fro richesse and mendicitee; | 725 |
| For if a riche man him dresse | |
| To thenke to moche on [his] richesse, | |
| His herte on that so fer is set, | |
| That he his creatour foryet; | |
| And him, that [begging] wol ay greve, | 730 |
| How shulde I by his word him leve? | |
| Unnethe that he nis a micher, | |
| Forsworn, or elles [god is] lyer.” | |
| Thus seith Salamones sawes; | |
| Ne we finde writen in no lawes, | 735 |
| And namely in our Cristen lay— | |
| (Who seith “ye,” I dar sey “nay”)— | |
| That Crist, ne his apostlis dere, | |
| Whyl that they walkede in erthe here, | |
| Were never seen her bred begging, | 740 |
| For they nolde beggen for nothing. | |
| And right thus were men wont to teche; | |
| And in this wyse wolde it preche | |
| The maistres of divinitee | |
| Somtyme in Paris the citee. | 745 |
| ‘And if men wolde ther-geyn appose | |
| The naked text, and lete the glose, | |
| It mighte sone assoiled be; | |
| For men may wel the sothe see, | |
| That, parde, they mighte axe a thing | 750 |
| Pleynly forth, without begging. | |
| For they weren goddis herdis dere, | |
| And cure of soules hadden here, | |
| They nolde no-thing begge hir fode; | |
| For aftir Crist was don on rode, | 755 |
| With [hir] propre hondis they wrought, | |
| And with travel, and elles nought, | |
| They wonnen al hir sustenaunce, | |
| And liveden forth in hir penaunce, | |
| And the remenaunt [yeve] awey | 760 |
| To other pore folk alwey. | |
| They neither bilden tour ne halle, | |
| But [leye] in houses smale withalle. | |
| A mighty man, that can and may, | |
| Shulde with his honde and body alway | 765 |
| Winne him his food in laboring, | |
| If he ne have rent or sich a thing, | |
| Although he be religious, | |
| And god to serven curious. | |
| Thus mote he don, or do trespas, | 770 |
| But-if it be in certeyn cas, | |
| That I can reherce, if mister be, | |
| Right wel, whan the tyme I see. | |
| ‘Seke the book of Seynt Austin, | |
| Be it in paper or perchemin, | 775 |
| There-as he writ of these worchinges, | |
| Thou shalt seen that non excusinges | |
| A parfit man ne shulde seke | |
| By wordis, ne by dedis eke, | |
| Although he be religious, | 780 |
| And god to serven curious, | |
| That he ne shal, so mote I go, | |
| With propre hondis and body also, | |
| Gete his food in laboring, | |
| If he ne have propretee of thing. | 785 |
| Yit shulde he selle al his substaunce, | |
| And with his swink have sustenaunce, | |
| If he be parfit in bountee. | |
| Thus han tho bookes tolde me: | |
| For he that wol gon ydilly, | 790 |
| And useth it ay besily | |
| To haunten other mennes table, | |
| He is a trechour, ful of fable; | |
| Ne he ne may, by gode resoun, | |
| Excuse him by his orisoun. | 795 |
| For men bihoveth, in som gyse, | |
| Som-tyme [leven] goddes servyse | |
| To gon and purchasen her nede. | |
| Men mote eten, that is no drede, | |
| And slepe, and eek do other thing; | 800 |
| So longe may they leve praying. | |
| So may they eek hir prayer blinne, | |
| While that they werke, hir mete to winne. | |
| Seynt Austin wol therto accorde, | |
| In thilke book that I recorde. | 805 |
| Justinian eek, that made lawes, | |
| Hath thus forboden, by olde dawes, | |
| “No man, up peyne to be deed, | |
| Mighty of body, to begge his breed, | |
| If he may swinke, it for to gete; | 810 |
| Men shulde him rather mayme or bete, | |
| Or doon of him apert Iustice, | |
| Than suffren him in such malice.” | |
| They don not wel, so mote I go, | |
| That taken such almesse so, | 815 |
| But if they have som privelege, | |
| That of the peyne hem wol allege. | |
| But how that is, can I not see, | |
| But-if the prince disseyved be; | |
| Ne I ne wene not, sikerly, | 820 |
| That they may have it rightfully. | |
| But I wol not determyne | |
| Of princes power, ne defyne, | |
| Ne by my word comprende, y-wis, | |
| If it so fer may strecche in this. | 825 |
| I wol not entremete a del; | |
| But I trowe that the book seith wel, | |
| Who that taketh almesses, that be | |
| Dewe to folk that men may see | |
| Lame, feble, wery, and bare, | 830 |
| Pore, or in such maner care, | |
| (That conne winne hem nevermo, | |
| For they have no power therto), | |
| He eteth his owne dampning, | |
| But-if he lye, that made al thing. | 835 |
| And if ye such a truaunt finde, | |
| Chastise him wel, if ye be kinde. | |
| But they wolde hate you, percas, | |
| And, if ye fillen in hir laas, | |
| They wolde eftsones do you scathe, | 840 |
| If that they mighte, late or rathe; | |
| For they be not ful pacient, | |
| That han the world thus foule blent. | |
| And witeth wel, [wher] that god bad | |
| The good man selle al that he had, | 845 |
| And folowe him, and to pore it yive, | |
| He wolde not therfore that he live | |
| To serven him in mendience, | |
| For it was never his sentence; | |
| But he bad wirken whan that nede is, | 850 |
| And folwe him in goode dedis. | |
| Seynt Poule, that loved al holy chirche, | |
| He bade thapostles for to wirche, | |
| And winnen hir lyflode in that wyse, | |
| And hem defended truaundyse, | 855 |
| And seide, “Wirketh with your honden;” | |
| Thus shulde the thing be undirstonden. | |
| He nolde, y-wis, bidde hem begging, | |
| Ne sellen gospel, ne preching, | |
| Lest they berafte, with hir asking, | 860 |
| Folk of hir catel or of hir thing. | |
| For in this world is many a man | |
| That yeveth his good, for he ne can | |
| Werne it for shame, or elles he | |
| Wolde of the asker delivered be; | 865 |
| And, for he him encombreth so, | |
| He yeveth him good to late him go: | |
| But it can him no-thing profyte, | |
| They lese the yift and the meryte. | |
| The goode folk, that Poule to preched, | 870 |
| Profred him ofte, whan he hem teched, | |
