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

Be Constellacion ne kinde:

       And thus Florent withoute cure

       Mot stonde upon his aventure,

       And is al schape unto the lere,

       As in defalte of his answere. 1510

       This knyht hath levere forto dye

       Than breke his trowthe and forto lye

       In place ther as he was swore,

       And schapth him gon ayein therfore.

       Whan time cam he tok his leve,

       That lengere wolde he noght beleve,

       And preith his Em he be noght wroth,

       For that is a point of his oth,

       He seith, that noman schal him wreke,

       Thogh afterward men hiere speke 1520

       That he par aventure deie.

       And thus he wente forth his weie

       Alone as knyht aventurous,

       And in his thoght was curious

       To wite what was best to do:

       And as he rod al one so,

       And cam nyh ther he wolde be,

       In a forest under a tre

       He syh wher sat a creature,

       A lothly wommannysch figure, 1530

       That forto speke of fleisch and bon

       So foul yit syh he nevere non.

       This knyht behield hir redely,

       And as he wolde have passed by,

       Sche cleped him and bad abide;

       And he his horse heved aside

       Tho torneth, and to hire he rod,

       And there he hoveth and abod,

       To wite what sche wolde mene.

       And sche began him to bemene, 1540

       And seide: "Florent be thi name,

       Thou hast on honde such a game,

       That bot thou be the betre avised,

       Thi deth is schapen and devised,

       That al the world ne mai the save,

       Bot if that thou my conseil have."

       Florent, whan he this tale herde,

       Unto this olde wyht answerde

       And of hir conseil he hir preide.

       And sche ayein to him thus seide: 1550

       "Florent, if I for the so schape,

       That thou thurgh me thi deth ascape

       And take worschipe of thi dede,

       What schal I have to my mede?"

       "What thing," quod he, "that thou wolt axe."

       "I bidde nevere a betre taxe,"

       Quod sche, "bot ferst, er thou be sped,

       Thou schalt me leve such a wedd,

       That I wol have thi trowthe in honde

       That thou schalt be myn housebonde." 1560

       "Nay," seith Florent, "that may noght be."

       "Ryd thanne forth thi wey," quod sche,

       "And if thou go withoute red,

       Thou schalt be sekerliche ded."

       Florent behihte hire good ynowh

       Of lond, of rente, of park, of plowh,

       Bot al that compteth sche at noght.

       Tho fell this knyht in mochel thoght,

       Now goth he forth, now comth ayein,

       He wot noght what is best to sein, 1570

       And thoghte, as he rod to and fro,

       That chese he mot on of the tuo,

       Or forto take hire to his wif

       Or elles forto lese his lif.

       And thanne he caste his avantage,

       That sche was of so gret an age,

       That sche mai live bot a while,

       And thoghte put hire in an Ile,

       Wher that noman hire scholde knowe,

       Til sche with deth were overthrowe. 1580

       And thus this yonge lusti knyht

       Unto this olde lothly wiht

       Tho seide: "If that non other chance

       Mai make my deliverance,

       Bot only thilke same speche

       Which, as thou seist, thou schalt me teche,

       Have hier myn hond, I schal thee wedde."

       And thus his trowthe he leith to wedde.

       With that sche frounceth up the browe:

       "This covenant I wol allowe," 1590

       Sche seith: "if eny other thing

       Bot that thou hast of my techyng

       Fro deth thi body mai respite,

       I woll thee of thi trowthe acquite,

       And elles be non other weie.

       Now herkne me what I schal seie.

       Whan thou art come into the place,

       Wher now thei maken gret manace

       And upon thi comynge abyde,

       Thei wole anon the same tide 1600

       Oppose thee of thin answere.

       I wot thou wolt nothing forbere

       Of that thou wenest be thi beste,

       And if thou myht so finde reste,

       Wel is, for thanne is ther nomore.

       And elles this schal be my lore,

       That thou schalt seie, upon this Molde

       That alle wommen lievest wolde

       Be soverein of mannes love:

       For what womman is so above, 1610

       Sche hath, as who seith, al hire wille;

       And elles may sche noght fulfille

       What thing hir were lievest have.

       With this answere thou schalt save

       Thiself, and other wise noght.

       And whan thou hast thin ende wroght,

       Com hier ayein, thou schalt me finde,

       And let nothing out of thi minde."

       He goth him forth with hevy chiere,

       As he that not in what manere 1620

       He mai this worldes joie atteigne:

       For if he deie, he hath a peine,

       And if he live, he mot him binde

       To such on which of alle kinde

       Of wommen is thunsemlieste:

       Thus wot he noght what is the beste:

       Bot be him lief or be him loth,

       Unto the Castell forth he goth

       His full answere forto yive,

       Or forto deie or forto live. 1630

       Forth with his conseil cam the lord,

       The thinges stoden of record,

       He sende up for the lady sone,

       And forth sche cam, that olde Mone.

       In presence of the remenant

       The strengthe of