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

Ben, as men tellen, the norrices
  Unto the fostringe of the vices,
  Wherof fulofte natheles
  A king is blamed gulteles.
                                             [Sidenote: [FLATTERERS.]]
    A Philosophre, as thou schalt hiere,
      [Sidenote: Nota qualiter in principum curiis adulatores
      triplici grauitate offendunt.]
  Spak to a king of this matiere,
  And seide him wel hou that flatours
  Coupable were of thre errours.                                  2180
                                        [Sidenote: Primo contra deum.]
  On was toward the goddes hihe,
  That weren wrothe of that thei sihe
  The meschief which befalle scholde
  Of that the false flatour tolde.
                                 [Sidenote: Secundo contra Principem.]
  Toward the king an other was,
  Whan thei be sleihte and be fallas
  Of feigned wordes make him wene
  That blak is whyt and blew is grene
                                             [Sidenote: =P. iii. 159=]
  Touchende of his condicion:
  For whanne he doth extorcion                                    2190
  With manye an other vice mo,
  Men schal noght finden on of tho
  To groucche or speke therayein,
  Bot holden up his oil and sein
  That al is wel, what evere he doth;
  And thus of fals thei maken soth,
  So that here kinges yhe is blent
  And wot not hou the world is went.[1113]
                              [Sidenote: Tercio contra populum.[1114]]
  The thridde errour is harm comune,
  With which the poeple mot commune                               2200
  Of wronges that thei bringen inne:
  And thus thei worchen treble sinne,
  That ben flatours aboute a king.
  Ther myhte be no worse thing
  Aboute a kinges regalie,
  Thanne is the vice of flaterie.
    And natheles it hath ben used,
  That it was nevere yit refused
  As forto speke in court real;
  For there it is most special,                                   2210
  And mai noght longe be forbore.
  Bot whan this vice of hem is bore,
  That scholden the vertus forthbringe,
  And trouthe is torned to lesinge,
  It is, as who seith, ayein kinde,
  Wherof an old ensample I finde.
                         [Sidenote: [TALE OF DIOGENES AND ARISTIPPUS]]
    Among these othre tales wise
  Of Philosophres, in this wise
                                             [Sidenote: =P. iii. 160=]
      [Sidenote: [1115]Hic contra vanitates adulantum loquitur,
      et narrat quod cum Arisippus de Cartagine Philosophus
      scole studium relinquens sui Principis obsequio in magnis
      adulacionibus pre ceteris carior assistebat, accidit vt
      ipse quodam die Diogenem Philosophum nuper socium suum,
      virum tam moribus quam sciencia probatissimum, herbas ad
      olera sua collectas lauantem ex casu ad ripam inuenit: cui
      ait, ‘O Diogenes, vere si tu sicut et ego Principi tuo
      placere scires, huiusmodi herbas aut colligere aut lauare
      tibi minime indigeret.’ Cui alter respondit, ‘O Arisippe,

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

Ben, as men tellen, the norrices
  Unto the fostringe of the vices,
  Wherof fulofte natheles
  A king is blamed gulteles.
                                             [Sidenote: [FLATTERERS.]]
    A Philosophre, as thou schalt hiere,
      [Sidenote: Nota qualiter in principum curiis adulatores
      triplici grauitate offendunt.]
  Spak to a king of this matiere,
  And seide him wel hou that flatours
  Coupable were of thre errours.                                  2180
                                        [Sidenote: Primo contra deum.]
  On was toward the goddes hihe,
  That weren wrothe of that thei sihe
  The meschief which befalle scholde
  Of that the false flatour tolde.
                                 [Sidenote: Secundo contra Principem.]
  Toward the king an other was,
  Whan thei be sleihte and be fallas
  Of feigned wordes make him wene
  That blak is whyt and blew is grene
                                             [Sidenote: =P. iii. 159=]
  Touchende of his condicion:
  For whanne he doth extorcion                                    2190
  With manye an other vice mo,
  Men schal noght finden on of tho
  To groucche or speke therayein,
  Bot holden up his oil and sein
  That al is wel, what evere he doth;
  And thus of fals thei maken soth,
  So that here kinges yhe is blent
  And wot not hou the world is went.[1113]
                              [Sidenote: Tercio contra populum.[1114]]
  The thridde errour is harm comune,
  With which the poeple mot commune                               2200
  Of wronges that thei bringen inne:
  And thus thei worchen treble sinne,
  That ben flatours aboute a king.
  Ther myhte be no worse thing
  Aboute a kinges regalie,
  Thanne is the vice of flaterie.
    And natheles it hath ben used,
  That it was nevere yit refused
  As forto speke in court real;
  For there it is most special,                                   2210
  And mai noght longe be forbore.
  Bot whan this vice of hem is bore,
  That scholden the vertus forthbringe,
  And trouthe is torned to lesinge,
  It is, as who seith, ayein kinde,
  Wherof an old ensample I finde.
                         [Sidenote: [TALE OF DIOGENES AND ARISTIPPUS]]
    Among these othre tales wise
  Of Philosophres, in this wise
                                             [Sidenote: =P. iii. 160=]
      [Sidenote: [1115]Hic contra vanitates adulantum loquitur,
      et narrat quod cum Arisippus de Cartagine Philosophus
      scole studium relinquens sui Principis obsequio in magnis
      adulacionibus pre ceteris carior assistebat, accidit vt
      ipse quodam die Diogenem Philosophum nuper socium suum,
      virum tam moribus quam sciencia probatissimum, herbas ad
      olera sua collectas lauantem ex casu ad ripam inuenit: cui
      ait, ‘O Diogenes, vere si tu sicut et ego Principi tuo
      placere scires, huiusmodi herbas aut colligere aut lauare
      tibi minime indigeret.’ Cui alter respondit, ‘O Arisippe,

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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