<div style="background:#fff;border:#bbb dashed 1px;padding:5px"><a href="http://en.citatepedia.ro/comments.php?id=420404" style="color:#000;text-decoration:none"><div style="margin:10px 0"><strong>Confessio Amantis. Explicit Liber Septimus</strong></div><div style="margin:10px 0">Incipit Liber Octavus</div><div style="margin:10px 0">Que favet ad vicium vetus hec modo regula confert,<br>Nec novus e contra qui docet ordo placet.<br>Cecus amor dudum nondum sua lumina cepit,<br>Quo Venus impositum devia fallit iter.</div><div style="margin:10px 0">------------------------------------ -----------------------------------------------<br>The myhti god, which unbegunne<br>Stant of himself and hath begunne<br>Alle othre thinges at his wille,<br>The hevene him liste to fulfille<br>Of alle joie, where as he<br>Sit inthronized in his See,<br>And hath hise Angles him to serve,<br>Suche as him liketh to preserve,<br>So that thei mowe noght forsueie:<br>Bot Lucifer he putte aweie, <br>With al the route apostazied<br>Of hem that ben to him allied,<br>Whiche out of hevene into the helle<br>From Angles into fendes felle;<br>Wher that ther is no joie of lyht,<br>Bot more derk than eny nyht<br>The peine schal ben endeles;<br>And yit of fyres natheles<br>Ther is plente, bot thei ben blake,<br>Wherof no syhte mai be take. <br>Thus whan the thinges ben befalle,<br>That Luciferes court was falle<br>Wher dedly Pride hem hath conveied,<br>Anon forthwith it was pourveied<br>Thurgh him which alle thinges may;<br>He made Adam the sexte day<br>In Paradis, and to his make<br>Him liketh Eve also to make,<br>And bad hem cresce and multiplie.<br>For of the mannes Progenie, <br>Which of the womman schal be bore,<br>The nombre of Angles which was lore,<br>Whan thei out fro the blisse felle,<br>He thoghte to restore, and felle<br>In hevene thilke holy place<br>Which stod tho voide upon his grace.<br>Bot as it is wel wiste and knowe,<br>Adam and Eve bot a throwe,<br>So as it scholde of hem betyde,<br>In Paradis at thilke tyde <br>Ne duelten, and the cause why,<br>Write in the bok of Genesi,<br>As who seith, alle men have herd,<br>Hou Raphael the fyri swerd<br>In honde tok and drof hem oute,<br>To gete here lyves fode aboute<br>Upon this wofull Erthe hiere.<br>Metodre seith to this matiere,<br>As he be revelacion<br>It hadde upon avision, <br>Hou that Adam and Eve also<br>Virgines comen bothe tuo<br>Into the world and were aschamed,<br>Til that nature hem hath reclamed<br>To love, and tauht hem thilke lore,<br>That ferst thei keste, and overmore<br>Thei don that is to kinde due,<br>Wherof thei hadden fair issue.<br>A Sone was the ferste of alle,<br>And Chain be name thei him calle; <br>Abel was after the secounde,<br>And in the geste as it is founde,<br>Nature so the cause ladde,<br>Tuo douhtres ek Dame Eve hadde,<br>The ferste cleped Calmana<br>Was, and that other Delbora.<br>Thus was mankinde to beginne;<br>Forthi that time it was no Sinne<br>The Soster forto take hire brother,<br>Whan that ther was of chois non other: <br>To Chain was Calmana betake,<br>And Delboram hath Abel take,<br>In whom was gete natheles<br>Of worldes folk the ferste encres.<br>Men sein that nede hath no lawe,<br>And so it was be thilke dawe<br>And laste into the Secounde Age,<br>Til that the grete water rage,<br>Of Noeh which was seid the flod,<br>The world, which thanne in Senne stod, <br>Hath dreint, outake lyves Eyhte.<br>Tho was mankinde of litel weyhte;<br>Sem, Cham, Japhet, of these thre,<br>That ben the Sones of Noe,<br>The world of mannes nacion<br>Into multiplicacion<br>Was tho restored newe ayein<br>So ferforth, as the bokes sein,<br>That of hem thre and here issue<br>Ther was so large a retenue, <br>Of naciouns seventy and tuo;<br>In sondri place ech on of tho<br>The wyde world have enhabited.<br>Bot as nature hem hath excited,<br>Thei token thanne litel hiede,<br>The brother of the Sosterhiede<br>To wedde wyves, til it cam<br>Into the time of Habraham.<br>Whan the thridde Age was begunne,<br>The nede tho was overrunne, <br>For ther was poeple ynouh in londe:<br>Thanne ate ferste it cam to honde,<br>That Sosterhode of mariage<br>Was torned into cousinage,<br>So that after the rihte lyne<br>The Cousin weddeth the cousine.<br>For Habraham, er that he deide,<br>This charge upon his servant leide,<br>To him and in this wise spak,<br>That he his Sone Isaac <br>Do wedde for no worldes good,<br>Bot only to his oghne blod:<br>Wherof this Servant, as he bad,<br>Whan he was ded, his Sone hath lad<br>To Bathuel, wher he Rebecke<br>Hath wedded with the whyte necke;<br>For sche, he wiste wel and syh,<br>Was to the child cousine nyh.<br>And thus as Habraham hath tawht,<br>Whan Isaac was god betawht, <br>His Sone Jacob dede also,<br>And of Laban the dowhtres tuo,<br>Which was his Em, he tok to wyve,<br>And gat upon hem in his lyve,<br>Of hire ferst which hihte Lie,<br>Sex Sones of his Progenie,<br>And of Rachel tuo Sones eke:<br>The remenant was forto seke,<br>That is to sein of foure mo,<br>Wherof he gat on Bala tuo, <br>And of Zelpha he hadde ek tweie.<br>And these tuelve, as I thee seie,<br>Thurgh providence of god himselve<br>Ben seid the Patriarkes tuelve;<br>Of whom, as afterward befell,<br>The tribes tuelve of Irahel<br>Engendred were, and ben the same<br>That of Hebreus tho hadden name,<br>Which of Sibrede in alliance<br>For evere kepten thilke usance <br>Most comunly, til Crist was bore.<br>Bot afterward it was forbore<br>Amonges ous that ben baptized;<br>For of the lawe canonized<br>The Pope hath bede to the men,<br>That non schal wedden of his ken<br>Ne the seconde ne the thridde.<br>Bot thogh that holy cherche it bidde,<br>So to restreigne Mariage,<br>Ther ben yit upon loves Rage <br>Full manye of suche nou aday<br>That taken wher thei take may.<br>For love, which is unbesein<br>Of alle reson, as men sein,<br>Thurgh sotie and thurgh nycete,<br>Of his voluptuosite<br>He spareth no condicion<br>Of ken ne yit religion,<br>Bot as a cock among the Hennes,<br>Or as a Stalon in the Fennes, <br>Which goth amonges al the Stod,<br>Riht so can he nomore good,<br>Bot takth what thing comth next to honde.<br>Mi Sone, thou schalt understonde,<br>That such delit is forto blame.<br>Forthi if thou hast be the same<br>To love in eny such manere,<br>Tell forth therof and schrif thee hiere.<br>Mi fader, nay, god wot the sothe,<br>Mi feire is noght of such a bothe, <br>So wylde a man yit was I nevere,<br>That of mi ken or lief or levere<br>Me liste love in such a wise:<br>And ek I not for what emprise<br>I scholde assote upon a Nonne,<br>For thogh I hadde hir love wonne,<br>It myhte into no pris amonte,<br>So therof sette I non acompte.<br>Ye mai wel axe of this and that,<br>Bot sothli forto telle plat, <br>In al this world ther is bot on<br>The which myn herte hath overgon;<br>I am toward alle othre fre.<br>Full wel, mi Sone, nou I see<br>Thi word stant evere upon o place,<br>Bot yit therof thou hast a grace,<br>That thou thee myht so wel excuse<br>Of love such as som men use,<br>So as I spak of now tofore.<br>For al such time of love is lore, <br>And lich unto the bitterswete;<br>For thogh it thenke a man ferst swete,<br>He schal wel fielen ate laste<br>That it is sour and may noght laste.<br>For as a morsell envenimed,<br>So hath such love his lust mistimed,<br>And grete ensamples manyon<br>A man mai finde therupon.<br>At Rome ferst if we beginne,<br>Ther schal I finde hou of this sinne <br>An Emperour was forto blame,<br>Gayus Caligula be name,<br>Which of his oghne Sostres thre<br>Berefte the virginite:<br>And whanne he hadde hem so forlein,<br>As he the which was al vilein,<br>He dede hem out of londe exile.<br>Bot afterward withinne a while<br>God hath beraft him in his ire<br>His lif and ek his large empire: <br>And thus for likinge of a throwe<br>For evere his lust was overthrowe.