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

Ben fully set to herkne and spire

       What eny man wol speke of hire. 2000

       Thus have I feigned compaignie

       Fulofte, for I wolde aspie

       What thing it is that eny man

       Telle of mi worthi lady can:

       And for tuo causes I do this,

       The ferste cause wherof is,-

       If that I myhte ofherkne and seke

       That eny man of hire mispeke,

       I wolde excuse hire so fully,

       That whan sche wist in inderly, 2010

       Min hope scholde be the more

       To have hir thank for everemore.

       That other cause, I you assure,

       Is, why that I be coverture

       Have feigned semblant ofte time

       To hem that passen alday byme

       And ben lovers als wel as I,

       For this I weene trewely,

       That ther is of hem alle non,

       That thei ne loven everich on 2020

       Mi ladi: for sothliche I lieve

       And durste setten it in prieve,

       Is non so wys that scholde asterte,

       Bot he were lustles in his herte,

       Forwhy and he my ladi sihe,

       Hir visage and hir goodlych yhe,

       Bot he hire lovede, er he wente.

       And for that such is myn entente,

       That is the cause of myn aspie,

       Why that I feigne compaignie 2030

       And make felawe overal;

       For gladly wolde I knowen al

       And holde me covert alway,

       That I fulofte ye or nay

       Ne liste ansuere in eny wise,

       Bot feigne semblant as the wise

       And herkne tales, til I knowe

       Mi ladi lovers al arowe.

       And whanne I hiere how thei have wroght,

       I fare as thogh I herde it noght 2040

       And as I no word understode;

       Bot that is nothing for here goode:

       For lieveth wel, the sothe is this,

       That whanne I knowe al how it is,

       I wol bot forthren hem a lite,

       Bot al the worste I can endite

       I telle it to my ladi plat

       In forthringe of myn oghne astat,

       And hindre hem al that evere I may.

       Bot for al that yit dar I say, 2050

       I finde unto miself no bote,

       Althogh myn herte nedes mote

       Thurgh strengthe of love al that I hiere

       Discovere unto my ladi diere:

       For in good feith I have no miht

       To hele fro that swete wiht,

       If that it touche hire eny thing.

       Bot this wot wel the hevene king,

       That sithen ferst this world began,

       Unto non other strange man 2060

       Ne feigned I semblant ne chiere,

       To wite or axe of his matiere,

       Thogh that he lovede ten or tuelve,

       Whanne it was noght my ladi selve:

       Bot if he wolde axe eny red

       Al onlich of his oghne hed,

       How he with other love ferde,

       His tales with myn Ere I herde,

       Bot to myn herte cam it noght

       Ne sank no deppere in my thoght, 2070

       Bot hield conseil, as I was bede,

       And tolde it nevere in other stede,

       Bot let it passen as it com.

       Now, fader, say what is thi dom,

       And hou thou wolt that I be peined

       For such Semblant as I have feigned.

       Mi Sone, if reson be wel peised,

       Ther mai no vertu ben unpreised

       Ne vice non be set in pris.

       Forthi, my Sone, if thou be wys, 2080

       Do no viser upon thi face,

       Which as wol noght thin herte embrace:

       For if thou do, withinne a throwe

       To othre men it schal be knowe,

       So miht thou lihtli falle in blame

       And lese a gret part of thi name.

       And natheles in this degree

       Fulofte time thou myht se

       Of suche men that now aday

       This vice setten in a say: 2090

       I speke it for no mannes blame,

       Bot forto warne thee the same.

       Mi Sone, as I mai hiere talke

       In every place where I walke,

       I not if it be so or non,

       Bot it is manye daies gon

       That I ferst herde telle this,

       How Falssemblant hath ben and is

       Most comunly fro yer to yere

       With hem that duelle among ous here, 2100

       Of suche as we Lombardes calle.

       For thei ben the slyeste of alle,

       So as men sein in toune aboute,

       To feigne and schewe thing withoute

       Which is revers to that withinne:

       Wherof that thei fulofte winne,

       Whan thei be reson scholden lese;

       Thei ben the laste and yit thei chese,

       And we the ferste, and yit behinde

       We gon, there as we scholden finde 2110

       The profit of oure oghne lond:

       Thus gon thei fre withoute bond

       To don her profit al at large,

       And othre men bere al the charge.

       Of Lombardz unto this covine,

       Whiche alle londes conne engine,

       Mai Falssemblant in special

       Be likned, for thei overal,

       Wher as they thenken forto duelle,

       Among hemself, so as thei telle, 2120

       Ferst ben enformed forto lere

       A craft which cleped is Fa crere:

       For if Fa crere come aboute,

       Thanne afterward hem stant no doute

       To voide with a soubtil hond

       The beste goodes of the lond

       And bringe chaf and take corn.

       Where as Fa crere goth toforn,

       In all his weie he fynt no lette;

       That Dore can non huissher schette 2130

       In which him list to take entre: