confessio amantis-第31章
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That he mai best a man beguile
In whom the man hath most credence;
And this befell in evidence
Toward this yonge lord of Rome。
His Bacheler; which hadde tome; 2680
Whan that his lord be nihte slepte;
This Ring; the which his maister kepte;
Out of his Pours awey he dede;
And putte an other in the stede。
Amorwe; whan the Court is set;
The yonge ladi was forth fet;
To whom the lordes don homage;
And after that of Mariage
Thei trete and axen of hir wille。
Bot sche; which thoghte to fulfille 2690
Hire fader heste in this matiere;
Seide openly; that men mai hiere;
The charge which hire fader bad。
Tho was this Lord of Rome glad
And drowh toward his Pours anon;
Bot al for noght; it was agon:
His Bacheler it hath forthdrawe;
And axeth ther upon the lawe
That sche him holde covenant。
The tokne was so sufficant 2700
That it ne mihte be forsake;
And natheles his lord hath take
Querelle ayein his oghne man;
Bot for nothing that evere he can
He mihte as thanne noght ben herd;
So that his cleym is unansuerd;
And he hath of his pourpos failed。
This Bacheler was tho consailed
And wedded; and of thilke Empire
He was coroned Lord and Sire; 2710
And al the lond him hath received;
Wherof his lord; which was deceived;
A seknesse er the thridde morwe
Conceived hath of dedly sorwe:
And as he lay upon his deth;
Therwhile him lasteth speche and breth;
He sende for the worthieste
Of al the lond and ek the beste;
And tolde hem al the sothe tho;
That he was Sone and Heir also 2720
Of themperour of grete Rome;
And how that thei togedre come;
This kniht and he; riht as it was;
He tolde hem al the pleine cas;
And for that he his conseil tolde;
That other hath al that he wolde;
And he hath failed of his mede:
As for the good he takth non hiede;
He seith; bot only of the love;
Of which he wende have ben above。 2730
And therupon be lettre write
He doth his fader forto wite
Of al this matiere as it stod;
And thanne with an hertly mod
Unto the lordes he besoghte
To telle his ladi how he boghte
Hire love; of which an other gladeth;
And with that word his hewe fadeth;
And seide; 〃A dieu; my ladi swete。〃
The lif hath lost his kindly hete; 2740
And he lay ded as eny ston;
Wherof was sory manyon;
Bot non of alle so as sche。
This false knyht in his degree
Arested was and put in hold:
For openly whan it was told
Of the tresoun which is befalle;
Thurghout the lond thei seiden alle;
If it be soth that men suppose;
His oghne untrowthe him schal depose。 2750
And forto seche an evidence;
With honour and gret reverence;
Wherof they mihten knowe an ende;
To themperour anon thei sende
The lettre which his Sone wrot。
And whan that he the sothe wot;
To telle his sorwe is endeles;
Bot yit in haste natheles
Upon the tale which he herde
His Stieward into Perse ferde 2760
With many a worthi Romein eke;
His liege tretour forto seke;
And whan thei thider come were;
This kniht him hath confessed there
How falsly that he hath him bore;
Wherof his worthi lord was lore。
Tho seiden some he scholde deie;
Bot yit thei founden such a weie
That he schal noght be ded in Perse;
And thus the skiles ben diverse。 2770
Be cause that he was coroned;
And that the lond was abandoned
To him; althogh it were unriht;
Ther is no peine for him diht;
Bot to this point and to this ende
Thei granten wel that he schal wende
With the Romeins to Rome ayein。
And thus acorded ful and plein;
The qwike body with the dede
With leve take forth thei lede; 2780
Wher that Supplant hath his juise。
Wherof that thou thee miht avise
Upon this enformacioun
Touchende of Supplantacioun;
That thou; my Sone; do noght so:
And forto take hiede also
What Supplant doth in other halve;
Ther is noman can finde a salve
Pleinly to helen such a Sor;
It hath and schal ben everemor; 2790
Whan Pride is with Envie joint;
He soffreth noman in good point;
Wher that he mai his honour lette。
And therupon if I schal sette
Ensample; in holy cherche I finde
How that Supplant is noght behinde;
