Chapter 42

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 conseil, which is to warm, Er men be war doth ofte harm. Old age for the conseil serveth, And lusti youthe his thonk deserveth Upon the travail which he doth; And bothe, forto seie a soth, 4140 Be sondri cause forto have, If that he wole his regne save, A king behoveth every day. That on can and that other mai, Be so the king hem bothe reule, For elles al goth out of reule.

And upon this matiere also A question betwen the tuo Thus writen in a bok I fond; Wher it be betre for the lond 4150 A king himselve to be wys, And so to bere his oghne pris, And that his consail be noght good, Or other wise if it so stod, A king if he be vicious And his conseil be vertuous. It is ansuerd in such a wise, That betre it is that thei be wise Be whom that the conseil schal gon, For thei be manye, and he is on; 4160 And rathere schal an one man With fals conseil, for oght he can, From his wisdom be mad to falle, Thanne he al one scholde hem alle Fro vices into vertu change, For that is wel the more strange.

Forthi the lond mai wel be glad, Whos king with good conseil is lad, Which set him unto rihtwisnesse, So that his hihe worthinesse 4170 Betwen the reddour and Pite Doth mercy forth with equite. A king is holden overal To Pite, bot in special To hem wher he is most beholde; Thei scholde his Pite most beholde That ben the Lieges of his lond, For thei ben evere under his hond After the goddes ordinaunce To stonde upon his governance. 4180

Of themperour Anthonius I finde hou that he seide thus, That levere him were forto save Oon of his lieges than to have Of enemis a thousend dede. And this he lernede, as I rede, Of Cipio, which hadde be Consul of Rome. And thus to se Diverse ensamples hou thei stonde, A king which hath the charge on honde 4190 The comun poeple to governe, If that he wole, he mai wel lerne. Is non so good to the plesance Of god, as is good governance; And every governance is due To Pite: thus I mai argue That Pite is the foundement Of every kinges regiment, If it be medled with justice. Thei tuo remuen alle vice, 4200 And ben of vertu most vailable To make a kinges regne stable.

Lo, thus the foure pointz tofore, In governance as thei ben bore, Of trouthe ferst and of largesse, Of Pite forth with rihtwisnesse, I have hem told; and over this The fifte point, so as it is Set of the reule of Policie, Wherof a king schal modefie 4210 The fleisschly lustes of nature, Nou thenk I telle of such mesure, That bothe kinde schal be served And ek the lawe of god observed.

The Madle is mad for the the femele, Bot where as on desireth fele, That nedeth noght be weie of kinde: For whan a man mai redy finde His oghne wif, what scholde he seche In strange places to beseche 4220 To borwe an other mannes plouh, Whan he hath geere good ynouh Affaited at his oghne heste, And is to him wel more honeste Than other thing which is unknowe? Forthi scholde every good man knowe And thenke, hou that in mariage His trouthe pliht lith in morgage, Which if he breke, it is falshode, And that descordeth to manhode, 4230 And namely toward the grete, Wherof the bokes alle trete; So as the Philosophre techeth To Alisandre, and him betecheth The lore hou that he schal mesure His bodi, so that no mesure Of fleisshly lust he scholde excede. And thus forth if I schal procede, The fifte point, as I seide er, Is chastete, which sielde wher 4240 Comth nou adaies into place; And natheles, bot it be grace Above alle othre in special, Is non that chaste mai ben all. Bot yit a kinges hihe astat, Which of his ordre as a prelat Schal ben enoignt and seintefied, He mot be more magnefied For dignete of his corone, Than scholde an other low persone, 4250 Which is noght of so hih emprise. Therfore a Prince him scholde avise, Er that he felle in such riote, And namely that he nassote To change for the wommanhede The worthinesse of his manhede.

