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

The false tunges weren lore,

       Whiche upon love wolden lie.

       Forthi touchende of this Envie

       Which longeth unto bacbitinge,

       Be war thou make no lesinge

       In hindringe of an other wiht:

       And if thou wolt be tawht ariht

       What meschief bakbitinge doth

       Be other weie, a tale soth 1610

       Now miht thou hiere next suiende,

       Which to this vice is acordende.

       In a Cronique, as thou schalt wite,

       A gret ensample I finde write,

       Which I schal telle upon this thing.

       Philippe of Macedoyne kyng

       Two Sones hadde be his wif,

       Whos fame is yit in Grece rif:

       Demetrius the ferste brother

       Was hote, and Perse.s that other. 1620

       Demetrius men seiden tho

       The betre knyht was of the tuo,

       To whom the lond was entendant,

       As he which heir was apparant

       To regne after his fader dai:

       Bot that thing which no water mai

       Quenche in this world, bot evere brenneth,

       Into his brother herte it renneth,

       The proude Envie of that he sih

       His brother scholde clymbe on hih, 1630

       And he to him mot thanne obeie:

       That may he soffre be no weie.

       With strengthe dorst he nothing fonde,

       So tok he lesinge upon honde,

       Whan he sih time and spak therto.

       For it befell that time so,

       His fader grete werres hadde

       With Rome, whiche he streite ladde

       Thurgh mihty hond of his manhode,

       As he which hath ynowh knihthode, 1640

       And ofte hem hadde sore grieved.

       Bot er the werre were achieved,

       As he was upon ordinance

       At hom in Grece, it fell per chance,

       Demetrius, which ofte aboute

       Ridende was, stod that time oute,

       So that this Perse in his absence,

       Which bar the tunge of pestilence,

       With false wordes whiche he feigneth

       Upon his oghne brother pleigneth 1650

       In privete behinde his bak,

       And to his fader thus he spak:

       "Mi diere fader, I am holde

       Be weie of kinde, as resoun wolde,

       That I fro yow schal nothing hide,

       Which mihte torne in eny side

       Of youre astat into grevance:

       Forthi myn hertes obeissance

       Towardes you I thenke kepe;

       For it is good ye take kepe 1660

       Upon a thing which is me told.

       Mi brother hath ous alle sold

       To hem of Rome, and you also;

       For thanne they behote him so,

       That he with hem schal regne in pes.

       Thus hath he cast for his encress

       That youre astat schal go to noght;

       And this to proeve schal be broght

       So ferforth, that I undertake

       It schal noght wel mow be forsake." 1670

       The king upon this tale ansuerde

       And seide, if this thing which he herde

       Be soth and mai be broght to prove,

       "It schal noght be to his behove,

       Which so hath schapen ous the werste,

       For he himself schal be the ferste

       That schal be ded, if that I mai."

       Thus afterward upon a dai,

       Whan that Demetrius was come,

       Anon his fader hath him nome, 1680

       And bad unto his brother Perse

       That he his tale schal reherse

       Of thilke tresoun which he tolde.

       And he, which al untrowthe wolde,

       Conseileth that so hih a nede

       Be treted wher as it mai spede,

       In comun place of juggement.

       The king therto yaf his assent,

       Demetrius was put in hold,

       Wherof that Perse.s was bold. 1690

       Thus stod the trowthe under the charge,

       And the falshede goth at large,

       Which thurgh beheste hath overcome

       The greteste of the lordes some,

       That privelich of his acord

       Thei stonde as witnesse of record:

       The jugge was mad favorable:

       Thus was the lawe deceivable

       So ferforth that the trowthe fond

       Rescousse non, and thus the lond 1700

       Forth with the king deceived were.

       The gulteles was dampned there

       And deide upon accusement:

       Bot such a fals conspirement,

       Thogh it be prive for a throwe,

       Godd wolde noght it were unknowe;

       And that was afterward wel proved

       In him which hath the deth controved.

       Of that his brother was so slain

       This Perse.s was wonder fain, 1710

       As he that tho was apparant,

       Upon the Regne and expectant;

       Wherof he wax so proud and vein,

       That he his fader in desdeign

       Hath take and set of non acompte,

       As he which thoghte him to surmonte;

       That wher he was ferst debonaire,

       He was tho rebell and contraire,

       And noght as heir bot as a king

       He tok upon him alle thing 1720

       Of malice and of tirannie

       In contempt of the Regalie,

       Livende his fader, and so wroghte,

       That whan the fader him bethoghte

       And sih to whether side it drowh,

       Anon he wiste well ynowh

       How Perse after his false tunge

       Hath so thenvious belle runge,

       That he hath slain his oghne brother.

       Wherof as thanne he knew non other, 1730

       Bot sodeinly the jugge he nom,

       Which corrupt sat upon the dom,

       In such a wise and hath him pressed,