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

And therupon if I schal sette

       Ensample, in holy cherche I finde

       How that Supplant is noght behinde;

       God wot if that it now be so:

       For in Cronique of time ago

       I finde a tale concordable

       Of Supplant, which that is no fable, 2800

       In the manere as I schal telle,

       So as whilom the thinges felle.

       At Rome, as it hath ofte falle,

       The vicair general of alle

       Of hem that lieven Cristes feith

       His laste day, which non withseith,

       Hath schet as to the worldes ije,

       Whos name if I schal specefie,

       He hihte Pope Nicolas.

       And thus whan that he passed was, 2810

       The Cardinals, that wolden save

       The forme of lawe, in the conclave

       Gon forto chese a newe Pope,

       And after that thei cowthe agrope

       Hath ech of hem seid his entente:

       Til ate laste thei assente

       Upon an holy clerk reclus,

       Which full was of gostli vertus;

       His pacience and his simplesse

       Hath set him into hih noblesse. 2820

       Thus was he Pope canonized,

       With gret honour and intronized,

       And upon chance as it is falle,

       His name Celestin men calle;

       Which notefied was be bulle

       To holi cherche and to the fulle

       In alle londes magnified.

       Bot every worschipe is envied,

       And that was thilke time sene:

       For whan this Pope of whom I meene 2830

       Was chose, and othre set beside,

       A Cardinal was thilke tide

       Which the papat longe hath desired

       And therupon gretli conspired;

       Bot whan he sih fortune is failed,

       For which long time he hath travailed,

       That ilke fyr which Ethna brenneth

       Thurghout his wofull herte renneth,

       Which is resembled to Envie,

       Wherof Supplant and tricherie 2840

       Engendred is; and natheles

       He feigneth love, he feigneth pes,

       Outward he doth the reverence,

       Bot al withinne his conscience

       Thurgh fals ymaginacioun

       He thoghte Supplantacioun.

       And therupon a wonder wyle

       He wroghte: for at thilke whyle

       It fell so that of his lignage

       He hadde a clergoun of yong age, 2850

       Whom he hath in his chambre affaited.

       This Cardinal his time hath waited,

       And with his wordes slyhe and queinte,

       The whiche he cowthe wysly peinte,

       He schop this clerk of which I telle

       Toward the Pope forto duelle,

       So that withinne his chambre anyht

       He lai, and was a prive wyht

       Toward the Pope on nyhtes tide.

       Mai noman fle that schal betide. 2860

       This Cardinal, which thoghte guile,

       Upon a day whan he hath while

       This yonge clerc unto him tok,

       And made him swere upon a bok,

       And told him what his wille was.

       And forth withal a Trompe of bras

       He hath him take, and bad him this:

       "Thou schalt," he seide, "whan time is

       Awaite, and take riht good kepe,

       Whan that the Pope is fast aslepe 2870

       And that non other man by nyh;

       And thanne that thou be so slyh

       Thurghout the Trompe into his Ere,

       Fro hevene as thogh a vois it were,

       To soune of such prolacioun

       That he his meditacioun

       Therof mai take and understonde,

       As thogh it were of goddes sonde.

       And in this wise thou schalt seie,

       That he do thilke astat aweie 2880

       Of Pope, in which he stant honoured,

       So schal his Soule be socoured

       Of thilke worschipe ate laste

       In hevene which schal evere laste."

       This clerc, whan he hath herd the forme

       How he the Pope scholde enforme,

       Tok of the Cardinal his leve,

       And goth him hom, til it was Eve,

       And prively the trompe he hedde,

       Til that the Pope was abedde. 2890

       And at the Midnyht, whan he knewh

       The Pope slepte, thanne he blewh

       Withinne his trompe thurgh the wal,

       And tolde in what manere he schal

       His Papacie leve, and take

       His ferste astat: and thus awake

       This holi Pope he made thries,

       Wherof diverse fantasies

       Upon his grete holinesse

       Withinne his herte he gan impresse. 2900

       The Pope ful of innocence

       Conceiveth in his conscience

       That it is goddes wille he cesse;

       Bot in what wise he may relesse

       His hihe astat, that wot he noght.

       And thus withinne himself bethoght,

       He bar it stille in his memoire,

       Til he cam to the Consistoire;

       And there in presence of hem alle

       He axeth, if it so befalle 2910

       That eny Pope cesse wolde,

       How that the lawe it soffre scholde.

       Thei seten alle stille and herde,

       Was non which to the point ansuerde,

       For to what pourpos that it mente

       Ther was noman knew his entente,

       Bot only he which schop the guile.

       This Cardinal the same while

       Al openly with wordes pleine

       Seith, if the Pope wolde ordeigne 2920

       That ther be such a lawe wroght,

       Than mihte he cesse, and elles noght.

       And as he seide, don it was;

       The Pope anon upon the cas

       Of his Papal Autorite

       Hath mad and yove the decre: