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

Wher thou be nyhte, as we thee seie,

       Of him schalt take avisioun.

       For upon thi condicioun,

       The which is chaste and ful of feith,

       Such pris, as he ous tolde, he leith,

       That he wol stonde of thin acord;

       And forto bere hierof record 850

       He sende ous hider bothe tuo."

       Glad was hire innocence tho

       Of suche wordes as sche herde,

       With humble chiere and thus answerde,

       And seide that the goddes wille

       Sche was al redy to fulfille,

       That be hire housebondes leve

       Sche wolde in Ysis temple at eve

       Upon hire goddes grace abide,

       To serven him the nyhtes tide. 860

       The Prestes tho gon hom ayein,

       And sche goth to hire sovereign,

       Of goddes wille and as it was

       Sche tolde him al the pleine cas,

       Wherof he was deceived eke,

       And bad that sche hire scholde meke

       Al hol unto the goddes heste.

       And thus sche, which was al honeste

       To godward after hire entente,

       At nyht unto the temple wente, 870

       Wher that the false Prestes were;

       And thei receiven hire there

       With such a tokne of holinesse,

       As thogh thei syhen a godesse,

       And al withinne in prive place

       A softe bedd of large space

       Thei hadde mad and encourtined,

       Wher sche was afterward engined.

       Bot sche, which al honour supposeth,

       The false Prestes thanne opposeth, 880

       And axeth be what observance

       Sche myhte most to the plesance

       Of godd that nyhtes reule kepe:

       And thei hire bidden forto slepe

       Liggende upon the bedd alofte,

       For so, thei seide, al stille and softe

       God Anubus hire wolde awake.

       The conseil in this wise take,

       The Prestes fro this lady gon;

       And sche, that wiste of guile non, 890

       In the manere as it was seid

       To slepe upon the bedd is leid,

       In hope that sche scholde achieve

       Thing which stod thanne upon bilieve,

       Fulfild of alle holinesse.

       Bot sche hath failed, as I gesse,

       For in a closet faste by

       The Duck was hid so prively

       That sche him myhte noght perceive;

       And he, that thoghte to deceive, 900

       Hath such arrai upon him nome,

       That whanne he wolde unto hir come,

       It scholde semen at hire yhe

       As thogh sche verrailiche syhe

       God Anubus, and in such wise

       This ypocrite of his queintise

       Awaiteth evere til sche slepte.

       And thanne out of his place he crepte

       So stille that sche nothing herde,

       And to the bedd stalkende he ferde, 910

       And sodeinly, er sche it wiste,

       Beclipt in armes he hire kiste:

       Wherof in wommanysshe drede

       Sche wok and nyste what to rede;

       Bot he with softe wordes milde

       Conforteth hire and seith, with childe

       He wolde hire make in such a kynde

       That al the world schal have in mynde

       The worschipe of that ilke Sone;

       For he schal with the goddes wone, 920

       And ben himself a godd also.

       With suche wordes and with mo,

       The whiche he feigneth in his speche,

       This lady wit was al to seche,

       As sche which alle trowthe weneth:

       Bot he, that alle untrowthe meneth,

       With blinde tales so hire ladde,

       That all his wille of hire he hadde.

       And whan him thoghte it was ynowh,

       Ayein the day he him withdrowh 930

       So prively that sche ne wiste

       Wher he becom, bot as him liste

       Out of the temple he goth his weie.

       And sche began to bidde and preie

       Upon the bare ground knelende,

       And after that made hire offrende,

       And to the Prestes yiftes grete

       Sche yaf, and homward be the Strete.

       The Duck hire mette and seide thus:

       "The myhti godd which Anubus 940

       Is hote, he save the, Pauline,

       For thou art of his discipline

       So holy, that no mannes myht

       Mai do that he hath do to nyht

       Of thing which thou hast evere eschuied.

       Bot I his grace have so poursuied,

       That I was mad his lieutenant:

       Forthi be weie of covenant

       Fro this day forth I am al thin,

       And if thee like to be myn, 950

       That stant upon thin oghne wille."

       Sche herde his tale and bar it stille,

       And hom sche wente, as it befell,

       Into hir chambre, and ther sche fell

       Upon hire bedd to wepe and crie,

       And seide: "O derke ypocrisie,

       Thurgh whos dissimilacion

       Of fals ymaginacion

       I am thus wickedly deceived!

       Bot that I have it aperceived 960

       I thonke unto the goddes alle;

       For thogh it ones be befalle,

       It schal nevere eft whil that I live,

       And thilke avou to godd I yive."

       And thus wepende sche compleigneth,

       Hire faire face and al desteigneth

       With wofull teres of hire ije,

       So that upon this agonie

       Hire housebonde is inne come,

       And syh how sche was overcome 970

       With sorwe, and axeth what hire eileth.

       And sche with that hirself beweileth

       Welmore than sche dede afore,

       And seide, "Helas, wifhode is lore

       In me, which whilom was honeste,