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
Orpheus harpe, vpon the wich a man shulde not be assotted, we may
vndirstonde that the knyghtly sperite shulde not be assotted ne mvsyd in
no maner of wordly felacheppe, be it kynne or othir. Seynt Austyn seyth
in the booke of the Syngularyte off Clerkis that the solytary man felyth
lesse prekynges of his fleych that havntyth not voluptuousenes than he
that hawntyth it, and lesse it [Sidenote: f. 49.] sterith to couetyse
the which seeth not wordly riches[418] than he that seeth it. Therefor
Dauyd seith, [“Vigilavi et factus sum sicut passer solitarius in
tecto”].[419]
LXVIII.
Grownde yow not opon noone avysyons,
Ne opon no lewde illusyons
Off grete emprise, thought it be ryght or wrong,
And of Paaris remenbre yow among.
Because that Paryis hadde dremed that he shulde ravysch Helayne in
Grece, a grete army was made and sent ffro Troye into Grece, where that
Paryis ravysshede Heleyne. Than for that wrongfull dede they com after
that opon Troye with all the power off Grece. There was soo grete a
covnetre at that tyme that it lastyd to the contre that we calle now
Puille[420] and Calebre in Ytaly, and that tyme it was called Lytyl
Grece.[421] And of that contre was Achilles and þe Mirmedewes, the which
were so worthi fyters. That grete quantite of pepill confoundid Troye
and all the contre. Therefor it is seyde to the good knyght that he
shulde not ondirtake to doo no grete thynge opon avysiones, for grete
harme and grete besynes may come thereoff. And that a grete emprise
shuld not be done wythowte good deliberacion of counsell, Platon seyth,
“Do nothyng,” seith he, “but that thy wytte hath ouerseen afore.”
That a grete empryse shuld not be takyn for avisyon, that is to sey that
the good sperite shulde in no vyse presume ne reyse hym selphe in
arrogance for no maner of grace that God hath yoven hym. And Seynt
Gregorie seyth in his Morales that there be .iiii. spices[422] in the
whiche all bolnynges of arrogances be shewed. The fryst is when they
noyse they haue of them selfe the goodnes that they haue; the .ii. is
when they wene welle that they haue deseruyd and reseyuyd it for ther
meritis the goodnes þat they haue; the .iii. is when they avant to haue
the goodnes that they haue not; and the .iiii. is when that they
dysprese othir and desire that men shuld know the goo[d]nes that is in
theyme. Ayens this vyse the wyse man spekyth in his Prouerbes,
[“Arrogantiam et superbiam et os bilingue detestor”].[423]
LXIX.
Iff thou loue well houndes an birdes, than
On Anteon,[424] the fayre yong gentilman,
The which becomme an herte, vmbethynk well þe,
And loke that siche fortune com not to the.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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