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第115章

confessio amantis-第115章

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What man he were; or evel or good。
And upon that his name stod
Enclin to vertu or to vice;
So wolde he sette him in office;
Or elles putte him al aweie。
Thus hield the lawe his rihte weie;
Which fond no let of covoitise:
The world stod than upon the wise;    2780
As be ensample thou myht rede;
And hold it in thi mynde; I rede。
In a Cronique I finde thus;
Hou that Gayus Fabricius;
Which whilom was Consul of Rome;
Be whom the lawes yede and come;
Whan the Sampnites to him broghte
A somme of gold; and him besoghte
To don hem favour in the lawe;
Toward the gold he gan him drawe;  2790
Wherof in alle mennes lok
A part up in his hond he tok;
Which to his mouth in alle haste
He putte; it forto smelle and taste;
And to his yhe and to his Ere;
Bot he ne fond no confort there:
And thanne he gan it to despise;
And tolde unto hem in this wise:
〃I not what is with gold to thryve;
Whan non of all my wittes fyve  2800
Fynt savour ne delit therinne。
So is it bot a nyce Sinne
Of gold to ben to covoitous;
Bot he is riche and glorious;
Which hath in his subjeccion
Tho men whiche in possession
Ben riche of gold; and be this skile;
For he mai aldai whan he wile;
Or be hem lieve or be hem lothe;
Justice don upon hem bothe。〃    2810
Lo; thus he seide; and with that word
He threw tofore hem on the bord
The gold out of his hond anon;
And seide hem that he wolde non:
So that he kepte his liberte
To do justice and equite;
Withoute lucre of such richesse。
Ther be nou fewe of suche; I gesse;
For it was thilke times used;
That every jugge was refused    2820
Which was noght frend to comun riht;
Bot thei that wolden stonde upriht
For trouthe only to do justice
Preferred were in thilke office
To deme and jugge commun lawe:
Which nou; men sein; is al withdrawe。
To sette a lawe and kepe it noght
Ther is no comun profit soght;
Bot above alle natheles
The lawe; which is mad for pes;    2830
Is good to kepe for the beste;
For that set alle men in reste。
The rihtful Emperour Conrade
To kepe pes such lawe made;
That non withinne the cite
In destorbance of unite
Dorste ones moeven a matiere。
For in his time; as thou myht hiere;
What point that was for lawe set
It scholde for no gold be let;  2840
To what persone that it were。
And this broghte in the comun fere;
Why every man the lawe dradde;
For ther was non which favour hadde。
So as these olde bokes sein;
I finde write hou a Romein;
Which Consul was of the Pretoire;
Whos name was Carmidotoire;
He sette a lawe for the pes;
That non; bot he be wepneles;   2850
Schal come into the conseil hous;
And elles as malicious
He schal ben of the lawe ded。
To that statut and to that red
Acorden alle it schal be so;
For certein cause which was tho:
Nou lest what fell therafter sone。
This Consul hadde forto done;
And was into the feldes ride;
And thei him hadden longe abide;   2860
That lordes of the conseil were;
And for him sende; and he cam there
With swerd begert; and hath foryete;
Til he was in the conseil sete。
Was non of hem that made speche;
Til he himself it wolde seche;
And fond out the defalte himselve;
And thanne he seide unto the tuelve;
Whiche of the Senat weren wise;
〃I have deserved the juise;  2870
In haste that it were do。〃
And thei him seiden alle no;
For wel thei wiste it was no vice;
Whan he ne thoghte no malice;
Bot onliche of a litel slouthe:
And thus thei leften as for routhe
To do justice upon his gilt;
For that he scholde noght be spilt。
And whanne he sih the maner hou
Thei wolde him save; he made avou  2880
With manfull herte; and thus he seide;
That Rome scholde nevere abreide
His heires; whan he were of dawe;
That here Ancestre brak the lawe。
Forthi; er that thei weren war;
Forth with the same swerd he bar
The statut of his lawe he kepte;
So that al Rome his deth bewepte。
In other place also I rede;
Wher that a jugge his oghne dede   2890
Ne wol noght venge of lawe broke;
The king it hath himselven wroke。
The grete king which Cambises
Was hote; a jugge laweles
He fond; and into remembrance
He dede upon him such vengance:
Out of his skyn he was beflain
Al quyk; and in that wise slain;
So that his skyn was schape al meete;
And nayled on the same seete    2900
Wher that his Sone scholde sitte。
Avise him; if he wolde flitte
The lawe for the coveitise;
Ther sih he redi his juise。
Thus in defalte of other jugge
The king mot otherwhile jugge;
To holden up the rihte lawe。
And forto speke of tholde dawe;
To take ensample of that was tho;
I finde a tale write also;   2910
Hou that a worthi prince is holde
The lawes of his lond to holde;
Ferst for the hihe goddes sake;
And ek for that him is betake
The poeple forto guide and lede;
Which is the charge of his kinghede。
In a Cronique I rede thus
Of the rihtful Ligurgius;
Which of Athenis Prince was;
Hou he the lawe in every cas;   2920
Wherof he scholde his poeple reule;
Hath set upon so good a reule;
In al this world that cite non
Of lawe was so wel begon
Forth with the trouthe of governance。
Ther was among hem no distance;
Bot every man hath his encress;
Ther was withoute werre pes;
Withoute envie love stod;
Richesse upon the comun good    2930
And noght upon the singuler
Ordeigned was; and the pouer
Of hem that weren in astat
Was sauf: wherof upon debat
Ther stod nothing; so that in reste
Mihte every man his herte reste。
And whan this noble rihtful king
Sih hou it ferde of al this thing;
Wherof the poeple stod in ese;
He; which for evere wolde plese    2940
The hihe god; whos thonk he soghte;
A wonder thing thanne him bethoghte;
And schop if that it myhte be;
Hou that his lawe in the cite
Mihte afterward for evere laste。

