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 grete tirant Dionys,
  Which mannes lif sette of no pris,[1261]
                               [Sidenote: [DIONYSIUS AND HIS HORSES.]]
  Unto his hors fulofte he yaf
  The men in stede of corn and chaf,
      [Sidenote: Nota hic de Dionisio tiranno, qui mire
      crudelitatis seueritate eciam hospites suos ad deuorandum
      equis suis tribuit: cui Hercules tandem superueniens victum
      impium in impietate sua pari morte conclusit.]
  So that the hors of thilke stod
  Devoureden the mennes blod;
  Til fortune ate laste cam,
  That Hercules him overcam,
  And he riht in the same wise
  Of this tirant tok the juise:                                   3350
  As he til othre men hath do,
  The same deth he deide also,                                 (3550*)
  That no Pite him hath socoured,
  Til he was of hise hors devoured.

                                                [Sidenote: [LICHAON.]]
    Of Lichaon also I finde
  Hou he ayein the lawe of kinde
                                           [Sidenote: =P. iii. 205=]
      [Sidenote: Nota hic de consimili Lichaontis tirannia, qui carnes
      hominum hominibus in suo hospicio ad vescendum dedit; cuius
      formam condicioni similem Iupiter[1262] coequans ipsum in lupum
      transformauit.]
  Hise hostes slouh, and into mete
  He made her bodies to ben ete
  With othre men withinne his hous.
  Bot Jupiter the glorious,                                       3360
  Which was commoeved of this thing,
  Vengance upon this cruel king
  So tok, that he fro mannes forme
  Into a wolf him let transforme:
  And thus the crualte was kidd,
  Which of long time he hadde hidd;
  A wolf he was thanne openly,
  The whos nature prively
  He hadde in his condicion.
    And unto this conclusioun,                                    3370
  That tirannie is to despise,
  I finde ensample in sondri wise,
  And nameliche of hem fulofte,
  The whom fortune hath set alofte
  Upon the werres forto winne.
  Bot hou so that the wrong beginne
  Of tirannie, it mai noght laste,
  Bot such as thei don ate laste
  To othre men, such on hem falleth;
  For ayein suche Pite calleth                                    3380
  Vengance to the god above.
  For who that hath no tender love
  In savinge of a mannes lif,
  He schal be founde so gultif,
  That whanne he wolde mercy crave
                                  [Sidenote: [NOBLENESS OF THE LION.]]
  In time of nede, he schal non have.
                                             [Sidenote: =P. iii. 206=]
    Of the natures this I finde,[1263]
               [Sidenote: Nota qualiter Leo hominibus stratis parcit.]
  The fierce Leon in his kinde,
  Which goth rampende after his preie,
  If he a man finde in his weie,                                  3390
  He wole him slen, if he withstonde.
  Bot if the man coude understonde
  To falle anon before his face
  In signe of mercy and of grace,
  The Leon schal of his nature
  Restreigne his ire in such mesure,

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 grete tirant Dionys,
  Which mannes lif sette of no pris,[1261]
                               [Sidenote: [DIONYSIUS AND HIS HORSES.]]
  Unto his hors fulofte he yaf
  The men in stede of corn and chaf,
      [Sidenote: Nota hic de Dionisio tiranno, qui mire
      crudelitatis seueritate eciam hospites suos ad deuorandum
      equis suis tribuit: cui Hercules tandem superueniens victum
      impium in impietate sua pari morte conclusit.]
  So that the hors of thilke stod
  Devoureden the mennes blod;
  Til fortune ate laste cam,
  That Hercules him overcam,
  And he riht in the same wise
  Of this tirant tok the juise:                                   3350
  As he til othre men hath do,
  The same deth he deide also,                                 (3550*)
  That no Pite him hath socoured,
  Til he was of hise hors devoured.

                                                [Sidenote: [LICHAON.]]
    Of Lichaon also I finde
  Hou he ayein the lawe of kinde
                                           [Sidenote: =P. iii. 205=]
      [Sidenote: Nota hic de consimili Lichaontis tirannia, qui carnes
      hominum hominibus in suo hospicio ad vescendum dedit; cuius
      formam condicioni similem Iupiter[1262] coequans ipsum in lupum
      transformauit.]
  Hise hostes slouh, and into mete
  He made her bodies to ben ete
  With othre men withinne his hous.
  Bot Jupiter the glorious,                                       3360
  Which was commoeved of this thing,
  Vengance upon this cruel king
  So tok, that he fro mannes forme
  Into a wolf him let transforme:
  And thus the crualte was kidd,
  Which of long time he hadde hidd;
  A wolf he was thanne openly,
  The whos nature prively
  He hadde in his condicion.
    And unto this conclusioun,                                    3370
  That tirannie is to despise,
  I finde ensample in sondri wise,
  And nameliche of hem fulofte,
  The whom fortune hath set alofte
  Upon the werres forto winne.
  Bot hou so that the wrong beginne
  Of tirannie, it mai noght laste,
  Bot such as thei don ate laste
  To othre men, such on hem falleth;
  For ayein suche Pite calleth                                    3380
  Vengance to the god above.
  For who that hath no tender love
  In savinge of a mannes lif,
  He schal be founde so gultif,
  That whanne he wolde mercy crave
                                  [Sidenote: [NOBLENESS OF THE LION.]]
  In time of nede, he schal non have.
                                             [Sidenote: =P. iii. 206=]
    Of the natures this I finde,[1263]
               [Sidenote: Nota qualiter Leo hominibus stratis parcit.]
  The fierce Leon in his kinde,
  Which goth rampende after his preie,
  If he a man finde in his weie,                                  3390
  He wole him slen, if he withstonde.
  Bot if the man coude understonde
  To falle anon before his face
  In signe of mercy and of grace,
  The Leon schal of his nature
  Restreigne his ire in such mesure,

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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