| Som of hir good in charite; | |
| But therof right no-thing took he; | |
| But of his hondwerk wolde he gete | |
| Clothes to wryen him, and his mete.’ | 875 |
| Amour. ‘Tel me than how a man may liven, | |
| That al his good to pore hath yiven, | |
| And wol but only bidde his bedis, | |
| And never with honde laboure his nedis: | |
| May he do so?’ | 880 |
| F. Sem. ‘Ye, sir.’ | |
| Amour. ‘And how?’ | |
| F. Sem. ‘Sir, I wol gladly telle yow:— | |
| Seynt Austin seith, a man may be | |
| In houses that han propretee, | 885 |
| As templers and hospitelers, | |
| And as these chanouns regulers, | |
| Or whyte monkes, or these blake— | |
| (I wole no mo ensamplis make)— | |
| And take therof his sustening, | 890 |
| For therinne lyth no begging; | |
| But other-weyes not, y-wis, | |
| [If] Austin gabbeth not of this. | |
| And yit ful many a monk laboureth, | |
| That god in holy chirche honoureth; | 895 |
| For whan hir swinking is agoon, | |
| They rede and singe in chirche anoon. | |
| ‘And for ther hath ben greet discord, | |
| As many a wight may bere record, | |
| Upon the estate of mendience, | 900 |
| I wol shortly, in your presence, | |
| Telle how a man may begge at nede, | |
| That hath not wherwith him to fede, | |
| Maugre his felones Iangelinges, | |
| For sothfastnesse wol non hidinges; | 905 |
| And yit, percas, I may abey, | |
| That I to yow sothly thus sey. | |
| ‘Lo, here the caas especial: | |
| If a man be so bestial | |
| That he of no craft hath science, | 910 |
| And nought desyreth ignorence, | |
| Than may he go a-begging yerne, | |
| Til he som maner craft can lerne, | |
| Thurgh which, withoute truaunding, | |
| He may in trouthe have his living. | 915 |
| Or if he may don no labour, | |
| For elde, or syknesse, or langour, | |
| Or for his tendre age also, | |
| Than may he yit a-begging go. | |
| ‘Or if he have, peraventure, | 920 |
| Thurgh usage of his noriture, | |
| Lived over deliciously, | |
| Than oughten good folk comunly | |
| Han of his mischeef som pitee, | |
| And suffren him also, that he | 925 |
| May gon aboute and begge his breed, | |
| That he be not for hungur deed. | |
| Or if he have of craft cunning, | |
| And strengthe also, and desiring | |
| To wirken, as he hadde what, | 930 |
| But he finde neither this ne that, | |
| Than may he begge, til that he | |
| Have geten his necessitee. | |
| ‘Or if his winning be so lyte, | |
| That his labour wol not acquyte | 935 |
| Sufficiantly al his living, | |
| Yit may he go his breed begging; | |
| Fro dore to dore he may go trace, | |
| Til he the remenaunt may purchace. | |
| Or if a man wolde undirtake | 940 |
| Any empryse for to make, | |
| In the rescous of our lay, | |
| And it defenden as he may, | |
| Be it with armes or lettrure, | |
| Or other covenable cure, | 945 |
| If it be so he pore be, | |
| Than may he begge, til that he | |
| May finde in trouthe for to swinke, | |
| And gete him clothes, mete, and drinke. | |
| Swinke he with hondis corporel, | 950 |
| And not with hondis espirituel. | |
| ‘In al thise caas, and in semblables, | |
| If that ther ben mo resonables, | |
| He may begge, as I telle you here, | |
| And elles nought, in no manere; | 955 |
| As William Seynt Amour wolde preche, | |
| And ofte wolde dispute and teche | |
| Of this matere alle openly | |
| At Paris ful solempnely. | |
| And al-so god my soule blesse, | 960 |
| As he had, in this stedfastnesse, | |
| The accord of the universitee, | |
| And of the puple, as semeth me. | |
| ‘No good man oughte it to refuse, | |
| Ne oughte him therof to excuse, | 965 |
| Be wrooth or blythe who-so be; | |
| For I wol speke, and telle it thee, | |
| Al shulde I dye, and be put doun, | |
| As was seynt Poul, in derk prisoun; | |
| Or be exiled in this caas | 970 |
| With wrong, as maister William was, | |
| That my moder Ypocrisye | |
| Banisshed for hir greet envye. | |
| ‘My moder flemed him, Seynt Amour: | |
| This noble dide such labour | 975 |
| To susteyne ever the loyaltee, | |
| That he to moche agilte me. | |
| He made a book, and leet it wryte, | |
| Wherin his lyf he dide al wryte, | |
| And wolde ich reneyed begging, | 980 |
| And lived by my traveyling, | |
| If I ne had rent ne other good. | |
| What? wened he that I were wood? | |
| For labour might me never plese, | |
| I have more wil to been at ese; | 985 |
| And have wel lever, sooth to sey, | |
| Bifore the puple patre and prey, | |
| And wrye me in my foxerye | |
| Under a cope of papelardye.’ | |
| Quod Love, ‘What devel is this I here? | 990 |
| What wordis tellest thou me here?’ | |
| F. Sem. ‘What, sir?’ | |
| Amour. ‘Falsnesse, that apert is; | |
| Than dredist thou not god?’ | |
| F. Sem. ‘No, certis: | 995 |
| For selde in greet thing shal he spede | |
| In this world, that god wol drede. | |
| For folk that hem to vertu yiven, | |
| And truly on her owne liven, | |
| And hem in goodnesse ay contene, | 1000 |
| On hem is litel thrift y-sene; | |
| Such folk drinken gret misese; | |
| That lyf [ne] may me never plese. | |
| But see what gold han usurers, | |
| And silver eek in [hir] garners, | 1005 |
| Taylagiers, and these monyours, | |
| Bailifs, bedels, provost, countours; | |
| These liven wel nygh by ravyne; | |
| The smale puple hem mote enclyne, | |
| And they as wolves wol hem eten. | 1010 |
| Upon the pore folk they geten | |
| Ful moche of that they spende or kepe; | |
| Nis none of hem that he nil strepe, | |
| And wryen him-self wel atte fulle; | |
| Withoute scalding they hem pulle. | 1015 |
| The stronge the feble overgoth; | |
| But I, that were my simple cloth, | |
| Robbe bothe robbed and robbours, | |
| And gyle gyled and gylours. | |
| By my treget, I gadre and threste | 1020 |
| The greet tresour into my cheste, | |
