confessio amantis-第25章
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And every lif hire loveth wel。
Now herke how thilke unstable whel;
Which evere torneth; wente aboute。
The king Allee; whil he was oute;
As thou tofore hast herd this cas;
Deceived thurgh his Moder was: 1230
Bot whan that he cam hom ayein;
He axeth of his Chamberlein
And of the Bisschop ek also;
Wher thei the qweene hadden do。
And thei answerde; there he bad;
And have him thilke lettre rad;
Which he hem sende for warant;
And tolde him pleinli as it stant;
And sein; it thoghte hem gret pite
To se so worthi on as sche; 1240
With such a child as ther was bore;
So sodeinly to be forlore。
He axeth hem what child that were;
And thei him seiden; that naghere;
In al the world thogh men it soghte;
Was nevere womman that forth broghte
A fairer child than it was on。
And thanne he axede hem anon;
Whi thei ne hadden write so:
Thei tolden; so thei hadden do。 1250
He seide; 〃Nay。〃 Thei seiden; 〃Yis。〃
The lettre schewed rad it is;
Which thei forsoken everidel。
Tho was it understonde wel
That ther is tresoun in the thing:
The Messager tofore the king
Was broght and sodeinliche opposed;
And he; which nothing hath supposed
Bot alle wel; began to seie
That he nagher upon the weie 1260
Abod; bot only in a stede;
And cause why that he so dede
Was; as he wente to and fro;
At Knaresburgh be nyhtes tuo
The kinges Moder made him duelle。
And whan the king it herde telle;
Withinne his herte he wiste als faste
The treson which his Moder caste;
And thoghte he wolde noght abide;
Bot forth riht in the same tide 1270
He tok his hors and rod anon。
With him ther riden manion;
To Knaresburgh and forth thei wente;
And lich the fyr which tunder hente;
In such a rage; as seith the bok;
His Moder sodeinliche he tok
And seide unto hir in this wise:
〃O beste of helle; in what juise
Hast thou deserved forto deie;
That hast so falsly put aweie 1280
With tresoun of thi bacbitinge
The treweste at my knowlechinge
Of wyves and the most honeste?
Bot I wol make this beheste;
I schal be venged er I go。〃
And let a fyr do make tho;
And bad men forto caste hire inne:
Bot ferst sche tolde out al the sinne;
And dede hem alle forto wite
How sche the lettres hadde write; 1290
Fro point to point as it was wroght。
And tho sche was to dethe broght
And brent tofore hire Sones yhe:
Wherof these othre; whiche it sihe
And herden how the cause stod;
Sein that the juggement is good;
Of that hir Sone hire hath so served;
For sche it hadde wel deserved
Thurgh tresoun of hire false tunge;
Which thurgh the lond was after sunge; 1300
Constance and every wiht compleigneth。
Bot he; whom alle wo distreigneth;
This sorghfull king; was so bestad;
That he schal nevermor be glad;
He seith; eftsone forto wedde;
Til that he wiste how that sche spedde;
Which hadde ben his ferste wif:
And thus his yonge unlusti lif
He dryveth forth so as he mai。
Til it befell upon a dai; 1310
Whan he hise werres hadde achieved;
And thoghte he wolde be relieved
Of Soule hele upon the feith
Which he hath take; thanne he seith
That he to Rome in pelrinage
Wol go; wher Pope was Pelage;
To take his absolucioun。
And upon this condicioun
He made Edwyn his lieutenant;
Which heir to him was apparant; 1320
That he the lond in his absence
Schal reule: and thus be providence
Of alle thinges wel begon
He tok his leve and forth is gon。
Elda; which tho was with him there;
Er thei fulliche at Rome were;
Was sent tofore to pourveie;
And he his guide upon the weie;
In help to ben his herbergour;
Hath axed who was Senatour; 1330
That he his name myhte kenne。
Of Capadoce; he seide; Arcenne
He hihte; and was a worthi kniht。
To him goth Elda tho forth riht
And tolde him of his lord tidinge;
And preide that for his comynge
He wolde assigne him herbergage;
And he so dede of good corage。
Whan al is do that was to done;
The king himself cam after sone。 1340
This Senatour; whan that he com;
To Couste and to his wif at hom
Hath told how such a king Allee
Of gret array to the Citee
Was come; and Couste upon his tale
