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第121章

confessio amantis-第121章

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Which of his ordre as a prelat
Schal ben enoignt and seintefied;
He mot be more magnefied
For dignete of his corone;
Than scholde an other low persone;    4250
Which is noght of so hih emprise。
Therfore a Prince him scholde avise;
Er that he felle in such riote;
And namely that he nassote
To change for the wommanhede
The worthinesse of his manhede。
Of Aristotle I have wel rad;
Hou he to Alisandre bad;
That forto gladen his corage
He schal beholde the visage  4260
Of wommen; whan that thei ben faire。
Bot yit he set an essamplaire;
His bodi so to guide and reule;
That he ne passe noght the reule;
Wherof that he himself beguile。
For in the womman is no guile
Of that a man himself bewhapeth;
Whan he his oghne wit bejapeth;
I can the wommen wel excuse:
Bot what man wole upon hem muse    4270
After the fool impression
Of his ymaginacioun;
Withinne himself the fyr he bloweth;
Wherof the womman nothing knoweth;
So mai sche nothing be to wyte。
For if a man himself excite
To drenche; and wol it noght forbere;
The water schal no blame bere。
What mai the gold; thogh men coveite?
If that a man wol love streite;    4280
The womman hath him nothing bounde;
If he his oghne herte wounde;
Sche mai noght lette the folie;
And thogh so felle of compainie
That he myht eny thing pourchace;
Yit makth a man the ferste chace;
The womman fleth and he poursuieth:
So that be weie of skile it suieth;
The man is cause; hou so befalle;
That he fulofte sithe is falle  4290
Wher that he mai noght wel aryse。
And natheles ful manye wise
Befoled have hemself er this;
As nou adaies yit it is
Among the men and evere was;
The stronge is fieblest in this cas。
It sit a man be weie of kinde
To love; bot it is noght kinde
A man for love his wit to lese:
For if the Monthe of Juil schal frese    4300
And that Decembre schal ben hot;
The yeer mistorneth; wel I wot。
To sen a man fro his astat
Thurgh his sotie effeminat;
And leve that a man schal do;
It is as Hose above the Scho;
To man which oghte noght ben used。
Bot yit the world hath ofte accused
Ful grete Princes of this dede;
Hou thei for love hemself mislede;    4310
Wherof manhode stod behinde;
Of olde ensamples as I finde。
These olde gestes tellen thus;
That whilom Sardana Pallus;
Which hield al hol in his empire
The grete kingdom of Assire;
Was thurgh the slouthe of his corage
Falle into thilke fyri rage
Of love; which the men assoteth;
Wherof himself he so rioteth;   4320
And wax so ferforth wommannyssh;
That ayein kinde; as if a fissh
Abide wolde upon the lond;
In wommen such a lust he fond;
That he duelte evere in chambre stille;
And only wroghte after the wille
Of wommen; so as he was bede;
That selden whanne in other stede
If that he wolde wenden oute;
To sen hou that it stod aboute。    4330
Bot ther he keste and there he pleide;
Thei tawhten him a Las to breide;
And weve a Pours; and to enfile
A Perle: and fell that ilke while;
On Barbarus the Prince of Mede
Sih hou this king in wommanhede
Was falle fro chivalerie;
And gat him help and compaignie;
And wroghte so; that ate laste
This king out of his regne he caste;  4340
Which was undon for everemo:
And yit men speken of him so;
That it is schame forto hiere。
Forthi to love is in manere。
King David hadde many a love;
Bot natheles alwey above
Knyhthode he kepte in such a wise;
That for no fleisshli covoitise
Of lust to ligge in ladi armes
He lefte noght the lust of armes。  4350
For where a Prince hise lustes suieth;
That he the werre noght poursuieth;
Whan it is time to ben armed;
His contre stant fulofte harmed;
Whan thenemis ben woxe bolde;
That thei defence non beholde。
Ful many a lond hath so be lore;
As men mai rede of time afore
Of hem that so here eses soghten;
Which after thei full diere aboghten。    4360
To mochel ese is nothing worth;
For that set every vice forth
And every vertu put abak;
Wherof priss torneth into lak;
As in Cronique I mai reherse:
Which telleth hou the king of Perse;
That Cirus hihte; a werre hadde
