confessio amantis-第93章
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That wolde his tresor kepe and winne;
Riht so is Prodegalite:
Bot of Largesse in his degre;
Which evene stant betwen the tuo;
The hihe god and man also
The vertu ech of hem commendeth。
For he himselven ferst amendeth;
That overal his name spredeth;
And to alle othre; where it nedeth; 7680
He yifth his good in such a wise;
That he makth many a man arise;
Which elles scholde falle lowe。
Largesce mai noght ben unknowe;
For what lond that he regneth inne;
It mai noght faile forto winne
Thurgh his decerte love and grace;
Wher it schal faile in other place。
And thus betwen tomoche and lyte
Largesce; which is noght to wyte; 7690
Halt evere forth the middel weie:
Bot who that torne wole aweie
Fro that to Prodegalite;
Anon he lest the proprete
Of vertu and goth to the vice;
For in such wise as Avarice
Lest for scarsnesse his goode name;
Riht so that other is to blame;
Which thurgh his wast mesure excedeth;
For noman wot what harm that bredeth。 7700
Bot mochel joie ther betydeth;
Wher that largesse an herte guydeth:
For his mesure is so governed;
That he to bothe partz is lerned;
To god and to the world also;
He doth reson to bothe tuo。
The povere folk of his almesse
Relieved ben in the destresse
Of thurst; of hunger and of cold;
The yifte of him was nevere sold; 7710
Bot frely yive; and natheles
The myhti god of his encress
Rewardeth him of double grace;
The hevene he doth him to pourchace
And yifth him ek the worldes good:
And thus the Cote for the hod
Largesse takth; and yit no Sinne
He doth; hou so that evere he winne。
What man hath hors men yive him hors;
And who non hath of him no fors; 7720
For he mai thanne on fote go;
The world hath evere stonde so。
Bot forto loken of the tweie;
A man to go the siker weie;
Betre is to yive than to take:
With yifte a man mai frendes make;
Bot who that takth or gret or smal;
He takth a charge forth withal;
And stant noght fre til it be quit。
So forto deme in mannes wit; 7730
It helpeth more a man to have
His oghne good; than forto crave
Of othre men and make him bounde;
Wher elles he mai stonde unbounde。
Senec conseileth in this wise;
And seith; 〃Bot; if thi good suffise
Unto the liking of thi wille;
Withdrawh thi lust and hold the stille;
And be to thi good sufficant。〃
For that thing is appourtenant 7740
To trouthe and causeth to be fre
After the reule of charite;
Which ferst beginneth of himselve。
For if thou richest othre tuelve;
Wherof thou schalt thiself be povere;
I not what thonk thou miht recovere。
Whil that a man hath good to yive;
With grete routes he mai live
And hath his frendes overal;
And everich of him telle schal。 7750
Therwhile he hath his fulle packe;
Thei seie; 〃A good felawe is Jacke〃;
Bot whanne it faileth ate laste;
Anon his pris thei overcaste;
For thanne is ther non other lawe
Bot; 〃Jacke was a good felawe。〃
Whan thei him povere and nedy se;
Thei lete him passe and farwel he;
Al that he wende of compainie
Is thanne torned to folie。 7760
Bot nou to speke in other kinde
Of love; a man mai suche finde;
That wher thei come in every route
Thei caste and waste her love aboute;
Til al here time is overgon;
And thanne have thei love non:
For who that loveth overal;
It is no reson that he schal
Of love have eny proprete。
Forthi; mi Sone; avise thee 7770
If thou of love hast be to large;
For such a man is noght to charge:
And if it so be that thou hast
Despended al thi time in wast
And set thi love in sondri place;
Though thou the substance of thi grace
Lese ate laste; it is no wonder;
For he that put himselven under;
As who seith; comun overal;
He lest the love special 7780
Of eny on; if sche be wys;
For love schal noght bere his pris
Be reson; whanne it passeth on。
So have I sen ful many on;
That were of love wel at ese;
Whiche after felle in gret desese
Thurgh wast of love; that thei spente
In sondri places wher thei wente。
Riht so; mi Sone; I axe of thee
If thou with Prodegalite 7790
Hast hier and ther thi love wasted。
