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第119章

confessio amantis-第119章

小说: confessio amantis 字数: 每页4000字

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And thus stalkende forth a pas
This noble Duk; whan time was;  3760
His pot tobrak and loude ascride;
And tho thei breke on every side。
The trompe was noght forto seke;
He blew; and so thei blewen eke
With such a noise among hem alle;
As thogh the hevene scholde falle。
The hull unto here vois ansuerde;
This host in the valleie it herde;
And sih hou that the hell alyhte;
So what of hieringe and of sihte;  3770
Thei cawhten such a sodein feere;
That non of hem belefte there:
The tentes hole thei forsoke;
That thei non other good ne toke;
Bot only with here bodi bare
Thei fledde; as doth the wylde Hare。
And evere upon the hull thei blewe;
Til that thei sihe time; and knewe
That thei be fled upon the rage;
And whan thei wiste here avantage;    3780
Thei felle anon unto the chace。
Thus myht thou sen hou goddes grace
Unto the goode men availeth;
But elles ofte time it faileth
To suche as be noght wel disposed。
This tale nedeth noght be glosed;
For it is openliche schewed
That god to hem that ben wel thewed
Hath yove and granted the victoire:
So that thensample of this histoire   3790
Is good for every king to holde;
Ferst in himself that he beholde
If he be good of his livinge;
And that the folk which he schal bringe
Be good also; for thanne he may
Be glad of many a merie day;
In what as evere he hath to done。
For he which sit above the Mone
And alle thing mai spille and spede;
In every cause; in every nede   3800
His goode king so wel adresceth;
That alle his fomen he represseth;
So that ther mai noman him dere;
And als so wel he can forbere;
And soffre a wickid king to falle
In hondes of his fomen alle。
Nou forthermore if I schal sein
Of my matiere; and torne ayein
To speke of justice and Pite
After the reule of realte;   3810
This mai a king wel understonde;
Knihthode mot ben take on honde;
Whan that it stant upon the nede:
He schal no rihtful cause drede;
Nomore of werre thanne of pes;
If he wol stonde blameles;
For such a cause a king mai have
That betre him is to sle than save;
Wherof thou myht ensample finde。
The hihe makere of mankinde  3820
Be Samuel to Sal bad;
That he schal nothing ben adrad
Ayein king Agag forto fihte;
For this the godhede him behihte;
That Agag schal ben overcome:
And whan it is so ferforth come;
That Sal hath him desconfit;
The god bad make no respit;
That he ne scholde him slen anon。
Bot Sal let it overgon  3830
And dede noght the goddes heste:
For Agag made gret beheste
Of rancoun which he wolde yive;
King Sal soffreth him to live
And feigneth pite forth withal。
Bot he which seth and knoweth al;
The hihe god; of that he feigneth
To Samuel upon him pleigneth;
And sende him word; for that he lefte
Of Agag that he ne berefte   3840
The lif; he schal noght only dye
Himself; bot fro his regalie
He schal be put for everemo;
Noght he; bot ek his heir also;
That it schal nevere come ayein。
Thus myht thou se the sothe plein;
That of tomoche and of tolyte
Upon the Princes stant the wyte。
Bot evere it was a kinges riht
To do the dedes of a knyht;  3850
For in the handes of a king
The deth and lif is al o thing
After the lawes of justice。
To slen it is a dedly vice;
Bot if a man the deth deserve;
And if a king the lif preserve
Of him which oghte forto dye;
He suieth noght thensamplerie
Which in the bible is evident:
Hou David in his testament;  3860
Whan he no lengere myhte live;
Unto his Sone in charge hath yive
That he Joab schal slen algate;
And whan David was gon his gate;
The yonge wise Salomon
His fader heste dede anon;
And slouh Joab in such a wise;
That thei that herden the juise
Evere after dradden him the more;
And god was ek wel paid therfore;  3870
That he so wolde his herte plye
The lawes forto justefie。
And yit he kepte forth withal
Pite; so as a Prince schal;
That he no tirannie wroghte;
He fond the wisdom which he soghte;
And was so rihtful natheles;
That al his lif he stod in pes;
That he no dedly werres hadde;
For every man his wisdom dradde。   3880
And as he was himselve wys;
Riht so the worthi men of pris
He hath of his conseil withholde;
For that is every Prince holde;
To make of suche his retenue
Whiche wise ben; and to remue
The foles: for ther is nothing
Which mai be betre aboute a king;
Than conseil; which is the substance
Of all a kinges governance。  3890
In Salomon a man mai see
What thing of most necessite
Unto a worthi king belongeth。
Whan he his kingdom underfongeth;
God bad him chese what he wolde;
And seide him that he have scholde
What he wolde axe; as of o thing。
And he; which was a newe king;
Forth therupon his bone preide
To god; and in this wise he seide:    3900
〃O king; be whom that I schal regne;
Yif me wisdom; that I my regne;
Forth with thi poeple which I have;
To thin honour mai kepe and save。〃
Whan Salomon his bone hath taxed;
The god of that which he hath axed
Was riht wel paid; and granteth sone
Noght al only that he his bone
Schal have of that; bot of richesse;
Of hele; of pes; of hih noblesse;  3910
Forth with wisdom at his axinges;
Which stant above alle othre thinges。
Bot what king wole his regne save;
Ferst him behoveth forto have
After the god and his believe
Such conseil which is to believe;
Fulfild of trouthe and rihtwisnesse:
Bot above alle in his noblesse
Betwen the reddour and pite
A king schal do such equite  3920
And sette the balance in evene;
So that the hihe god in hevene
And al the poeple of his nobleie
Loange unto his name seie。
For most above all erthli good;
Wher that a king himself is good
It helpeth; for in other weie
If so be that a king forsueie;
Fulofte er this it hath be sein;
The comun poeple is overlein    3930
And hath the kinges Senne aboght;
Al thogh the poeple agulte noght。
Of that the king his god misserveth;
The poeple takth that he descerveth
Hier in this world; bot elleswhere
I not hou it schal stonde there。
Forthi good is a king to triste
Ferst to himself; as he ne wiste
Non other help bot god alone;
So schal the reule of his persone  3940
Withinne himself thurgh providence
Ben of the betre conscience。
And forto finde ensample of this;
A tale I rede; and soth it is。
In a Cronique it telleth thus:
The king of Rome Lucius
Withinne his chambre upon a nyht
The Steward of his hous; a knyht;
Forth with his Chamberlein also;
To conseil hadde bothe tuo;  3950
And stoden be the Chiminee
Togedre spekende alle thre。
And happeth that the kinges fol
Sat be the fyr upon a stol;
As he that with his babil pleide;
Bot yit he herde al that thei seide;
And therof token thei non hiede。
The king hem axeth what to rede
Of such matiere as cam to mouthe;
And thei him tolden as thei couthe。   3960
Whan al was spoke of that thei mente;
The king with al his hole entente
Thanne ate laste hem axeth this;
What king men tellen that he is:
Among the folk touchende his name;
Or be it pris; or be it blame;
Riht after that thei herden sein;
He bad hem forto telle it plein;
That thei no point of soth forbere;
Be thilke feith that thei him bere。   3970
The Steward ferst upon this thing
Yaf his ansuere unto the king
And thoghte glose in this matiere;
And seide; als fer as he can hiere;
His name is good and honourable:
Thus was the Stieward favorable;
That he the trouthe plein ne tolde。
The king thanne axeth; as he scholde;
The Chamberlein of his avis。
And he; that was soubtil and wys;  3980
And somdiel thoghte upon his feith;
Him tolde hou al the poeple seith
That if his conseil were trewe;
Thei wiste thanne wel and knewe
That of himself he scholde be
A worthi king in his degre:
And thus the conseil he accuseth
In partie; and the king excuseth。
The fol; which herde of al the cas
That time; as goddes wille was;    3990
Sih that thei seiden noght ynowh;
And hem to skorne bothe lowh;
And to the king he seide tho:
〃Sire king; if that it were so;
Of wisdom in thin oghne mod
That thou thiselven were good;
Thi conseil scholde noght be badde。〃
The king therof merveille hadde;
Whan that a fol so wisly spak;
And of himself fond out the lack   4000
Withinne his oghne conscience:
And thus the foles evidence;
Which was of goddes grace enspired;

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