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 cause, he hath of him gret routhe,
  And onliche of his povere trouthe                                650
  Of suche clothes as he hadde
  With gret Pite this lord he cladde.
  And he him thonketh as he scholde,
  And seith him that it schal be yolde,
  If evere he gete his stat ayein,
  And preide that he wolde him sein
  If nyh were eny toun for him.
  He seide, ‘Yee, Pentapolim,
  Wher bothe king and queene duellen.’
  Whanne he this tale herde tellen,                                660
  He gladeth him and gan beseche
  That he the weie him wolde teche:
  And he him taghte; and forth he wente
  And preide god with good entente
  To sende him joie after his sorwe.
      [Sidenote: Qualiter Appolino Pentapolim adueniente ludus
      Gignasii per vrbem publice proclamatus est.]
    It was noght passed yit Midmorwe,
  Whan thiderward his weie he nam,[1528]
  Wher sone upon the Non he cam.
  He eet such as he myhte gete,
  And forth anon, whan he hadde ete,                               670
  He goth to se the toun aboute,
  And cam ther as he fond a route
                                             [Sidenote: =P. iii. 298=]
  Of yonge lusti men withalle;
  And as it scholde tho befalle,
  That day was set of such assisse,
  That thei scholde in the londes guise,
  As he herde of the poeple seie,[1529]
  Here comun game thanne pleie;
  And crid was that thei scholden come
  Unto the gamen alle and some[1530]                               680
  Of hem that ben delivere and wyhte,
  To do such maistrie as thei myhte.
  Thei made hem naked as thei scholde,
  For so that ilke game wolde,
  As it was tho custume and us,[1531]
  Amonges hem was no refus:
  The flour of al the toun was there
  And of the court also ther were,
  And that was in a large place
  Riht evene afore the kinges face,                                690
  Which Artestrathes thanne hihte.
  The pley was pleid riht in his sihte,
  And who most worthi was of dede
  Receive he scholde a certein mede
  And in the cite bere a pris.
      [Sidenote: Qualiter Appolinus ludum gignasii vincens in
      aulam[1532] Regis ad cenam honorifice receptus est.]
    Appolinus, which war and wys
  Of every game couthe an ende,
  He thoghte assaie, hou so it wende,
  And fell among hem into game:
  And there he wan him such a name,                                700
  So as the king himself acompteth
  That he alle othre men surmonteth,
                                             [Sidenote: =P. iii. 299=]
  And bar the pris above hem alle.
  The king bad that into his halle
  At Souper time he schal be broght;[1533]
  And he cam thanne and lefte it noght,
  Withoute compaignie al one:
  Was non so semlich of persone,
  Of visage and of limes bothe,
  If that he hadde what to clothe.                                 710
  At Soupertime natheles
  The king amiddes al the pres
  Let clepe him up among hem alle,
  And bad his Mareschall of halle[1534]
  To setten him in such degre

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 cause, he hath of him gret routhe,
  And onliche of his povere trouthe                                650
  Of suche clothes as he hadde
  With gret Pite this lord he cladde.
  And he him thonketh as he scholde,
  And seith him that it schal be yolde,
  If evere he gete his stat ayein,
  And preide that he wolde him sein
  If nyh were eny toun for him.
  He seide, ‘Yee, Pentapolim,
  Wher bothe king and queene duellen.’
  Whanne he this tale herde tellen,                                660
  He gladeth him and gan beseche
  That he the weie him wolde teche:
  And he him taghte; and forth he wente
  And preide god with good entente
  To sende him joie after his sorwe.
      [Sidenote: Qualiter Appolino Pentapolim adueniente ludus
      Gignasii per vrbem publice proclamatus est.]
    It was noght passed yit Midmorwe,
  Whan thiderward his weie he nam,[1528]
  Wher sone upon the Non he cam.
  He eet such as he myhte gete,
  And forth anon, whan he hadde ete,                               670
  He goth to se the toun aboute,
  And cam ther as he fond a route
                                             [Sidenote: =P. iii. 298=]
  Of yonge lusti men withalle;
  And as it scholde tho befalle,
  That day was set of such assisse,
  That thei scholde in the londes guise,
  As he herde of the poeple seie,[1529]
  Here comun game thanne pleie;
  And crid was that thei scholden come
  Unto the gamen alle and some[1530]                               680
  Of hem that ben delivere and wyhte,
  To do such maistrie as thei myhte.
  Thei made hem naked as thei scholde,
  For so that ilke game wolde,
  As it was tho custume and us,[1531]
  Amonges hem was no refus:
  The flour of al the toun was there
  And of the court also ther were,
  And that was in a large place
  Riht evene afore the kinges face,                                690
  Which Artestrathes thanne hihte.
  The pley was pleid riht in his sihte,
  And who most worthi was of dede
  Receive he scholde a certein mede
  And in the cite bere a pris.
      [Sidenote: Qualiter Appolinus ludum gignasii vincens in
      aulam[1532] Regis ad cenam honorifice receptus est.]
    Appolinus, which war and wys
  Of every game couthe an ende,
  He thoghte assaie, hou so it wende,
  And fell among hem into game:
  And there he wan him such a name,                                700
  So as the king himself acompteth
  That he alle othre men surmonteth,
                                             [Sidenote: =P. iii. 299=]
  And bar the pris above hem alle.
  The king bad that into his halle
  At Souper time he schal be broght;[1533]
  And he cam thanne and lefte it noght,
  Withoute compaignie al one:
  Was non so semlich of persone,
  Of visage and of limes bothe,
  If that he hadde what to clothe.                                 710
  At Soupertime natheles
  The king amiddes al the pres
  Let clepe him up among hem alle,
  And bad his Mareschall of halle[1534]
  To setten him in such degre

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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