Of Aristotle I have wel rad, Hou he to Alisandre bad, That forto gladen his corage He schal beholde the visage 4260 Of wommen, whan that thei ben faire. Bot yit he set an essamplaire, His bodi so to guide and reule, That he ne passe noght the reule, Wherof that he himself beguile. For in the womman is no guile Of that a man himself bewhapeth; Whan he his oghne wit bejapeth, I can the wommen wel excuse: Bot what man wole upon hem muse 4270 After the fool impression Of his ymaginacioun, Withinne himself the fyr he bloweth, Wherof the womman nothing knoweth, So mai sche nothing be to wyte. For if a man himself excite To drenche, and wol it noght forbere, The water schal no blame bere. What mai the gold, thogh men coveite? If that a man wol love streite, 4280 The womman hath him nothing bounde; If he his oghne herte wounde, Sche mai noght lette the folie; And thogh so felle of compainie That he myht eny thing pourchace, Yit makth a man the ferste chace, The womman fleth and he poursuieth: So that be weie of skile it suieth, The man is cause, hou so befalle, That he fulofte sithe is falle 4290 Wher that he mai noght wel aryse. And natheles ful manye wise Befoled have hemself er this, As nou adaies yit it is Among the men and evere was, The stronge is fieblest in this cas. It sit a man be weie of kinde To love, bot it is noght kinde A man for love his wit to lese: For if the Monthe of Juil schal frese 4300 And that Decembre schal ben hot, The yeer mistorneth, wel I wot. To sen a man fro his astat Thurgh his sotie effeminat, And leve that a man schal do, It is as Hose above the Scho, To man which oghte noght ben used. Bot yit the world hath ofte accused Ful grete Princes of this dede, Hou thei for love hemself mislede, 4310 Wherof manhode stod behinde, Of olde ensamples as I finde.

These olde gestes tellen thus, That whilom Sardana Pallus, Which hield al hol in his empire The grete kingdom of Assire, Was thurgh the slouthe of his corage Falle into thilke fyri rage Of love, which the men assoteth, Wherof himself he so rioteth, 4320 And wax so ferforth wommannyssh, That ayein kinde, as if a fissh Abide wolde upon the lond, In wommen such a lust he fond, That he duelte evere in chambre stille, And only wroghte after the wille Of wommen, so as he was bede, That selden whanne in other stede If that he wolde wenden oute, To sen hou that it stod aboute. 4330 Bot ther he keste and there he pleide, Thei tawhten him a Las to breide, And weve a Pours, and to enfile A Perle: and fell that ilke while, On Barbarus the Prince of Mede Sih hou this king in wommanhede Was falle fro chivalerie, And gat him help and compaignie, And wroghte so, that ate laste This king out of his regne he caste, 4340 Which was undon for everemo: And yit men speken of him so, That it is schame forto hiere.

Forthi to love is in manere. King David hadde many a love, Bot natheles alwey above Knyhthode he kepte in such a wise, That for no fleisshli covoitise Of lust to ligge in ladi armes He lefte noght the lust of armes. 4350 For where a Prince hise lustes suieth, That he the werre noght poursuieth, Whan it is time to ben armed, His contre stant fulofte harmed, Whan thenemis ben woxe bolde, That thei defence non beholde. Ful many a lond hath so be lore, As men mai rede of time afore Of hem that so here eses soghten, Which after thei full diere aboghten. 4360

To mochel ese is nothing worth, For that set every vice forth And every vertu put abak, Wherof priss torneth into lak, As in Cronique I mai reherse: Which telleth hou the king of Perse, That Cirus hihte, a werre hadde Ayein a poeple which he dradde, Of a contre which Liddos hihte; Bot yit for oght that he do mihte 4370 As in bataille upon the werre, He hadde of hem alwey the werre. And whan he sih and wiste it wel, That he be strengthe wan no del, Thanne ate laste he caste a wyle This worthi poeple to beguile, And tok with hem a feigned pes, Which scholde lasten endeles, So as he seide in wordes wise, Bot he thoghte al in other wise. 4380 For it betidd upon the cas, Whan that this poeple in reste was, Thei token eses manyfold; And worldes ese, as it is told, Be weie of kinde is the norrice Of every lust which toucheth vice. Thus whan thei were in lustes falle, The werres ben foryeten alle; Was non which wolde the worschipe Of Armes, bot in idelschipe 4390 Thei putten besinesse aweie And token hem to daunce and pleie; Bot most above alle othre thinges Thei token hem to the likinges Of fleysshly lust, that chastete Received was in no degre, Bot every man doth what him liste. And whan the king of Perse it wiste, That thei unto folie entenden, With his pouer, whan thei lest wenden, 4400 Mor sodeinly than doth the thunder He cam, for evere and put hem under. And thus hath lecherie lore The lond, which hadde be tofore The beste of hem that were tho.

