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

Wherof love owhte be mispaid.

       Now have ye herd and I have said; 550

       What wol ye, fader, that I do?

       Mi Sone, do nomore so,

       Bot evere kep thi tunge stille,

       Thou miht the more have of thi wille.

       For as thou saist thiselven here,

       Thi ladi is of such manere,

       So wys, so war in alle thinge,

       It nedeth of no bakbitinge

       That thou thi ladi mis enforme:

       For whan sche knoweth al the forme, 560

       How that thiself art envious,

       Thou schalt noght be so gracious

       As thou peraunter scholdest elles.

       Ther wol noman drinke of tho welles

       Whiche as he wot is puyson inne;

       And ofte swich as men beginne

       Towardes othre, swich thei finde,

       That set hem ofte fer behinde,

       Whan that thei wene be before.

       Mi goode Sone, and thou therfore 570

       Bewar and lef thi wicke speche,

       Wherof hath fallen ofte wreche

       To many a man befor this time.

       For who so wole his handes lime,

       Thei mosten be the more unclene;

       For many a mote schal be sene,

       That wolde noght cleve elles there;

       And that schold every wys man fere:

       For who so wol an other blame,

       He secheth ofte his oghne schame, 580

       Which elles myhte be riht stille.

       Forthi if that it be thi wille

       To stonde upon amendement,

       A tale of gret entendement

       I thenke telle for thi sake,

       Wherof thou miht ensample take.

       A worthi kniht in Cristes lawe

       Of grete Rome, as is the sawe,

       The Sceptre hadde forto rihte;

       Tiberie Constantin he hihte, 590

       Whos wif was cleped Ytalie:

       Bot thei togedre of progenie

       No children hadde bot a Maide;

       And sche the god so wel apaide,

       That al the wide worldes fame

       Spak worschipe of hire goode name.

       Constance, as the Cronique seith,

       Sche hihte, and was so ful of feith,

       That the greteste of Barbarie,

       Of hem whiche usen marchandie, 600

       Sche hath converted, as thei come

       To hire upon a time in Rome,

       To schewen such thing as thei broghte;

       Whiche worthili of hem sche boghte,

       And over that in such a wise

       Sche hath hem with hire wordes wise

       Of Cristes feith so full enformed,

       That thei therto ben all conformed,

       So that baptesme thei receiven

       And alle here false goddes weyven. 610

       Whan thei ben of the feith certein,

       Thei gon to Barbarie ayein,

       And ther the Souldan for hem sente

       And axeth hem to what entente

       Thei have here ferste feith forsake.

       And thei, whiche hadden undertake

       The rihte feith to kepe and holde,

       The matiere of here tale tolde

       With al the hole circumstance.

       And whan the Souldan of Constance 620

       Upon the point that thei ansuerde

       The beaute and the grace herde,

       As he which thanne was to wedde,

       In alle haste his cause spedde

       To sende for the mariage.

       And furthermor with good corage

       He seith, be so he mai hire have,

       That Crist, which cam this world to save,

       He woll believe: and this recorded,

       Thei ben on either side acorded, 630

       And therupon to make an ende

       The Souldan hise hostages sende

       To Rome, of Princes Sones tuelve:

       Wherof the fader in himselve

       Was glad, and with the Pope avised

       Tuo Cardinals he hath assissed

       With othre lordes many mo,

       That with his doghter scholden go,

       To se the Souldan be converted.

       Bot that which nevere was wel herted, 640

       Envie, tho began travaile

       In destourbance of this spousaile

       So prively that non was war.

       The Moder which this Souldan bar

       Was thanne alyve, and thoghte this

       Unto hirself: "If it so is

       Mi Sone him wedde in this manere,

       Than have I lost my joies hiere,

       For myn astat schal so be lassed."

       Thenkende thus sche hath compassed 650

       Be sleihte how that sche may beguile

       Hire Sone; and fell withinne a while,

       Betwen hem two whan that thei were,

       Sche feigneth wordes in his Ere,

       And in this wise gan to seie:

       "Mi Sone, I am be double weie

       With al myn herte glad and blithe,

       For that miself have ofte sithe

       Desired thou wolt, as men seith,

       Receive and take a newe feith, 660

       Which schal be forthringe of thi lif:

       And ek so worschipful a wif,

       The doughter of an Emperour,

       To wedde it schal be gret honour.

       Forthi, mi Sone, I you beseche

       That I such grace mihte areche,

       Whan that my doughter come schal,

       That I mai thanne in special,

       So as me thenkth it is honeste,

       Be thilke which the ferste feste 670

       Schal make unto hire welcominge."

       The Souldan granteth hire axinge,

       And sche therof was glad ynowh:

       For under that anon sche drowh

       With false wordes that sche spak

       Covine of deth behinde his bak.

       And therupon hire ordinance

       She made so, that whan Constance

       Was come forth with the Romeins,

       Of clerkes and of Citezeins,