<br>Of this sotie also I finde,<br>Amon his Soster ayein kinde,<br>Which hihte Thamar, he forlay;<br>Bot he that lust an other day<br>Aboghte, whan that Absolon<br>His oghne brother therupon,<br>Of that he hadde his Soster schent,<br>Tok of that Senne vengement <br>And slowh him with his oghne hond:<br>And thus thunkinde unkinde fond.<br>And forto se more of this thing,<br>The bible makth a knowleching,<br>Wherof thou miht take evidence<br>Upon the sothe experience.<br>Whan Lothes wif was overgon<br>And schape into the salte Ston,<br>As it is spoke into this day,<br>Be bothe hise dowhtres thanne he lay, <br>With childe and made hem bothe grete,<br>Til that nature hem wolde lete,<br>And so the cause aboute ladde<br>That ech of hem a Sone hadde,<br>Moab the ferste, and the seconde<br>Amon, of whiche, as it is founde,<br>Cam afterward to gret encres<br>Tuo nacions: and natheles,<br>For that the stockes were ungoode,<br>The branches mihten noght be goode; <br>For of the false Moabites<br>Forth with the strengthe of Amonites,<br>Of that thei weren ferst misgete,<br>The poeple of god was ofte upsete<br>In Irahel and in Judee,<br>As in the bible a man mai se.<br>Lo thus, my Sone, as I thee seie,<br>Thou miht thiselve be beseie<br>Of that thou hast of othre herd:<br>For evere yit it hath so ferd, <br>Of loves lust if so befalle<br>That it in other place falle<br>Than it is of the lawe set,<br>He which his love hath so beset<br>Mote afterward repente him sore.<br>And every man is othres lore;<br>Of that befell in time er this<br>The present time which now is<br>May ben enformed hou it stod,<br>And take that him thenketh good, <br>And leve that which is noght so.<br>Bot forto loke of time go,<br>Hou lust of love excedeth lawe,<br>It oghte forto be withdrawe;<br>For every man it scholde drede,<br>And nameliche in his Sibrede,<br>Which torneth ofte to vengance:<br>Wherof a tale in remembrance,<br>Which is a long process to hiere,<br>I thenke forto tellen hiere. <br>Of a Cronique in daies gon,<br>The which is cleped Pantheon,<br>In loves cause I rede thus,<br>Hou that the grete Antiochus,<br>Of whom that Antioche tok<br>His ferste name, as seith the bok,<br>Was coupled to a noble queene,<br>And hadde a dowhter hem betwene:<br>Bot such fortune cam to honde,<br>That deth, which no king mai withstonde, <br>Bot every lif it mote obeie,<br>This worthi queene tok aweie.<br>The king, which made mochel mone,<br>Tho stod, as who seith, al him one<br>Withoute wif, bot natheles<br>His doghter, which was piereles<br>Of beaute, duelte aboute him stille.<br>Bot whanne a man hath welthe at wille,<br>The fleissh is frele and falleth ofte,<br>And that this maide tendre and softe, <br>Which in hire fadres chambres duelte,<br>Withinne a time wiste and felte:<br>For likinge and concupiscence<br>Withoute insihte of conscience<br>The fader so with lustes blente,<br>That he caste al his hole entente<br>His oghne doghter forto spille.<br>This king hath leisir at his wille<br>With strengthe, and whanne he time sih,<br>This yonge maiden he forlih: <br>And sche was tendre and full of drede,<br>Sche couthe noght hir Maidenhede<br>Defende, and thus sche hath forlore<br>The flour which she hath longe bore.<br>It helpeth noght althogh sche wepe,<br>For thei that scholde hir bodi kepe<br>Of wommen were absent as thanne;<br>And thus this maiden goth to manne,<br>The wylde fader thus devoureth<br>His oghne fleissh, which non socoureth, <br>And that was cause of mochel care.<br>Bot after this unkinde fare<br>Out of the chambre goth the king,<br>And sche lay stille, and of this thing,<br>Withinne hirself such sorghe made,<br>Ther was no wiht that mihte hir glade,<br>For feere of thilke horrible vice.<br>With that cam inne the Norrice<br>Which fro childhode hire hadde kept,<br>And axeth if sche hadde slept, <br>And why hire chiere was unglad.<br>Bot sche, which hath ben overlad<br>Of that sche myhte noght be wreke,<br>For schame couthe unethes speke;<br>And natheles mercy sche preide<br>With wepende yhe and thus sche seide:<br>'Helas, mi Soster, waileway,<br>That evere I sih this ilke day!<br>Thing which mi bodi ferst begat<br>Into this world, onliche that <br>Mi worldes worschipe hath bereft.'<br>With that sche swouneth now and eft,<br>And evere wissheth after deth,<br>So that welnyh hire lacketh breth.<br>That other, which hire wordes herde,<br>In confortinge of hire ansuerde,<br>To lette hire fadres fol desir<br>Sche wiste no recoverir:<br>Whan thing is do, ther is no bote,<br>So suffren thei that suffre mote; <br>Ther was non other which it wiste.<br>Thus hath this king al that him liste<br>Of his likinge and his plesance,<br>And laste in such continuance,<br>And such delit he tok therinne,<br>Him thoghte that it was no Sinne;<br>And sche dorste him nothing withseie.<br>Bot fame, which goth every weie,<br>To sondry regnes al aboute<br>The grete beaute telleth oute <br>Of such a maide of hih parage:<br>So that for love of mariage<br>The worthi Princes come and sende,<br>As thei the whiche al honour wende,<br>And knewe nothing hou it stod.<br>The fader, whanne he understod,<br>That thei his dowhter thus besoghte,<br>With al his wit he caste and thoghte<br>Hou that he myhte finde a lette;<br>And such a Statut thanne he sette, <br>And in this wise his lawe he taxeth,<br>That what man that his doghter axeth,<br>Bot if he couthe his question<br>Assoile upon suggestion<br>Of certein thinges that befelle,<br>The whiche he wolde unto him telle,<br>He scholde in certein lese his hed.<br>And thus ther weren manye ded,<br>Here hevedes stondende on the gate,<br>Till ate laste longe and late, <br>For lacke of ansuere in the wise,<br>The remenant that weren wise<br>Eschuieden to make assay.<br>Til it befell upon a day<br>Appolinus the Prince of Tyr,<br>Which hath to love a gret desir,<br>As he which in his hihe mod<br>Was likende of his hote blod,<br>A yong, a freissh, a lusti knyht,<br>As he lai musende on a nyht <br>Of the tidinges whiche he herde,<br>He thoghte assaie hou that it ferde.<br>He was with worthi compainie<br>Arraied, and with good navie<br>To schipe he goth, the wynd him dryveth,<br>And seileth, til that he arryveth:<br>Sauf in the port of Antioche<br>He londeth, and goth to aproche<br>The kinges Court and his presence.<br>Of every naturel science, <br>Which eny clerk him couthe teche,<br>He couthe ynowh, and in his speche<br>Of wordes he was eloquent;<br>And whanne he sih the king present,<br>He preith he moste his dowhter have.<br>The king ayein began to crave,<br>And tolde him the condicion,<br>Hou ferst unto his question<br>He mote ansuere and faile noght,<br>Or with his heved it schal be boght: <br>And he him axeth what it was.<br>The king declareth him the cas<br>With sturne lok and sturdi chiere,<br>To him and seide in this manere:<br>'With felonie I am upbore,<br>I ete and have it noght forbore<br>Mi modres fleissh, whos housebonde<br>Mi fader forto seche I fonde,<br>Which is the Sone ek of my wif.<br>Hierof I am inquisitif; <br>And who that can mi tale save,<br>Al quyt he schal my doghter have;<br>Of his ansuere and if he faile,<br>He schal be ded withoute faile.<br>Forthi my Sone,' quod the king,<br>'Be wel avised of this thing,<br>Which hath thi lif in jeupartie.'<br>Appolinus for his partie,<br>Whan he this question hath herd,<br>Unto the king he hath ansuerd <br>And hath rehersed on and on<br>The pointz, and seide therupon:<br>'The question which thou hast spoke,<br>If thou wolt that it be unloke,<br>It toucheth al the privete<br>Betwen thin oghne child and thee,<br>And stant al hol upon you tuo.'<br>The king was wonder sory tho,<br>And thoghte, if that he seide it oute,<br>Than were he schamed al aboute. <br>With slihe wordes and with felle<br>He seith, 'Mi Sone, I schal thee telle,<br>Though that thou be of litel wit,<br>It is no gret merveile as yit,<br>Thin age mai it noght suffise:<br>Bot loke wel thou noght despise<br>Thin oghne lif, for of my grace<br>Of thretty daies fulle a space<br>I grante thee, to ben avised.'