In foth to faie, though all the yerth so wanne
Wer parchement smoth, white and scribabell,
And the gret fe, that called is the' Ocean,
Were tournid into ynke blackir then fabell,
Eche fticke a pen, eche man a fcrivener abel,
Not coud thei writin woman's trechirie,
Beware therfore, The blind eteth many' a flie.
A balade declaring that womens chaffite doeth moche excel all trefure worldly.
IN womanhede, as auctours al ywrite,
Most thing commendid is chafte honeste,
Thing moft flaund'erous ther nobles to atwite,
As when women of hafty fraëlte
Exceden the bondes of wifely chastite,
For what availeth lynage or rial blode
When of ther lyving the report 'is not gode?
The holy bed defoilid of mariage
For ones defoiled may not recovered be,
The vice goth forth and the froward langage
By many' a relme and many' a grete cite;
Slaundir hath a custome, and that' is grete pite,.
That true or fals, by a contrarious foune,
Onis areised it goth not lyghtly downe:
For when a lechour by force or mastry
Defoulid hath of virgins the clennes,
Widous oppreffed, and lye in advoutry,
Affailid wives that ftode in ftablenes,
Who may then ther flaundèrous harme redreffe
When ther gode name is hurt by foch report?
For fame loft ones can ner bave his reført.
A thefe may robbe a man of his richesse,
And by fome mene make reftitucion,
And fome man maye dysherit and oppreffe
A povir man from his poffeffion,
And aftir make him fatisfaccion,
But No man may refore in no degre
A maide robbid of her virginite.
A man may also bete a castil doune,
And bilde it aftir more freshe to the fight,
Exile a man out of his regioune,
And him revoke whether it be wrong or right,
But No man hath the porvir ne the might
For to refore the palace virginal
Of Chaftite when brokin is the wal.
Men may
alfo put out of ther service,
And officirs remeve out of ther place,
And at a day, when Fortune litt devife,
They may again reftorid be to grace,
But Ther n'is timè nothir fet ne space,
Nor ner in flory neithir rad ne fain,
That maydenbode loft recovered was again:
For whiche men fhouldin have a confcience,
Rewe in ther hertis and repentin fore,
And havin a remorce of gret offence,
To ravifhe thing which they may not restore,
For it is faide, and hath be said ful yore,
The emeraud grene of parfite chafite
Stole ones arvay may not recovered be.
And hard it is to ravishe a trefour Whiche of nature is not recuparable; Lordship may not of kinge nor emperour Reforme a thinge whiche is nat reformable; Ruft of defame is infeparable,
And Maidinhode yloft of newe or yore
No man on live may it again reflore.
The Romanes olde thorough ther pacience Suffirid tyrauntes in ther tyranyes
On ther cites to do grete violence,
The peple to oppreffe with ther roberies,
But them to punishe they fet gret espies
On falfe avouterers, as it is wel couth,
Which widowes ravish and maidens in ther youth. 63
Explicit.
Chaucer's wordes unto his own fcrivenere.
ADAM Scrivenere, yf ever it the befalle
Boece or Troiles for to write new
Under thy longe lockes thou maist have the scalle,
But after my makynge thou write more true,
So ofte adaye I mote thy werke renew
It to correcte and eke to rubbe and scrape,
And al is thorow thy negligence and rape.
End of Chaucer's Works.
John Gower unto the noble King Henry IV.
Noble worthie Kyng Henrie the Ferth!
In whom the gladdè fortune is befall
The peple to governe here upon yerth,
God hath the chosen in comfort of us all;
The worship of this land, which was doun fal, Now ftant upright through grace of thy godenesse, Which every man is hold for to bleffe.
The most high God of his justice alone
The right whiche longith to thy regalie
Declarid hath to ftande in thy perfone,
And more then God maie no man justifie,
Thy title' is knowe upon thyne auncestric,
The land'is folk hath eke thy right affirmed,
So ftant thy reigne of God and man confirmed. 14
There is no man maie faie in othirwife
That God hymfelf ne hath the right declared,
Whereof the lande is bounde to thy fervice,
Whiche for defaute of helpe hath long ycared,
But now there is no mann'is hertè spared
To love, and ferve, and worchin thy plesaunce,
And all this is through God'is purveiaunce.
In alle thing whiche is of God begonne
There foloweth grace, if it be well governed,
Thus tellin thei whiche oldè bokis conne,
Wherof, my Lorde, I wote well thou art lerned,
Afke of thy God, fo fhalt thou not be werned
Of no request the whiche is refonable,
For Cod unto the gode is favourable."
King Salomon, whiche had at his afkyng
Of God what thing hym was levift to crave,
He chafe wifedome to the right govirnyng
Of Godis folke, the whiche he wouldin fave,
And as he chafe, it fill hym for to have
For through his wit while that his reign did laft
He gate hym pece and reft into his laft.
But Alexandre', as tellith his ftorie,
Unto the God befought in othir waie,
Of all the worlde to win the victorie,
So that undir his fwerde it might obaie;
In werre he had all that he wouldin praie;
The mightie God behight hym that beheste,
The worlde he wanne, and had it of conquefte. 42
But though it fill at thilkè tymè fo
That Alexandre' his afkyng had atchived,
This finfull worldè was all Painim tho,
Was none whiche hath the high God beleved,
No wonder was though thilk world was greved
Though a tyrant his purpose might ywin,
All was vengeaunce and infortune of fin.
But now the faith of Chrift is come aplace
Emongis the princis in this yerth here,
It fitte 'hem well to doe pite and grace,
But yet it must be temprid in manere,
For that thei findin caufe in the mattere,
Upon the poinct, what aftirward betide,
The lawe of right shall not be laied aside.
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