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: [WISDOM IN A KING’S COUNCIL.]]
    And upon this matiere also
  A question betwen the tuo
      [Sidenote: Nota questionem cuiusdam Philosophi, vtrum
      regno conueniencius foret principem cum malo consilio
      optare sapientem, quam cum sano consilio ipsum eligere
      insipientem.]
  Thus writen in a bok I fond;
  Wher it be betre for the lond                                   4150
  A king himselve to be wys,
  And so to bere his oghne pris,                               (4350*)
  And that his consail be noght good,
  Or other wise if it so stod,
  A king if he be vicious
  And his conseil be vertuous.
  It is ansuerd in such a wise,
  That betre it is that thei be wise
  Be whom that the conseil schal gon,
  For thei be manye, and he is on;[1331]                          4160
  And rathere schal an one man[1332]
  With fals conseil, for oght he can,
  From his wisdom be mad to falle,
  Thanne he al one scholde hem alle
  Fro vices into vertu change,
  For that is wel the more strange.
                                      [Sidenote: [MERCY AND JUSTICE.]]
                                             [Sidenote: =P. iii. 232=]

    Forthi the lond mai wel be glad,
  Whos king with good conseil is lad,
  Which set him unto rihtwisnesse,
  So that his hihe worthinesse                                    4170
  Betwen the reddour and Pite
  Doth mercy forth with equite.
  A king is holden overal
  To Pite, bot in special[1333]
  To hem wher he is most beholde;
  Thei scholde his Pite most beholde
  That ben the Lieges of his lond,
  For thei ben evere under his hond
  After the goddes ordinaunce
  To stonde upon his governance.                                  4180
      [Sidenote: Nota adhuc precipue de principis erga suos
      subditos debita pietate. Legitur enim qualiter Anthonius a
      Cipione exemplificatus dixit, quod mallet vnum de populo
      sibi commisso virum saluare, quam centum ex hostibus
      alienigenis in bello perdere.]
    Of themperour Anthonius
  I finde hou that he seide thus,
  That levere him were forto save[1334]
  Oon of his lieges than to have
  Of enemis a thousend dede.[1335]
  And this he lernede, as I rede,[1336]
  Of Cipio, which hadde be
  Consul of Rome. And thus to se
  Diverse ensamples hou thei stonde,
  A king which hath the charge on honde                           4190
  The comun poeple to governe,
  If that he wole, he mai wel lerne.
  Is non so good to the plesance
  Of god, as is good governance;[1337]
  And every governance is due
  To Pite: thus I mai argue
                                             [Sidenote: =P. iii. 233=]
  That Pite is the foundement
  Of every kinges regiment,
  If it be medled with justice.
  Thei tuo remuen alle vice,                                      4200
  And ben of vertu most vailable
  To make a kinges regne stable.                               (4400*)
    Lo, thus the foure pointz tofore,

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: [WISDOM IN A KING’S COUNCIL.]]
    And upon this matiere also
  A question betwen the tuo
      [Sidenote: Nota questionem cuiusdam Philosophi, vtrum
      regno conueniencius foret principem cum malo consilio
      optare sapientem, quam cum sano consilio ipsum eligere
      insipientem.]
  Thus writen in a bok I fond;
  Wher it be betre for the lond                                   4150
  A king himselve to be wys,
  And so to bere his oghne pris,                               (4350*)
  And that his consail be noght good,
  Or other wise if it so stod,
  A king if he be vicious
  And his conseil be vertuous.
  It is ansuerd in such a wise,
  That betre it is that thei be wise
  Be whom that the conseil schal gon,
  For thei be manye, and he is on;[1331]                          4160
  And rathere schal an one man[1332]
  With fals conseil, for oght he can,
  From his wisdom be mad to falle,
  Thanne he al one scholde hem alle
  Fro vices into vertu change,
  For that is wel the more strange.
                                      [Sidenote: [MERCY AND JUSTICE.]]
                                             [Sidenote: =P. iii. 232=]

    Forthi the lond mai wel be glad,
  Whos king with good conseil is lad,
  Which set him unto rihtwisnesse,
  So that his hihe worthinesse                                    4170
  Betwen the reddour and Pite
  Doth mercy forth with equite.
  A king is holden overal
  To Pite, bot in special[1333]
  To hem wher he is most beholde;
  Thei scholde his Pite most beholde
  That ben the Lieges of his lond,
  For thei ben evere under his hond
  After the goddes ordinaunce
  To stonde upon his governance.                                  4180
      [Sidenote: Nota adhuc precipue de principis erga suos
      subditos debita pietate. Legitur enim qualiter Anthonius a
      Cipione exemplificatus dixit, quod mallet vnum de populo
      sibi commisso virum saluare, quam centum ex hostibus
      alienigenis in bello perdere.]
    Of themperour Anthonius
  I finde hou that he seide thus,
  That levere him were forto save[1334]
  Oon of his lieges than to have
  Of enemis a thousend dede.[1335]
  And this he lernede, as I rede,[1336]
  Of Cipio, which hadde be
  Consul of Rome. And thus to se
  Diverse ensamples hou thei stonde,
  A king which hath the charge on honde                           4190
  The comun poeple to governe,
  If that he wole, he mai wel lerne.
  Is non so good to the plesance
  Of god, as is good governance;[1337]
  And every governance is due
  To Pite: thus I mai argue
                                             [Sidenote: =P. iii. 233=]
  That Pite is the foundement
  Of every kinges regiment,
  If it be medled with justice.
  Thei tuo remuen alle vice,                                      4200
  And ben of vertu most vailable
  To make a kinges regne stable.                               (4400*)
    Lo, thus the foure pointz tofore,

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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