<br>And thus with leve and time assised <br>This yonge Prince forth he wente,<br>And understod wel what it mente,<br>Withinne his herte as he was lered,<br>That forto maken him afered<br>The king his time hath so deslaied.<br>Wherof he dradde and was esmaied,<br>Of treson that he deie scholde,<br>For he the king his sothe tolde;<br>And sodeinly the nyhtes tyde,<br>That more wolde he noght abide, <br>Al prively his barge he hente<br>And hom ayein to Tyr he wente:<br>And in his oghne wit he seide<br>For drede, if he the king bewreide,<br>He knew so wel the kinges herte,<br>That deth ne scholde he noght asterte,<br>The king him wolde so poursuie.<br>Bot he, that wolde his deth eschuie,<br>And knew al this tofor the hond,<br>Forsake he thoghte his oghne lond, <br>That there wolde he noght abyde;<br>For wel he knew that on som syde<br>This tirant of his felonie<br>Be som manere of tricherie<br>To grieve his bodi wol noght leve.<br>Forthi withoute take leve,<br>Als priveliche as evere he myhte,<br>He goth him to the See be nyhte<br>In Schipes that be whete laden:<br>Here takel redy tho thei maden <br>And hale up Seil and forth thei fare.<br>Bot forto tellen of the care<br>That thei of Tyr begonne tho,<br>Whan that thei wiste he was ago,<br>It is a Pite forto hiere.<br>They losten lust, they losten chiere,<br>Thei toke upon hem such penaunce,<br>Ther was no song, ther was no daunce,<br>Bot every merthe and melodie<br>To hem was thanne a maladie; <br>For unlust of that aventure<br>Ther was noman which tok tonsure,<br>In doelful clothes thei hem clothe,<br>The bathes and the Stwes bothe<br>Thei schetten in be every weie;<br>There was no lif which leste pleie<br>Ne take of eny joie kepe,<br>Bot for here liege lord to wepe;<br>And every wyht seide as he couthe,<br>'Helas, the lusti flour of youthe, <br>Our Prince, oure heved, our governour,<br>Thurgh whom we stoden in honour,<br>Withoute the comun assent<br>Thus sodeinliche is fro ous went!'<br>Such was the clamour of hem alle.<br>Bot se we now what is befalle<br>Upon the ferste tale plein,<br>And torne we therto ayein.<br>Antiochus the grete Sire,<br>Which full of rancour and of ire <br>His herte berth, so as ye herde,<br>Of that this Prince of Tyr ansuerde,<br>He hadde a feloun bacheler,<br>Which was his prive consailer,<br>And Taliart be name he hihte:<br>The king a strong puison him dihte<br>Withinne a buiste and gold therto,<br>In alle haste and bad him go<br>Strawht unto Tyr, and for no cost<br>Ne spare he, til he hadde lost <br>The Prince which he wolde spille.<br>And whan the king hath seid his wille,<br>This Taliart in a Galeie<br>With alle haste he tok his weie:<br>The wynd was good, he saileth blyve,<br>Til he tok lond upon the ryve<br>Of Tyr, and forth with al anon<br>Into the Burgh he gan to gon,<br>And tok his In and bod a throwe.<br>Bot for he wolde noght be knowe, <br>Desguised thanne he goth him oute;<br>He sih the wepinge al aboute,<br>And axeth what the cause was,<br>And thei him tolden al the cas,<br>How sodeinli the Prince is go.<br>And whan he sih that it was so,<br>And that his labour was in vein,<br>Anon he torneth hom ayein,<br>And to the king, whan he cam nyh,<br>He tolde of that he herde and syh, <br>Hou that the Prince of Tyr is fled,<br>So was he come ayein unsped.<br>The king was sori for a while,<br>Bot whan he sih that with no wyle<br>He myhte achieve his crualte,<br>He stinte his wraththe and let him be.<br>Bot over this now forto telle<br>Of aventures that befelle<br>Unto this Prince of whom I tolde,<br>He hath his rihte cours forth holde <br>Be Ston and nedle, til he cam<br>To Tharse, and there his lond he nam.<br>A Burgeis riche of gold and fee<br>Was thilke time in that cite,<br>Which cleped was Strangulio,<br>His wif was Dionise also:<br>This yonge Prince, as seith the bok,<br>With hem his herbergage tok;<br>And it befell that Cite so<br>Before time and thanne also, <br>Thurgh strong famyne which hem ladde<br>Was non that eny whete hadde.<br>Appolinus, whan that he herde<br>The meschief, hou the cite ferde,<br>Al freliche of his oghne yifte<br>His whete, among hem forto schifte,<br>The which be Schipe he hadde broght,<br>He yaf, and tok of hem riht noght.<br>Bot sithen ferst this world began,<br>Was nevere yit to such a man <br>Mor joie mad than thei him made:<br>For thei were alle of him so glade,<br>That thei for evere in remembrance<br>Made a figure in resemblance<br>Of him, and in the comun place<br>Thei sette him up, so that his face<br>Mihte every maner man beholde,<br>So as the cite was beholde;<br>It was of latoun overgilt:<br>Thus hath he noght his yifte spilt. <br>Upon a time with his route<br>This lord to pleie goth him oute,<br>And in his weie of Tyr he mette<br>A man, the which on knees him grette,<br>And Hellican be name he hihte,<br>Which preide his lord to have insihte<br>Upon himself, and seide him thus,<br>Hou that the grete Antiochus<br>Awaiteth if he mihte him spille.<br>That other thoghte and hield him stille, <br>And thonked him of his warnynge,<br>And bad him telle no tidinge,<br>Whan he to Tyr cam hom ayein,<br>That he in Tharse him hadde sein.<br>Fortune hath evere be muable<br>And mai no while stonde stable:<br>For now it hiheth, now it loweth,<br>Now stant upriht, now overthroweth,<br>Now full of blisse and now of bale,<br>As in the tellinge of mi tale <br>Hierafterward a man mai liere,<br>Which is gret routhe forto hiere.<br>This lord, which wolde don his beste,<br>Withinne himself hath litel reste,<br>And thoghte he wolde his place change<br>And seche a contre more strange.<br>Of Tharsiens his leve anon<br>He tok, and is to Schipe gon:<br>His cours he nam with Seil updrawe,<br>Where as fortune doth the lawe, <br>And scheweth, as I schal reherse,<br>How sche was to this lord diverse,<br>The which upon the See sche ferketh.<br>The wynd aros, the weder derketh,<br>It blew and made such tempeste,<br>Non ancher mai the schip areste,<br>Which hath tobroken al his gere;<br>The Schipmen stode in such a feere,<br>Was non that myhte himself bestere,<br>Bot evere awaite upon the lere, <br>Whan that thei scholde drenche at ones.<br>Ther was ynowh withinne wones<br>Of wepinge and of sorghe tho;<br>This yonge king makth mochel wo<br>So forto se the Schip travaile:<br>Bot al that myhte him noght availe;<br>The mast tobrak, the Seil torof,<br>The Schip upon the wawes drof,<br>Til that thei sihe a londes cooste.<br>Tho made avou the leste and moste, <br>Be so thei myhten come alonde;<br>Bot he which hath the See on honde,<br>Neptunus, wolde noght acorde,<br>Bot altobroke cable and corde,<br>Er thei to londe myhte aproche,<br>The Schip toclef upon a roche,<br>And al goth doun into the depe.<br>Bot he that alle thing mai kepe<br>Unto this lord was merciable,<br>And broghte him sauf upon a table, <br>Which to the lond him hath upbore;<br>The remenant was al forlore,<br>Wherof he made mochel mone.<br>Thus was this yonge lord him one,<br>Al naked in a povere plit:<br>His colour, which whilom was whyt,<br>Was thanne of water fade and pale,<br>And ek he was so sore acale<br>That he wiste of himself no bote,<br>It halp him nothing forto mote <br>To gete ayein that he hath lore.<br>Bot sche which hath his deth forbore,<br>Fortune, thogh sche wol noght yelpe,<br>Al sodeinly hath sent him helpe,<br>Whanne him thoghte alle grace aweie;<br>Ther cam a Fisshere in the weie,<br>And sih a man ther naked stonde,<br>And whan that he hath understonde<br>The cause, he hath of him gret routhe,<br>And onliche of his povere trouthe <br>Of suche clothes as he hadde<br>With gret Pite this lord he cladde.<br>And he him thonketh as he scholde,<br>And seith him that it schal be yolde,<br>If evere he gete his stat ayein,<br>And preide that he wolde him sein<br>If nyh were eny toun for him.<br>He seide, 'Yee, Pentapolim,<br>Wher bothe king and queene duellen.'