confessio amantis-第7部分
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I take of god; that my corage
Hath ben mor siek than my visage。
And ek this mai I wel avowe;
So lowe cowthe I nevere bowe
To feigne humilite withoute;
That me ne leste betre loute 720
With alle the thoghtes of myn herte;
For that thing schal me nevere asterte;
I speke as to my lady diere;
To make hire eny feigned chiere。
God wot wel there I lye noght;
Mi chiere hath be such as my thoght;
For in good feith; this lieveth wel;
Mi will was betre a thousendel
Than eny chiere that I cowthe。
Bot; Sire; if I have in my yowthe 730
Don other wise in other place;
I put me therof in your grace:
For this excusen I ne schal;
That I have elles overal
To love and to his compaignie
Be plein withoute Ypocrisie;
Bot ther is on the which I serve;
Althogh I may no thonk deserve;
To whom yet nevere into this day
I seide onlyche or ye or nay; 740
Bot if it so were in my thoght。
As touchende othre seie I noght
That I nam somdel forto wyte
Of that ye clepe an ypocrite。
Mi Sone; it sit wel every wiht
To kepe his word in trowthe upryht
Towardes love in alle wise。
For who that wolde him wel avise
What hath befalle in this matiere;
He scholde noght with feigned chiere 750
Deceive Love in no degre。
To love is every herte fre;
Bot in deceipte if that thou feignest
And therupon thi lust atteignest;
That thow hast wonne with thi wyle;
Thogh it thee like for a whyle;
Thou schalt it afterward repente。
And forto prove myn entente;
I finde ensample in a Croniqe
Of hem that love so beswike。 760
It fell be olde daies thus;
Whil themperour Tiberius
The Monarchie of Rome ladde;
Ther was a worthi Romein hadde
A wif; and sche Pauline hihte;
Which was to every mannes sihte
Of al the Cite the faireste;
And as men seiden; ek the beste。
It is and hath ben evere yit;
That so strong is no mannes wit; 770
Which thurgh beaute ne mai be drawe
To love; and stonde under the lawe
Of thilke bore frele kinde;
Which makth the hertes yhen blinde;
Wher no reson mai be comuned:
And in this wise stod fortuned
This tale; of which I wolde mene;
This wif; which in hire lustes grene
Was fair and freissh and tendre of age;
Sche may noght lette the corage 780
Of him that wole on hire assote。
Ther was a Duck; and he was hote
Mundus; which hadde in his baillie
To lede the chivalerie
Of Rome; and was a worthi knyht;
Bot yet he was noght of such myht
The strengthe of love to withstonde;
That he ne was so broght to honde;
That malgre wher he wole or no;
This yonge wif he loveth so; 790
That he hath put al his assay
To wynne thing which he ne may
Gete of hire graunt in no manere;
Be yifte of gold ne be preiere。
And whanne he syh that be no mede
Toward hir love he myhte spede;
Be sleyhte feigned thanne he wroghte;
And therupon he him bethoghte
How that ther was in the Cite
A temple of such auctorite; 800
To which with gret Devocioun
The noble wommen of the toun
Most comunliche a pelrinage
Gon forto preie thilke ymage
Which the godesse of childinge is;
And cleped was be name Ysis:
And in hire temple thanne were;
To reule and to ministre there
After the lawe which was tho;
Above alle othre Prestes tuo。 810
This Duck; which thoghte his love gete;
Upon a day hem tuo to mete
Hath bede; and thei come at his heste;
Wher that thei hadde a riche feste;
And after mete in prive place
This lord; which wolde his thonk pourchace;
To ech of hem yaf thanne a yifte;
And spak so that be weie of schrifte
He drowh hem unto his covine;
To helpe and schape how he Pauline 820
After his lust deceive myhte。
And thei here trowthes bothe plyhte;
That thei be nyhte hire scholden wynne
Into the temple; and he therinne
Schal have of hire al his entente:
And thus acorded forth thei wente。
Now lest thurgh which ypocrisie
Ordeigned was the tricherie;
Wherof this ladi was deceived。
These Prestes hadden wel conceived 830
That sche was of gret holinesse;
And with a contrefet simplesse;
Which hid was in a fals corage;
Feignende an hevenely message
Thei come and seide unto hir thus:
〃Pauline; the god Anubus
Hath sent ous bothe Prestes hiere;
And seith he woll to thee appiere
Be nyhtes time himself alone;
For love he hath to thi persone: 840
And therupon he hath ous bede;
That we in Ysis temple a stede
Honestely for thee pourveie;
Wher thou be nyhte; as we thee seie;
Of him schalt take avisioun。
For upon thi condicioun;
The which is chaste and ful of feith;
Such pris; as he ous tolde; he leith;
That he wol stonde of thin acord;
And forto bere hierof record 850
He sende ous hider bothe tuo。〃
Glad was hire innocence tho
Of suche wordes as sche herde;
With humble chiere and thus answerde;
And seide that the goddes wille
Sche was al redy to fulfille;
That be hire housebondes leve
Sche wolde in Ysis temple at eve
Upon hire goddes grace abide;
To serven him the nyhtes tide。 860
The Prestes tho gon hom ayein;
And sche goth to hire sovereign;
Of goddes wille and as it was
Sche tolde him al the pleine cas;
Wherof he was deceived eke;
And bad that sche hire scholde meke
