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

To speke of vices and vertus,
  Bot al of love and of his lore,
  For Venus bokes of nomore                                          270
                                                  [Sidenote: =P. i. 51=]
  Me techen nowther text ne glose.
  Bot for als moche as I suppose
  It sit a prest to be wel thewed,
  And schame it is if he be lewed,
  Of my Presthode after the forme
  I wol thi schrifte so enforme,
  That ate leste thou schalt hiere[250]
  The vices, and to thi matiere[251]
  Of love I schal hem so remene,
  That thou schalt knowe what thei mene.                             280
  For what a man schal axe or sein[252]
  Touchende of schrifte, it mot be plein,
  It nedeth noght to make it queinte,
  For trowthe hise wordes wol noght peinte:
  That I wole axe of the forthi,
  My Sone, it schal be so pleinly,
  That thou schalt knowe and understonde
  The pointz of schrifte how that thei stonde.’[253]


                                         [Sidenote: [THE FIVE SENSES.]]
  iv. _Visus et auditus fragilis sunt ostia mentis,_
        _Que viciosa manus claudere nulla potest._
      _Est ibi larga via, graditur qua cordis ad antrum_
        _Hostis, et ingrediens fossa talenta rapit._
      _Hec michi confessor Genius primordia profert,_
        _Dum sit in extremis vita remorsa malis._
      _Nunc tamen vt poterit semiviua loquela fateri,_
        _Verba per os timide conscia mentis agam._

    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.[254]
        [Sidenote: Hic incipit confessio Amantis, cui de duobus
        precipue quinque sensuum, hoc est de visu et auditu,
        confessor pre ceteris opponit.]
  Tho spak he tome in such a wise,[255]
                                                  [Sidenote: =P. i. 52=]
  And bad me that I scholde schrive[256]
  As touchende of my wittes fyve,
  And schape that thei were amended
  Of that I hadde hem misdispended.[257]
  For tho be proprely the gates,
  Thurgh whiche as to the herte algates                              300
  Comth alle thing unto the feire,
  Which may the mannes Soule empeire.
  And now this matiere is broght inne,
  Mi Sone, I thenke ferst beginne
  To wite how that thin yhe hath stonde,
                                                  [Sidenote: [SEEING.]]
  The which is, as I understonde,
  The moste principal of alle,
  Thurgh whom that peril mai befalle.
    And forto speke in loves kinde,
  Ful manye suche a man mai finde,[258]                              310
  Whiche evere caste aboute here yhe,
  To loke if that thei myhte aspie
  Fulofte thing which hem ne toucheth,
  Bot only that here herte soucheth
  In hindringe of an other wiht;
  And thus ful many a worthi knyht
  And many a lusti lady bothe
  Have be fulofte sythe wrothe.[259]
  So that an yhe is as a thief

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

To speke of vices and vertus,
  Bot al of love and of his lore,
  For Venus bokes of nomore                                          270
                                                  [Sidenote: =P. i. 51=]
  Me techen nowther text ne glose.
  Bot for als moche as I suppose
  It sit a prest to be wel thewed,
  And schame it is if he be lewed,
  Of my Presthode after the forme
  I wol thi schrifte so enforme,
  That ate leste thou schalt hiere[250]
  The vices, and to thi matiere[251]
  Of love I schal hem so remene,
  That thou schalt knowe what thei mene.                             280
  For what a man schal axe or sein[252]
  Touchende of schrifte, it mot be plein,
  It nedeth noght to make it queinte,
  For trowthe hise wordes wol noght peinte:
  That I wole axe of the forthi,
  My Sone, it schal be so pleinly,
  That thou schalt knowe and understonde
  The pointz of schrifte how that thei stonde.’[253]


                                         [Sidenote: [THE FIVE SENSES.]]
  iv. _Visus et auditus fragilis sunt ostia mentis,_
        _Que viciosa manus claudere nulla potest._
      _Est ibi larga via, graditur qua cordis ad antrum_
        _Hostis, et ingrediens fossa talenta rapit._
      _Hec michi confessor Genius primordia profert,_
        _Dum sit in extremis vita remorsa malis._
      _Nunc tamen vt poterit semiviua loquela fateri,_
        _Verba per os timide conscia mentis agam._

    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.[254]
        [Sidenote: Hic incipit confessio Amantis, cui de duobus
        precipue quinque sensuum, hoc est de visu et auditu,
        confessor pre ceteris opponit.]
  Tho spak he tome in such a wise,[255]
                                                  [Sidenote: =P. i. 52=]
  And bad me that I scholde schrive[256]
  As touchende of my wittes fyve,
  And schape that thei were amended
  Of that I hadde hem misdispended.[257]
  For tho be proprely the gates,
  Thurgh whiche as to the herte algates                              300
  Comth alle thing unto the feire,
  Which may the mannes Soule empeire.
  And now this matiere is broght inne,
  Mi Sone, I thenke ferst beginne
  To wite how that thin yhe hath stonde,
                                                  [Sidenote: [SEEING.]]
  The which is, as I understonde,
  The moste principal of alle,
  Thurgh whom that peril mai befalle.
    And forto speke in loves kinde,
  Ful manye suche a man mai finde,[258]                              310
  Whiche evere caste aboute here yhe,
  To loke if that thei myhte aspie
  Fulofte thing which hem ne toucheth,
  Bot only that here herte soucheth
  In hindringe of an other wiht;
  And thus ful many a worthi knyht
  And many a lusti lady bothe
  Have be fulofte sythe wrothe.[259]
  So that an yhe is as a thief

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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