<br>Whanne he this tale herde tellen, <br>He gladeth him and gan beseche<br>That he the weie him wolde teche:<br>And he him taghte; and forth he wente<br>And preide god with good entente<br>To sende him joie after his sorwe.<br>It was noght passed yit Midmorwe,<br>Whan thiderward his weie he nam,<br>Wher sone upon the Non he cam.<br>He eet such as he myhte gete,<br>And forth anon, whan he hadde ete, <br>He goth to se the toun aboute,<br>And cam ther as he fond a route<br>Of yonge lusti men withalle;<br>And as it scholde tho befalle,<br>That day was set of such assisse,<br>That thei scholde in the londes guise,<br>As he herde of the poeple seie,<br>Here comun game thanne pleie;<br>And crid was that thei scholden come<br>Unto the gamen alle and some <br>Of hem that ben delivere and wyhte,<br>To do such maistrie as thei myhte.<br>Thei made hem naked as thei scholde,<br>For so that ilke game wolde,<br>As it was tho custume and us,<br>Amonges hem was no refus:<br>The flour of al the toun was there<br>And of the court also ther were,<br>And that was in a large place<br>Riht evene afore the kinges face, <br>Which Artestrathes thanne hihte.<br>The pley was pleid riht in his sihte,<br>And who most worthi was of dede<br>Receive he scholde a certein mede<br>And in the cite bere a pris.<br>Appolinus, which war and wys<br>Of every game couthe an ende,<br>He thoghte assaie, hou so it wende,<br>And fell among hem into game:<br>And there he wan him such a name, <br>So as the king himself acompteth<br>That he alle othre men surmonteth,<br>And bar the pris above hem alle.<br>The king bad that into his halle<br>At Souper time he schal be broght;<br>And he cam thanne and lefte it noght,<br>Withoute compaignie al one:<br>Was non so semlich of persone,<br>Of visage and of limes bothe,<br>If that he hadde what to clothe. <br>At Soupertime natheles<br>The king amiddes al the pres<br>Let clepe him up among hem alle,<br>And bad his Mareschall of halle<br>To setten him in such degre<br>That he upon him myhte se.<br>The king was sone set and served,<br>And he, which hath his pris deserved<br>After the kinges oghne word,<br>Was mad beginne a Middel bord, <br>That bothe king and queene him sihe.<br>He sat and caste aboute his yhe<br>And sih the lordes in astat,<br>And with himself wax in debat<br>Thenkende what he hadde lore,<br>And such a sorwe he tok therfore,<br>That he sat evere stille and thoghte,<br>As he which of no mete roghte.<br>The king behield his hevynesse,<br>And of his grete gentillesse <br>His doghter, which was fair and good<br>And ate bord before him stod,<br>As it was thilke time usage,<br>He bad to gon on his message<br>And fonde forto make him glad.<br>And sche dede as hire fader bad,<br>And goth to him the softe pas<br>And axeth whenne and what he was,<br>And preith he scholde his thoghtes leve.<br>He seith, 'Ma Dame, be your leve <br>Mi name is hote Appolinus,<br>And of mi richesse it is thus,<br>Upon the See I have it lore.<br>The contre wher as I was bore,<br>Wher that my lond is and mi rente,<br>I lefte at Tyr, whan that I wente:<br>The worschipe of this worldes aghte,<br>Unto the god ther I betaghte.'<br>And thus togedre as thei tuo speeke,<br>The teres runne be his cheeke. <br>The king, which therof tok good kepe,<br>Hath gret Pite to sen him wepe,<br>And for his doghter sende ayein,<br>And preide hir faire and gan to sein<br>That sche no lengere wolde drecche,<br>Bot that sche wolde anon forth fecche<br>Hire harpe and don al that sche can<br>To glade with that sory man.<br>And sche to don hir fader heste<br>Hir harpe fette, and in the feste <br>Upon a Chaier which thei fette<br>Hirself next to this man sche sette:<br>With harpe bothe and ek with mouthe<br>To him sche dede al that sche couthe<br>To make him chiere, and evere he siketh,<br>And sche him axeth hou him liketh.<br>'Ma dame, certes wel,' he seide,<br>'Bot if ye the mesure pleide<br>Which, if you list, I schal you liere,<br>It were a glad thing forto hiere.' <br>'Ha, lieve sire,' tho quod sche,<br>'Now tak the harpe and let me se<br>Of what mesure that ye mene.'<br>Tho preith the king, tho preith the queene,<br>Forth with the lordes alle arewe,<br>That he som merthe wolde schewe;<br>He takth the Harpe and in his wise<br>He tempreth, and of such assise<br>Singende he harpeth forth withal,<br>That as a vois celestial <br>Hem thoghte it souneth in here Ere,<br>As thogh that he an Angel were.<br>Thei gladen of his melodie,<br>Bot most of alle the compainie<br>The kinges doghter, which it herde,<br>And thoghte ek hou that he ansuerde,<br>Whan that he was of hire opposed,<br>Withinne hir herte hath wel supposed<br>That he is of gret gentilesse.<br>Hise dedes ben therof witnesse <br>Forth with the wisdom of his lore;<br>It nedeth noght to seche more,<br>He myhte noght have such manere,<br>Of gentil blod bot if he were.<br>Whanne he hath harped al his fille,<br>The kinges heste to fulfille,<br>Awey goth dissh, awey goth cuppe,<br>Doun goth the bord, the cloth was uppe,<br>Thei risen and gon out of halle.<br>The king his chamberlein let calle, <br>And bad that he be alle weie<br>A chambre for this man pourveie,<br>Which nyh his oghne chambre be.<br>'It schal be do, mi lord,' quod he.<br>Appolinus of whom I mene<br>Tho tok his leve of king and queene<br>And of the worthi Maide also,<br>Which preide unto hir fader tho,<br>That sche myhte of that yonge man<br>Of tho sciences whiche he can <br>His lore have; and in this wise<br>The king hir granteth his aprise,<br>So that himself therto assente.<br>Thus was acorded er thei wente,<br>That he with al that evere he may<br>This yonge faire freisshe May<br>Of that he couthe scholde enforme;<br>And full assented in this forme<br>Thei token leve as for that nyht.<br>And whanne it was amorwe lyht, <br>Unto this yonge man of Tyr<br>Of clothes and of good atir<br>With gold and Selver to despende<br>This worthi yonge lady sende:<br>And thus sche made him wel at ese,<br>And he with al that he can plese<br>Hire serveth wel and faire ayein.<br>He tawhte hir til sche was certein<br>Of Harpe, of Citole and of Rote,<br>With many a tun and many a note <br>Upon Musique, upon mesure,<br>And of hire Harpe the temprure<br>He tawhte hire ek, as he wel couthe.<br>Bot as men sein that frele is youthe,<br>With leisir and continuance<br>This Mayde fell upon a chance,<br>That love hath mad him a querele<br>Ayein hire youthe freissh and frele,<br>That malgre wher sche wole or noght,<br>Sche mot with al hire hertes thoght <br>To love and to his lawe obeie;<br>And that sche schal ful sore abeie.<br>For sche wot nevere what it is,<br>Bot evere among sche fieleth this:<br>Thenkende upon this man of Tyr,<br>Hire herte is hot as eny fyr,<br>And otherwhile it is acale;<br>Now is sche red, nou is sche pale<br>Riht after the condicion<br>Of hire ymaginacion; <br>Bot evere among hire thoghtes alle,<br>Sche thoghte, what so mai befalle,<br>Or that sche lawhe, or that sche wepe,<br>Sche wolde hire goode name kepe<br>For feere of wommanysshe schame.<br>Bot what in ernest and in game,<br>Sche stant for love in such a plit,<br>That sche hath lost al appetit<br>Of mete, of drinke, of nyhtes reste,<br>As sche that not what is the beste; <br>Bot forto thenken al hir fille<br>Sche hield hire ofte times stille<br>Withinne hir chambre, and goth noght oute:<br>The king was of hire lif in doute,<br>Which wiste nothing what it mente.<br>Bot fell a time, as he out wente<br>To walke, of Princes Sones thre<br>Ther come and felle to his kne;<br>And ech of hem in sondri wise<br>Besoghte and profreth his servise, <br>So that he myhte his doghter have.