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: [TALE OF BABIO AND CROCEUS.]]
    Skarsnesse and love acorden nevere,
  For every thing is wel the levere,
  Whan that a man hath boght it diere:
      [Sidenote: Hic loquitur contra istos, qui Auaricia stricti
      largitatis beneficium in amoris causa confundunt. Et ponit
      exemplum, qualiter Croceus largus et hillaris Babionem[292]
      auarum et tenacem de amore Viole, que pulcherrima fuit,
      donis largissimis circumuenit.]
  And forto speke in this matiere,
  For sparinge of a litel cost
  Fulofte time a man hath lost
  The large cote for the hod.
  What man that scars is of his good[291]
  And wol noght yive, he schal noght take:
  With yifte a man mai undertake                                  4790
  The hihe god to plese and queme,
  With yifte a man the world mai deme;[293]
                                              [Sidenote: =P. ii. 288=]
  For every creature bore,
  If thou him yive, is glad therfore,
  And every gladschipe, as I finde,
  Is confort unto loves kinde
  And causeth ofte a man to spede.
  So was he wys that ferst yaf mede,
  For mede kepeth love in house;
  Bot wher the men ben coveitouse                                 4800
  And sparen forto yive a part,
  Thei knowe noght Cupides art:
  For his fortune and his aprise
  Desdeigneth alle coveitise
  And hateth alle nygardie.
  And forto loke of this partie,
  A soth ensample, hou it is so,
    I finde write of Babio;[294]
  Which hadde a love at his menage,
  Ther was non fairere of hire age,                               4810
  And hihte Viola be name;
  Which full of youthe and ful of game
  Was of hirself, and large and fre,
  Bot such an other chinche as he[295]
  Men wisten noght in al the lond,
  And hadde affaited to his hond
  His servant, the which Spodius[296]
  Was hote. And in this wise thus[297]
  The worldes good of sufficance
  Was had, bot likinge and plesance,                              4820
  Of that belongeth to richesse
  Of love, stod in gret destresse;
                                              [Sidenote: =P. ii. 289=]
  So that this yonge lusty wyht
  Of thing which fell to loves riht
  Was evele served overal,
  That sche was wo bego withal,
  Til that Cupide and Venus eke
  A medicine for the seke
  Ordeigne wolden in this cas.
  So as fortune thanne was,                                       4830
  Of love upon the destine
  It fell, riht as it scholde be,
  A freissh, a fre, a frendly man
  That noght of Avarice can,
  Which Croceus be name hihte,
  Toward this swete caste his sihte,
  And ther sche was cam in presence.
  Sche sih him large of his despence,
  And amorous and glad of chiere,
  So that hir liketh wel to hiere                                 4840
  The goodly wordes whiche he seide;
  And therupon of love he preide,
  Of love was al that he mente,
  To love and for sche scholde assente,
  He yaf hire yiftes evere among.
  Bot for men sein that mede is strong,

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: [TALE OF BABIO AND CROCEUS.]]
    Skarsnesse and love acorden nevere,
  For every thing is wel the levere,
  Whan that a man hath boght it diere:
      [Sidenote: Hic loquitur contra istos, qui Auaricia stricti
      largitatis beneficium in amoris causa confundunt. Et ponit
      exemplum, qualiter Croceus largus et hillaris Babionem[292]
      auarum et tenacem de amore Viole, que pulcherrima fuit,
      donis largissimis circumuenit.]
  And forto speke in this matiere,
  For sparinge of a litel cost
  Fulofte time a man hath lost
  The large cote for the hod.
  What man that scars is of his good[291]
  And wol noght yive, he schal noght take:
  With yifte a man mai undertake                                  4790
  The hihe god to plese and queme,
  With yifte a man the world mai deme;[293]
                                              [Sidenote: =P. ii. 288=]
  For every creature bore,
  If thou him yive, is glad therfore,
  And every gladschipe, as I finde,
  Is confort unto loves kinde
  And causeth ofte a man to spede.
  So was he wys that ferst yaf mede,
  For mede kepeth love in house;
  Bot wher the men ben coveitouse                                 4800
  And sparen forto yive a part,
  Thei knowe noght Cupides art:
  For his fortune and his aprise
  Desdeigneth alle coveitise
  And hateth alle nygardie.
  And forto loke of this partie,
  A soth ensample, hou it is so,
    I finde write of Babio;[294]
  Which hadde a love at his menage,
  Ther was non fairere of hire age,                               4810
  And hihte Viola be name;
  Which full of youthe and ful of game
  Was of hirself, and large and fre,
  Bot such an other chinche as he[295]
  Men wisten noght in al the lond,
  And hadde affaited to his hond
  His servant, the which Spodius[296]
  Was hote. And in this wise thus[297]
  The worldes good of sufficance
  Was had, bot likinge and plesance,                              4820
  Of that belongeth to richesse
  Of love, stod in gret destresse;
                                              [Sidenote: =P. ii. 289=]
  So that this yonge lusty wyht
  Of thing which fell to loves riht
  Was evele served overal,
  That sche was wo bego withal,
  Til that Cupide and Venus eke
  A medicine for the seke
  Ordeigne wolden in this cas.
  So as fortune thanne was,                                       4830
  Of love upon the destine
  It fell, riht as it scholde be,
  A freissh, a fre, a frendly man
  That noght of Avarice can,
  Which Croceus be name hihte,
  Toward this swete caste his sihte,
  And ther sche was cam in presence.
  Sche sih him large of his despence,
  And amorous and glad of chiere,
  So that hir liketh wel to hiere                                 4840
  The goodly wordes whiche he seide;
  And therupon of love he preide,
  Of love was al that he mente,
  To love and for sche scholde assente,
  He yaf hire yiftes evere among.
  Bot for men sein that mede is strong,

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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