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
The exposicion of this fable may be as þat some myghthi man loved a
gentilwoman; than his wyf tooke to hire for to make wache on hir
husbonde þat he disseyvyd hire not, and þeropon sette grete weches and
clere seers, þe which may be noted for Argus eyne. But þe louer by a
person malicius and well spekyng dide so miche þat þe kepers concentyd
to gyf hym hys love, and thus were thei browght aslepe by Mercurius
flowte and hade there hedes smyttyn off. There[fore] it is seyde to þe
good knyght þat he shulde not suffre [himself] to be brought on slepe
with non swiche flovte as to be robbed of that þe which he shuld kepe.
And to this purpos Hermes seith, “Kepe thou fro þo that is gouuernede be
malice.”
Be Mercurius flovte we may vnderstond þat þe goode sperit be [Sidenote:
f. 30.] not disseyvid by þe hold enemy trowe[284] ony mysbeleve of þe
feyth or othir wyse than he shuld beleue stedefastly þe Article þat
Seynt Matheu þe Euangelist seith, þat God shall come and iuge þe qweke
and the dede, where he seith, [“Inde venturus iudicare vivos et
mortuos”].
XXXI.
Thinketh that Pirus[285] shalle resemble
His fadire and that he shal trobyle
His enemyis and put theyme to distres;
The deth he shall venge for Achilles.
Pyrus was Achilles sone and resembled full wele his ffadir in streyngh
and hardines, and after the deth of his fadyr he come to Troye and full
charply venged his fadir and hurte grettly the Troyens. Therefor it is
seide to the good knyght þat, yf he have myssedone to the ffadir, lete
hym be ware of the sone, when he comyth to age, and, yf the fadir be
worthi or manly, þe sone shulde be þe same. The wise[286] man seith to
this purpose that the fadris dethe asketh the sone þe vengaunce þerfore.
There where he seith þat Pirus shulde be lech his fader, by þat we may
vnderstond the Holy Gost, the which procedyth of the Fadir, in whome the
good sperit shulde beleve, as Seynt James þe lesse seith, [“Credo in
Spiritum Sanctum”].
XXXII.
Haunt thow the temple and worchip in tyme
The godesse[287] of heven, and at all tyme
Aftir Cassaundra kepe thow the gyse,
Yif þat þou wilt be holdyn for wyse.
Cassandra was Kyng Priantes doghtere, and she was a full good lady and a
devoute in there lawe. She seruyd the godesse and haunted þe temple and
she spak but lytell withowtyn cawse, and when she most speke she spake
nothyng but that was trewe, ne she was neuer founde with no lesyng; she
was full konyng. Therefor it is seide to þe good knygh þat he shulde be
leke hir, for lewde costomes and lesynges ys gretly to blame in a knyte;
for he shulde serue God and worchip the temple, þat is to sey, the
chirche and the ministres thereof. And Pictagoras seith, “It is a ryght
loveable thyng to serue God and to halowe hys seyntes.”[288]
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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