| That lyth with me so faste bounde. | |
| Myn highe paleys do I founde, | |
| And my delytes I fulfille | |
| With wyne at feestes at my wille, | 1025 |
| And tables fulle of entremees; | |
| I wol no lyf, but ese and pees, | |
| And winne gold to spende also. | |
| For whan the grete bagge is go, | |
| It cometh right with my Iapes. | 1030 |
| Make I not wel tumble myn apes? | |
| To winne is alwey myn entent; | |
| My purchas is better than my rent; | |
| For though I shulde beten be, | |
| Over-al I entremete me; | 1035 |
| Withoute me may no wight dure. | |
| I walke soules for to cure. | |
| Of al the worlde cure have I | |
| In brede and lengthe; boldely | |
| I wol bothe preche and eek counceilen; | 1040 |
| With hondis wille I not traveilen, | |
| For of the pope I have the bulle; | |
| I ne holde not my wittes dulle. | |
| I wol not stinten, in my lyve, | |
| These emperouris for to shryve, | 1045 |
| Or kyngis, dukis, and lordis grete; | |
| But pore folk al quyte I lete. | |
| I love no such shryving, pardee, | |
| But it for other cause be. | |
| I rekke not of pore men, | 1050 |
| Hir astate is not worth an hen. | |
| Where fyndest thou a swinker of labour | |
| Have me unto his confessour? | |
| But emperesses, and duchesses, | |
| Thise quenes, and eek [thise] countesses, | 1055 |
| Thise abbesses, and eek Bigyns, | |
| These grete ladyes palasyns, | |
| These Ioly knightes, and baillyves, | |
| Thise nonnes, and thise burgeis wyves, | |
| That riche been, and eek plesing, | 1060 |
| And thise maidens welfaring, | |
| Wher-so they clad or naked be, | |
| Uncounceiled goth ther noon fro me. | |
| And, for her soules savetee, | |
| At lord and lady, and hir meynee, | 1065 |
| I axe, whan they hem to me shryve, | |
| The propretee of al hir lyve, | |
| And make hem trowe, bothe meest and leest, | |
| Hir paroch-prest nis but a beest | |
| Ayens me and my company, | 1070 |
| That shrewis been as greet as I; | |
| For whiche I wol not hyde in hold | |
| No privetee that me is told, | |
| That I by word or signe, y-wis, | |
| [Nil] make hem knowe what it is, | 1075 |
| And they wolen also tellen me; | |
| They hele fro me no privitee. | |
| And for to make yow hem perceyven, | |
| That usen folk thus to disceyven, | |
| I wol you seyn, withouten drede, | 1080 |
| What men may in the gospel rede | |
| Of Seynt Mathew, the gospelere, | |
| That seith, as I shal you sey here. | |
| ‘Upon the chaire of Moyses— | |
| Thus is it glosed, douteles: | 1085 |
| That is the olde testament, | |
| For therby is the chaire ment— | |
| Sitte Scribes and Pharisen;— | |
| That is to seyn, the cursid men | |
| Whiche that we ypocritis calle— | 1090 |
| Doth that they preche, I rede you alle, | |
| But doth not as they don a del, | |
| That been not wery to seye wel, | |
| But to do wel, no wille have they; | |
| And they wolde binde on folk alwey, | 1095 |
| That ben to [be] begyled able, | |
| Burdens that ben importable; | |
| On folkes shuldres thinges they couchen | |
| That they nil with her fingres touchen.’ | |
| Amour. ‘And why wol they not touche it?’ | 1100 |
| F. Sem. ‘Why? | |
| For hem ne list not, sikirly; | |
| For sadde burdens that men taken | |
| Make folkes shuldres aken. | |
| And if they do ought that good be, | 1105 |
| That is for folk it shulde see: | |
| Her burdens larger maken they, | |
| And make hir hemmes wyde alwey, | |
| And loven setes at the table, | |
| The firste and most honourable; | 1110 |
| And for to han the first chaieris | |
| In synagoges, to hem ful dere is; | |
| And willen that folk hem loute and grete, | |
| Whan that they passen thurgh the strete, | |
| And wolen be cleped “Maister” also. | 1115 |
| But they ne shulde not willen so; | |
| The gospel is ther-ageyns, I gesse: | |
| That sheweth wel hir wikkidnesse. | |
| ‘Another custom use we:— | |
| Of hem that wol ayens us be, | 1120 |
| We hate hem deedly everichoon, | |
| And we wol werrey hem, as oon. | |
| Him that oon hatith, hate we alle, | |
| And coniecte how to doon him falle. | |
| And if we seen him winne honour, | 1125 |
| Richesse or preys, thurgh his valour, | |
| Provende, rent, or dignitee, | |
| Ful fast, y-wis, compassen we | |
| By what ladder he is clomben so; | |
| And for to maken him doun to go, | 1130 |
| With traisoun we wole him defame, | |
| And doon him lese his gode name. | |
| Thus from his ladder we him take, | |
| And thus his freendis foes we make; | |
| But word ne wite shal he noon, | 1135 |
| Til alle his freendis been his foon. | |
| For if we dide it openly, | |
| We might have blame redily; | |
| For hadde he wist of our malyce, | |
| He hadde him kept, but he were nyce. | 1140 |
| ‘Another is this, that, if so falle | |
| That ther be oon among us alle | |
| That doth a good turn, out of drede, | |
| We seyn it is our alder dede. | |
| Ye, sikerly, though he it feyned, | 1145 |
| Or that him list, or that him deyned | |
| A man thurgh him avaunced be; | |
| Therof alle parceners be we, | |
| And tellen folk, wher-so we go, | |
| That man thurgh us is sprongen so. | 1150 |
| And for to have of men preysing, | |
| We purchace, thurgh our flatering, | |
| Of riche men, of gret poustee, | |
| Lettres, to witnesse our bountee; | |
| So that man weneth, that may us see, | 1155 |
| That alle vertu in us be. | |
| And alwey pore we us feyne; | |
| But how so that we begge or pleyne, | |
| We ben the folk, without lesing, | |
| That al thing have without having. | 1160 |
| Thus be we dred of the puple, y-wis. | |
| And gladly my purpos is this:— | |
| I dele with no wight, but he | |
| Have gold and tresour gret plentee; | |
| Hir acqueyntaunce wel love I; | 1165 |
| This is moche my desyr, shortly. | |
| I entremete me of brocages, | |
| I make pees and mariages, | |
| I am gladly executour, | |
| And many tymes procuratour; | 1170 |
| I am somtyme messager; | |
| That falleth not to my mister. | |
| And many tymes I make enquestes; | |
| For me that office not honest is; | |
| To dele with other mennes thing, | 1175 |
| That is to me a gret lyking. | |
| And if that ye have ought to do | |
| In place that I repeire to, | |
| I shal it speden thurgh my wit, | |
| As sone as ye have told me it. | 1180 |
| So that ye serve me to pay, | |
| My servyse shal be your alway. | |
| But who-so wol chastyse me, | |
| Anoon my love lost hath he; | |
| For I love no man in no gyse, | 1185 |
| That wol me repreve or chastyse; | |
| But I wolde al folk undirtake, | |
| And of no wight no teching take; | |
| For I, that other folk chastye, | |
| Wol not be taught fro my folye. | 1190 |
| ‘I love noon hermitage more; | |
| Alle desertes, and holtes hore, | |
| And grete wodes everichoon, | |
| I lete hem to the Baptist Iohan. | |
| I quethe him quyte, and him relesse | 1195 |
| Of Egipt al the wildirnesse; | |
| To fer were alle my mansiouns | |
| Fro alle citees and goode tounes. | |
| My paleis and myn hous make I | |
| There men may renne in openly, | 1200 |
| And sey that I the world forsake. | |
| But al amidde I bilde and make | |
| My hous, and swimme and pley therinne | |
| Bet than a fish doth with his finne. | |
| ‘Of Antecristes men am I, | 1205 |
| Of whiche that Crist seith openly, | |
| They have abit of holinesse, | |
| And liven in such wikkednesse. | |
| Outward, lambren semen we, | |
| Fulle of goodnesse and of pitee, | 1210 |
| And inward we, withouten fable, | |
| Ben gredy wolves ravisable. | |
| We enviroune bothe londe and see; | |
| With al the world werreyen we; | |
| We wol ordeyne of alle thing, | 1215 |
| Of folkes good, and her living. | |
| ‘If ther be castel or citee | |
| Wherin that any bougerons be, | |
| Although that they of Milayne were, | |
| For ther-of ben they blamed there: | 1220 |
| Or if a wight, out of mesure, | |
| Wolde lene his gold, and take usure, | |
| For that he is so coveitous: | |
| Or if he be to leccherous, | |
| Or [thefe, or] haunte simonye; | 1225 |
| Or provost, ful of trecherye, | |
| Or prelat, living Iolily, | |
| Or prest that halt his quene him by; | |
| Or olde hores hostilers, | |
| Or other bawdes or bordillers, | 1230 |
| Or elles blamed of any vyce, | |
| Of whiche men shulden doon Iustyce: | |
| By alle the seyntes that we pray, | |
| But they defende hem with lamprey, | |
| With luce, with elis, with samons, | 1235 |
| With tendre gees, and with capons, | |
| With tartes, or with cheses fat, | |
| With deynte flawnes, brode and flat, | |
| With caleweys, or with pullaille, | |
| With coninges, or with fyn vitaille, | 1240 |
| That we, undir our clothes wyde, | |
| Maken thurgh our golet glyde: | |
| Or but he wol do come in haste | |
| Roo-venisoun, [y]-bake in paste: | |
| Whether so that he loure or groine, | 1245 |
| He shal have of a corde a loigne, | |
| With whiche men shal him binde and lede, | |
| To brenne him for his sinful dede, | |
| That men shulle here him crye and rore | |
| A myle-wey aboute, and more. | 1250 |
| Or elles he shal in prisoun dye, | |
| But-if he wol [our] frendship bye, | |
| Or smerten that that he hath do, | |
| More than his gilt amounteth to. | |
| But, and he couthe thurgh his sleight | 1255 |
| Do maken up a tour of height, | |
| Nought roughte I whether of stone or tree, | |
| Or erthe, or turves though it be, | |
| Though it were of no vounde stone, | |
| Wrought with squyre and scantilone, | 1260 |
| So that the tour were stuffed wel | |
| With alle richesse temporel; | |
| And thanne, that he wolde updresse | |
| Engyns, bothe more and lesse, | |
| To caste at us, by every syde— | 1265 |
| To bere his goode name wyde— | |
| Such sleightes [as] I shal yow nevene, | |
| Barelles of wyne, by sixe or sevene, | |
| Or gold in sakkes gret plente, | |
| He shulde sone delivered be. | 1270 |
| And if he have noon sich pitaunces, | |
| Late him study in equipolences, | |
| And lete lyes and fallaces, | |
| If that he wolde deserve our graces; | |
| Or we shal bere him such witnesse | 1275 |
| Of sinne, and of his wrecchidnesse, | |
| And doon his loos so wyde renne, | |
| That al quik we shulde him brenne, | |
| Or elles yeve him suche penaunce, | |
| That is wel wors than the pitaunce. | 1280 |
| ‘For thou shalt never, for nothing, | |
| Con knowen aright by her clothing | |
| The traitours fulle of echerye, | |
| But thou her werkis can aspye. | |
| And ne hadde the good keping be | 1285 |
| Whylom of the universitee, | |
| That kepeth the key of Cristendome, | |
| [They] had been turmented, alle and some. | |
| Suche been the stinking [fals] prophetis; | |
| Nis non of hem, that good prophete is; | 1290 |
| For they, thurgh wikked entencioun, | |
| The yeer of the incarnacioun | |
| A thousand and two hundred yeer, | |
| Fyve and fifty, ferther ne ner, | |
| Broughten a book, with sory grace, | 1295 |
| To yeven ensample in comune place, | |
| That seide thus, though it were fable:— | |
| “This is the Gospel Perdurable, | |
| That fro the Holy Goost is sent.” | |
| Wel were it worth to ben [y]-brent. | 1300 |
| Entitled was in such manere | |
| This book, of which I telle here. | |
| Ther nas no wight in al Parys, | |
| Biforn Our Lady, at parvys, | |
| That [he] ne mighte bye the book, | 1305 |
| To copy, if him talent took. | |
| Ther might he see, by greet tresoun, | |
| Ful many fals comparisoun:— | |
| “As moche as, thurgh his grete might, | |
| Be it of hete, or of light, | 1310 |
| The sunne sourmounteth the mone, | |
| That troubler is, and chaungeth sone, | |
| And the note-kernel the shelle— | |
| (I scorne nat that I yow telle)— | |
| Right so, withouten any gyle, | 1315 |
| Sourmounteth this noble Evangyle | |
| The word of any evangelist.” | |
| And to her title they token Christ; | |
| And many such comparisoun, | |
| Of which I make no mencioun, | 1320 |
| Might men in that boke finde, | |
| Who-so coude of hem have minde. | |
| ‘The universitee, that tho was aslepe, | |
| Gan for to braide, and taken kepe; | |
| And at the noys the heed up-caste, | 1325 |
| Ne never sithen slepte it faste, | |
| But up it sterte, and armes took | |
| Ayens this fals horrible book, | |
| Al redy bateil for to make, | |
| And to the Iuge the book to take. | 1330 |
| But they that broughten the book there | |
| Hente it anoon awey, for fere; | |
| They nolde shewe it more a del, | |
| But thenne it kepte, and kepen wil, | |
| Til such a tyme that they may see | 1335 |
| That they so stronge woxen be, | |
| That no wight may hem wel withstonde; | |
| For by that book they durst not stonde. | |
| Away they gonne it for to bere, | |
| For they ne durste not answere | 1340 |
| By exposicioun ne glose | |
| To that that clerkis wole appose | |
| Ayens the cursednesse, y-wis, | |
| That in that boke writen is. | |
| Now wot I not, ne I can not see | 1345 |
| What maner ende that there shal be | |
| Of al this [boke] that they hyde; | |
| But yit algate they shal abyde | |
| Til that they may it bet defende; | |
| This trowe I best, wol be hir ende. | 1350 |
| ‘Thus Antecrist abyden we, | |
| For we ben alle of his meynee; | |
| And what man that wol not be so, | |
| Right sone he shal his lyf forgo. | |
| We wol a puple on him areyse, | 1355 |
| And thurgh our gyle doon him seise, | |
| And him on sharpe speris ryve, | |
| Or other-weyes bringe him fro lyve, | |
| But-if that he wol folowe, y-wis, | |
| That in our boke writen is. | 1360 |
| Thus moche wol our book signifye, | |
| That whyl [that] Peter hath maistrye, | |
| May never Iohan shewe wel his might. | |
| ‘Now have I you declared right | |
| The mening of the bark and rinde | 1365 |
| That makith the entenciouns blinde. | |
| But now at erst I wol biginne | |
| To expowne you the pith withinne:— | |
| [And first, by Peter, as I wene, | |
| The Pope himself we wolden mene,] | 1370 |
| And [eek] the seculers comprehende, | |
| That Cristes lawe wol defende, | |
| And shulde it kepen and mayntenen | |
| Ayeines hem that al sustenen, | |
| And falsly to the puple techen. | 1375 |
| [And] Iohan bitokeneth hem [that] prechen, | |
| That ther nis lawe covenable | |
| But thilke Gospel Perdurable, | |
| That fro the Holy Gost was sent | |
| To turne folk that been miswent. | 1380 |
| The strengthe of Iohan they undirstonde | |
| The grace in which, they seye, they stonde, | |
| That doth the sinful folk converte, | |
| And hem to Iesus Crist reverte. | |
| ‘Ful many another horriblete | 1385 |
| May men in that boke see, | |
| That ben comaunded, douteles, | |
| Ayens the lawe of Rome expres; | |
| And alle with Antecrist they holden, | |
| As men may in the book biholden. | 1390 |
| And than comaunden they to sleen | |
| Alle tho that with Peter been; | |
| But they shal nevere have that might, | |
| And, god toforn, for stryf to fight, | |
| That they ne shal y-nough [men] finde | 1395 |
| That Peters lawe shal have in minde, | |
| And ever holde, and so mayntene, | |
| That at the last it shal be sene | |
| That they shal alle come therto, | |
| For ought that they can speke or do. | 1400 |
| And thilke lawe shal not stonde, | |
| That they by Iohan have undirstonde; | |
| But, maugre hem, it shal adoun, | |
| And been brought to confusioun. | |
| But I wol stinte of this matere, | 1405 |
| For it is wonder long to here; | |
| But hadde that ilke book endured, | |
| Of better estate I were ensured; | |
| And freendis have I yit, pardee, | |
| That han me set in greet degree. | 1410 |
| ‘Of all this world is emperour | |
| Gyle my fader, the trechour, | |
| And emperesse my moder is, | |
| Maugre the Holy Gost, y-wis. | |
| Our mighty linage and our route | 1415 |
| Regneth in every regne aboute; | |
| And wel is worth we [maistres] be, | |
| For al this world governe we, | |
| And can the folk so wel disceyve, | |
| That noon our gyle can perceyve; | 1420 |
| And though they doon, they dar not saye; | |
| The sothe dar no wight biwreye. | |
| But he in Cristis wrath him ledeth, | |
| That more than Crist my bretheren dredeth. | |
| He nis no ful good champioun, | 1425 |
| That dredith such similacioun; | |
| Nor that for peyne wole refusen | |
| Us to correcten and accusen. | |
| He wol not entremete by right, | |
| Ne have god in his eye-sight, | 1430 |
| And therfore god shal him punyce; | |
| But me ne rekketh of no vyce, | |
| Sithen men us loven comunably, | |
| And holden us for so worthy, | |
| That we may folk repreve echoon, | 1435 |
| And we nil have repref of noon. | |
| Whom shulden folk worshipen so | |
| But us, that stinten never mo | |
| To patren whyl that folk us see, | |
| Though it not so bihinde hem be? | 1440 |
| ‘And where is more wood folye, | |
| Than to enhaunce chivalrye, | |
| And love noble men and gay, | |
| That Ioly clothis weren alway? | |
| If they be sich folk as they semen, | 1445 |
| So clene, as men her clothis demen, | |
| And that her wordis folowe her dede, | |
| It is gret pite, out of drede, | |
| For they wol be noon ypocritis! | |
| Of hem, me thinketh [it] gret spite is; | 1450 |
| I can not love hem on no syde. | |
| But Beggers with these hodes wyde, | |
| With sleighe and pale faces lene, | |
| And greye clothis not ful clene, | |
| But fretted ful of tatarwagges, | 1455 |
| And highe shoes, knopped with dagges, | |
| That frouncen lyke a quaile-pype, | |
| Or botes riveling as a gype; | |
| To such folk as I you devyse | |
| Shuld princes and these lordes wyse | 1460 |
| Take alle her londes and her thinges, | |
| Bothe werre and pees, in governinges; | |
| To such folk shulde a prince him yive, | |
| That wolde his lyf in honour live. | |
| And if they be not as they seme, | 1465 |
| That serven thus the world to queme, | |
| There wolde I dwelle, to disceyve | |
| The folk, for they shal not perceyve. | |
| ‘But I ne speke in no such wyse, | |
| That men shulde humble abit dispyse, | 1470 |
| So that no pryde ther-under be. | |
| No man shulde hate, as thinketh me, | |
| The pore man in sich clothing. | |
| But god ne preiseth him no-thing, | |
| That seith he hath the world forsake, | 1475 |
| And hath to worldly glorie him take, | |
| And wol of siche delyces use; | |
| Who may that Begger wel excuse? | |
| That papelard, that him yeldeth so, | |
| And wol to worldly ese go, | 1480 |
| And seith that he the world hath left, | |
| And gredily it grypeth eft, | |
| He is the hound, shame is to seyn, | |
| That to his casting goth ageyn. | |
| ‘But unto you dar I not lye: | 1485 |
| But mighte I felen or aspye, | |
| That ye perceyved it no-thing, | |
| Ye shulden have a stark lesing | |
| Right in your hond thus, to biginne, | |
| I nolde it lette for no sinne.’ | 1490 |
| The god lough at the wonder tho, | |
| And every wight gan laughe also, | |
| And seide:—‘Lo here a man aright | |
| For to be trusty to every wight!’ | |
| ‘Fals Semblant,’ quod Love, ‘sey to me, | 1495 |
| Sith I thus have avaunced thee, | |
| That in my court is thy dwelling, | |
| And of ribaudes shalt be my king, | |
| Wolt thou wel holden my forwardis?’ | |
| F. Sem. ‘Ye, sir, from hennes forewardis; | 1500 |
| Hadde never your fader herebiforn | |
| Servaunt so trewe, sith he was born.’ | |
| Amour. ‘That is ayeines al nature.’ | |
| F. Sem. ‘Sir, put you in that aventure; | |
| For though ye borowes take of me, | 1505 |
| The sikerer shal ye never be | |
| For ostages, ne sikirnesse, | |
| Or chartres, for to bere witnesse. | |
| I take your-self to record here, | |
| That men ne may, in no manere, | 1510 |
| Teren the wolf out of his hyde, | |
| Til he be [flayn], bak and syde, | |
| Though men him bete and al defyle; | |
| What? wene ye that I wole bigyle? | |
| For I am clothed mekely, | 1515 |
| Ther-under is al my trechery; | |
| Myn herte chaungeth never the mo | |
| For noon abit, in which I go. | |
| Though I have chere of simplenesse, | |
| I am not weary of shrewednesse. | 1520 |
| My lemman, Streyned-Abstinence, | |
| Hath mister of my purveaunce; | |
| She hadde ful longe ago be deed, | |
| Nere my councel and my reed; | |
| Lete hir allone, and you and me.’ | 1525 |
| And Love answerde, ‘I truste thee | |
| Withoute borowe, for I wol noon.’ | |
| And Fals-Semblant, the theef, anoon, | |
| Right in that ilke same place, | |
| That hadde of tresoun al his face | 1530 |
| Right blak withinne, and whyt withoute, | |
| Thanketh him, gan on his knees loute. | |
| Than was ther nought, but ‘Every man | |
| Now to assaut, that sailen can,’ | |
| Quod Love, ‘and that ful hardily.’ | 1535 |
| Than armed they hem communly | |
| Of sich armour as to hem fel. | |
| Whan they were armed, fers and fel, | |
| They wente hem forth, alle in a route, | |
| And set the castel al aboute; | 1540 |
| They wil nought away, for no drede, | |
| Til it so be that they ben dede, | |
| Or til they have the castel take. | |
| And foure batels they gan make, | |
| And parted hem in foure anoon, | 1545 |
| And toke her way, and forth they goon, | |
| The foure gates for to assaile, | |
| Of whiche the kepers wol not faile; | |
| For they ben neither syke ne dede, | |
| But hardy folk, and stronge in dede. | 1550 |
| Now wole I seyn the countenaunce | |
| Of Fals-Semblant, and Abstinaunce, | |
| That ben to Wikkid-Tonge went. | |
| But first they helde her parlement, | |
| Whether it to done were | 1555 |
| To maken hem be knowen there, | |
| Or elles walken forth disgysed. | |
| But at the laste they devysed, | |
| That they wold goon in tapinage, | |
| As it were in a pilgrimage, | 1560 |
| Lyk good and holy folk unfeyned. | |
| And Dame Abstinence-Streyned | |
| Took on a robe of camelyne, | |
| And gan hir graithe as a Begyne. | |
| A large coverchief of threde | 1565 |
| She wrapped al aboute hir hede, | |
| But she forgat not hir sautere; | |
| A peire of bedis eek she bere | |
| Upon a lace, al of whyt threde, | |
| On which that she hir bedes bede; | 1570 |
| But she ne boughte hem never a del, | |
| For they were geven her, I wot wel, | |
| God wot, of a ful holy frere, | |
| That seide he was hir fader dere, | |
| To whom she hadde ofter went | 1575 |
| Than any frere of his covent. | |
| And he visyted hir also, | |
| And many a sermoun seide hir to; | |
| He nolde lette, for man on lyve, | |
| That he ne wolde hir ofte shryve. | 1580 |
| And with so gret devocion | |
| They maden her confession, | |
| That they had ofte, for the nones, | |
| Two hedes in one hood at ones. | |
| Of fair shape I devyse her thee, | 1585 |
| But pale of face somtyme was she; | |
| That false traitouresse untrewe | |
| Was lyk that salowe hors of hewe, | |
| That in the Apocalips is shewed, | |
| That signifyeth tho folk beshrewed, | 1590 |
| That been al ful of trecherye, | |
| And pale, thurgh hypocrisye; | |
| For on that hors no colour is, | |
| But only deed and pale, y-wis. | |
| Of suche a colour enlangoured | 1595 |
| Was Abstinence, y-wis, coloured; | |
| Of her estat she her repented, | |
| As her visage represented. | |
| She had a burdoun al of Thefte, | |
| That Gyle had yeve her of his yefte; | 1600 |
| And a scrippe of Fainte Distresse, | |
| That ful was of elengenesse, | |
| And forth she walked sobrely: | |
| And False-Semblant saynt, ie vous die, | |