Ayein a poeple which he dradde;
Of a contre which Liddos hihte;
Bot yit for oght that he do mihte  4370
As in bataille upon the werre;
He hadde of hem alwey the werre。
And whan he sih and wiste it wel;
That he be strengthe wan no del;
Thanne ate laste he caste a wyle
This worthi poeple to beguile;
And tok with hem a feigned pes;
Which scholde lasten endeles;
So as he seide in wordes wise;
Bot he thoghte al in other wise。   4380
For it betidd upon the cas;
Whan that this poeple in reste was;
Thei token eses manyfold;
And worldes ese; as it is told;
Be weie of kinde is the norrice
Of every lust which toucheth vice。
Thus whan thei were in lustes falle;
The werres ben foryeten alle;
Was non which wolde the worschipe
Of Armes; bot in idelschipe  4390
Thei putten besinesse aweie
And token hem to daunce and pleie;
Bot most above alle othre thinges
Thei token hem to the likinges
Of fleysshly lust; that chastete
Received was in no degre;
Bot every man doth what him liste。
And whan the king of Perse it wiste;
That thei unto folie entenden;
With his pouer; whan thei lest wenden;   4400
Mor sodeinly than doth the thunder
He cam; for evere and put hem under。
And thus hath lecherie lore
The lond; which hadde be tofore
The beste of hem that were tho。
And in the bible I finde also
A tale lich unto this thing;
Hou Amalech the paien king;
Whan that he myhte be no weie
Defende his lond and putte aweie   4410
The worthi poeple of Irael;
This Sarazin; as it befell;
Thurgh the conseil of Balaam
A route of faire wommen nam;
That lusti were and yonge of Age;
And bad hem gon to the lignage
Of these Hebreus: and forth thei wente
With yhen greye and browes bente
And wel arraied everych on;
And whan thei come were anon    4420
Among thebreus; was non insihte;
Bot cacche who that cacche myhte;
And ech of hem hise lustes soghte;
Whiche after thei full diere boghte。
For grace anon began to faile;
That whan thei comen to bataille
Thanne afterward; in sori plit
Thei were take and disconfit;
So that withinne a litel throwe
The myht of hem was overthrowe;    4430
That whilom were wont to stonde。
Til Phinees the cause on honde
Hath take; this vengance laste;
Bot thanne it cessede ate laste;
For god was paid of that he dede:
For wher he fond upon a stede
A couple which misferde so;
Thurghout he smot hem bothe tuo;
And let hem ligge in mennes yhe;
Wherof alle othre whiche hem sihe  4440
Ensamplede hem upon the dede;
And preiden unto the godhiede
Here olde Sennes to amende:
And he; which wolde his mercy sende;
Restorede hem to newe grace。
Thus mai it schewe in sondri place;
Of chastete hou the clennesse
Acordeth to the worthinesse
Of men of Armes overal;
Bot most of alle in special  4450
This vertu to a king belongeth;
For upon his fortune it hongeth
Of that his lond schal spede or spille。
Forthi bot if a king his wille
Fro lustes of his fleissh restreigne;
Ayein himself he makth a treigne;
Into the which if that he slyde;
Him were betre go besyde。
For every man mai understonde;
Hou for a time that it stonde;  4460
It is a sori lust to lyke;
Whos ende makth a man to syke
And torneth joies into sorwe。
The brihte Sonne be the morwe
Beschyneth noght the derke nyht;
The lusti youthe of mannes myht;
In Age bot it stonde wel;
Mistorneth al the laste whiel。
That every worthi Prince is holde
Withinne himself himself beholde;  4470
To se the stat of his persone;
And thenke hou ther be joies none
Upon this Erthe mad to laste;
And hou the fleissh schal ate laste
The lustes of this lif forsake;
Him oghte a gret ensample take
Of Salomon; whos appetit
Was holy set upon delit;
To take of wommen the plesance:
So that upon his ignorance   4480
The wyde world merveileth yit;
That he; which alle mennes wit
In thilke time hath overpassed;
With fleisshly lustes was so tassed;
That he which ladde under the lawe
The poeple of god; himself withdrawe
He hath fro god in such a wise;
That he worschipe and sacrifise
For sondri love in sondri stede
Unto the false goddes dede。  4490
This was the wise ecclesiaste;
The fame of whom schal evere laste;
That he the myhti god fo

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