Confessio Amantis; Or, Tales of the Seven Deadly Sins. John Gower

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       John Gower

      Confessio Amantis; Or, Tales of the Seven Deadly Sins

      Published by Good Press, 2019

       [email protected]

      EAN 4057664654212

Table of Contents

       Prologus

       Incipit Liber Primus

       Incipit Liber Secundus

       Incipit Liber Tercius

       Incipit Liber Quartus

       Incipit Liber Quintus

       Incipit Liber Sextus

       Incipit Liber Septimus.

       Incipit Liber Octavus

Prologus

       Table of Contents

      Torpor, ebes sensus, scola parua labor minimusque

       Causant quo minimus ipse minora canam:

       Qua tamen Engisti lingua canit Insula Bruti

       Anglica Carmente metra iuuante loquar.

       Ossibus ergo carens que conterit ossa loquelis

       Absit, et interpres stet procul oro malus.

      Of hem that writen ous tofore

       The bokes duelle, and we therfore

       Ben tawht of that was write tho:

       Forthi good is that we also

       In oure tyme among ous hiere

       Do wryte of newe som matiere,

       Essampled of these olde wyse

       So that it myhte in such a wyse,

       Whan we ben dede and elleswhere,

       Beleve to the worldes eere 10

       In tyme comende after this.

       Bot for men sein, and soth it is,

       That who that al of wisdom writ

       It dulleth ofte a mannes wit

       To him that schal it aldai rede,

       For thilke cause, if that ye rede,

       I wolde go the middel weie

       And wryte a bok betwen the tweie,

       Somwhat of lust, somewhat of lore,

       That of the lasse or of the more 20

       Som man mai lyke of that I wryte:

       And for that fewe men endite

       In oure englissh, I thenke make

       A bok for Engelondes sake,

       The yer sextenthe of kyng Richard.

       What schal befalle hierafterward

       God wot, for now upon this tyde

       Men se the world on every syde

       In sondry wyse so diversed,

       That it welnyh stant al reversed, 30

       As forto speke of tyme ago.

       The cause whi it changeth so

       It needeth nought to specifie,

       The thing so open is at ije

       That every man it mai beholde:

       And natheles be daies olde,

       Whan that the bokes weren levere,

       Wrytinge was beloved evere

       Of hem that weren vertuous;

       For hier in erthe amonges ous, 40

       If noman write hou that it stode,

       The pris of hem that weren goode

       Scholde, as who seith, a gret partie

       Be lost: so for to magnifie

       The worthi princes that tho were,

       The bokes schewen hiere and there,

       Wherof the world ensampled is;

       And tho that deden thanne amis

       Thurgh tirannie and crualte,

       Right as thei stoden in degre, 50

       So was the wrytinge of here werk.

       Thus I, which am a burel clerk,

       Purpose forto wryte a bok

       After the world that whilom tok

       Long tyme in olde daies passed:

       Bot for men sein it is now lassed,

       In worse plit than it was tho,

       I thenke forto touche also

       The world which neweth every dai,

       So as I can, so as I mai. 60

       Thogh I seknesse have upon honde

       And longe have had, yit woll I fonde

       To wryte and do my bisinesse,

       That in som part, so as I gesse,

       The wyse man mai ben avised.

       For this prologe is so assised

       That it to wisdom al belongeth:

       What wysman that it underfongeth,

       He schal drawe into remembrance

       The fortune of this worldes chance, 70

       The which noman in his persone

       Mai knowe, bot the god al one.

       Whan the prologe is so despended,

       This bok schal afterward ben ended

       Of love, which doth many a wonder

       And many a wys man hath put under.

       And in this wyse I thenke trete

       Towardes hem that now be grete,

       Betwen the vertu and the vice

       Which longeth unto this office. 80

       Bot for my wittes ben to smale

       To tellen every man his tale,

       This bok, upon amendment

       To stonde at his commandement,

       With whom myn herte is of accord,

       I sende unto myn oghne lord,

       Which of Lancastre is Henri named:

       The hyhe god him hath proclamed

       Ful of knyhthode and alle grace.

       So woll I now this werk embrace 90