And in the bible I finde also A tale lich unto this thing, Hou Amalech the paien king, Whan that he myhte be no weie Defende his lond and putte aweie 4410 The worthi poeple of Irael, This Sarazin, as it befell, Thurgh the conseil of Balaam A route of faire wommen nam, That lusti were and yonge of Age, And bad hem gon to the lignage Of these Hebreus: and forth thei wente With yhen greye and browes bente And wel arraied everych on; And whan thei come were anon 4420 Among thebreus, was non insihte, Bot cacche who that cacche myhte, And ech of hem hise lustes soghte, Whiche after thei full diere boghte. For grace anon began to faile, That whan thei comen to bataille Thanne afterward, in sori plit Thei were take and disconfit, So that withinne a litel throwe The myht of hem was overthrowe, 4430 That whilom were wont to stonde. Til Phinees the cause on honde Hath take, this vengance laste, Bot thanne it cessede ate laste, For god was paid of that he dede: For wher he fond upon a stede A couple which misferde so, Thurghout he smot hem bothe tuo, And let hem ligge in mennes yhe; Wherof alle othre whiche hem sihe 4440 Ensamplede hem upon the dede, And preiden unto the godhiede Here olde Sennes to amende: And he, which wolde his mercy sende, Restorede hem to newe grace.

Thus mai it schewe in sondri place, Of chastete hou the clennesse Acordeth to the worthinesse Of men of Armes overal; Bot most of alle in special 4450 This vertu to a king belongeth, For upon his fortune it hongeth Of that his lond schal spede or spille. Forthi bot if a king his wille Fro lustes of his fleissh restreigne, Ayein himself he makth a treigne, Into the which if that he slyde, Him were betre go besyde. For every man mai understonde, Hou for a time that it stonde, 4460 It is a sori lust to lyke, Whos ende makth a man to syke And torneth joies into sorwe. The brihte Sonne be the morwe Beschyneth noght the derke nyht, The lusti youthe of mannes myht, In Age bot it stonde wel, Mistorneth al the laste whiel.

That every worthi Prince is holde Withinne himself himself beholde, 4470 To se the stat of his persone, And thenke hou ther be joies none Upon this Erthe mad to laste, And hou the fleissh schal ate laste The lustes of this lif forsake, Him oghte a gret ensample take Of Salomon, whos appetit Was holy set upon delit, To take of wommen the plesance: So that upon his ignorance 4480 The wyde world merveileth yit, That he, which alle mennes wit In thilke time hath overpassed, With fleisshly lustes was so tassed, That he which ladde under the lawe The poeple of god, himself withdrawe He hath fro god in such a wise, That he worschipe and sacrifise For sondri love in sondri stede Unto the false goddes dede. 4490 This was the wise ecclesiaste, The fame of whom schal evere laste, That he the myhti god forsok, Ayein the lawe whanne he tok His wyves and his concubines Of hem that weren Sarazines, For whiche he dede ydolatrie. For this I rede of his sotie:

Sche of Sidoyne so him ladde, That he knelende his armes spradde 4500 To Astrathen with gret humblesse, Which of hire lond was the goddesse:

And sche that was a Moabite So ferforth made him to delite Thurgh lust, which al his wit devoureth, That he Chamos hire god honoureth.

An other Amonyte also With love him hath assoted so, Hire god Moloch that with encense He sacreth, and doth reverence 4510 In such a wise as sche him bad. Thus was the wiseste overlad With blinde lustes whiche he soghte; Bot he it afterward aboghte.

For Achias Selonites, Which was prophete, er his decess, Whil he was in hise lustes alle, Betokneth what schal after falle. For on a day, whan that he mette Jeroboam the knyht, he grette 4520 And bad him that he scholde abyde, To hiere what him schal betyde. And forth withal Achias caste His mantell of, and also faste He kut it into pieces twelve, Wherof tuo partz toward himselve He kepte, and al the remenant, As god hath set his covenant, He tok unto Jeroboas, Of Nabal which the Sone was, 4530 And of the kinges court a knyht: And seide him, “Such is goddes myht, As thou hast sen departed hiere Mi mantell, riht in such manere After the deth of Salomon God hath ordeigned therupon, This regne thanne he schal divide: Which time thou schalt ek abide, And upon that division The regne as in proporcion 4540 As thou hast of mi mantell take, Thou schalt receive, I undertake. And thus the Sone schal abie The lustes and the lecherie Of him which nou his fader is.”

So forto taken hiede of this, It sit a king wel to be chaste, For elles he mai lihtly waste Himself and ek his regne bothe, And that oghte every king to lothe. 4550 O, which a Senne violent, Wherof so wys a king was schent, That the vengance in his persone Was noght ynouh to take al one, Bot afterward, whan he was passed, It hath his heritage lassed, As I more openli tofore The tale tolde. And thus therfore The Philosophre upon this thing Writ and conseileth to a king, 4560 That he the surfet of luxure Schal tempre and reule of such mesure, Which be to kinde sufficant And ek to reson acordant, So that the lustes ignorance Be cause of no misgovernance, Thurgh which that he be overthrowe, As he that wol no reson knowe. For bot a mannes wit be swerved, Whan kinde is dueliche served, 4570 It oghte of reson to suffise; For if it falle him otherwise, He mai tho lustes sore drede.

