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

Which thei with deynte metes kepe
  And leyn it softe forto slepe,
  Whan it hath elles al his wille,
  With chastite schal stonde stille:
  And natheles I can noght seie,
  In aunter if that I misseye.                                       480
  Touchende of this, how evere it stonde,
  I here and wol noght understonde,
                                                  [Sidenote: =P. i. 20=]
  For therof have I noght to done:
  Bot he that made ferst the Mone,
  The hyhe god, of his goodnesse,
  If ther be cause, he it redresce.[134]
  Bot what as eny man accuse,[135]
  This mai reson of trowthe excuse;
  The vice of hem that ben ungoode
  Is no reproef unto the goode:                                      490
  For every man hise oghne werkes
  Schal bere, and thus as of the clerkes
  The goode men ben to comende,
  And alle these othre god amende:
  For thei ben to the worldes ÿe[136]
  The Mirour of ensamplerie,
  To reulen and to taken hiede
  Betwen the men and the godhiede.


                                             [Sidenote: [THE COMMONS.]]
  iv. _Vulgaris populus regali lege subactus_
        _Dum iacet, vt mitis agna subibit onus._
      _Si caput extollat et lex sua frena relaxet,_
        _Vt sibi velle iubet, Tigridis instar habet._
      _Ignis, aqua dominans duo sunt pietate carentes,_
        _Ira tamen plebis est violenta magis._

    Now forto speke of the comune,
  It is to drede of that fortune                                     500
        [Sidenote: De statu plebis, vt dicunt, secundum accidencium
        mutabilia.[137]]
  Which hath befalle in sondri londes:
  Bot often for defalte of bondes
  Al sodeinliche, er it be wist,
  A Tonne, whanne his lye arist,
  Tobrekth and renneth al aboute,
  Which elles scholde noght gon oute;
  And ek fulofte a litel Skar
  Upon a Banke, er men be war,
                                                  [Sidenote: =P. i. 21=]
  Let in the Strem, which with gret peine,
  If evere man it schal restreigne.  [138]                           510
  Wher lawe lacketh, errour groweth,
  He is noght wys who that ne troweth,
  For it hath proeved ofte er this;
  And thus the comun clamour is
  In every lond wher poeple dwelleth,
  And eche in his compleignte telleth
  How that the world is al miswent,
  And ther upon his jugement[139]
  Yifth every man in sondry wise.
  Bot what man wolde himself avise,                                  520
  His conscience and noght misuse,
  He may wel ate ferste excuse
  His god, which evere stant in on:
  In him ther is defalte non,
                                   [Sidenote: [MAN THE CAUSE OF EVIL.]]
  So moste it stonde upon ousselve
  Nought only upon ten ne twelve,
  Bot plenerliche upon ous alle,
  For man is cause of that schal falle.
    And natheles yet som men wryte
        [Sidenote: Nota contra hoc, quod aliqui sortem fortune, aliqui
        influenciam planetarum ponunt, per quod, vt dicitur, rerum
        euentus necessario contingit.

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

Which thei with deynte metes kepe
  And leyn it softe forto slepe,
  Whan it hath elles al his wille,
  With chastite schal stonde stille:
  And natheles I can noght seie,
  In aunter if that I misseye.                                       480
  Touchende of this, how evere it stonde,
  I here and wol noght understonde,
                                                  [Sidenote: =P. i. 20=]
  For therof have I noght to done:
  Bot he that made ferst the Mone,
  The hyhe god, of his goodnesse,
  If ther be cause, he it redresce.[134]
  Bot what as eny man accuse,[135]
  This mai reson of trowthe excuse;
  The vice of hem that ben ungoode
  Is no reproef unto the goode:                                      490
  For every man hise oghne werkes
  Schal bere, and thus as of the clerkes
  The goode men ben to comende,
  And alle these othre god amende:
  For thei ben to the worldes ÿe[136]
  The Mirour of ensamplerie,
  To reulen and to taken hiede
  Betwen the men and the godhiede.


                                             [Sidenote: [THE COMMONS.]]
  iv. _Vulgaris populus regali lege subactus_
        _Dum iacet, vt mitis agna subibit onus._
      _Si caput extollat et lex sua frena relaxet,_
        _Vt sibi velle iubet, Tigridis instar habet._
      _Ignis, aqua dominans duo sunt pietate carentes,_
        _Ira tamen plebis est violenta magis._

    Now forto speke of the comune,
  It is to drede of that fortune                                     500
        [Sidenote: De statu plebis, vt dicunt, secundum accidencium
        mutabilia.[137]]
  Which hath befalle in sondri londes:
  Bot often for defalte of bondes
  Al sodeinliche, er it be wist,
  A Tonne, whanne his lye arist,
  Tobrekth and renneth al aboute,
  Which elles scholde noght gon oute;
  And ek fulofte a litel Skar
  Upon a Banke, er men be war,
                                                  [Sidenote: =P. i. 21=]
  Let in the Strem, which with gret peine,
  If evere man it schal restreigne.  [138]                           510
  Wher lawe lacketh, errour groweth,
  He is noght wys who that ne troweth,
  For it hath proeved ofte er this;
  And thus the comun clamour is
  In every lond wher poeple dwelleth,
  And eche in his compleignte telleth
  How that the world is al miswent,
  And ther upon his jugement[139]
  Yifth every man in sondry wise.
  Bot what man wolde himself avise,                                  520
  His conscience and noght misuse,
  He may wel ate ferste excuse
  His god, which evere stant in on:
  In him ther is defalte non,
                                   [Sidenote: [MAN THE CAUSE OF EVIL.]]
  So moste it stonde upon ousselve
  Nought only upon ten ne twelve,
  Bot plenerliche upon ous alle,
  For man is cause of that schal falle.
    And natheles yet som men wryte
        [Sidenote: Nota contra hoc, quod aliqui sortem fortune, aliqui
        influenciam planetarum ponunt, per quod, vt dicitur, rerum
        euentus necessario contingit.

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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