God wot if that it now be so:
For in Cronique of time ago
I finde a tale concordable
Of Supplant; which that is no fable; 2800
In the manere as I schal telle;
So as whilom the thinges felle。
At Rome; as it hath ofte falle;
The vicair general of alle
Of hem that lieven Cristes feith
His laste day; which non withseith;
Hath schet as to the worldes ije;
Whos name if I schal specefie;
He hihte Pope Nicolas。
And thus whan that he passed was; 2810
The Cardinals; that wolden save
The forme of lawe; in the conclave
Gon forto chese a newe Pope;
And after that thei cowthe agrope
Hath ech of hem seid his entente:
Til ate laste thei assente
Upon an holy clerk reclus;
Which full was of gostli vertus;
His pacience and his simplesse
Hath set him into hih noblesse。 2820
Thus was he Pope canonized;
With gret honour and intronized;
And upon chance as it is falle;
His name Celestin men calle;
Which notefied was be bulle
To holi cherche and to the fulle
In alle londes magnified。
Bot every worschipe is envied;
And that was thilke time sene:
For whan this Pope of whom I meene 2830
Was chose; and othre set beside;
A Cardinal was thilke tide
Which the papat longe hath desired
And therupon gretli conspired;
Bot whan he sih fortune is failed;
For which long time he hath travailed;
That ilke fyr which Ethna brenneth
Thurghout his wofull herte renneth;
Which is resembled to Envie;
Wherof Supplant and tricherie 2840
Engendred is; and natheles
He feigneth love; he feigneth pes;
Outward he doth the reverence;
Bot al withinne his conscience
Thurgh fals ymaginacioun
He thoghte Supplantacioun。
And therupon a wonder wyle
He wroghte: for at thilke whyle
It fell so that of his lignage
He hadde a clergoun of yong age; 2850
Whom he hath in his chambre affaited。
This Cardinal his time hath waited;
And with his wordes slyhe and queinte;
The whiche he cowthe wysly peinte;
He schop this clerk of which I telle
Toward the Pope forto duelle;
So that withinne his chambre anyht
He lai; and was a prive wyht
Toward the Pope on nyhtes tide。
Mai noman fle that schal betide。 2860
This Cardinal; which thoghte guile;
Upon a day whan he hath while
This yonge clerc unto him tok;
And made him swere upon a bok;
And told him what his wille was。
And forth withal a Trompe of bras
He hath him take; and bad him this:
〃Thou schalt;〃 he seide; 〃whan time is
Awaite; and take riht good kepe;
Whan that the Pope is fast aslepe 2870
And that non other man by nyh;
And thanne that thou be so slyh
Thurghout the Trompe into his Ere;
Fro hevene as thogh a vois it were;
To soune of such prolacioun
That he his meditacioun
Therof mai take and understonde;
As thogh it were of goddes sonde。
And in this wise thou schalt seie;
That he do thilke astat aweie 2880
Of Pope; in which he stant honoured;
So schal his Soule be socoured
Of thilke worschipe ate laste
In hevene which schal evere laste。〃
This clerc; whan he hath herd the forme
How he the Pope scholde enforme;
Tok of the Cardinal his leve;
And goth him hom; til it was Eve;
And prively the trompe he hedde;
Til that the Pope was abedde。 2890
And at the Midnyht; whan he knewh
The Pope slepte; thanne he blewh
Withinne his trompe thurgh the wal;
And tolde in what manere he schal
His Papacie leve; and take
His ferste astat: and thus awake
This holi Pope he made thries;
Wherof diverse fantasies
Upon his grete holinesse
Withinne his herte he gan impresse。 2900
The Pope ful of innocence
Conceiveth in his conscience
That it is goddes wille he cesse;
Bot in what wise he may relesse
His hihe astat; that wot he noght。
And thus withinne himself bethoght;
He bar it stille in his memoire;
Til he cam to the Consistoire;
And there in presence of hem alle
He axeth; if it so befalle 2910
That eny Pope cesse wolde;
How that the lawe it soffre scholde。
Thei seten alle stille and herde;
Was non which to the point ansuerde;
For to what pourpos that it mente
Ther was noman knew his entente;
Bot only he which schop the guile。
This Cardinal the same while
Al openly with wordes pleine
Seith; if the Pope wolde orde