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CONFESSIO AMANTIS

OR

or

TALES OF THE SEVEN DEADLY SINS

By John Gower 1330-1408 A.D.

Prologus

Torpor ebes sensus scola parua labor minimusque
Causant quo minimus ipse minora canam:
Qua tamen Engisti lingua canit Insula Bruti
Anglica Carmente metra iuuante loquar.
Ossibus ergo carens que conterit ossa loquelis
Absit et interpres stet procul oro malus.

Of hem that writen ous tofore
The bokes duelle and we therfore
Ben tawht of that was write tho:
Forthi good is that we also
In oure tyme among ous hiere
Do wryte of newe som matiere
Essampled of these olde wyse
So that it myhte in such a wyse
Whan we ben dede and elleswhere
Beleve to the worldes eere 10
In tyme comende after this.
Bot for men sein and soth it is
That who that al of wisdom writ
It dulleth ofte a mannes wit
To him that schal it aldai rede
For thilke cause if that ye rede
I wolde go the middel weie
And wryte a bok betwen the tweie
Somwhat of lust somewhat of lore
That of the lasse or of the more 20
Som man mai lyke of that I wryte:
And for that fewe men endite
In oure englissh I thenke make
A bok for Engelondes sake
The yer sextenthe of kyng Richard.
What schal befalle hierafterward
God wot for now upon this tyde
Men se the world on every syde
In sondry wyse so diversed
That it welnyh stant al reversed 30
As forto speke of tyme ago.
The cause whi it changeth so
It needeth nought to specifie
The thing so open is at ije
That every man it mai beholde:
And natheles be daies olde
Whan that the bokes weren levere
Wrytinge was beloved evere
Of hem that weren vertuous;
For hier in erthe amonges ous 40
If noman write hou that it stode
The pris of hem that weren goode
Scholde as who seith a gret partie
Be lost: so for to magnifie
The worthi princes that tho were
The bokes schewen hiere and there
Wherof the world ensampled is;
And tho that deden thanne amis
Thurgh tirannie and crualte
Right as thei stoden in degre 50
So was the wrytinge of here werk.
Thus I which am a burel clerk
Purpose forto wryte a bok
After the world that whilom tok
Long tyme in olde daies passed:
Bot for men sein it is now lassed
In worse plit than it was tho
I thenke forto touche also
The world which neweth every dai
So as I can so as I mai. 60
Thogh I seknesse have upon honde
And longe have had yit woll I fonde
To wryte and do my bisinesse
That in som part so as I gesse
The wyse man mai ben avised.
For this prologe is so assised
That it to wisdom al belongeth:
What wysman that it underfongeth
He schal drawe into remembrance
The fortune of this worldes chance 70
The which noman in his persone
Mai knowe bot the god al one.
Whan the prologe is so despended
This bok schal afterward ben ended
Of love which doth many a wonder
And many a wys man hath put under.
And in this wyse I thenke trete
Towardes hem that now be grete
Betwen the vertu and the vice
Which longeth unto this office. 80
Bot for my wittes ben to smale
To tellen every man his tale
This bok upon amendment
To stonde at his commandement
With whom myn herte is of accord
I sende unto myn oghne lord
Which of Lancastre is Henri named:
The hyhe god him hath proclamed
Ful of knyhthode and alle grace.
So woll I now this werk embrace 90
With hol trust and with hol believe;
God grante I mot it wel achieve.
If I schal drawe in to my mynde
The tyme passed thanne I fynde
The world stod thanne in al his welthe:
Tho was the lif of man in helthe
Tho was plente tho was richesse
Tho was the fortune of prouesse
Tho was knyhthode in pris be name
Wherof the wyde worldes fame 100
Write in Cronique is yit withholde;
Justice of lawe tho was holde
The privilege of regalie
Was sauf and al the baronie
Worschiped was in his astat;
The citees knewen no debat
The poeple stod in obeissance
Under the reule of governance
And pes which ryhtwisnesse keste
With charite tho stod in reste: 110
Of mannes herte the corage
Was schewed thanne in the visage;
The word was lich to the conceite
Withoute semblant of deceite:
Tho was ther unenvied love
Tho was the vertu sett above
And vice was put under fote.
Now stant the crop under the rote
The world is changed overal
And therof most in special 120
That love is falle into discord.
And that I take to record
Of every lond for his partie
The comun vois which mai noght lie;
Noght upon on bot upon alle
It is that men now clepe and calle
And sein the regnes ben divided
In stede of love is hate guided
The werre wol no pes purchace
And lawe hath take hire double face 130
So that justice out of the weie
With ryhtwisnesse is gon aweie:
And thus to loke on every halve
Men sen the sor withoute salve
Which al the world hath overtake.
Ther is no regne of alle outtake
For every climat hath his diel
After the tornynge of the whiel
Which blinde fortune overthroweth;
Wherof the certain noman knoweth: 140
The hevene wot what is to done
Bot we that duelle under the mone
Stonde in this world upon a weer
And namely bot the pouer
Of hem that ben the worldes guides
With good consail on alle sides
Be kept upriht in such a wyse
That hate breke noght thassise
Of love which is al the chief
To kepe a regne out of meschief. 150
For alle resoun wolde this
That unto him which the heved is
The membres buxom scholden bowe
And he scholde ek her trowthe allowe
With al his herte and make hem chiere
For good consail is good to hiere.
Althogh a man be wys himselve
Yit is the wisdom more of tuelve;
And if thei stoden bothe in on
To hope it were thanne anon 160
That god his grace wolde sende
To make of thilke werre an ende
Which every day now groweth newe:
And that is gretly forto rewe
In special for Cristes sake
Which wolde his oghne lif forsake
Among the men to yeve pes.
But now men tellen natheles
That love is fro the world departed
So stant the pes unevene parted 170
With hem that liven now adaies.
Bot forto loke at alle assaies
To him that wolde resoun seche
After the comun worldes speche
It is to wondre of thilke werre
In which non wot who hath the werre;
For every lond himself deceyveth
And of desese his part receyveth
And yet ne take men no kepe.
Bot thilke lord which al may kepe 180
To whom no consail may ben hid
Upon the world which is betid
Amende that wherof men pleigne
With trewe hertes and with pleine
And reconcile love ayeyn
As he which is king sovereign
Of al the worldes governaunce
And of his hyhe porveaunce
Afferme pes betwen the londes
And take her cause into hise hondes 190
So that the world may stonde apppesed
And his godhede also be plesed.
To thenke upon the daies olde
The lif of clerkes to beholde
Men sein how that thei weren tho
Ensample and reule of alle tho
Whiche of wisdom the vertu soughten.
...

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