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: [SAUL AND AGAG.]]
                                             [Sidenote: =P. iii. 220=]
    Nou forthermore if I schal sein
  Of my matiere, and torne ayein
      [Sidenote: Hic dicit quod vbi et quando causa et tempus
      requirunt, princeps illos sub potestate sua, quos iusticie
      aduersarios agnouerit, occidere de iure tenetur. Et narrat
      in exemplum qualiter, pro eo quod Saul Regem Agag in bello
      deuictum iuxta Samuelis consilium occidere noluit, ipse
      diuino iudicio non solum a regno Israel priuatus, set et
      heredes sui pro perpetuo exheredati sunt.]
  To speke of justice and Pite
  After the reule of realte,                                      3810
  This mai a king wel understonde,
  Knihthode mot ben take on honde,
  Whan that it stant upon the nede:
  He schal no rihtful cause drede,
  Nomore of werre thanne of pes,
  If he wol stonde blameles;
  For such a cause a king mai have
  That betre him is to sle than save,
  Wherof thou myht ensample finde.[1312]
  The hihe makere of mankinde                                     3820
  Be Samuel to Saül bad,
  That he schal nothing ben adrad
  Ayein king Agag forto fihte;
  For this the godhede him behihte,
  That Agag schal ben overcome:
  And whan it is so ferforth come,
  That Saül hath him desconfit,
  The god bad make no respit,
  That he ne scholde him slen anon.
  Bot Saül let it overgon                                         3830
  And dede noght the goddes heste:
  For Agag made gret beheste
  Of rancoun which he wolde yive,
  King Saül soffreth him to live
  And feigneth pite forth withal.
  Bot he which seth and knoweth al,
                                             [Sidenote: =P. iii. 221=]
  The hihe god, of that he feigneth
  To Samuel upon him pleigneth.
  And sende him word, for that he lefte
  Of Agag that he ne berefte                                      3840
  The lif, he schal noght only dye
  Himself, bot fro his regalie
  He schal be put for everemo,
  Noght he, bot ek his heir also,
  That it schal nevere come ayein.
                                         [Sidenote: [DAVID AND JOAB.]]
    Thus myht thou se the sothe plein,
      [Sidenote: Hic narrat vlterius super eodem, qualiter Dauid
      in extremis iusticie causa vt Ioab occideretur absque vlla
      remissione filio suo Salomoni iniunxit.]
  That of tomoche and of tolyte
  Upon the Princes stant the wyte.
  Bot evere it was a kinges riht
  To do the dedes of a knyht;                                     3850
  For in the handes of a king
  The deth and lif is al o thing                               (4050*)
  After the lawes of justice.
  To slen it is a dedly vice,[1313]
  Bot if a man the deth deserve;
  And if a king the lif preserve
  Of him which oghte forto dye,
  He suieth noght thensamplerie
  Which in the bible is evident:
  Hou David in his testament,                                     3860

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: [SAUL AND AGAG.]]
                                             [Sidenote: =P. iii. 220=]
    Nou forthermore if I schal sein
  Of my matiere, and torne ayein
      [Sidenote: Hic dicit quod vbi et quando causa et tempus
      requirunt, princeps illos sub potestate sua, quos iusticie
      aduersarios agnouerit, occidere de iure tenetur. Et narrat
      in exemplum qualiter, pro eo quod Saul Regem Agag in bello
      deuictum iuxta Samuelis consilium occidere noluit, ipse
      diuino iudicio non solum a regno Israel priuatus, set et
      heredes sui pro perpetuo exheredati sunt.]
  To speke of justice and Pite
  After the reule of realte,                                      3810
  This mai a king wel understonde,
  Knihthode mot ben take on honde,
  Whan that it stant upon the nede:
  He schal no rihtful cause drede,
  Nomore of werre thanne of pes,
  If he wol stonde blameles;
  For such a cause a king mai have
  That betre him is to sle than save,
  Wherof thou myht ensample finde.[1312]
  The hihe makere of mankinde                                     3820
  Be Samuel to Saül bad,
  That he schal nothing ben adrad
  Ayein king Agag forto fihte;
  For this the godhede him behihte,
  That Agag schal ben overcome:
  And whan it is so ferforth come,
  That Saül hath him desconfit,
  The god bad make no respit,
  That he ne scholde him slen anon.
  Bot Saül let it overgon                                         3830
  And dede noght the goddes heste:
  For Agag made gret beheste
  Of rancoun which he wolde yive,
  King Saül soffreth him to live
  And feigneth pite forth withal.
  Bot he which seth and knoweth al,
                                             [Sidenote: =P. iii. 221=]
  The hihe god, of that he feigneth
  To Samuel upon him pleigneth.
  And sende him word, for that he lefte
  Of Agag that he ne berefte                                      3840
  The lif, he schal noght only dye
  Himself, bot fro his regalie
  He schal be put for everemo,
  Noght he, bot ek his heir also,
  That it schal nevere come ayein.
                                         [Sidenote: [DAVID AND JOAB.]]
    Thus myht thou se the sothe plein,
      [Sidenote: Hic narrat vlterius super eodem, qualiter Dauid
      in extremis iusticie causa vt Ioab occideretur absque vlla
      remissione filio suo Salomoni iniunxit.]
  That of tomoche and of tolyte
  Upon the Princes stant the wyte.
  Bot evere it was a kinges riht
  To do the dedes of a knyht;                                     3850
  For in the handes of a king
  The deth and lif is al o thing                               (4050*)
  After the lawes of justice.
  To slen it is a dedly vice,[1313]
  Bot if a man the deth deserve;
  And if a king the lif preserve
  Of him which oghte forto dye,
  He suieth noght thensamplerie
  Which in the bible is evident:
  Hou David in his testament,                                     3860

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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