The complete works of John Gower, volume 3 : $b The English works

Name: The complete works of John Gower, volume 3 : $b The English works
Author: Gower, John

Gower, John

Poetry

He traceth ofte upon the grounde,
  Makende his invocacioun;
  And for full enformacioun                                       1330
  The Scole which Honorius
  Wrot, he poursuieth: and lo, thus
  Magique he useth forto winne
  His love, and spareth for no Sinne.
  And over that of his Sotie,
  Riht as he secheth Sorcerie
  Of hem that ben Magiciens,
  Riht so of the Naturiens
  Upon the Sterres from above
  His weie he secheth unto love,                                  1340
  Als fer as he hem understondeth.
  In many a sondry wise he fondeth:
  He makth ymage, he makth sculpture,
  He makth writinge, he makth figure,
  He makth his calculacions,
  He makth his demonstracions;
  His houres of Astronomie
  He kepeth as for that partie
  Which longeth to thinspeccion
  Of love and his affeccion;                                      1350
                                              [Sidenote: =P. iii. 47=]
  He wolde into the helle seche
  The devel himselve to beseche,
  If that he wiste forto spede,
  To gete of love his lusti mede:
  Wher that he hath his herte set,
  He bede nevere fare bet
  Ne wite of other hevene more.
                                                [Sidenote: Confessor.]
    Mi Sone, if thou of such a lore
  Hast ben er this, I red thee leve.[835]
                                                    [Sidenote: Amans.]
    Min holi fader, be youre leve                                 1360
  Of al that ye have spoken hiere
  Which toucheth unto this matiere,
  To telle soth riht as I wene,
  I wot noght o word what ye mene.
  I wol noght seie, if that I couthe,
  That I nolde in mi lusti youthe
  Benethe in helle and ek above
  To winne with mi ladi love
  Don al that evere that I mihte;
  For therof have I non insihte                                   1370
  Wher afterward that I become,
  To that I wonne and overcome
  Hire love, which I most coveite.
                                                [Sidenote: Confessor.]
    Mi Sone, that goth wonder streite:
  For this I mai wel telle soth,
  Ther is noman the which so doth,
  For al the craft that he can caste,
  That he nabeith it ate laste.
  For often he that wol beguile
  Is guiled with the same guile,                                  1380
                                              [Sidenote: =P. iii. 48=]
  And thus the guilour is beguiled;
  As I finde in a bok compiled
  To this matiere an old histoire,
  The which comth nou to mi memoire,
  And is of gret essamplerie
  Ayein the vice of Sorcerie,
  Wherof non ende mai be good.
  Bot hou whilom therof it stod,[836]
  A tale which is good to knowe
  To thee, mi Sone, I schal beknowe.                              1390

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

Opening the text

The complete works of John Gower, volume 3 : $b The English worksGower, John

History

The complete works of John Gower, volume 3 : $b The English works

Gower, John

Poetry

He traceth ofte upon the grounde,
  Makende his invocacioun;
  And for full enformacioun                                       1330
  The Scole which Honorius
  Wrot, he poursuieth: and lo, thus
  Magique he useth forto winne
  His love, and spareth for no Sinne.
  And over that of his Sotie,
  Riht as he secheth Sorcerie
  Of hem that ben Magiciens,
  Riht so of the Naturiens
  Upon the Sterres from above
  His weie he secheth unto love,                                  1340
  Als fer as he hem understondeth.
  In many a sondry wise he fondeth:
  He makth ymage, he makth sculpture,
  He makth writinge, he makth figure,
  He makth his calculacions,
  He makth his demonstracions;
  His houres of Astronomie
  He kepeth as for that partie
  Which longeth to thinspeccion
  Of love and his affeccion;                                      1350
                                              [Sidenote: =P. iii. 47=]
  He wolde into the helle seche
  The devel himselve to beseche,
  If that he wiste forto spede,
  To gete of love his lusti mede:
  Wher that he hath his herte set,
  He bede nevere fare bet
  Ne wite of other hevene more.
                                                [Sidenote: Confessor.]
    Mi Sone, if thou of such a lore
  Hast ben er this, I red thee leve.[835]
                                                    [Sidenote: Amans.]
    Min holi fader, be youre leve                                 1360
  Of al that ye have spoken hiere
  Which toucheth unto this matiere,
  To telle soth riht as I wene,
  I wot noght o word what ye mene.
  I wol noght seie, if that I couthe,
  That I nolde in mi lusti youthe
  Benethe in helle and ek above
  To winne with mi ladi love
  Don al that evere that I mihte;
  For therof have I non insihte                                   1370
  Wher afterward that I become,
  To that I wonne and overcome
  Hire love, which I most coveite.
                                                [Sidenote: Confessor.]
    Mi Sone, that goth wonder streite:
  For this I mai wel telle soth,
  Ther is noman the which so doth,
  For al the craft that he can caste,
  That he nabeith it ate laste.
  For often he that wol beguile
  Is guiled with the same guile,                                  1380
                                              [Sidenote: =P. iii. 48=]
  And thus the guilour is beguiled;
  As I finde in a bok compiled
  To this matiere an old histoire,
  The which comth nou to mi memoire,
  And is of gret essamplerie
  Ayein the vice of Sorcerie,
  Wherof non ende mai be good.
  Bot hou whilom therof it stod,[836]
  A tale which is good to knowe
  To thee, mi Sone, I schal beknowe.                              1390

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

The complete works of John Gower, volume 3 : $b The English works

The complete works of John Gower, volume 3 : $b The English works

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