| [Had], as it were for such mistere, | 1605 |
| Don on the cope of a frere, | |
| With chere simple, and ful pitous; | |
| His looking was not disdeinous, | |
| Ne proud, but meke and ful pesible. | |
| About his nekke he bar a bible, | 1610 |
| And squierly forth gan he gon; | |
| And, for to reste his limmes upon, | |
| He had of Treson a potente; | |
| As he were feble, his way he wente. | |
| But in his sleve he gan to thringe | 1615 |
| A rasour sharp, and wel bytinge, | |
| That was forged in a forge, | |
| Which that men clepen Coupegorge. | |
| So longe forth hir way they nomen, | |
| Til they to Wicked-Tonge comen, | 1620 |
| That at his gate was sitting, | |
| And saw folk in the way passing. | |
| The pilgrimes saw he faste by, | |
| That beren hem ful mekely, | |
| And humblely they with him mette. | 1625 |
| Dame Abstinence first him grette, | |
| And sith him False-Semblant salued, | |
| And he hem; but he not remued, | |
| For he ne dredde hem not a-del. | |
| For when he saw hir faces wel, | 1630 |
| Alway in herte him thoughte so, | |
| He shulde knowe hem bothe two; | |
| For wel he knew Dame Abstinaunce | |
| But he ne knew not Constreynaunce. | |
| He knew nat that she was constrayned, | 1635 |
| Ne of her theves lyfe feyned, | |
| But wende she com of wil al free; | |
| But she com in another degree; | |
| And if of good wil she began, | |
| That wil was failed her [as] than. | 1640 |
| And Fals-Semblant had he seyn als, | |
| But he knew nat that he was fals. | |
| Yet fals was he, but his falsnesse | |
| Ne coude he not espye, nor gesse; | |
| For semblant was so slye wrought, | 1645 |
| That falsnesse he ne espyed nought. | |
| But haddest thou knowen him beforn, | |
| Thou woldest on a boke have sworn, | |
| Whan thou him saugh in thilke aray | |
| That he, that whylom was so gay, | 1650 |
| And of the daunce Ioly Robin, | |
| Was tho become a Iacobin. | |
| But sothely, what so men him calle, | |
| Freres Prechours been good men alle; | |
| Hir order wickedly they beren, | 1655 |
| Suche minstrelles if [that] they weren. | |
| So been Augustins and Cordileres, | |
| And Carmes, and eek Sakked Freres, | |
| And alle freres, shodde and bare, | |
| (Though some of hem ben grete and square) | 1660 |
| Ful holy men, as I hem deme; | |
| Everich of hem wolde good man seme. | |
| But shalt thou never of apparence | |
| Seen conclude good consequence | |
| In none argument, y-wis, | 1665 |
| If existence al failed is. | |
| For men may finde alway sophyme | |
| The consequence to envenyme, | |
| Who-so that hath the subteltee | |
| The double sentence for to see. | 1670 |
| Whan the pilgrymes commen were | |
| To Wicked-Tonge, that dwelled there, | |
| Hir harneis nigh hem was algate; | |
| By Wicked-Tonge adoun they sate, | |
| That bad hem ner him for to come, | 1675 |
| And of tydinges telle him some, | |
| And sayde hem:—‘What cas maketh yow | |
| To come into this place now?’ | |
| ‘Sir,’ seyde Strained-Abstinaunce, | |
| ‘We, for to drye our penaunce, | 1680 |
| With hertes pitous and devoute, | |
| Are commen, as pilgrimes gon aboute; | |
| Wel nigh on fote alway we go; | |
| Ful dusty been our heles two; | |
| And thus bothe we ben sent | 1685 |
| Thurghout this world that is miswent, | |
| To yeve ensample, and preche also. | |
| To fisshen sinful men we go, | |
| For other fisshing ne fisshe we. | |
| And, sir, for that charitee, | 1690 |
| As we be wont, herberwe we crave, | |
| Your lyf to amende; Crist it save! | |
| And, so it shulde you nat displese, | |
| We wolden, if it were your ese, | |
| A short sermoun unto you seyn.’ | 1695 |
| And Wikked-Tonge answerde ageyn, | |
| ‘The hous,’ quod he, ‘such as ye see, | |
| Shal nat be warned you for me, | |
| Sey what you list, and I wol here.’ | |
| ‘Graunt mercy, swete sire dere!’ | 1700 |
| Quod alderfirst Dame Abstinence, | |
| And thus began she hir sentence: | |
| Const. Abstinence. ‘Sir, the first vertue, certeyn, | |
| The gretest, and most sovereyn | |
| That may be founde in any man, | 1705 |
| For having, or for wit he can, | |
| That is, his tonge to refreyne; | |
| Therto ought every wight him peyne. | |
| For it is better stille be | |
| Than for to speken harm, pardee! | 1710 |
| And he that herkeneth it gladly, | |
| He is no good man, sikerly. | |
| And, sir, aboven al other sinne, | |
| In that art thou most gilty inne. | |
| Thou spake a Iape not long ago, | 1715 |
| (And, sir, that was right yvel do) | |
| Of a yong man that here repaired, | |
| And never yet this place apaired. | |
| Thou seydest he awaited nothing | |
| But to disceyve Fair-Welcoming. | 1720 |
| Ye seyde nothing sooth of that; | |
| But, sir, ye lye; I tell you plat; | |
| He ne cometh no more, ne goth, pardee! | |
| I trow ye shal him never see. | |
| Fair-Welcoming in prison is, | 1725 |
| That ofte hath pleyed with you, er this, | |
| The fairest games that he coude, | |
| Withoute filthe, stille or loude; | |
| Now dar [he] nat [him]self solace. | |
| Ye han also the man do chace, | 1730 |
| That he dar neither come ne go. | |
| What meveth you to hate him so | |
| But properly your wikked thought, | |
| That many a fals lesing hath thought? | |
| That meveth your foole eloquence, | 1735 |
| That iangleth ever in audience, | |
| And on the folk areyseth blame, | |
| And doth hem dishonour and shame, | |
| For thing that may have no preving, | |
| But lyklinesse, and contriving. | 1740 |
| For I dar seyn, that Reson demeth, | |
| It is not al sooth thing that semeth, | |
| And it is sinne to controve | |
| Thing that is [for] to reprove; | |
| This wot ye wel; and, sir, therefore | 1745 |
| Ye arn to blame [wel] the more. | |
| And, nathelesse, he rekketh lyte; | |
| He yeveth nat now thereof a myte; | |