<br>The king, which wolde his honour save,<br>Seith sche is siek, and of that speche<br>Tho was no time to beseche;<br>Bot ech of hem do make a bille<br>He bad, and wryte his oghne wille,<br>His name, his fader and his good;<br>And whan sche wiste hou that it stod,<br>And hadde here billes oversein,<br>Thei scholden have ansuere ayein. <br>Of this conseil thei weren glad,<br>And writen as the king hem bad,<br>And every man his oghne bok<br>Into the kinges hond betok,<br>And he it to his dowhter sende,<br>And preide hir forto make an ende<br>And wryte ayein hire oghne hond,<br>Riht as sche in hire herte fond.<br>The billes weren wel received,<br>Bot sche hath alle here loves weyved, <br>And thoghte tho was time and space<br>To put hire in hir fader grace,<br>And wrot ayein and thus sche saide:<br>'The schame which is in a Maide<br>With speche dar noght ben unloke,<br>Bot in writinge it mai be spoke;<br>So wryte I to you, fader, thus:<br>Bot if I have Appolinus,<br>Of al this world, what so betyde,<br>I wol non other man abide. <br>And certes if I of him faile,<br>I wot riht wel withoute faile<br>Ye schull for me be dowhterles.'<br>This lettre cam, and ther was press<br>Tofore the king, ther as he stod;<br>And whan that he it understod,<br>He yaf hem ansuer by and by,<br>Bot that was do so prively,<br>That non of othres conseil wiste.<br>Thei toke her leve, and wher hem liste <br>Thei wente forth upon here weie.<br>The king ne wolde noght bewreie<br>The conseil for no maner hihe,<br>Bot soffreth til he time sihe:<br>And whan that he to chambre is come,<br>He hath unto his conseil nome<br>This man of Tyr, and let him se<br>The lettre and al the privete,<br>The which his dowhter to him sente:<br>And he his kne to grounde bente <br>And thonketh him and hire also,<br>And er thei wenten thanne atuo,<br>With good herte and with good corage<br>Of full Love and full mariage<br>The king and he ben hol acorded.<br>And after, whanne it was recorded<br>Unto the dowhter hou it stod,<br>The yifte of al this worldes good<br>Ne scholde have mad hir half so blythe:<br>And forth withal the king als swithe, <br>For he wol have hire good assent,<br>Hath for the queene hir moder sent.<br>The queene is come, and whan sche herde<br>Of this matiere hou that it ferde,<br>Sche syh debat, sche syh desese,<br>Bot if sche wolde hir dowhter plese,<br>And is therto assented full.<br>Which is a dede wonderfull,<br>For noman knew the sothe cas<br>Bot he himself, what man he was; <br>And natheles, so as hem thoghte,<br>Hise dedes to the sothe wroghte<br>That he was come of gentil blod:<br>Him lacketh noght bot worldes good,<br>And as therof is no despeir,<br>For sche schal ben hire fader heir,<br>And he was able to governe.<br>Thus wol thei noght the love werne<br>Of him and hire in none wise,<br>Bot ther acorded thei divise <br>The day and time of Mariage.<br>Wher love is lord of the corage,<br>Him thenketh longe er that he spede;<br>Bot ate laste unto the dede<br>The time is come, and in her wise<br>With gret offrende and sacrifise<br>Thei wedde and make a riche feste,<br>And every thing which was honeste<br>Withinnen house and ek withoute<br>It was so don, that al aboute <br>Of gret worschipe, of gret noblesse<br>Ther cride many a man largesse<br>Unto the lordes hihe and loude;<br>The knyhtes that ben yonge and proude,<br>Thei jouste ferst and after daunce.<br>The day is go, the nyhtes chaunce<br>Hath derked al the bryhte Sonne;<br>This lord, which hath his love wonne,<br>Is go to bedde with his wif,<br>Wher as thei ladde a lusti lif, <br>And that was after somdel sene,<br>For as thei pleiden hem betwene,<br>Thei gete a child betwen hem tuo,<br>To whom fell after mochel wo.<br>Now have I told of the spousailes.<br>Bot forto speke of the mervailes<br>Whiche afterward to hem befelle,<br>It is a wonder forto telle.<br>It fell adai thei riden oute,<br>The king and queene and al the route, <br>To pleien hem upon the stronde,<br>Wher as thei sen toward the londe<br>A Schip sailende of gret array.<br>To knowe what it mene may,<br>Til it be come thei abide;<br>Than sen thei stonde on every side,<br>Endlong the schipes bord to schewe,<br>Of Penonceals a riche rewe.<br>Thei axen when the ship is come:<br>Fro Tyr, anon ansuerde some, <br>And over this thei seiden more<br>The cause why thei comen fore<br>Was forto seche and forto finde<br>Appolinus, which was of kinde<br>Her liege lord: and he appiereth,<br>And of the tale which he hiereth<br>He was riht glad; for thei him tolde,<br>That for vengance, as god it wolde,<br>Antiochus, as men mai wite,<br>With thondre and lyhthnynge is forsmite; <br>His doghter hath the same chaunce,<br>So be thei bothe in o balance.<br>'Forthi, oure liege lord, we seie<br>In name of al the lond, and preie,<br>That left al other thing to done,<br>It like you to come sone<br>And se youre oghne liege men<br>With othre that ben of youre ken,<br>That live in longinge and desir<br>Til ye be come ayein to Tyr.' <br>This tale after the king it hadde<br>Pentapolim al overspradde,<br>Ther was no joie forto seche;<br>For every man it hadde in speche<br>And seiden alle of on acord,<br>'A worthi king schal ben oure lord:<br>That thoghte ous ferst an hevinesse<br>Is schape ous now to gret gladnesse.'<br>Thus goth the tidinge overal.<br>Bot nede he mot, that nede schal: <br>Appolinus his leve tok,<br>To god and al the lond betok<br>With al the poeple long and brod,<br>That he no lenger there abod.<br>The king and queene sorwe made,<br>Bot yit somdiel thei weren glade<br>Of such thing as thei herden tho:<br>And thus betwen the wel and wo<br>To schip he goth, his wif with childe,<br>The which was evere meke and mylde <br>And wolde noght departe him fro,<br>Such love was betwen hem tuo.<br>Lichorida for hire office<br>Was take, which was a Norrice,<br>To wende with this yonge wif,<br>To whom was schape a woful lif.<br>Withinne a time, as it betidde,<br>Whan thei were in the See amidde,<br>Out of the North they sihe a cloude;<br>The storm aros, the wyndes loude <br>Thei blewen many a dredful blast,<br>The welkne was al overcast,<br>The derke nyht the Sonne hath under,<br>Ther was a gret tempeste of thunder:<br>The Mone and ek the Sterres bothe<br>In blake cloudes thei hem clothe,<br>Wherof here brihte lok thei hyde.<br>This yonge ladi wepte and cride,<br>To whom no confort myhte availe;<br>Of childe sche began travaile, <br>Wher sche lay in a Caban clos:<br>Hire woful lord fro hire aros,<br>And that was longe er eny morwe,<br>So that in anguisse and in sorwe<br>Sche was delivered al be nyhte<br>And ded in every mannes syhte;<br>Bot natheles for al this wo<br>A maide child was bore tho.<br>Appolinus whan he this knew,<br>For sorwe a swoune he overthrew, <br>That noman wiste in him no lif.<br>And whanne he wok, he seide, 'Ha, wif,<br>Mi lust, mi joie, my desir,<br>Mi welthe and my recoverir,<br>Why schal I live, and thou schalt dye?<br>Ha, thou fortune, I thee deffie,<br>Nou hast thou do to me thi werste.<br>Ha, herte, why ne wolt thou berste,<br>That forth with hire I myhte passe?<br>Mi peines weren wel the lasse.' <br>In such wepinge and in such cry<br>His dede wif, which lay him by,<br>A thousend sithes he hire kiste;<br>Was nevere man that sih ne wiste<br>A sorwe unto his sorwe lich;<br>For evere among upon the lich<br>He fell swounende, as he that soghte<br>His oghne deth, which he besoghte<br>Unto the goddes alle above<br>With many a pitous word of love; <br>Bot suche wordes as tho were<br>Yit herde nevere mannes Ere,<br>Bot only thilke whiche he seide.<br>The Maister Schipman cam and preide<br>With othre suche as be therinne,<br>And sein that he mai nothing winne<br>Ayein the deth, bot thei him rede,<br>He be wel war and tak hiede,<br>The See be weie of his nature<br>Receive mai no creature <br>Withinne himself as forto holde,<br>The which is ded: forthi thei wolde,<br>As thei conseilen al aboute,<br>The dede body casten oute.<br>For betre it is, thei seiden alle,<br>That it of hire so befalle,<br>Than if thei scholden alle spille.<br>The king, which understod here wille<br>And knew here conseil that was trewe,<br>Began ayein his sorwe newe <br>With pitous herte, and thus to seie:<br>'It is al reson that ye preie.