For of Anthonie thus I rede, Which of Severus was the Sone, That he his lif of comun wone Yaf holy unto thilke vice, And ofte time he was so nyce, Wherof nature hire hath compleigned Unto the god, which hath desdeigned 4580 The werkes whiche Antonie wroghte Of lust, whiche he ful sore aboghte: For god his forfet hath so wroke That in Cronique it is yit spoke. Bot forto take remembrance Of special misgovernance Thurgh covoitise and injustice Forth with the remenant of vice, And nameliche of lecherie, I finde write a gret partie 4590 Withinne a tale, as thou schalt hiere, Which is thensample of this matiere.

So as these olde gestes sein, The proude tirannyssh Romein Tarquinus, which was thanne king And wroghte many a wrongful thing, Of Sones hadde manyon, Among the whiche Arrons was on, Lich to his fader of maneres; So that withinne a fewe yeres 4600 With tresoun and with tirannie Thei wonne of lond a gret partie, And token hiede of no justice, Which due was to here office Upon the reule of governance; Bot al that evere was plesance Unto the fleisshes lust thei toke. And fell so, that thei undertoke A werre, which was noght achieved, Bot ofte time it hadde hem grieved, 4610 Ayein a folk which thanne hihte The Gabiens: and al be nyhte This Arrons, whan he was at hom In Rome, a prive place he nom Withinne a chambre, and bet himselve And made him woundes ten or tuelve Upon the bak, as it was sene; And so forth with hise hurtes grene In al the haste that he may He rod, and cam that other day 4620 Unto Gabie the Cite, And in he wente: and whan that he Was knowe, anon the gates schette, The lordes alle upon him sette With drawe swerdes upon honde. This Arrons wolde hem noght withstonde, Bot seide, “I am hier at your wille, Als lief it is that ye me spille, As if myn oghne fader dede.” And forthwith in the same stede 4630 He preide hem that thei wolde se, And schewede hem in what degre His fader and hise brethren bothe, Whiche, as he seide, weren wrothe, Him hadde beten and reviled, For evere and out of Rome exiled. And thus he made hem to believe, And seide, if that he myhte achieve His pourpos, it schal wel be yolde, Be so that thei him helpe wolde. 4640

Whan that the lordes hadde sein Hou wofully he was besein, Thei token Pite of his grief; Bot yit it was hem wonder lief That Rome him hadde exiled so. These Gabiens be conseil tho Upon the goddes made him swere, That he to hem schal trouthe bere And strengthen hem with al his myht; And thei also him have behiht 4650 To helpen him in his querele. Thei schopen thanne for his hele That he was bathed and enoignt, Til that he was in lusti point; And what he wolde thanne he hadde, That he al hol the cite ladde Riht as he wolde himself divise. And thanne he thoghte him in what wise He myhte his tirannie schewe; And to his conseil tok a schrewe, 4660 Whom to his fader forth he sente In his message, and he tho wente, And preide his fader forto seie Be his avis, and finde a weie, Hou they the cite myhten winne, Whil that he stod so wel therinne. And whan the messager was come To Rome, and hath in conseil nome The king, it fell per chance so That thei were in a gardin tho, 4670 This messager forth with the king. And whanne he hadde told the thing In what manere that it stod, And that Tarquinus understod Be the message hou that it ferde, Anon he tok in honde a yerde, And in the gardin as thei gon, The lilie croppes on and on, Wher that thei weren sprongen oute, He smot of, as thei stode aboute, 4680 And seide unto the messager: “Lo, this thing, which I do nou hier, Schal ben in stede of thin ansuere; And in this wise as I me bere, Thou schalt unto mi Sone telle.” And he no lengere wolde duelle, Bot tok his leve and goth withal Unto his lord, and told him al, Hou that his fader hadde do. Whan Arrons herde him telle so, 4690 Anon he wiste what it mente, And therto sette al his entente, Til he thurgh fraude and tricherie The Princes hefdes of Gabie Hath smiten of, and al was wonne: His fader cam tofore the Sonne Into the toun with the Romeins, And tok and slowh the citezeins Withoute reson or pite, That he ne spareth no degre. 4700 And for the sped of this conqueste He let do make a riche feste With a sollempne Sacrifise In Phebus temple; and in this wise Whan the Romeins assembled were, In presence of hem alle there, Upon thalter whan al was diht And that the fyres were alyht, From under thalter sodeinly An hidous Serpent openly 4710 Cam out and hath devoured al The Sacrifice, and ek withal The fyres queynt, and forth anon, So as he cam, so is he gon Into the depe ground ayein. And every man began to sein, “Ha lord, what mai this signefie?” And therupon thei preie and crie To Phebus, that thei mihten knowe The cause: and he the same throwe 4720 With gastly vois, that alle it herde, The Romeins in this wise ansuerde, And seide hou for the wikkidnesse Of Pride and of unrihtwisnesse, That Tarquin and his Sone hath do, The Sacrifice is wasted so, Which myhte noght ben acceptable Upon such Senne abhominable. And over that yit he hem wisseth, And seith that which of hem ferst kisseth 4730 His moder, he schal take wrieche Upon the wrong: and of that speche Thei ben withinne here hertes glade, Thogh thei outward no semblant made. Ther was a knyht which Brutus hihte, And he with al the haste he myhte To grounde fell and therthe kiste, Bot non of hem the cause wiste, Bot wenden that he hadde sporned Per chance, and so was overtorned. 4740 Bot Brutus al an other mente; For he knew wel in his entente Hou therthe of every mannes kinde Is Moder: bot thei weren blinde, And sihen noght so fer as he. Bot whan thei leften the Cite And comen hom to Rome ayein, Thanne every man which was Romein And moder hath, to hire he bende And keste, and ech of hem thus wende 4750 To be the ferste upon the chance, Of Tarquin forto do vengance, So as thei herden Phebus sein.

