confessio amantis-第44章
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Ther schal he finde no winnynge;
And if he do it to pourchace
The hevene mede; of such a grace
I can noght speke; and natheles
Crist hath comanded love and pes;
And who that worcheth the revers;
I trowe his mede is ful divers。 2290
And sithen thanne that we finde
That werres in here oghne kinde
Ben toward god of no decerte;
And ek thei bringen in poverte
Of worldes good; it is merveile
Among the men what it mai eyle;
That thei a pes ne conne sette。
I trowe Senne be the lette;
And every mede of Senne is deth;
So wot I nevere hou that it geth: 2300
Bot we that ben of o believe
Among ousself; this wolde I lieve;
That betre it were pes to chese;
Than so be double weie lese。
I not if that it now so stonde;
Bot this a man mai understonde;
Who that these olde bokes redeth;
That coveitise is on which ledeth;
And broghte ferst the werres inne。
At Grece if that I schal beginne; 2310
Ther was it proved hou it stod:
To Perce; which was ful of good;
Thei maden werre in special;
And so thei deden overal;
Wher gret richesse was in londe;
So that thei leften nothing stonde
Unwerred; bot onliche Archade。
For there thei no werres made;
Be cause it was bareigne and povere;
Wherof thei mihten noght recovere; 2320
And thus poverte was forbore;
He that noght hadde noght hath lore。
Bot yit it is a wonder thing;
Whan that a riche worthi king;
Or other lord; what so he be;
Wol axe and cleyme proprete
In thing to which he hath no riht;
Bot onliche of his grete miht:
For this mai every man wel wite;
That bothe kinde and lawe write 2330
Expressly stonden therayein。
Bot he mot nedes somwhat sein;
Althogh ther be no reson inne;
Which secheth cause forto winne:
For wit that is with will oppressed;
Whan coveitise him hath adressed;
And alle resoun put aweie;
He can wel finde such a weie
To werre; where as evere him liketh;
Wherof that he the world entriketh; 2340
That many a man of him compleigneth:
Bot yit alwei som cause he feigneth;
And of his wrongful herte he demeth
That al is wel; what evere him semeth;
Be so that he mai winne ynowh。
For as the trew man to the plowh
Only to the gaignage entendeth;
Riht so the werreiour despendeth
His time and hath no conscience。
And in this point for evidence 2350
Of hem that suche werres make;
Thou miht a gret ensample take;
How thei her tirannie excusen
Of that thei wrongfull werres usen;
And how thei stonde of on acord;
The Souldeour forth with the lord;
The povere man forth with the riche;
As of corage thei ben liche;
To make werres and to pile
For lucre and for non other skyle: 2360
Wherof a propre tale I rede;
As it whilom befell in dede。
Of him whom al this Erthe dradde;
Whan he the world so overladde
Thurgh werre; as it fortuned is;
King Alisandre; I rede this;
How in a Marche; where he lay;
It fell per chance upon a day
A Rovere of the See was nome;
Which many a man hadde overcome 2370
And slain and take here good aweie:
This Pilour; as the bokes seie;
A famous man in sondri stede
Was of the werkes whiche he dede。
This Prisoner tofor the king
Was broght; and there upon this thing
In audience he was accused:
And he his dede hath noght excused;
Bot preith the king to don him riht;
And seith; 〃Sire; if I were of miht; 2380
I have an herte lich to thin;
For if the pouer were myn;
Mi will is most in special
To rifle and geten overal
The large worldes good aboute。
Bot for I lede a povere route
And am; as who seith; at meschief;
The name of Pilour and of thief
I bere; and thou; which routes grete
Miht lede and take thi beyete; 2390
And dost riht as I wolde do;
Thi name is nothing cleped so;
Bot thou art named Emperour。
Oure dedes ben of o colour
And in effect of o decerte;
Bot thi richesse and my poverte
Tho ben noght taken evene liche。
And natheles he that is riche
This dai; tomorwe he mai be povere;
And in contraire also recovere 2400
A povere man to gret richesse
Men sen: forthi let rihtwisnesse
Be peised evene in the balance。
The king his hardi contienance