Mi fader; nay; bot I have tasted
In many a place as I have go;
And yit love I nevere on of tho;
Bot forto drive forth the dai。
For lieveth wel; myn herte is ay
Withoute mo for everemore
Al upon on; for I nomore
Desire bot hire love al one:
So make I many a prive mone; 7800
For wel I fiele I have despended
Mi longe love and noght amended
Mi sped; for oght I finde yit。
If this be wast to youre wit
Of love; and Prodegalite;
Nou; goode fader; demeth ye:
Bot of o thing I wol me schryve;
That I schal for no love thryve;
Bot if hirself me wol relieve。
Mi Sone; that I mai wel lieve: 7810
And natheles me semeth so;
For oght that thou hast yit misdo
Of time which thou hast despended;
It mai with grace ben amended。
For thing which mai be worth the cost
Per chaunce is nouther wast ne lost;
For what thing stant on aventure;
That can no worldes creature
Telle in certein hou it schal wende;
Til he therof mai sen an ende。 7820
So that I not as yit therfore
If thou; mi Sone; hast wonne or lore:
For ofte time; as it is sene;
Whan Somer hath lost al his grene
And is with Wynter wast and bare;
That him is left nothing to spare;
Al is recovered in a throwe;
The colde wyndes overblowe;
And still be the scharpe schoures;
And soudeinliche ayein his floures 7830
The Somer hapneth and is riche:
And so per cas thi graces liche;
Mi Sone; thogh thou be nou povere
Of love; yit thou miht recovere。
Mi fader; certes grant merci:
Ye have me tawht so redeli;
That evere whil I live schal
The betre I mai be war withal
Of thing which ye have seid er this。
Bot overmore hou that it is; 7840
Toward mi schrifte as it belongeth;
To wite of othre pointz me longeth;
Wherof that ye me wolden teche
With al myn herte I you beseche。
Explicit Liber Quintus。
Incipit Liber Sextus
Est gula; que nostrum maculavit prima parentem
Ex vetito pomo; quo dolet omnis homo
Hec agit; ut corpus anime contraria spirat;
Quo caro fit crassa; spiritus atque macer。
Intus et exterius si que virtutis habentur;
Potibus ebrietas conviciata ruit。
Mersa sopore labis; que Bachus inebriat hospes;
Indignata Venus oscula raro premit。
The grete Senne original;
Which every man in general
Upon his berthe hath envenymed;
In Paradis it was mystymed:
Whan Adam of thilke Appel bot;
His swete morscel was to hot;
Which dedly made the mankinde。
And in the bokes as I finde;
This vice; which so out of rule
Hath sette ous alle; is cleped Gule; 10
Of which the branches ben so grete;
That of hem alle I wol noght trete;
Bot only as touchende of tuo
I thenke speke and of no mo;
Wherof the ferste is Dronkeschipe;
Which berth the cuppe felaschipe。
Ful many a wonder doth this vice;
He can make of a wisman nyce;
And of a fool; that him schal seme
That he can al the lawe deme; 20
And yiven every juggement
Which longeth to the firmament
Bothe of the sterre and of the mone;
And thus he makth a gret clerk sone
Of him that is a lewed man。
Ther is nothing which he ne can;
Whil he hath Dronkeschipe on honde;
He knowth the See; he knowth the stronde;
He is a noble man of armes;
And yit no strengthe is in his armes: 30
Ther he was strong ynouh tofore;
With Dronkeschipe it is forlore;
And al is changed his astat;
And wext anon so fieble and mat;
That he mai nouther go ne come;
Bot al togedre him is benome
The pouer bothe of hond and fot;
So that algate abide he mot。
And alle hise wittes he foryet;
The which is to him such a let; 40
That he wot nevere what he doth;
Ne which is fals; ne which is soth;
Ne which is dai; ne which is nyht;
And for the time he knowth no wyht;
That he ne wot so moche as this;
What maner thing himselven is;
Or he be man; or he be beste。
That holde I riht a sori feste;
Whan he that reson understod
So soudeinliche is woxe wod; 50
Or elles lich the dede man;
Which nouther go ne speke can。
Thus ofte he is to bedde broght;
Bot where he lith yit wot he noght;
Til he arise upon the morwe;
And thanne he seith; 〃O; which a sorwe
It is a man be drinkeles!〃
So that halfdrunke in such a res
With dreie mouth he sterte him uppe;
And sei