The complete works of John Gower, volume 2 : $b The English works

Name: The complete works of John Gower, volume 2 : $b The English works
Author: Gower, John

Gower, John

Poetry

That to his hihe worthinesse                                       50*
  Som newe thing I scholde boke,[66]
  That he himself it mihte loke[67]
  After the forme of my writynge.[68]
  And thus upon his comandynge
  Myn herte is wel the more glad[69]
  To write so as he me bad;
  And eek my fere is wel the lasse
  That non envye schal compasse
  Withoute a resonable wite[70]
  To feyne and blame that I write.                                   60*
  A gentil herte his tunge stilleth,
  That it malice non distilleth,[71]
  But preyseth that is to be preised;
  But he that hath his word unpeysed
  And handleth <onwrong> every thing,[72]
  I preye un to the hevene king[73]
  Fro suche tunges he me schilde.
  And natheles this world is wilde
  Of such jangling, and what befalle,[74]
  My kinges heste schal nought falle,                                70*
  That I, in hope to deserve
  His thonk, ne schal his wil observe;
  And elles were I nought excused,
  For that thing may nought be refused
  Which that a king himselve bit.[75]
  Forthi the symplesce of my wit[76]
  I thenke if that it myhte avayle[77]
  In his service to travaile:[78]
  Though I seknesse have upon honde,
  And longe have had, yit wol I fonde,[79]                           80*
  So as I made my beheste,[80]
  To make a bok after his heste,[81]
  And write in such a maner wise,
  Which may be wisdom to the wise
  And pley to hem that lust to pleye.
  But in proverbe I have herd seye
  That who that wel his werk begynneth[82]
  The rather a good ende he wynneth;
  And thus the prologe of my bok[83]
  After the world that whilom tok,                                   90*
  And eek somdel after the newe,
  I wol begynne[84] for to newe.[85]

         *       *       *       *       *
                        [Sidenote: [THE FORMER TIME BETTER THAN THIS.]]
  ii. _Tempus preteritum presens fortuna beatum_
        _Linquit, et antiquas vertit in orbe vias._[86]
      _Progenuit veterem concors dileccio pacem,_
        _Dum facies hominis nuncia mentis erat:_
      _Legibus vnicolor tunc temporis aura refulsit,_
        _Iusticie plane tuncque fuere vie._[87]
      _Nuncque latens odium vultum depingit amoris,_
        _Paceque sub ficta tempus ad arma tegit;_[88]
      _Instar et ex variis mutabile Cameliontis_
        _Lex gerit, et regnis sunt noua iura nouis:_                (10)
                                         [Sidenote: [TEMPORAL RULERS.]]
      _Climata que fuerant solidissima sicque per orbem_
        _Soluuntur, nec eo centra quietis habent._

Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.

Opening the text

The complete works of John Gower, volume 2 : $b The English worksGower, John

General

The complete works of John Gower, volume 2 : $b The English works

Gower, John

Poetry

That to his hihe worthinesse                                       50*
  Som newe thing I scholde boke,[66]
  That he himself it mihte loke[67]
  After the forme of my writynge.[68]
  And thus upon his comandynge
  Myn herte is wel the more glad[69]
  To write so as he me bad;
  And eek my fere is wel the lasse
  That non envye schal compasse
  Withoute a resonable wite[70]
  To feyne and blame that I write.                                   60*
  A gentil herte his tunge stilleth,
  That it malice non distilleth,[71]
  But preyseth that is to be preised;
  But he that hath his word unpeysed
  And handleth <onwrong> every thing,[72]
  I preye un to the hevene king[73]
  Fro suche tunges he me schilde.
  And natheles this world is wilde
  Of such jangling, and what befalle,[74]
  My kinges heste schal nought falle,                                70*
  That I, in hope to deserve
  His thonk, ne schal his wil observe;
  And elles were I nought excused,
  For that thing may nought be refused
  Which that a king himselve bit.[75]
  Forthi the symplesce of my wit[76]
  I thenke if that it myhte avayle[77]
  In his service to travaile:[78]
  Though I seknesse have upon honde,
  And longe have had, yit wol I fonde,[79]                           80*
  So as I made my beheste,[80]
  To make a bok after his heste,[81]
  And write in such a maner wise,
  Which may be wisdom to the wise
  And pley to hem that lust to pleye.
  But in proverbe I have herd seye
  That who that wel his werk begynneth[82]
  The rather a good ende he wynneth;
  And thus the prologe of my bok[83]
  After the world that whilom tok,                                   90*
  And eek somdel after the newe,
  I wol begynne[84] for to newe.[85]

         *       *       *       *       *
                        [Sidenote: [THE FORMER TIME BETTER THAN THIS.]]
  ii. _Tempus preteritum presens fortuna beatum_
        _Linquit, et antiquas vertit in orbe vias._[86]
      _Progenuit veterem concors dileccio pacem,_
        _Dum facies hominis nuncia mentis erat:_
      _Legibus vnicolor tunc temporis aura refulsit,_
        _Iusticie plane tuncque fuere vie._[87]
      _Nuncque latens odium vultum depingit amoris,_
        _Paceque sub ficta tempus ad arma tegit;_[88]
      _Instar et ex variis mutabile Cameliontis_
        _Lex gerit, et regnis sunt noua iura nouis:_                (10)
                                         [Sidenote: [TEMPORAL RULERS.]]
      _Climata que fuerant solidissima sicque per orbem_
        _Soluuntur, nec eo centra quietis habent._

Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.

The complete works of John Gower, volume 2 : $b The English works

The complete works of John Gower, volume 2 : $b The English works

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