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

Som part thei schopen into bestes,
  Som part thei schopen into foules,
  To beres, tigres, Apes, oules,                                  1450
  Or elles be som other weie;
  Ther myhte hem nothing desobeie,
  Such craft thei hadde above kinde.
  Bot that Art couthe thei noght finde,
  Of which Uluxes was deceived,
  That he ne hath hem alle weyved,
  And broght hem into such a rote,
  That upon him thei bothe assote;
  And thurgh the science of his art
  He tok of hem so wel his part,                                  1460
  That he begat Circes with childe.
  He kepte him sobre and made hem wilde,
  He sette himselve so above,
  That with here good and with here love,
  Who that therof be lief or loth,
  Al quit into his Schip he goth.
  Circes toswolle bothe sides
  He lefte, and waiteth on the tydes,
  And straght thurghout the salte fom
  He takth his cours and comth him hom,                           1470
                                              [Sidenote: =P. iii. 51=]
  Where as he fond Penolope;
  A betre wif ther mai non be,
  And yit ther ben ynowhe of goode.
  Bot who hir goodschipe understode
  Fro ferst that sche wifhode tok,
  Hou many loves sche forsok
  And hou sche bar hire al aboute,
  Ther whiles that hire lord was oute,
  He mihte make a gret avant[843]
  Amonges al the remenant                                         1480
  That sche was on of al the beste.[844]
  Wel myhte he sette his herte in reste,
  This king, whan he hir fond in hele;
  For as he couthe in wisdom dele,
  So couthe sche in wommanhiede:
  And whan sche syh withoute drede
  Hire lord upon his oghne ground,
  That he was come sauf and sound,
  In al this world ne mihte be[845]
  A gladdere womman than was sche.                                1490
    The fame, which mai noght ben hidd,
  Thurghout the lond is sone kidd,
  Here king is come hom ayein:
  Ther mai noman the fulle sein,
  Hou that thei weren alle glade,
  So mochel joie of him thei made.
  The presens every day be newed,
  He was with yiftes al besnewed;
  The poeple was of him so glad,
  That thogh non other man hem bad,                               1500
                                              [Sidenote: =P. iii. 52=]
  Taillage upon hemself thei sette,
  And as it were of pure dette
  Thei yeve here goodes to the king:
  This was a glad hom welcomyng.
  Thus hath Uluxes what he wolde,
  His wif was such as sche be scholde,
  His poeple was to him sougit,
  Him lacketh nothing of delit.
    Bot fortune is of such a sleyhte,
  That whan a man is most on heyhte,[846]                         1510
  Sche makth him rathest forto falle:
  Ther wot noman what schal befalle,
         [Sidenote: Oracius. Omnia[847] sunt hominum tenui
          pendencia filo.]
  The happes over mannes hed
  Ben honged with a tendre thred.
  That proved was on Uluxes;
  For whan he was most in his pes,[848]
  Fortune gan to make him werre
  And sette his welthe al out of herre.[849]

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

Som part thei schopen into bestes,
  Som part thei schopen into foules,
  To beres, tigres, Apes, oules,                                  1450
  Or elles be som other weie;
  Ther myhte hem nothing desobeie,
  Such craft thei hadde above kinde.
  Bot that Art couthe thei noght finde,
  Of which Uluxes was deceived,
  That he ne hath hem alle weyved,
  And broght hem into such a rote,
  That upon him thei bothe assote;
  And thurgh the science of his art
  He tok of hem so wel his part,                                  1460
  That he begat Circes with childe.
  He kepte him sobre and made hem wilde,
  He sette himselve so above,
  That with here good and with here love,
  Who that therof be lief or loth,
  Al quit into his Schip he goth.
  Circes toswolle bothe sides
  He lefte, and waiteth on the tydes,
  And straght thurghout the salte fom
  He takth his cours and comth him hom,                           1470
                                              [Sidenote: =P. iii. 51=]
  Where as he fond Penolope;
  A betre wif ther mai non be,
  And yit ther ben ynowhe of goode.
  Bot who hir goodschipe understode
  Fro ferst that sche wifhode tok,
  Hou many loves sche forsok
  And hou sche bar hire al aboute,
  Ther whiles that hire lord was oute,
  He mihte make a gret avant[843]
  Amonges al the remenant                                         1480
  That sche was on of al the beste.[844]
  Wel myhte he sette his herte in reste,
  This king, whan he hir fond in hele;
  For as he couthe in wisdom dele,
  So couthe sche in wommanhiede:
  And whan sche syh withoute drede
  Hire lord upon his oghne ground,
  That he was come sauf and sound,
  In al this world ne mihte be[845]
  A gladdere womman than was sche.                                1490
    The fame, which mai noght ben hidd,
  Thurghout the lond is sone kidd,
  Here king is come hom ayein:
  Ther mai noman the fulle sein,
  Hou that thei weren alle glade,
  So mochel joie of him thei made.
  The presens every day be newed,
  He was with yiftes al besnewed;
  The poeple was of him so glad,
  That thogh non other man hem bad,                               1500
                                              [Sidenote: =P. iii. 52=]
  Taillage upon hemself thei sette,
  And as it were of pure dette
  Thei yeve here goodes to the king:
  This was a glad hom welcomyng.
  Thus hath Uluxes what he wolde,
  His wif was such as sche be scholde,
  His poeple was to him sougit,
  Him lacketh nothing of delit.
    Bot fortune is of such a sleyhte,
  That whan a man is most on heyhte,[846]                         1510
  Sche makth him rathest forto falle:
  Ther wot noman what schal befalle,
         [Sidenote: Oracius. Omnia[847] sunt hominum tenui
          pendencia filo.]
  The happes over mannes hed
  Ben honged with a tendre thred.
  That proved was on Uluxes;
  For whan he was most in his pes,[848]
  Fortune gan to make him werre
  And sette his welthe al out of herre.[849]

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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