With herte clos and colour pale
Aswoune fell; and he merveileth
So sodeinly what thing hire eyleth;
And cawhte hire up; and whan sche wok;
Sche syketh with a pitous lok 1350
And feigneth seknesse of the See;
Bot it was for the king Allee;
For joie which fell in hire thoght
That god him hath to toune broght。
This king hath spoke with the Pope
And told al that he cowthe agrope;
What grieveth in his conscience;
And thanne he thoghte in reverence
Of his astat; er that he wente;
To make a feste; and thus he sente 1360
Unto the Senatour to come
Upon the morwe and othre some;
To sitte with him at the mete。
This tale hath Couste noght foryete;
Bot to Moris hire Sone tolde
That he upon the morwe scholde
In al that evere he cowthe and mihte
Be present in the kinges sihte;
So that the king him ofte sihe。
Moris tofore the kinges yhe 1370
Upon the morwe; wher he sat;
Fulofte stod; and upon that
The king his chiere upon him caste;
And in his face him thoghte als faste
He sih his oghne wif Constance;
For nature as in resemblance
Of face hem liketh so to clothe;
That thei were of a suite bothe。
The king was moeved in his thoght
Of that he seth; and knoweth it noght; 1380
This child he loveth kindely;
And yit he wot no cause why。
Bot wel he sih and understod
That he toward Arcenne stod;
And axeth him anon riht there;
If that this child his Sone were。
He seide; 〃Yee; so I him calle;
And wolde it were so befalle;
Bot it is al in other wise。〃
And tho began he to devise 1390
How he the childes Moder fond
Upon the See from every lond
Withinne a Schip was stiereles;
And how this ladi helpeles
Forth with hir child he hath forthdrawe。
The king hath understonde his sawe;
The childes name and axeth tho;
And what the Moder hihte also
That he him wolde telle he preide。
〃Moris this child is hote;〃 he seide; 1400
〃His Moder hatte Couste; and this
I not what maner name it is。〃
But Allee wiste wel ynowh;
Wherof somdiel smylende he lowh;
For Couste in Saxoun is to sein
Constance upon the word Romein。
Bot who that cowthe specefie
What tho fell in his fantasie;
And how his wit aboute renneth
Upon the love in which he brenneth; 1410
It were a wonder forto hiere:
For he was nouther ther ne hiere;
Bot clene out of himself aweie;
That he not what to thenke or seie;
So fain he wolde it were sche。
Wherof his hertes privete
Began the werre of yee and nay;
The which in such balance lay;
That contenance for a throwe
He loste; til he mihte knowe 1420
The sothe: bot in his memoire
The man which lith in purgatoire
Desireth noght the hevene more;
That he ne longeth al so sore
To wite what him schal betide。
And whan the bordes were aside
And every man was rise aboute;
The king hath weyved al the route;
And with the Senatour al one
He spak and preide him of a bone; 1430
To se this Couste; wher sche duelleth
At hom with him; so as he telleth。
The Senatour was wel appaied;
This thing no lengere is delaied;
To se this Couste goth the king;
And sche was warned of the thing;
And with Heleine forth sche cam
Ayein the king; and he tho nam
Good hiede; and whan he sih his wif;
Anon with al his hertes lif 1440
He cawhte hire in his arm and kiste。
Was nevere wiht that sih ne wiste
A man that more joie made;
Wherof thei weren alle glade
Whiche herde tellen of this chance。
This king tho with his wif Constance;
Which hadde a gret part of his wille;
In Rome for a time stille
Abod and made him wel at ese:
Bot so yit cowthe he nevere plese 1450
His wif; that sche him wolde sein
Of hire astat the trowthe plein;
Of what contre that sche was bore;
Ne what sche was; and yit therfore
With al his wit he hath don sieke。
Thus as they lihe abedde and spieke;
Sche preide him and conseileth bothe;
That for the worschipe of hem bothe;
So as hire thoghte it were honeste;
He wolde an honourable feste 1460
Make; er he wente; in the Cite;
Wher themperour himself schal be:
He graunteth al that sche him preide。
Bot as men in that time seide;
This Emperour fro thilke day
That ferst his dowhter wente away
He was thanne after ne