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

I am non other than a beste,

       Now I defouled am of tuo."

       And as sche myhte speke tho,

       Aschamed with a pitous onde

       Sche tolde unto hir housebonde 980

       The sothe of al the hole tale,

       And in hire speche ded and pale

       Sche swouneth welnyh to the laste.

       And he hire in hise armes faste

       Uphield, and ofte swor his oth

       That he with hire is nothing wroth,

       For wel he wot sche may ther noght:

       Bot natheles withinne his thoght

       His herte stod in sori plit,

       And seide he wolde of that despit 990

       Be venged, how so evere it falle,

       And sende unto hise frendes alle.

       And whan thei weren come in fere,

       He tolde hem upon this matiere,

       And axeth hem what was to done:

       And thei avised were sone,

       And seide it thoghte hem for the beste

       To sette ferst his wif in reste,

       And after pleigne to the king

       Upon the matiere of this thing. 1000

       Tho was this wofull wif conforted

       Be alle weies and desported,

       Til that sche was somdiel amended;

       And thus a day or tuo despended,

       The thridde day sche goth to pleigne

       With many a worthi Citezeine,

       And he with many a Citezein.

       Whan themperour it herde sein,

       And knew the falshed of the vice,

       He seide he wolde do justice: 1010

       And ferst he let the Prestes take,

       And for thei scholde it noght forsake,

       He put hem into questioun;

       Bot thei of the suggestioun

       Ne couthen noght a word refuse,

       Bot for thei wolde hemself excuse,

       The blame upon the Duck thei leide.

       Bot therayein the conseil seide

       That thei be noght excused so,

       For he is on and thei ben tuo, 1020

       And tuo han more wit then on,

       So thilke excusement was non.

       And over that was seid hem eke,

       That whan men wolden vertu seke,

       Men scholde it in the Prestes finde;

       Here ordre is of so hyh a kinde,

       That thei be Duistres of the weie:

       Forthi, if eny man forsueie

       Thurgh hem, thei be noght excusable.

       And thus be lawe resonable 1030

       Among the wise jugges there

       The Prestes bothe dampned were,

       So that the prive tricherie

       Hid under fals Ipocrisie

       Was thanne al openliche schewed,

       That many a man hem hath beschrewed.

       And whan the Prestes weren dede,

       The temple of thilke horrible dede

       Thei thoghten purge, and thilke ymage,

       Whos cause was the pelrinage, 1040

       Thei drowen out and als so faste

       Fer into Tibre thei it caste,

       Wher the Rivere it hath defied:

       And thus the temple purified

       Thei have of thilke horrible Sinne,

       Which was that time do therinne.

       Of this point such was the juise,

       Bot of the Duck was other wise:

       For he with love was bestad,

       His dom was noght so harde lad; 1050

       For Love put reson aweie

       And can noght se the rihte weie.

       And be this cause he was respited,

       So that the deth him was acquited,

       Bot for al that he was exiled,

       For he his love hath so beguiled,

       That he schal nevere come ayein:

       For who that is to trowthe unplein,

       He may noght failen of vengance.

       And ek to take remembrance 1060

       Of that Ypocrisie hath wroght

       On other half, men scholde noght

       To lihtly lieve al that thei hiere,

       Bot thanne scholde a wisman stiere

       The Schip, whan suche wyndes blowe:

       For ferst thogh thei beginne lowe,

       At ende thei be noght menable,

       Bot al tobreken Mast and Cable,

       So that the Schip with sodein blast,

       Whan men lest wene, is overcast; 1070

       As now fulofte a man mai se:

       And of old time how it hath be

       I finde a gret experience,

       Wherof to take an evidence

       Good is, and to be war also

       Of the peril, er him be wo.

       Of hem that ben so derk withinne,

       At Troie also if we beginne,

       Ipocrisie it hath betraied:

       For whan the Greks hadde al assaied, 1080

       And founde that be no bataille

       Ne be no Siege it myhte availe

       The toun to winne thurgh prouesse,

       This vice feigned of simplesce

       Thurgh sleyhte of Calcas and of Crise

       It wan be such a maner wise.

       An Hors of Bras thei let do forge

       Of such entaile, of such a forge,

       That in this world was nevere man

       That such an other werk began. 1090

       The crafti werkman Epius

       It made, and forto telle thus,

       The Greks, that thoghten to beguile

       The kyng of Troie, in thilke while

       With Anthenor and with Enee,

       That were bothe of the Cite

       And of the conseil the wiseste,

       The richeste and the myhtieste,

       In prive place so thei trete

       With fair beheste and yiftes grete 1100

       Of gold, that thei hem have engined;

       Togedre and whan thei be covined,

       Thei feignen forto make a pes,

       And under that yit natheles

       Thei schopen the destruccioun

       Bothe of the kyng and of the toun.

       And thus the false pees was take