Al hol unto the goddes heste。
And thus sche; which was al honeste
To godward after hire entente;
At nyht unto the temple wente; 870
Wher that the false Prestes were;
And thei receiven hire there
With such a tokne of holinesse;
As thogh thei syhen a godesse;
And al withinne in prive place
A softe bedd of large space
Thei hadde mad and encourtined;
Wher sche was afterward engined。
Bot sche; which al honour supposeth;
The false Prestes thanne opposeth; 880
And axeth be what observance
Sche myhte most to the plesance
Of godd that nyhtes reule kepe:
And thei hire bidden forto slepe
Liggende upon the bedd alofte;
For so; thei seide; al stille and softe
God Anubus hire wolde awake。
The conseil in this wise take;
The Prestes fro this lady gon;
And sche; that wiste of guile non; 890
In the manere as it was seid
To slepe upon the bedd is leid;
In hope that sche scholde achieve
Thing which stod thanne upon bilieve;
Fulfild of alle holinesse。
Bot sche hath failed; as I gesse;
For in a closet faste by
The Duck was hid so prively
That sche him myhte noght perceive;
And he; that thoghte to deceive; 900
Hath such arrai upon him nome;
That whanne he wolde unto hir come;
It scholde semen at hire yhe
As thogh sche verrailiche syhe
God Anubus; and in such wise
This ypocrite of his queintise
Awaiteth evere til sche slepte。
And thanne out of his place he crepte
So stille that sche nothing herde;
And to the bedd stalkende he ferde; 910
And sodeinly; er sche it wiste;
Beclipt in armes he hire kiste:
Wherof in wommanysshe drede
Sche wok and nyste what to rede;
Bot he with softe wordes milde
Conforteth hire and seith; with childe
He wolde hire make in such a kynde
That al the world schal have in mynde
The worschipe of that ilke Sone;
For he schal with the goddes wone; 920
And ben himself a godd also。
With suche wordes and with mo;
The whiche he feigneth in his speche;
This lady wit was al to seche;
As sche which alle trowthe weneth:
Bot he; that alle untrowthe meneth;
With blinde tales so hire ladde;
That all his wille of hire he hadde。
And whan him thoghte it was ynowh;
Ayein the day he him withdrowh 930
So prively that sche ne wiste
Wher he becom; bot as him liste
Out of the temple he goth his weie。
And sche began to bidde and preie
Upon the bare ground knelende;
And after that made hire offrende;
And to the Prestes yiftes grete
Sche yaf; and homward be the Strete。
The Duck hire mette and seide thus:
〃The myhti godd which Anubus 940
Is hote; he save the; Pauline;
For thou art of his discipline
So holy; that no mannes myht
Mai do that he hath do to nyht
Of thing which thou hast evere eschuied。
Bot I his grace have so poursuied;
That I was mad his lieutenant:
Forthi be weie of covenant
Fro this day forth I am al thin;
And if thee like to be myn; 950
That stant upon thin oghne wille。〃
Sche herde his tale and bar it stille;
And hom sche wente; as it befell;
Into hir chambre; and ther sche fell
Upon hire bedd to wepe and crie;
And seide: 〃O derke ypocrisie;
Thurgh whos dissimilacion
Of fals ymaginacion
I am thus wickedly deceived!
Bot that I have it aperceived 960
I thonke unto the goddes alle;
For thogh it ones be befalle;
It schal nevere eft whil that I live;
And thilke avou to godd I yive。〃
And thus wepende sche compleigneth;
Hire faire face and al desteigneth
With wofull teres of hire ije;
So that upon this agonie
Hire housebonde is inne come;
And syh how sche was overcome 970
With sorwe; and axeth what hire eileth。
And sche with that hirself beweileth
Welmore than sche dede afore;
And seide; 〃Helas; wifhode is lore
In me; which whilom was honeste;
I am non other than a beste;
Now I defouled am of tuo。〃
And as sche myhte speke tho;
Aschamed with a pitous onde
Sche tolde unto hir housebonde 980
The sothe of al the hole tale;
And in hire speche ded and pale
Sche swouneth welnyh to the laste。
And he hire in hise armes faste
Uphield; and ofte swor his oth
That he with hire is nothing wroth;
For wel he wot sche may ther noght:
Bot natheles withinne his thoght
His herte stod in sori plit;
And seide he wolde of that despit 990
Be venged; how so evere it falle;
And sende unto hise frendes alle。
And whan thei weren come in fere;
He tolde hem upon this matiere;
And axeth hem what was to done:
And thei avised were sone;
And seide it thoghte hem for the beste
To sette ferst his wif in reste;
And after pleigne to the king
Upon the matiere of this thing。 1000
Tho was this wofull wif conforted
Be alle weies and desported;
Til that sche was somdiel amended;
And thus a day or tuo despended;
The thridde day sche goth to pleigne
With many a worthi Citezeine;
And he with many a Citezein。
Whan themperour it herde sein;
And knew the falshed of the vice;
He seide he wolde do justice: 1010
And ferst he let the Prestes take;
And for thei scholde it noght forsake;
He put hem into questioun;
Bot thei of the suggestioun
Ne couthen noght a word refuse;
Bot for thei wolde hemself excuse;
The blame upon the Duck thei leide。
Bot therayein the conseil seide
That thei