The epistle of Othea to Hector; or, The boke of knyghthodeChristine, de Pisan
Philosophy
The epistle of Othea to Hector; or, The boke of knyghthode
Christine, de Pisan
Fastolf, John, 1378?-1459; French poetry -- To 1500 -- Translations into English
And as that Pallas, the whiche is notyd for wysedom, shulde be ioyned
with knyghthode, the vertue[204] of hope shuld be ioyned with good
vertues of the knyghtly speryte, wyhtowte the which he may not avayle.
For Orygene seyth in the Omelies opon Exode that the hoope of the goodes
that be for to come is the solase of theyme that trauellyth in this
bodely lyffe, leche as to laboreres the hoope of there payment softeth
there laboures off there besynes, and as [to] champyons that be in
bateyle the hoope of the corowne of victorie esyth the woo of there
wondes. And to this purpose seyth Seynt Poule the apostyll,
[“Fortissimum solatium habemus, qui confugimus ad tenendam propositam
spem,” etc.].[205]
XV.
Pantassele[206] haue thou fauour vnto,
That ffor thi deth shall haue moch woo;
Syth a woman shuld be loued and knowe,
Off whom so noble a voys is sowe.[207]
Pantasselle was a ful fayre mayden and qwen of Damazonie[208] and off
mervelyous worthines in armes and in hardines; and for the grete goodnes
that the hy name witnessed through the worlde of Hector the worthy she
loved hyme ryght hertyly, and fro the parties of the est she come to
Troye in the tyme of the grete segge for to se Hector. But qwen she fond
hym dede, she was owte off mesure hevy and wyth a grete oste [of] ful
cheualrous gentilwomen vigerously she vengyd his dethe, where she dide
mervelyous worthynesses. And many grete greuaunces she dide to the
Grekes. And because she was vertuouse, it is seide to the good knyght
that he shuld love hyr, and that is to vndirstonde that euery good
knyght shulde loue and prayse euer[y] vertuous persone, anamely a woman
in strong vertue of wytte and off concyens. And this woman that is
woofull for the dethe of Hector is vndirstonde by worthines and valure,
when it is dull and deded in knyghthode. And a wyse man seyth, “Bounte
shulde be alowyd where that it is perceyued.”
Be Pantasselle, that was socourable, we may vndirstonde the [Sidenote:
f. 19.] vertue off cherite, the whiche is the .iii^e. devyne vertue that
the good speryte shuld perfytely haue in hym self. Cassyodir[209] seith
that charyte is as the reyne, the which fallyth in the prime temps, for
it distillyth the dropes of vertues, vndir the whiche greine [of] good
wille groweth[210] and good hoope fructifyeth, that is to be pacient in
aduersite, tempered in prosperyte, pacient in mekenesse, ioyeus in
afflicciones, wellwyllyng to his enemyes and frendes, anamely to his
enemyes to be comuniall of his goodis.[211] To this purpose seyth Poule
the postel, [“Caritas patiens est, benigna est, caritas non emulatur,
non agit perperam,” etc.].[212]
XVI.
Narcisus[213] looke ye resemble not,
Nor into mych pride knyt your knot;
For to ouerwenyng hawteyn knyght
Off many a grace is voide full ryght.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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