<br>I am,' quod he, 'bot on al one,<br>So wolde I noght for mi persone<br>Ther felle such adversite.<br>Bot whan it mai no betre be,<br>Doth thanne thus upon my word,<br>Let make a cofre strong of bord,<br>That it be ferm with led and pich.'<br>Anon was mad a cofre sich, <br>Al redy broght unto his hond;<br>And whanne he sih and redy fond<br>This cofre mad and wel enclowed,<br>The dede bodi was besowed<br>In cloth of gold and leid therinne.<br>And for he wolde unto hire winne<br>Upon som cooste a Sepulture,<br>Under hire heved in aventure<br>Of gold he leide Sommes grete<br>And of jeueals a strong beyete <br>Forth with a lettre, and seide thus:<br>'I, king of Tyr Appollinus,<br>Do alle maner men to wite,<br>That hiere and se this lettre write,<br>That helpeles withoute red<br>Hier lith a kinges doghter ded:<br>And who that happeth hir to finde,<br>For charite tak in his mynde,<br>And do so that sche be begrave<br>With this tresor, which he schal have.' <br>Thus whan the lettre was full spoke,<br>Thei haue anon the cofre stoke,<br>And bounden it with yren faste,<br>That it may with the wawes laste,<br>And stoppen it be such a weie,<br>That it schal be withinne dreie,<br>So that no water myhte it grieve.<br>And thus in hope and good believe<br>Of that the corps schal wel aryve,<br>Thei caste it over bord als blyve. <br>The Schip forth on the wawes wente;<br>The prince hath changed his entente,<br>And seith he wol noght come at Tyr<br>As thanne, bot al his desir<br>Is ferst to seilen unto Tharse.<br>The wyndy Storm began to skarse,<br>The Sonne arist, the weder cliereth,<br>The Schipman which behinde stiereth,<br>Whan that he sih the wyndes saghte,<br>Towardes Tharse his cours he straghte. <br>Bot now to mi matiere ayein,<br>To telle as olde bokes sein,<br>This dede corps of which ye knowe<br>With wynd and water was forthrowe<br>Now hier, now ther, til ate laste<br>At Ephesim the See upcaste<br>The cofre and al that was therinne.<br>Of gret merveile now beginne<br>Mai hiere who that sitteth stille;<br>That god wol save mai noght spille. <br>Riht as the corps was throwe alonde,<br>Ther cam walkende upon the stronde<br>A worthi clerc, a Surgien,<br>And ek a gret Phisicien,<br>Of al that lond the wisest on,<br>Which hihte Maister Cerymon;<br>Ther were of his disciples some.<br>This Maister to the Cofre is come,<br>He peiseth ther was somwhat in,<br>And bad hem bere it to his In, <br>And goth himselve forth withal.<br>Al that schal falle, falle schal;<br>Thei comen hom and tarie noght;<br>This Cofre is into chambre broght,<br>Which that thei finde faste stoke,<br>Bot thei with craft it have unloke.<br>Thei loken in, where as thei founde<br>A bodi ded, which was bewounde<br>In cloth of gold, as I seide er,<br>The tresor ek thei founden ther <br>Forth with the lettre, which thei rede.<br>And tho thei token betre hiede;<br>Unsowed was the bodi sone,<br>And he, which knew what is to done,<br>This noble clerk, with alle haste<br>Began the veines forto taste,<br>And sih hire Age was of youthe,<br>And with the craftes whiche he couthe<br>He soghte and fond a signe of lif.<br>With that this worthi kinges wif <br>Honestely thei token oute,<br>And maden fyres al aboute;<br>Thei leide hire on a couche softe,<br>And with a scheete warmed ofte<br>Hire colde brest began to hete,<br>Hire herte also to flacke and bete.<br>This Maister hath hire every joignt<br>With certein oile and balsme enoignt,<br>And putte a liquour in hire mouth,<br>Which is to fewe clerkes couth, <br>So that sche coevereth ate laste;<br>And ferst hire yhen up sche caste,<br>And whan sche more of strengthe cawhte,<br>Hire Armes bothe forth sche strawhte,<br>Hield up hire hond and pitously<br>Sche spak and seide, 'Ha, wher am I?<br>Where is my lord, what world is this?'<br>As sche that wot noght hou it is.<br>Bot Cerymon the worthi leche<br>Ansuerde anon upon hire speche <br>And seith, 'Ma dame, yee ben hiere,<br>Where yee be sauf, as yee schal hiere<br>Hierafterward; forthi as nou<br>Mi conseil is, conforteth you:<br>For trusteth wel withoute faile,<br>Ther is nothing which schal you faile,<br>That oghte of reson to be do.'<br>Thus passen thei a day or tuo;<br>Thei speke of noght as for an ende,<br>Til sche began somdiel amende, <br>And wiste hireselven what sche mente.<br>Tho forto knowe hire hol entente,<br>This Maister axeth al the cas,<br>Hou sche cam there and what sche was.<br>'Hou I cam hiere wot I noght,'<br>Quod sche, 'bot wel I am bethoght<br>Of othre thinges al aboute':<br>Fro point to point and tolde him oute<br>Als ferforthli as sche it wiste.<br>And he hire tolde hou in a kiste <br>The See hire threw upon the lond,<br>And what tresor with hire he fond,<br>Which was al redy at hire wille,<br>As he that schop him to fulfille<br>With al his myht what thing he scholde.<br>Sche thonketh him that he so wolde,<br>And al hire herte sche discloseth,<br>And seith him wel that sche supposeth<br>Hire lord be dreint, hir child also;<br>So sih sche noght bot alle wo. <br>Wherof as to the world nomore<br>Ne wol sche torne, and preith therfore<br>That in som temple of the Cite,<br>To kepe and holde hir chastete,<br>Sche mihte among the wommen duelle.<br>Whan he this tale hir herde telle,<br>He was riht glad, and made hire knowen<br>That he a dowhter of his owen<br>Hath, which he wol unto hir yive<br>To serve, whil thei bothe live, <br>In stede of that which sche hath lost;<br>Al only at his oghne cost<br>Sche schal be rendred forth with hire.<br>She seith, 'Grant mercy, lieve sire,<br>God quite it you, ther I ne may.'<br>And thus thei drive forth the day,<br>Til time com that sche was hol;<br>And tho thei take her conseil hol,<br>To schape upon good ordinance<br>And make a worthi pourveance <br>Ayein the day whan thei be veiled.<br>And thus, whan that thei be conseiled,<br>In blake clothes thei hem clothe,<br>This lady and the dowhter bothe,<br>And yolde hem to religion.<br>The feste and the profession<br>After the reule of that degre<br>Was mad with gret solempnete,<br>Where as Diane is seintefied;<br>Thus stant this lady justefied <br>In ordre wher sche thenkth to duelle.<br>Bot now ayeinward forto telle<br>In what plit that hire lord stod inne:<br>He seileth, til that he may winne<br>The havene of Tharse, as I seide er;<br>And whanne he was aryved ther,<br>And it was thurgh the Cite knowe,<br>Men myhte se withinne a throwe,<br>As who seith, al the toun at ones,<br>That come ayein him for the nones, <br>To yiven him the reverence,<br>So glad thei were of his presence:<br>And thogh he were in his corage<br>Desesed, yit with glad visage<br>He made hem chiere, and to his In,<br>Wher he whilom sojourned in,<br>He goth him straght and was resceived.<br>And whan the presse of poeple is weived,<br>He takth his hoste unto him tho,<br>And seith, 'Mi frend Strangulio, <br>Lo, thus and thus it is befalle,<br>And thou thiself art on of alle,<br>Forth with thi wif, whiche I most triste.<br>Forthi, if it you bothe liste,<br>My doghter Thaise be youre leve<br>I thenke schal with you beleve<br>As for a time; and thus I preie,<br>That sche be kept be alle weie,<br>And whan sche hath of age more,<br>That sche be set to bokes lore. <br>And this avou to god I make,<br>That I schal nevere for hir sake<br>Mi berd for no likinge schave,<br>Til it befalle that I have<br>In covenable time of age<br>Beset hire unto mariage.'<br>Thus thei acorde, and al is wel,<br>And forto resten him somdel,<br>As for a while he ther sojorneth,<br>And thanne he takth his leve and torneth <br>To Schipe, and goth him hom to Tyr,<br>Wher every man with gret desir<br>Awaiteth upon his comynge.<br>Bot whan the Schip com in seilinge,<br>And thei perceiven it is he,<br>Was nevere yit in no cite<br>Such joie mad as thei tho made;<br>His herte also began to glade<br>Of that he sih the poeple glad.