Behield; and herde hise wordes wise;
And seide unto him in this wise:
〃Thin ansuere I have understonde;
Wherof my will is; that thou stonde
In mi service and stille abide。〃
And forth withal the same tide 2410
He hath him terme of lif withholde;
The mor and for he schal ben holde;
He made him kniht and yaf him lond;
Which afterward was of his hond
And orped kniht in many a stede;
And gret prouesce of armes dede;
As the Croniqes it recorden。
And in this wise thei acorden;
The whiche of o condicioun
Be set upon destruccioun: 2420
Such Capitein such retenue。
Bot forto se to what issue
The thing befalleth ate laste;
It is gret wonder that men caste
Here herte upon such wrong to winne;
Wher no beyete mai ben inne;
And doth desese on every side:
Bot whan reson is put aside
And will governeth the corage;
The faucon which that fleth ramage 2430
And soeffreth nothing in the weie;
Wherof that he mai take his preie;
Is noght mor set upon ravine;
Than thilke man which his covine
Hath set in such a maner wise:
For al the world ne mai suffise
To will which is noght resonable。
Wherof ensample concordable
Lich to this point of which I meene;
Was upon Alisandre sene; 2440
Which hadde set al his entente;
So as fortune with him wente;
That reson mihte him non governe;
Bot of his will he was so sterne;
That al the world he overran
And what him list he tok and wan。
In Ynde the superiour
Whan that he was ful conquerour;
And hadde his wilful pourpos wonne
Of al this Erthe under the Sonne; 2450
This king homward to Macedoine;
Whan that he cam to Babiloine;
And wende most in his Empire;
As he which was hol lord and Sire;
In honour forto be received;
Most sodeinliche he was deceived;
And with strong puison envenimed。
And as he hath the world mistimed
Noght as he scholde with his wit;
Noght as he wolde it was aquit。 2460
Thus was he slain that whilom slowh;
And he which riche was ynowh
This dai; tomorwe he hadde noght:
And in such wise as he hath wroght
In destorbance of worldes pes;
His werre he fond thanne endeles;
In which for evere desconfit
He was。 Lo now; for what profit
Of werre it helpeth forto ryde;
For coveitise and worldes pride 2470
To sle the worldes men aboute;
As bestes whiche gon theroute。
For every lif which reson can
Oghth wel to knowe that a man
Ne scholde thurgh no tirannie
Lich to these othre bestes die;
Til kinde wolde for him sende。
I not hou he it mihte amende;
Which takth awei for everemore
The lif that he mai noght restore。 2480
Forthi; mi Sone; in alle weie
Be wel avised; I thee preie;
Of slawhte er that thou be coupable
Withoute cause resonable。
Mi fader; understonde it is;
That ye have seid; bot over this
I prei you tell me nay or yee;
To passe over the grete See
To werre and sle the Sarazin;
Is that the lawe? Sone myn; 2490
To preche and soffre for the feith;
That have I herd the gospell seith;
Bot forto slee; that hiere I noght。
Crist with his oghne deth hath boght
Alle othre men; and made hem fre;
In tokne of parfit charite;
And after that he tawhte himselve;
Whan he was ded; these othre tuelve
Of hise Apostles wente aboute
The holi feith to prechen oute; 2500
Wherof the deth in sondri place
Thei soffre; and so god of his grace
The feith of Crist hath mad aryse:
Bot if thei wolde in other wise
Be werre have broght in the creance;
It hadde yit stonde in balance。
And that mai proven in the dede;
For what man the Croniqes rede;
Fro ferst that holi cherche hath weyved
To preche; and hath the swerd received; 2510
Wherof the werres ben begonne;
A gret partie of that was wonne
To Cristes feith stant now miswent:
Godd do therof amendement;
So as he wot what is the beste。
Bot; Sone; if thou wolt live in reste
Of conscience wel assised;
Er that thou sle; be wel avised:
For man; as tellen ous the clerkes;
Hath god above alle ertheli werkes 2520
Ordeined to be principal;
And ek of Soule in special
He is mad lich to the godhiede。
So sit it wel to taken hiede
And forto loke on every side;
Er that thou falle in homicide;
Which Senne is now so general;
That it welnyh stant overal;
In holi che