And therupon his wit he caste
What thing him were best to feigne;
That he his pourpos myhte atteigne。
A Parlement and thus he sette;
His wisdom wher that he besette    2950
In audience of grete and smale;
And in this wise he tolde his tale:
〃God wot; and so ye witen alle;
Hierafterward hou so it falle;
Yit into now my will hath be
To do justice and equite
In forthringe of comun profit;
Such hath ben evere my delit。
Bot of o thing I am beknowe;
The which mi will is that ye knowe:   2960
The lawe which I tok on honde;
Was altogedre of goddes sonde
And nothing of myn oghne wit;
So mot it nede endure yit;
And schal do lengere; if ye wile。
For I wol telle you the skile;
The god Mercurius and no man
He hath me tawht al that I can
Of suche lawes as I made;
Wherof that ye ben alle glade;  2970
It was the god and nothing I;
Which dede al this; and nou forthi
He hath comanded of his grace
That I schal come into a place
Which is forein out in an yle;
Wher I mot tarie for a while;
With him to speke; as he hath bede。
For as he seith; in thilke stede
He schal me suche thinges telle;
That evere; whyl the world schal duelle;    2980
Athenis schal the betre fare。
Bot ferst; er that I thider fare;
For that I wolde that mi lawe
Amonges you ne be withdrawe
Ther whyles that I schal ben oute;
Forthi to setten out of doute
Bothe you and me; this wol I preie;
That ye me wolde assure and seie
With such an oth as I wol take;
That ech of you schal undertake    2990
Mi lawes forto kepe and holde。〃
Thei seiden alle that thei wolde;
And therupon thei swore here oth;
That fro the time that he goth;
Til he to hem be come ayein;
Thei scholde hise lawes wel and plein
In every point kepe and fulfille。
Thus hath Ligurgius his wille;
And tok his leve and forth he wente。
Bot lest nou wel to what entente   3000
Of rihtwisnesse he dede so:
For after that he was ago;
He schop him nevere to be founde;
So that Athenis; which was bounde;
Nevere after scholde be relessed;
Ne thilke goode lawe cessed;
Which was for comun profit set。
And in this wise he hath it knet;
He; which the comun profit soghte;
The king; his oghne astat ne roghte;  3010
To do profit to the comune;
He tok of exil the fortune;
And lefte of Prince thilke office
Only for love and for justice;
Thurgh which he thoghte; if that he myhte;
For evere after his deth to rihte
The cite which was him betake。
Wherof men oghte ensample take
The goode lawes to avance
With hem which under governance

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