Confessio Amantis; Or, Tales of the Seven Deadly Sins

Ovide after the time tho Tolde an ensample and seide so, How that whilom Tiresias, As he walkende goth per cas, Upon an hih Montaine he sih Tuo Serpentz in his weie nyh, And the...

With Covoitise yit I finde A Servant of the same kinde, Which Stelthe is hote, and Mecherie With him is evere in compainie. Of whom if I schal telle soth, He stalketh as a Pocok...

The king thes thre demandes axeth, And to the knyht this lawe he taxeth, That he schal gon and come ayein The thridde weke, and telle him plein 3110 To every point, what it amon...

Nou lete we this maiden hiere, And speke of Dionise ayein And of Theophile the vilein, 1500 Of whiche I spak of nou tofore. Whan Thaise scholde have be forlore, This false cherl...

The Ston seconde I thee behote Is _lapis animalis_ hote, The whos vertu is propre and cowth For Ere and yhe and nase and mouth, Wherof a man mai hiere and se And smelle and tast...

Loke, how a sek man for his hele Takth baldemoine with Canele, And with the Mirre takth the Sucre, Ryht upon such a maner lucre Stant Florent, as in this diete: He drinkth the b...

Of sihte is al mi ferste fode, Thurgh which myn yhe of alle goode Hath that to him is acordant, A lusti fode sufficant. Whan that I go toward the place Wher I schal se my ladi f...

Anon it was at Rome knowe, The pompe which that Perse ladde; And the Romeins that time hadde A Consul, which was cleped thus Be name, Paul Emilius, A noble, a worthi kniht witha...

The fame, which mai noght ben hidd, Thurghout the lond is sone kidd, Here king is come hom ayein: Ther mai noman the fulle sein, Hou that thei weren alle glade, So mochel joie o...

Upon the bench sittende on hih With Avarice Usure I sih, Full clothed of his oghne suite, Which after gold makth chace and suite With his brocours, that renne aboute Lich unto r...

In a Cronique this I rede. Aboute a king, as moste nede, Ther was of knyhtes and squiers Gret route, and ek of Officers: Some of long time him hadden served, And thoghten that t...

Thus whan this Ston was boght and sold, Homward with joie manyfold 5090 This Bardus goth; and whan he cam Hom to his hous and that he nam His gold out of his Purs, withinne He f...

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?

Betwen the lif and deth I herde This Prestes tale er I answerde, 290 And thanne I preide him forto seie His will, and I it wolde obeie After the forme of his apprise. Tho spak h...

Among the bokes of latin I finde write of Constantin The worthi Emperour of Rome, Suche infortunes to him come, 3190 Whan he was in his lusti age, The lepre cawhte in his visage...

Whan noble Troie was belein And overcome, and hom ayein The Gregois torned fro the siege, The kinges founde here oghne liege 1760 In manye places, as men seide, That hem forsoke...

King Lamedon, which deide thus, He hadde a Sone, on Priamus, Which was noght thilke time at hom: Bot whan he herde of this, he com, And fond hou the Cite was falle, Which he beg...

So sit it wel a king therfore To loven hem that trouthe mene; For ate laste it wol be sene That flaterie is nothing worth. Bot nou to mi matiere forth, 2690 As forto speken over...

Nou schalt thou hiere a wonder wyle: 2980 This queene, which the moder was Of Achilles, upon this cas Hire Sone, as he a Maiden were, Let clothen in the same gere Which longeth...

Lo thus expondeth Daniel The kynges swevene faire and wel In Babiloyne the Cite, Wher that the wiseste of Caldee Ne cowthen wite what it mente; Bot he tolde al the hol entente,...

Lo, thus Zorobabel hath told 1950 The tale of his opinion: Bot for final conclusion What strengest is of erthli thinges, The wyn, the wommen or the kinges, He seith that trouthe...

I rede in olde bokes thus: Ther was a Duk, which Spertachus Men clepe, and was a werreiour, A cruel man, a conquerour 3420 With strong pouer the which he ladde. For this condici...

Mi fader, bot I scholde lie, Upon the point which ye have seid Yit was myn herte nevere leid, Bot in the wise as I you tolde. Bot overmore, if that ye wolde Oght elles to my sch...

Whan he cam to that yle there, 3690 He set him on his knes doun strauht, And his carecte, as he was tawht, He radde, and made his sacrifise, And siththe enoignte him in that wis...

