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

[Sidenote: [TALE OF CODRUS.]]
                                      [Sidenote: =P. iii. 198=, l. 17]
    Of Pite forto speke plein,
  Which is with mercy wel besein,
  Fulofte he wole himselve peine
      [Sidenote: Nota hic de Principis pietate erga populum,
      vbi narrat quod, cum Codrus Rex Athenarum contra Dorences
      bellum gerere deberet, consulto prius Appolline responsum
      accepit, quod vnum de duobus, videlicet aut seipsum in
      prelio interfici et populum suum saluari, aut populum
      interfici et se[1238] saluum fieri, eligere oporteret.
      Super quo Rex pietate motus plebisque sue magis quam
      proprii corporis salutem affectans, mortem sibi preelegit;
      et sic bellum aggrediens pro vita multorum solus interiit.]
  To kepe an other fro the peine:
  For Charite the moder is
  Of Pite, which nothing amis
  Can soffre, if he it mai amende.
  It sit to every man livende                                     3170
  To be Pitous, bot non so wel
  As to a king, which on the whiel                             (3370*)
  Fortune hath set aboven alle:
  For in a king, if so befalle[1239]
  That his Pite be ferme and stable,
  To al the loud it is vailable
                                             [Sidenote: =P. iii. 199=]
  Only thurgh grace of his persone;
  For the Pite of him al one
  Mai al the large realme save.
  So sit it wel a king to have                                    3180
  Pite; for this Valeire tolde,
  And seide hou that be daies olde                             (3380*)
  Codrus, which was in his degre
  King of Athenis the cite,
  A werre he hadde ayein Dorrence:
  And forto take his evidence[1240]
  What schal befalle of the bataille,
  He thoghte he wolde him ferst consaille
  With Appollo, in whom he triste;
  Thurgh whos ansuere this he wiste,                              3190
  Of tuo pointz that he myhte chese,
  Or that he wolde his body lese                               (3390*)
  And in bataille himselve deie,
  Or elles the seconde weie,
  To sen his poeple desconfit.
  Bot he, which Pite hath parfit
  Upon the point of his believe,
  The poeple thoghte to relieve,[1241]
  And ches himselve to be ded.
  Wher is nou such an other hed,                                  3200
  Which wolde for the lemes dye?
  And natheles in som partie                                   (3400*)
  It oghte a kinges herte stere,
  That he hise liege men forbere.
  And ek toward hise enemis
  Fulofte he may deserve pris,
                                             [Sidenote: =P. iii. 200=]
  To take of Pite remembrance,
  Wher that he myhte do vengance:
  For whanne a king hath the victoire,
  And thanne he drawe into memoire                                3210
  To do Pite in stede of wreche,
  He mai noght faile of thilke speche
  Wherof arist the worldes fame,
  To yive a Prince a worthi name.

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

[Sidenote: [TALE OF CODRUS.]]
                                      [Sidenote: =P. iii. 198=, l. 17]
    Of Pite forto speke plein,
  Which is with mercy wel besein,
  Fulofte he wole himselve peine
      [Sidenote: Nota hic de Principis pietate erga populum,
      vbi narrat quod, cum Codrus Rex Athenarum contra Dorences
      bellum gerere deberet, consulto prius Appolline responsum
      accepit, quod vnum de duobus, videlicet aut seipsum in
      prelio interfici et populum suum saluari, aut populum
      interfici et se[1238] saluum fieri, eligere oporteret.
      Super quo Rex pietate motus plebisque sue magis quam
      proprii corporis salutem affectans, mortem sibi preelegit;
      et sic bellum aggrediens pro vita multorum solus interiit.]
  To kepe an other fro the peine:
  For Charite the moder is
  Of Pite, which nothing amis
  Can soffre, if he it mai amende.
  It sit to every man livende                                     3170
  To be Pitous, bot non so wel
  As to a king, which on the whiel                             (3370*)
  Fortune hath set aboven alle:
  For in a king, if so befalle[1239]
  That his Pite be ferme and stable,
  To al the loud it is vailable
                                             [Sidenote: =P. iii. 199=]
  Only thurgh grace of his persone;
  For the Pite of him al one
  Mai al the large realme save.
  So sit it wel a king to have                                    3180
  Pite; for this Valeire tolde,
  And seide hou that be daies olde                             (3380*)
  Codrus, which was in his degre
  King of Athenis the cite,
  A werre he hadde ayein Dorrence:
  And forto take his evidence[1240]
  What schal befalle of the bataille,
  He thoghte he wolde him ferst consaille
  With Appollo, in whom he triste;
  Thurgh whos ansuere this he wiste,                              3190
  Of tuo pointz that he myhte chese,
  Or that he wolde his body lese                               (3390*)
  And in bataille himselve deie,
  Or elles the seconde weie,
  To sen his poeple desconfit.
  Bot he, which Pite hath parfit
  Upon the point of his believe,
  The poeple thoghte to relieve,[1241]
  And ches himselve to be ded.
  Wher is nou such an other hed,                                  3200
  Which wolde for the lemes dye?
  And natheles in som partie                                   (3400*)
  It oghte a kinges herte stere,
  That he hise liege men forbere.
  And ek toward hise enemis
  Fulofte he may deserve pris,
                                             [Sidenote: =P. iii. 200=]
  To take of Pite remembrance,
  Wher that he myhte do vengance:
  For whanne a king hath the victoire,
  And thanne he drawe into memoire                                3210
  To do Pite in stede of wreche,
  He mai noght faile of thilke speche
  Wherof arist the worldes fame,
  To yive a Prince a worthi name.

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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