<br>Lo, thus fortune his hap hath lad; <br>In sondri wise he was travailed,<br>Bot hou so evere he be assailed,<br>His latere ende schal be good.<br>And forto speke hou that it stod<br>Of Thaise his doghter, wher sche duelleth,<br>In Tharse, as the Cronique telleth,<br>Sche was wel kept, sche was wel loked,<br>Sche was wel tawht, sche was wel boked,<br>So wel sche spedde hir in hire youthe<br>That sche of every wisdom couthe, <br>That forto seche in every lond<br>So wys an other noman fond,<br>Ne so wel tawht at mannes yhe.<br>Bot wo worthe evere fals envie!<br>For it befell that time so,<br>A dowhter hath Strangulio,<br>The which was cleped Philotenne:<br>Bot fame, which wole evere renne,<br>Cam al day to hir moder Ere,<br>And seith, wher evere hir doghter were <br>With Thayse set in eny place,<br>The comun vois, the comun grace<br>Was al upon that other Maide,<br>And of hir doghter noman saide.<br>Who wroth but Dionise thanne?<br>Hire thoghte a thousend yer til whanne<br>Sche myhte ben of Thaise wreke<br>Of that sche herde folk so speke.<br>And fell that ilke same tyde,<br>That ded was trewe Lychoride, <br>Which hadde be servant to Thaise,<br>So that sche was the worse at aise,<br>For sche hath thanne no servise<br>Bot only thurgh this Dionise,<br>Which was hire dedlich Anemie<br>Thurgh pure treson and envie.<br>Sche, that of alle sorwe can,<br>Tho spak unto hire bondeman,<br>Which cleped was Theophilus,<br>And made him swere in conseil thus, <br>That he such time as sche him sette<br>Schal come Thaise forto fette,<br>And lede hire oute of alle sihte,<br>Wher as noman hire helpe myhte,<br>Upon the Stronde nyh the See,<br>And there he schal this maiden sle.<br>This cherles herte is in a traunce,<br>As he which drad him of vengance<br>Whan time comth an other day;<br>Bot yit dorste he noght seie nay, <br>Bot swor and seide he schal fulfille<br>Hire hestes at hire oghne wille.<br>The treson and the time is schape,<br>So fell it that this cherles knape<br>Hath lad this maiden ther he wolde<br>Upon the Stronde, and what sche scholde<br>Sche was adrad; and he out breide<br>A rusti swerd and to hir seide,<br>'Thou schalt be ded.' 'Helas!' quod sche,<br>'Why schal I so?' 'Lo thus,' quod he, <br>'Mi ladi Dionise hath bede,<br>Thou schalt be moerdred in this stede.'<br>This Maiden tho for feere schryhte,<br>And for the love of god almyhte<br>Sche preith that for a litel stounde<br>Sche myhte knele upon the grounde,<br>Toward the hevene forto crave,<br>Hire wofull Soule if sche mai save:<br>And with this noise and with this cry,<br>Out of a barge faste by, <br>Which hidd was ther on Scomerfare,<br>Men sterten out and weren ware<br>Of this feloun,and he to go,<br>And sche began to crie tho,<br>'Ha, mercy, help for goddes sake!<br>Into the barge thei hire take,<br>As thieves scholde, and forth thei wente.<br>Upon the See the wynd hem hente,<br>And malgre wher thei wolde or non,<br>Tofor the weder forth thei gon, <br>Ther halp no Seil, ther halp non Ore,<br>Forstormed and forblowen sore<br>In gret peril so forth thei dryve,<br>Til ate laste thei aryve<br>At Mitelene the Cite.<br>In havene sauf and whan thei be,<br>The Maister Schipman made him boun,<br>And goth him out into the toun,<br>And profreth Thaise forto selle.<br>On Leonin it herde telle, <br>Which Maister of the bordel was,<br>And bad him gon a redy pas<br>To fetten hire, and forth he wente,<br>And Thaise out of his barge he hente,<br>And to this bordeller hir solde.<br>And he, that be hire body wolde<br>Take avantage, let do crye,<br>That what man wolde his lecherie<br>Attempte upon hire maidenhede,<br>Lei doun the gold and he schal spede. <br>And thus whan he hath crid it oute<br>In syhte of al the poeple aboute,<br>He ladde hire to the bordel tho.<br>No wonder is thogh sche be wo:<br>Clos in a chambre be hireselve,<br>Ech after other ten or tuelve<br>Of yonge men to hire in wente;<br>Bot such a grace god hire sente,<br>That for the sorwe which sche made<br>Was non of hem which pouer hade <br>To don hire eny vileinie.<br>This Leonin let evere aspie,<br>And waiteth after gret beyete;<br>Bot al for noght, sche was forlete,<br>That mo men wolde ther noght come.<br>Whan he therof hath hiede nome,<br>And knew that sche was yit a maide,<br>Unto his oghne man he saide,<br>That he with strengthe ayein hire leve<br>Tho scholde hir maidenhod bereve. <br>This man goth in, bot so it ferde,<br>Whan he hire wofull pleintes herde<br>And he therof hath take kepe,<br>Him liste betre forto wepe<br>Than don oght elles to the game.<br>And thus sche kepte hirself fro schame,<br>And kneleth doun to therthe and preide<br>Unto this man, and thus sche seide:<br>'If so be that thi maister wolde<br>That I his gold encresce scholde, <br>It mai noght falle be this weie:<br>Bot soffre me to go mi weie<br>Out of this hous wher I am inne,<br>And I schal make him forto winne<br>In som place elles of the toun,<br>Be so it be religioun,<br>Wher that honeste wommen duelle.<br>And thus thou myht thi maister telle,<br>That whanne I have a chambre there,<br>Let him do crie ay wyde where, <br>What lord that hath his doghter diere,<br>And is in will that sche schal liere<br>Of such a Scole that is trewe,<br>I schal hire teche of thinges newe,<br>Which as non other womman can<br>In al this lond.' And tho this man<br>Hire tale hath herd, he goth ayein,<br>And tolde unto his maister plein<br>That sche hath seid; and therupon,<br>Whan than he sih beyete non <br>At the bordel be cause of hire,<br>He bad his man to gon and spire<br>A place wher sche myhte abyde,<br>That he mai winne upon som side<br>Be that sche can: bot ate leste<br>Thus was sche sauf fro this tempeste.<br>He hath hire fro the bordel take,<br>Bot that was noght for goddes sake,<br>Bot for the lucre, as sche him tolde.<br>Now comen tho that comen wolde <br>Of wommen in her lusty youthe,<br>To hiere and se what thing sche couthe:<br>Sche can the wisdom of a clerk,<br>Sche can of every lusti werk<br>Which to a gentil womman longeth,<br>And some of hem sche underfongeth<br>To the Citole and to the Harpe,<br>And whom it liketh forto carpe<br>Proverbes and demandes slyhe,<br>An other such thei nevere syhe, <br>Which that science so wel tawhte:<br>Wherof sche grete yiftes cawhte,<br>That sche to Leonin hath wonne;<br>And thus hire name is so begonne<br>Of sondri thinges that sche techeth,<br>That al the lond unto hir secheth<br>Of yonge wommen forto liere.<br>Nou lete we this maiden hiere,<br>And speke of Dionise ayein<br>And of Theophile the vilein, <br>Of whiche I spak of nou tofore.<br>Whan Thaise scholde have be forlore,<br>This false cherl to his lady<br>Whan he cam hom, al prively<br>He seith, 'Ma Dame, slain I have<br>This maide Thaise, and is begrave<br>In prive place, as ye me biede.<br>Forthi, ma dame, taketh hiede<br>And kep conseil, hou so it stonde.'<br>This fend, which this hath understonde, <br>Was glad, and weneth it be soth:<br>Now herkne, hierafter hou sche doth.<br>Sche wepth, sche sorweth, sche compleigneth,<br>And of sieknesse which sche feigneth<br>Sche seith that Taise sodeinly<br>Be nyhte is ded, 'as sche and I<br>Togedre lyhen nyh my lord.'<br>Sche was a womman of record,<br>And al is lieved that sche seith;<br>And forto yive a more feith, <br>Hire housebonde and ek sche bothe<br>In blake clothes thei hem clothe,<br>And made a gret enterrement;<br>And for the poeple schal be blent,<br>Of Thaise as for the remembrance,<br>After the real olde usance<br>A tumbe of latoun noble and riche<br>With an ymage unto hir liche<br>Liggende above therupon<br>Thei made and sette it up anon. <br>Hire Epitaffe of good assisse<br>Was write aboute, and in this wise<br>It spak: 'O yee that this beholde,<br>Lo, hier lith sche, the which was holde<br>The faireste and the flour of alle,<br>Whos name Thaisis men calle.<br>The king of Tyr Appolinus<br>Hire fader was: now lith sche thus.