Bot every time hath his certein, So moste it nedes thanne abide, Til afterward upon a tyde Tarquinus made unskilfully A werre, which was fasteby Ayein a toun with walles stronge Which Ardea was cleped longe, 4760 And caste a Siege theraboute, That ther mai noman passen oute. So it befell upon a nyht, Arrons, which hadde his souper diht, A part of the chivalerie With him to soupe in compaignie Hath bede: and whan thei comen were And seten at the souper there, Among here othre wordes glade Arrons a gret spekinge made, 4770 Who hadde tho the beste wif Of Rome: and ther began a strif, For Arrons seith he hath the beste. So jangle thei withoute reste, Til ate laste on Collatin, A worthi knyht, and was cousin To Arrons, seide him in this wise: “It is,” quod he, “of non emprise To speke a word, bot of the dede, Therof it is to taken hiede. 4780 Anon forthi this same tyde Lep on thin hors and let ous ryde: So mai we knowe bothe tuo Unwarli what oure wyves do, And that schal be a trewe assay.” This Arrons seith noght ones nay: On horse bak anon thei lepte In such manere, and nothing slepte, Ridende forth til that thei come Al prively withinne Rome; 4790 In strange place and doun thei lihte, And take a chambre, and out of sihte Thei be desguised for a throwe, So that no lif hem scholde knowe. And to the paleis ferst thei soghte, To se what thing this ladi wroghte Of which Arrons made his avant: And thei hire sihe of glad semblant, Al full of merthes and of bordes; Bot among alle hire othre wordes 4800 Sche spak noght of hire housebonde. And whan thei hadde al understonde Of thilke place what hem liste, Thei gon hem forth, that non it wiste, Beside thilke gate of bras, Collacea which cleped was, Wher Collatin hath his duellinge. Ther founden thei at hom sittinge Lucrece his wif, al environed With wommen, whiche are abandoned 4810 To werche, and sche wroghte ek withal, And bad hem haste, and seith, “It schal Be for mi housebondes were, Which with his swerd and with his spere Lith at the Siege in gret desese. And if it scholde him noght displese, Nou wolde god I hadde him hiere; For certes til that I mai hiere Som good tidinge of his astat, Min herte is evere upon debat. 4820 For so as alle men witnesse, He is of such an hardiesse, That he can noght himselve spare, And that is al my moste care, Whan thei the walles schulle assaile. Bot if mi wisshes myhte availe, I wolde it were a groundles pet, Be so the Siege were unknet, And I myn housebonde sihe.” With that the water in hire yhe 4830 Aros, that sche ne myhte it stoppe, And as men sen the dew bedroppe The leves and the floures eke, Riht so upon hire whyte cheke The wofull salte teres felle. Whan Collatin hath herd hire telle The menynge of hire trewe herte, Anon with that to hire he sterte, And seide, “Lo, mi goode diere, Nou is he come to you hiere, 4840 That ye most loven, as ye sein.” And sche with goodly chiere ayein Beclipte him in hire armes smale, And the colour, which erst was pale, To Beaute thanne was restored, So that it myhte noght be mored.