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

And whan that lawe was confermed

       In due forme and al affermed,

       This innocent, which was deceived,

       His Papacie anon hath weyved, 2930

       Renounced and resigned eke.

       That other was nothing to seke,

       Bot undernethe such a jape

       He hath so for himselve schape,

       That how as evere it him beseme,

       The Mitre with the Diademe

       He hath thurgh Supplantacion:

       And in his confirmacion

       Upon the fortune of his grace

       His name is cleped Boneface. 2940

       Under the viser of Envie,

       Lo, thus was hid the tricherie,

       Which hath beguiled manyon.

       Bot such conseil ther mai be non,

       With treson whan it is conspired,

       That it nys lich the Sparke fyred

       Up in the Rof, which for a throwe

       Lith hidd, til whan the wyndes blowe

       It blaseth out on every side.

       This Bonefas, which can noght hyde 2950

       The tricherie of his Supplant,

       Hath openly mad his avant

       How he the Papacie hath wonne.

       Bot thing which is with wrong begonne

       Mai nevere stonde wel at ende;

       Wher Pride schal the bowe bende,

       He schet fulofte out of the weie:

       And thus the Pope of whom I seie,

       Whan that he stod on hih the whiel,

       He can noght soffre himself be wel. 2960

       Envie, which is loveles,

       And Pride, which is laweles,

       With such tempeste made him erre,

       That charite goth out of herre:

       So that upon misgovernance

       Ayein Lowyz the king of France

       He tok querelle of his oultrage,

       And seide he scholde don hommage

       Unto the cherche bodily.

       Bot he, that wiste nothing why 2970

       He scholde do so gret servise

       After the world in such a wise,

       Withstod the wrong of that demande;

       For noght the Pope mai comande

       The king wol noght the Pope obeie.

       This Pope tho be alle weie

       That he mai worche of violence

       Hath sent the bulle of his sentence

       With cursinge and with enterdit.

       The king upon this wrongful plyt, 2980

       To kepe his regne fro servage,

       Conseiled was of his Barnage

       That miht with miht schal be withstonde.

       Thus was the cause take on honde,

       And seiden that the Papacie

       Thei wolde honoure and magnefie

       In al that evere is spirital;

       Bot thilke Pride temporal

       Of Boneface in his persone,

       Ayein that ilke wrong al one 2990

       Thei wolde stonden in debat:

       And thus the man and noght the stat

       The Frensche schopen be her miht

       To grieve. And fell ther was a kniht,

       Sire Guilliam de Langharet,

       Which was upon this cause set;

       And therupon he tok a route

       Of men of Armes and rod oute,

       So longe and in a wayt he lay,

       That he aspide upon a day 3000

       The Pope was at Avinoun,

       And scholde ryde out of the toun

       Unto Pontsorge, the which is

       A Castell in Provence of his.

       Upon the weie and as he rod,

       This kniht, which hoved and abod

       Embuisshed upon horse bak,

       Al sodeinliche upon him brak

       And hath him be the bridel sesed,

       And seide: "O thou, which hast desesed 3010

       The Court of France be thi wrong,

       Now schalt thou singe an other song:

       Thin enterdit and thi sentence

       Ayein thin oghne conscience

       Hierafter thou schalt fiele and grope.

       We pleigne noght ayein the Pope,

       For thilke name is honourable,

       Bot thou, which hast be deceivable

       And tricherous in al thi werk,

       Thou Bonefas, thou proude clerk, 3020

       Misledere of the Papacie,

       Thi false bodi schal abye

       And soffre that it hath deserved."

       Lo, thus the Supplantour was served;

       For thei him ladden into France

       And setten him to his penance

       Withinne a tour in harde bondes,

       Wher he for hunger bothe hise hondes

       Eet of and deide, god wot how:

       Of whom the wrytinge is yit now 3030

       Registred, as a man mai hiere,

       Which spekth and seith in this manere:

       Thin entre lich the fox was slyh,

       Thi regne also with pride on hih

       Was lich the Leon in his rage;

       Bot ate laste of thi passage

       Thi deth was to the houndes like.

       Such is the lettre of his Cronique

       Proclamed in the Court of Rome,

       Wherof the wise ensample nome. 3040

       And yit, als ferforth as I dar,

       I rede alle othre men be war,

       And that thei loke wel algate

       That non his oghne astat translate

       Of holi cherche in no degree

       Be fraude ne soubtilite:

       For thilke honour which Aaron tok

       Schal non receive, as seith the bok,

       Bot he be cleped as he was.

       What I schal thenken in this cas 3050

       Of that I hiere now aday,

       I not: bot he which can and may,

       Be reson bothe and be nature

       The help of every mannes cure,

       He kepe Simon fro the folde.

       For Joachim thilke Abbot tolde

       How suche daies scholden falle,

       That comunliche in places alle

       The Chapmen of such mercerie