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

As he that was cousin of house.
  And sche, which is the goode spouse,
  Lucrece, whan that sche him sih,
  With goodli chiere drowh him nyh,
  As sche which al honour supposeth,
  And him, so as sche dar, opposeth
  Hou it stod of hire housebonde.
  And he tho dede hire understonde
  With tales feigned in his wise,[1409]
  Riht as he wolde himself devise,                                4930
  Wherof he myhte hire herte glade,
  That sche the betre chiere made,
  Whan sche the glade wordes herde,
  Hou that hire housebonde ferde.
  And thus the trouthe was deceived
  With slih tresoun, which was received
  To hire which mente alle goode;
  For as the festes thanne stode,
  His Souper was ryht wel arraied.
  Bot yit he hath no word assaied[1410]                           4940
  To speke of love in no degre;
  Bot with covert soubtilite
                                             [Sidenote: =P. iii. 258=]
  His frendly speches he affaiteth,
  And as the Tigre his time awaiteth[1411]
  In hope forto cacche his preie.
  Whan that the bordes were aweie
  And thei have souped in the halle,
  He seith that slep is on him falle,
  And preith he moste go to bedde;
  And sche with alle haste spedde,                                4950
  So as hire thoghte it was to done,
  That every thing was redi sone.                              (5150*)
  Sche broghte him to his chambre tho
  And tok hire leve, and forth is go
  Into hire oghne chambre by,
  As sche that wende certeinly
  Have had a frend, and hadde a fo,
  Wherof fell after mochel wo.
    This tirant, thogh he lyhe softe,
  Out of his bed aros fulofte,                                    4960
  And goth aboute, and leide his Ere
  To herkne, til that alle were
  To bedde gon and slepten faste.
  And thanne upon himself he caste
  A mantell, and his swerd al naked
  He tok in honde; and sche unwaked
  Abedde lay, but what sche mette,
  God wot; for he the Dore unschette
  So prively that non it herde,
  The softe pas and forth he ferde                                4970
  Unto the bed wher that sche slepte,[1412]
  Al sodeinliche and in he crepte,
                                             [Sidenote: =P. iii. 259=]
  And hire in bothe his Armes tok.
  With that this worthi wif awok,
  Which thurgh tendresce of wommanhiede
  Hire vois hath lost for pure drede,
  That o word speke sche ne dar:
  And ek he bad hir to be war,
  For if sche made noise or cry,
  He seide, his swerd lay faste by                                4980
  To slen hire and hire folk aboute.
  And thus he broghte hire herte in doute,
  That lich a Lomb whanne it is sesed
  In wolves mouth, so was desesed
  Lucrece, which he naked fond:
  Wherof sche swounede in his hond,
  And, as who seith, lay ded oppressed.
  And he, which al him hadde adresced
  To lust, tok thanne what him liste,
  And goth his wey, that non it wiste,                            4990
  Into his oghne chambre ayein,
  And clepede up his chamberlein,

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

As he that was cousin of house.
  And sche, which is the goode spouse,
  Lucrece, whan that sche him sih,
  With goodli chiere drowh him nyh,
  As sche which al honour supposeth,
  And him, so as sche dar, opposeth
  Hou it stod of hire housebonde.
  And he tho dede hire understonde
  With tales feigned in his wise,[1409]
  Riht as he wolde himself devise,                                4930
  Wherof he myhte hire herte glade,
  That sche the betre chiere made,
  Whan sche the glade wordes herde,
  Hou that hire housebonde ferde.
  And thus the trouthe was deceived
  With slih tresoun, which was received
  To hire which mente alle goode;
  For as the festes thanne stode,
  His Souper was ryht wel arraied.
  Bot yit he hath no word assaied[1410]                           4940
  To speke of love in no degre;
  Bot with covert soubtilite
                                             [Sidenote: =P. iii. 258=]
  His frendly speches he affaiteth,
  And as the Tigre his time awaiteth[1411]
  In hope forto cacche his preie.
  Whan that the bordes were aweie
  And thei have souped in the halle,
  He seith that slep is on him falle,
  And preith he moste go to bedde;
  And sche with alle haste spedde,                                4950
  So as hire thoghte it was to done,
  That every thing was redi sone.                              (5150*)
  Sche broghte him to his chambre tho
  And tok hire leve, and forth is go
  Into hire oghne chambre by,
  As sche that wende certeinly
  Have had a frend, and hadde a fo,
  Wherof fell after mochel wo.
    This tirant, thogh he lyhe softe,
  Out of his bed aros fulofte,                                    4960
  And goth aboute, and leide his Ere
  To herkne, til that alle were
  To bedde gon and slepten faste.
  And thanne upon himself he caste
  A mantell, and his swerd al naked
  He tok in honde; and sche unwaked
  Abedde lay, but what sche mette,
  God wot; for he the Dore unschette
  So prively that non it herde,
  The softe pas and forth he ferde                                4970
  Unto the bed wher that sche slepte,[1412]
  Al sodeinliche and in he crepte,
                                             [Sidenote: =P. iii. 259=]
  And hire in bothe his Armes tok.
  With that this worthi wif awok,
  Which thurgh tendresce of wommanhiede
  Hire vois hath lost for pure drede,
  That o word speke sche ne dar:
  And ek he bad hir to be war,
  For if sche made noise or cry,
  He seide, his swerd lay faste by                                4980
  To slen hire and hire folk aboute.
  And thus he broghte hire herte in doute,
  That lich a Lomb whanne it is sesed
  In wolves mouth, so was desesed
  Lucrece, which he naked fond:
  Wherof sche swounede in his hond,
  And, as who seith, lay ded oppressed.
  And he, which al him hadde adresced
  To lust, tok thanne what him liste,
  And goth his wey, that non it wiste,                            4990
  Into his oghne chambre ayein,
  And clepede up his chamberlein,

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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