<br>Fourtiene yer sche was of Age,<br>Whan deth hir tok to his viage.' <br>Thus was this false treson hidd,<br>Which afterward was wyde kidd,<br>As be the tale a man schal hiere.<br>Bot forto clare mi matiere,<br>To Tyr I thenke torne ayein,<br>And telle as the Croniqes sein.<br>Whan that the king was comen hom,<br>And hath left in the salte fom<br>His wif, which he mai noght foryete,<br>For he som confort wolde gete, <br>He let somoune a parlement,<br>To which the lordes were asent;<br>And of the time he hath ben oute,<br>He seth the thinges al aboute,<br>And told hem ek hou he hath fare,<br>Whil he was out of londe fare;<br>And preide hem alle to abyde,<br>For he wolde at the same tyde<br>Do schape for his wyves mynde,<br>As he that wol noght ben unkinde. <br>Solempne was that ilke office,<br>And riche was the sacrifice,<br>The feste reali was holde:<br>And therto was he wel beholde;<br>For such a wif as he hadde on<br>In thilke daies was ther non.<br>Whan this was do, thanne he him thoghte<br>Upon his doghter, and besoghte<br>Suche of his lordes as he wolde,<br>That thei with him to Tharse scholde, <br>To fette his doghter Taise there:<br>And thei anon al redy were,<br>To schip they gon and forth thei wente,<br>Til thei the havene of Tharse hente.<br>They londe and faile of that thei seche<br>Be coverture and sleyhte of speche:<br>This false man Strangulio,<br>And Dionise his wif also,<br>That he the betre trowe myhte,<br>Thei ladden him to have a sihte <br>Wher that hir tombe was arraied.<br>The lasse yit he was mispaied,<br>And natheles, so as he dorste,<br>He curseth and seith al the worste<br>Unto fortune, as to the blinde,<br>Which can no seker weie finde;<br>For sche him neweth evere among,<br>And medleth sorwe with his song.<br>Bot sithe it mai no betre be,<br>He thonketh god and forth goth he <br>Seilende toward Tyr ayein.<br>Bot sodeinly the wynd and reyn<br>Begonne upon the See debate,<br>So that he soffre mot algate<br>The lawe which Neptune ordeigneth;<br>Wherof fulofte time he pleigneth,<br>And hield him wel the more esmaied<br>Of that he hath tofore assaied.<br>So that for pure sorwe and care,<br>Of that he seth his world so fare, <br>The reste he lefte of his Caban,<br>That for the conseil of noman<br>Ayein therinne he nolde come,<br>Bot hath benethe his place nome,<br>Wher he wepende al one lay,<br>Ther as he sih no lyht of day.<br>And thus tofor the wynd thei dryve,<br>Til longe and late thei aryve<br>With gret distresce, as it was sene,<br>Upon this toun of Mitelene, <br>Which was a noble cite tho.<br>And hapneth thilke time so,<br>The lordes bothe and the comune<br>The hihe festes of Neptune<br>Upon the stronde at the rivage,<br>As it was custumme and usage,<br>Sollempneliche thei besihe.<br>Whan thei this strange vessel syhe<br>Come in, and hath his Seil avaled,<br>The toun therof hath spoke and taled. <br>The lord which of the cite was,<br>Whos name is Athenagoras,<br>Was there, and seide he wolde se<br>What Schip it is, and who thei be<br>That ben therinne: and after sone,<br>Whan that he sih it was to done,<br>His barge was for him arraied,<br>And he goth forth and hath assaied.<br>He fond the Schip of gret Array,<br>Bot what thing it amonte may, <br>He seth thei maden hevy chiere,<br>Bot wel him thenkth be the manere<br>That thei be worthi men of blod,<br>And axeth of hem hou it stod;<br>And thei him tellen al the cas,<br>Hou that here lord fordrive was,<br>And what a sorwe that he made,<br>Of which ther mai noman him glade.<br>He preith that he here lord mai se,<br>Bot thei him tolde it mai noght be, <br>For he lith in so derk a place,<br>That ther may no wiht sen his face:<br>Bot for al that, thogh hem be loth,<br>He fond the ladre and doun he goth,<br>And to him spak, bot non ansuere<br>Ayein of him ne mihte he bere<br>For oght that he can don or sein;<br>And thus he goth him up ayein.<br>Tho was ther spoke in many wise<br>Amonges hem that weren wise, <br>Now this, now that, bot ate laste<br>The wisdom of the toun this caste,<br>That yonge Taise were asent.<br>For if ther be amendement<br>To glade with this woful king,<br>Sche can so moche of every thing,<br>That sche schal gladen him anon.<br>A Messager for hire is gon,<br>And sche cam with hire Harpe on honde,<br>And seide hem that sche wolde fonde <br>Be alle weies that sche can,<br>To glade with this sory man.<br>Bot what he was sche wiste noght,<br>Bot al the Schip hire hath besoght<br>That sche hire wit on him despende,<br>In aunter if he myhte amende,<br>And sein it schal be wel aquit.<br>Whan sche hath understonden it,<br>Sche goth hir doun, ther as he lay,<br>Wher that sche harpeth many a lay <br>And lich an Angel sang withal;<br>Bot he nomore than the wal<br>Tok hiede of eny thing he herde.<br>And whan sche sih that he so ferde,<br>Sche falleth with him into wordes,<br>And telleth him of sondri bordes,<br>And axeth him demandes strange,<br>Wherof sche made his herte change,<br>And to hire speche his Ere he leide<br>And hath merveile of that sche seide. <br>For in proverbe and in probleme<br>Sche spak, and bad he scholde deme<br>In many soubtil question:<br>Bot he for no suggestioun<br>Which toward him sche couthe stere,<br>He wolde noght o word ansuere,<br>Bot as a madd man ate laste<br>His heved wepende awey he caste,<br>And half in wraththe he bad hire go.<br>Bot yit sche wolde noght do so, <br>And in the derke forth sche goth,<br>Til sche him toucheth, and he wroth,<br>And after hire with his hond<br>He smot: and thus whan sche him fond<br>Desesed, courtaisly sche saide,<br>'Avoi, mi lord, I am a Maide;<br>And if ye wiste what I am,<br>And out of what lignage I cam,<br>Ye wolde noght be so salvage.'<br>With that he sobreth his corage <br>And put awey his hevy chiere.<br>Bot of hem tuo a man mai liere<br>What is to be so sibb of blod:<br>Non wiste of other hou it stod,<br>And yit the fader ate laste<br>His herte upon this maide caste,<br>That he hire loveth kindely,<br>And yit he wiste nevere why.<br>Bot al was knowe er that thei wente;<br>For god, which wot here hol entente, <br>Here hertes bothe anon descloseth.<br>This king unto this maide opposeth,<br>And axeth ferst what was hire name,<br>And wher sche lerned al this game,<br>And of what ken that sche was come.<br>And sche, that hath hise wordes nome,<br>Ansuerth and seith, 'My name is Thaise,<br>That was som time wel at aise:<br>In Tharse I was forthdrawe and fed,<br>Ther lerned I, til I was sped, <br>Of that I can. Mi fader eke<br>I not wher that I scholde him seke;<br>He was a king, men tolde me:<br>Mi Moder dreint was in the See.'<br>Fro point to point al sche him tolde,<br>That sche hath longe in herte holde,<br>And nevere dorste make hir mone<br>Bot only to this lord al one,<br>To whom hire herte can noght hele,<br>Torne it to wo, torne it to wele, <br>Torne it to good, torne it to harm.<br>And he tho toke hire in his arm,<br>Bot such a joie as he tho made<br>Was nevere sen; thus be thei glade,<br>That s</div><div style="margin:10px 0"><br /></a><br />poem by <a href="http://en.citatepedia.ro/by.php?a=John+Gower">John Gower</a><div class=q> <img src="https://www.citatepedia.ro/g/32share.png" style="float:left" alt="Share"> <script type="text/javascript" src="//s7.addthis.com/js/300/addthis_widget.js#pubid=citatepedia" async="async"></script><div style="display:inline-block" class="addthis_sharing_toolbox" data-url="http://en.citatepedia.ro/comments.php?id=420404" data-title="Confessio Amantis. Explicit Liber Septimus de John Gower" data-description="Incipit Liber Octavus Que favet ad vicium vetus hec modo regula confert, Nec novus e contra qui docet ordo placet. Cecus amor dudum nondum sua lumina cepit, Quo Venus impositum devia fallit iter. ------------------------------------ ------------..."></div> </div> </div>

solid border dashed border dotted border double border groove border ridge border inset border outset border no border blue green red purple cyan gold silver black