And thus as Habraham hath tawht, Whan Isaäc was god betawht, 120 His Sone Jacob dede also, And of Laban the dowhtres tuo, Which was his Em, he tok to wyve, And gat upon hem in h...

Among the Greks, out of the weie As thei that reson putte aweie, Ther was, as the Cronique seith, Of misbelieve an other feith, That thei here goddes and goddesses, As who seith...

Lo, thus he wan a lusti wif, Which obeissant was at his wille; And if he wolde have holde him stille And nothing spoke, he scholde have failed: Bot for he hath his word travaile...

Upon knyhthode I rede thus, How whilom whan the king Nauplus, The fader of Palamades, Cam forto preien Ulixes With othre Gregois ek also, That he with hem to Troie go, 1820 Wher...

Lo, thus the yonge cause wente: 4130 For that the conseil was noght good, The regne fro the rihtfull blod Evere afterward divided was. So mai it proven be this cas That yong con...

Mi fader, evere yit er this In every place, in every stede, What so mi lady hath me bede, With al myn herte obedient I have therto be diligent. And if so is sche bidde noght, Wh...

And whanne it was amorwe lyht, 820 Unto this yonge man of Tyr Of clothes and of good atir With gold and Selver to despende This worthi yonge lady sende: And thus sche made him w...

The kinges Sone, which was nyh, And of this lady herde and syh The thinges as thei ben befalle, The resoun of hise wittes alle 4850 Hath lost; for love upon his part Cam thanne,...

The wofull peine of loves maladie, Ayein the which mai no phisique availe, Min herte hath so bewhaped with sotie, That wher so that I reste or I travaile, 2220 I finde it evere...

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...

Bachus, which is the god of wyn, Acordant unto his divin A Prest, the which Cillenus hihte, He hadde, and fell so that be nyhte This Prest was drunke and goth astraied, Wherof t...

And so fell upon aventure, Whan thilke yer hath mad his ende, Hire Schip, so as it moste wende Thurgh strengthe of wynd which god hath yive, Estward was into Spaigne drive Riht...

The tuelfthe, which is last of alle Of Signes, Piscis men it calle, The which, as telleth the scripture, Berth of tuo fisshes the figure. So is he cold and moiste of kinde, And...

I wolde, fader, that ye wiste, Mi conscience lith noght hiere: Yit hadde I nevere such matiere, 2430 Wherof min herte myhte amende, Noght of so mochel that sche sende Be mowthe...

Mi Sone, thou schalt understonde That yit towardes Wraththe stonde 1090 Of dedly vices othre tuo: And forto telle here names so, It is Contek and Homicide, That ben to drede on...

The thridde ymage next to this Was, whan the king of Grece Apis 1560 Was ded, thei maden a figure In resemblance of his stature. Of this king Apis seith the bok That Serapis his...

The king, which al this wonder syh, 2210 Whan he cam to his chambre alone, Unto the queene he made his mone And of foryivenesse hir preide; For thanne he knew wel, as he seide,...

And thus nature his pourveance 490 Hath mad for man to liven hiere; Bot god, which hath the Soule diere, Hath formed it in other wise. That can noman pleinli devise; Bot as the...

And lich to such condicion, As forto speke it other wise, It falleth that the moste wise Ben otherwhile of love adoted, And so bewhaped and assoted, 80 Of drunke men that nevere...

Whan ech of other hadde a sihte, In chambre, ther thei were al one, Thei maden many a pitous mone; Bot Progne most of sorwe made, Which sihe hir Soster pale and fade 5810 And sp...

Of thilke Cite chief of alle Which men the noble Rome calle, Er it was set to Cristes feith, Ther was, as the Cronique seith, An Emperour, the which it ladde In pes, that he no...

_Torpor, ebes sensus, scola parua labor minimusque Causant quo minimus ipse minora canam: Qua tamen Engisti lingua canit Insula Bruti Anglica Carmente metra iuuante loquar. Ossi...

Mi fader, who that hath his love Abedde naked be his syde, And wolde thanne hise yhen hyde With Slep, I not what man is he: Bot certes as touchende of me, 3280 That fell me neve...

“Min holi fader, grant mercy,” Quod I to him, and to the queene I fell on knes upon the grene, 2900 And tok my leve forto wende. Bot sche, that wolde make an ende, As therto whi...