+For in your court is many a losengeour, +And many a queynte totelere accusour, That tabouren in your eres many a thing 330 For hate, or for Ielous imagining, And for to han with yow som daliaunce. Envye (I prey to god yeve hir mischaunce!) Is lavender in the grete court alway. +For she ne parteth, neither night ne day, 335 +Out of the hous of Cesar; thus seith Dante; Who-so that goth, alwey she moot [nat] wante. This man to yow may wrongly been accused, +Ther as by right him oghte been excused. Or elles, sir, for that this man is nyce, 340 He may translate a thing in no malyce. But for he useth bokes for to make, And takth non heed of what matere he take; *Therfor he wroot the Rose and eek Crisseyde *Of innocence, and niste what he seyde; 345 +Or him was boden make thilke tweye +Of som persone, and durste hit nat with-seye; *For he hath writen many a book er this. +He ne hath nat doon so grevously amis +To translaten that olde clerkes wryten, 350 +As thogh that he of malice wolde endyten Despyt of love, and hadde him-self y-wroght. +This shulde a rightwys lord han in his thoght, +And nat be lyk tiraunts of Lumbardye, That usen wilfulhed and tirannye, 355 +For he that king or lord is naturel, +Him oghte nat be tiraunt ne cruel, +As is a fermour, to doon the harm he can. +He moste thinke hit is his lige man, *And that him oweth, of verray duetee, 360 *Shewen his peple pleyn benignitee, *And wel to here hir excusaciouns, *And hir compleyntes and peticiouns, *In duewe tyme, whan they shal hit profre. +This is the sentence of the philosophre: (B. 381) 365 +A king to kepe his liges in Iustyce; +With-outen doute, that is his offyce. *And therto is a king ful depe y-sworn, *Ful many an hundred winter heer-biforn; And for to kepe his lordes hir degree, 370 +As hit is right and skilful that they be +Enhaunced and honoured, and most dere-- +For they ben half-goddes in this world here-- This shal he doon, bothe to pore [and] riche, Al be that here stat be nat a-liche, 375 +And han of pore folk compassioun. +For lo, the gentil kind of the lioun! +For whan a flye offendeth him or byteth, +He with his tayl awey the flye smyteth +Al esily; for, of his genterye, 380 +Him deyneth nat to wreke him on a flye, +As doth a curre or elles another beste. +In noble corage oghte been areste, +And weyen every thing by equitee, +And ever han reward to his owen degree. 385 +For, sir, hit is no maystrie for a lord To dampne a man with-oute answere or word;