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

The wise Philosophre tolde,
                                              [Sidenote: =P. iii. 97=]
  So as tofore it hath ben herd.
                                                [Sidenote: Confessor.]
    Lo thus, my Sone, hou it hath ferd:[959]
  Of Air the due proprete
  In sondri wise thou myht se,                                     370
  And hou under the firmament
  It is ek the thridde element,
  Which environeth bothe tuo,
  The water and the lond also.[960]
                 [Sidenote: Nota de Igne, quod est quartum elementum.]
    And forto tellen overthis
  Of elementz which the ferthe is,
  That is the fyr in his degre,
  Which environeth thother thre
  And is withoute moist al drye.
  Bot lest nou what seith the clergie;                             380
  For upon hem that I have seid
  The creatour hath set and leid
  The kinde and the complexion
  Of alle mennes nacion.
  Foure elementz sondri ther be,
  Lich unto whiche of that degre
  Among the men ther ben also
  Complexions foure and nomo,
  Wherof the Philosophre treteth,
  That he nothing behinde leteth,                                  390
  And seith hou that thei ben diverse,
  So as I schal to thee reherse.

                            [Sidenote: [THE FOUR COMPLEXIONS OF MAN.]]
    He which natureth every kinde,[961]
  The myhti god, so as I finde,
  Of man, which is his creature,
      [Sidenote: Nota hic qualiter secundum naturam quatuor
      elementorum quatuor in humano corpore complexiones,
      scilicet Malencolia, Fleuma, Sanguis et Colera, naturaliter
      constituuntur: vnde primo de Malencolia dicendum est.]
  Hath so devided the nature,
                                              [Sidenote: =P. iii. 98=]
  That non til other wel acordeth:
  And be the cause it so discordeth,
  The lif which fieleth the seknesse
  Mai stonde upon no sekernesse.                                   400
    Of therthe, which is cold and drye,
  The kinde of man Malencolie
  Is cleped, and that is the ferste,
  The most ungoodlich and the werste;
  For unto loves werk on nyht
  Him lacketh bothe will and myht:
  No wonder is, in lusty place
  Of love though he lese grace.
  What man hath that complexion,
  Full of ymaginacion                                              410
  Of dredes and of wrathful thoghtes,
  He fret himselven al to noghtes.
                                 [Sidenote: De complexione Fleumatis.]
    The water, which is moyste and cold,
  Makth fleume, which is manyfold
  Foryetel, slou and wery sone
  Of every thing which is to done:
  He is of kinde sufficant
  To holde love his covenant,
  Bot that him lacketh appetit,
  Which longeth unto such delit.                                   420
                                 [Sidenote: De complexione Sanguinis.]
    What man that takth his kinde of thair,
  He schal be lyht, he schal be fair,
  For his complexion is blood.
  Of alle ther is non so good,
  For he hath bothe will and myht

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

The wise Philosophre tolde,
                                              [Sidenote: =P. iii. 97=]
  So as tofore it hath ben herd.
                                                [Sidenote: Confessor.]
    Lo thus, my Sone, hou it hath ferd:[959]
  Of Air the due proprete
  In sondri wise thou myht se,                                     370
  And hou under the firmament
  It is ek the thridde element,
  Which environeth bothe tuo,
  The water and the lond also.[960]
                 [Sidenote: Nota de Igne, quod est quartum elementum.]
    And forto tellen overthis
  Of elementz which the ferthe is,
  That is the fyr in his degre,
  Which environeth thother thre
  And is withoute moist al drye.
  Bot lest nou what seith the clergie;                             380
  For upon hem that I have seid
  The creatour hath set and leid
  The kinde and the complexion
  Of alle mennes nacion.
  Foure elementz sondri ther be,
  Lich unto whiche of that degre
  Among the men ther ben also
  Complexions foure and nomo,
  Wherof the Philosophre treteth,
  That he nothing behinde leteth,                                  390
  And seith hou that thei ben diverse,
  So as I schal to thee reherse.

                            [Sidenote: [THE FOUR COMPLEXIONS OF MAN.]]
    He which natureth every kinde,[961]
  The myhti god, so as I finde,
  Of man, which is his creature,
      [Sidenote: Nota hic qualiter secundum naturam quatuor
      elementorum quatuor in humano corpore complexiones,
      scilicet Malencolia, Fleuma, Sanguis et Colera, naturaliter
      constituuntur: vnde primo de Malencolia dicendum est.]
  Hath so devided the nature,
                                              [Sidenote: =P. iii. 98=]
  That non til other wel acordeth:
  And be the cause it so discordeth,
  The lif which fieleth the seknesse
  Mai stonde upon no sekernesse.                                   400
    Of therthe, which is cold and drye,
  The kinde of man Malencolie
  Is cleped, and that is the ferste,
  The most ungoodlich and the werste;
  For unto loves werk on nyht
  Him lacketh bothe will and myht:
  No wonder is, in lusty place
  Of love though he lese grace.
  What man hath that complexion,
  Full of ymaginacion                                              410
  Of dredes and of wrathful thoghtes,
  He fret himselven al to noghtes.
                                 [Sidenote: De complexione Fleumatis.]
    The water, which is moyste and cold,
  Makth fleume, which is manyfold
  Foryetel, slou and wery sone
  Of every thing which is to done:
  He is of kinde sufficant
  To holde love his covenant,
  Bot that him lacketh appetit,
  Which longeth unto such delit.                                   420
                                 [Sidenote: De complexione Sanguinis.]
    What man that takth his kinde of thair,
  He schal be lyht, he schal be fair,
  For his complexion is blood.
  Of alle ther is non so good,
  For he hath bothe will and myht

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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