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

upon his tricherie

       A lesinge in his herte he caste.

       Til he cam home he hieth faste,

       And doth his ladi tunderstonde

       The Message of hire housebonde:

       And therupon the longe dai

       Thei setten thinges in arrai,

       That al was as it scholde be

       Of every thing in his degree; 820

       And whan it cam into the nyht,

       This wif hire hath to bedde dyht,

       Wher that this Maiden with hire lay.

       This false knyht upon delay

       Hath taried til thei were aslepe,

       As he that wolde his time kepe

       His dedly werkes to fulfille;

       And to the bed he stalketh stille,

       Wher that he wiste was the wif,

       And in his hond a rasour knif 830

       He bar, with which hire throte he cutte,

       And prively the knif he putte

       Under that other beddes side,

       Wher that Constance lai beside.

       Elda cam hom the same nyht,

       And stille with a prive lyht,

       As he that wolde noght awake

       His wif, he hath his weie take

       Into the chambre, and ther liggende

       He fond his dede wif bledende, 840

       Wher that Constance faste by

       Was falle aslepe; and sodeinly

       He cride alowd, and sche awok,

       And forth withal sche caste a lok

       And sih this ladi blede there,

       Wherof swoundende ded for fere

       Sche was, and stille as eny Ston

       She lay, and Elda therupon

       Into the Castell clepeth oute,

       And up sterte every man aboute, 850

       Into the chambre and forth thei wente.

       Bot he, which alle untrouthe mente,

       This false knyht, among hem alle

       Upon this thing which is befalle

       Seith that Constance hath don this dede;

       And to the bed with that he yede

       After the falshed of his speche,

       And made him there forto seche,

       And fond the knif, wher he it leide,

       And thanne he cride and thanne he seide, 860

       "Lo, seth the knif al blody hiere!

       What nedeth more in this matiere

       To axe?" And thus hire innocence

       He sclaundreth there in audience

       With false wordes whiche he feigneth.

       Bot yit for al that evere he pleigneth,

       Elda no full credence tok:

       And happeth that ther lay a bok,

       Upon the which, whan he it sih,

       This knyht hath swore and seid on hih, 870

       That alle men it mihte wite,

       "Now be this bok, which hier is write,

       Constance is gultif, wel I wot."

       With that the hond of hevene him smot

       In tokne of that he was forswore,

       That he hath bothe hise yhen lore,

       Out of his hed the same stounde

       Thei sterte, and so thei weren founde.

       A vois was herd, whan that they felle,

       Which seide, "O dampned man to helle, 880

       Lo, thus hath god the sclaundre wroke

       That thou ayein Constance hast spoke:

       Beknow the sothe er that thou dye."

       And he told out his felonie,

       And starf forth with his tale anon.

       Into the ground, wher alle gon,

       This dede lady was begrave:

       Elda, which thoghte his honour save,

       Al that he mai restreigneth sorwe.

       For the seconde day a morwe 890

       The king cam, as thei were acorded;

       And whan it was to him recorded

       What god hath wroght upon this chaunce,

       He tok it into remembrance

       And thoghte more than he seide.

       For al his hole herte he leide

       Upon Constance, and seide he scholde

       For love of hire, if that sche wolde,

       Baptesme take and Cristes feith

       Believe, and over that he seith 900

       He wol hire wedde, and upon this

       Asseured ech til other is.

       And forto make schorte tales,

       Ther cam a Bisschop out of Wales

       Fro Bangor, and Lucie he hihte,

       Which thurgh the grace of god almihte

       The king with many an other mo

       Hath cristned, and betwen hem tuo

       He hath fulfild the mariage.

       Bot for no lust ne for no rage 910

       Sche tolde hem nevere what sche was;

       And natheles upon the cas

       The king was glad, how so it stod,

       For wel he wiste and understod

       Sche was a noble creature.

       The hihe makere of nature

       Hire hath visited in a throwe,

       That it was openliche knowe

       Sche was with childe be the king,

       Wherof above al other thing 920

       He thonketh god and was riht glad.

       And fell that time he was bestad

       Upon a werre and moste ride;

       And whil he scholde there abide,

       He lefte at hom to kepe his wif

       Suche as he knew of holi lif,

       Elda forth with the Bisschop eke;

       And he with pouer goth to seke

       Ayein the Scottes forto fonde

       The werre which he tok on honde. 930

       The time set of kinde is come,

       This lady hath hire chambre nome,

       And of a Sone bore full,

       Wherof that sche was joiefull,

       Sche was delivered sauf and sone.

       The bisshop, as it was to done,

       Yaf him baptesme and Moris calleth;

       And therupon, as it befalleth,

       With lettres writen of record

       Thei sende unto here liege lord, 940

       That kepers weren of the qweene:

       And he that scholde go betwene,

       The Messager, to Knaresburgh,