| For if he thoughte harm, parfay, | |
| He wolde come and gon al day; | 1750 |
| He coude him-selfe nat abstene. | |
| Now cometh he nat, and that is sene, | |
| For he ne taketh of it no cure, | |
| But-if it be through aventure, | |
| And lasse than other folk, algate. | 1755 |
| And thou here watchest at the gate, | |
| With spere in thyne arest alway; | |
| There muse, musard, al the day. | |
| Thou wakest night and day for thought; | |
| Y-wis, thy traveyl is for nought. | 1760 |
| And Ielousye, withouten faile, | |
| Shal never quyte thee thy travaile. | |
| And scathe is, that Fair-Welcoming, | |
| Withouten any trespassing, | |
| Shal wrongfully in prison be, | 1765 |
| Ther wepeth and languissheth he. | |
| And though thou never yet, y-wis, | |
| Agiltest man no more but this, | |
| (Take not a-greef) it were worthy | |
| To putte thee out of this baily, | 1770 |
| And afterward in prison lye, | |
| And fettre thee til that thou dye; | |
| For thou shalt for this sinne dwelle | |
| Right in the devils ers of helle, | |
| But-if that thou repente thee.’ | 1775 |
| ‘Ma fay, thou lyest falsly!’ quod he. | |
| ‘What? welcome with mischaunce now! | |
| Have I therfore herbered you | |
| To seye me shame, and eek reprove? | |
| With sory happe, to your bihove, | 1780 |
| Am I to-day your herbergere! | |
| Go, herber you elleswhere than here, | |
| That han a lyer called me! | |
| Two tregetours art thou and he, | |
| That in myn hous do me this shame, | 1785 |
| And for my soth-sawe ye me blame. | |
| Is this the sermoun that ye make? | |
| To alle the develles I me take, | |
| Or elles, god, thou me confounde! | |
| But er men diden this castel founde, | 1790 |
| It passeth not ten dayes or twelve, | |
| But it was told right to my-selve, | |
| And as they seide, right so tolde I, | |
| He kiste the Rose privily! | |
| Thus seide I now, and have seid yore; | 1795 |
| I not wher he dide any more. | |
| Why shulde men sey me such a thing, | |
| If it hadde been gabbing? | |
| Right so seide I, and wol seye yit; | |
| I trowe, I lyed not of it; | 1800 |
| And with my bemes I wol blowe | |
| To alle neighboris a-rowe, | |
| How he hath bothe comen and gon.’ | |
| Tho spak Fals-Semblant right anon, | |
| ‘Al is not gospel, out of doute, | 1805 |
| That men seyn in the toune aboute; | |
| Ley no deef ere to my speking; | |
| I swere yow, sir, it is gabbing! | |
| I trowe ye wot wel certeynly, | |
| That no man loveth him tenderly | 1810 |
| That seith him harm, if he wot it, | |
| Al be he never so pore of wit. | |
| And sooth is also sikerly, | |
| (This knowe ye, sir, as wel as I), | |
| That lovers gladly wol visyten | 1815 |
| The places ther hir loves habyten. | |
| This man you loveth and eek honoureth; | |
| This man to serve you laboureth; | |
| And clepeth you his freend so dere, | |
| And this man maketh you good chere, | 1820 |
| And every-wher that [he] you meteth, | |
| He you saleweth, and he you greteth. | |
| He preseth not so ofte, that ye | |
| Ought of his come encombred be; | |
| Ther presen other folk on yow | 1825 |
| Ful ofter than [that] he doth now. | |
| And if his herte him streyned so | |
| Unto the Rose for to go, | |
| Ye shulde him seen so ofte nede, | |
| That ye shulde take him with the dede. | 1830 |
| He coude his coming not forbere, | |
| Though ye him thrilled with a spere; | |
| It nere not thanne as it is now. | |
| But trusteth wel, I swere it yow, | |
| That it is clene out of his thought. | 1835 |
| Sir, certes, he ne thenketh it nought; | |
| No more ne doth Fair-Welcoming, | |
| That sore abyeth al this thing. | |
| And if they were of oon assent, | |
| Ful sone were the Rose hent; | 1840 |
| The maugre youres wolde be. | |
| And sir, of o thing herkeneth me:— | |
| Sith ye this man, that loveth yow, | |
| Han seid such harm and shame now, | |
| Witeth wel, if he gessed it, | 1845 |
| Ye may wel demen in your wit, | |
| He nolde no-thing love you so, | |
| Ne callen you his freend also, | |
| But night and day he [wolde] wake, | |
| The castel to destroye and take, | 1850 |
| If it were sooth as ye devyse; | |
| Or som man in som maner wyse | |
| Might it warne him everydel, | |
| Or by him-self perceyven wel; | |
| For sith he might not come and gon | 1855 |
| As he was whylom wont to don, | |
| He might it sone wite and see; | |
| But now al other-wyse [doth] he. | |
| Than have [ye], sir, al-outerly | |
| Deserved helle, and Iolyly | 1860 |
| The deth of helle douteles, | |
| That thrallen folk so gilteles.’ | |
| Fals-Semblant proveth so this thing | |
| That he can noon answering, | |
| And seeth alwey such apparaunce, | 1865 |
| That nygh he fel in repentaunce, | |
| And seide him:—‘Sir, it may wel be. | |
| Semblant, a good man semen ye; | |
| And, Abstinence, ful wyse ye seme; | |
| Of o talent you bothe I deme. | 1870 |
| What counceil wole ye to me yeven?’ | |
| F. Sem. ‘Right here anoon thou shalt be shriven, | |
| And sey thy sinne withoute more; | |
| Of this shalt thou repente sore; | |
| For I am preest, and have poustee | 1875 |
| To shryve folk of most dignitee | |
| That been, as wyde as world may dure. | |
| Of al this world I have the cure, | |
| And that had never yit persoun, | |
| No vicarie of no maner toun. | 1880 |
| And, god wot, I have of thee | |
| A thousand tymes more pitee | |
| Than hath thy preest parochial, | |
| Though he thy freend be special. | |
| I have avauntage, in o wyse, | 1885 |
| That your prelates ben not so wyse | |
| Ne half so lettred as am I. | |
| I am licenced boldely | |
| In divinitee to rede, | |
| And to confessen, out of drede. | 1890 |
| If ye wol you now confesse, | |
| And leve your sinnes more and lesse, | |
| Without abood, knele doun anon, | |
And you shal have absolucion.’
Explicit. | |
| |
