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 Grekes hade made a feynte pes[572] with the Troyens by Anthemores
trayson. Thei seyde thei hadde avowed a gifte to Mynerve the godes, the
which thei wolde offyr, and the[i] hadde made a horse of tre of an huge
grettenes, the which was full of men of armes, and it was so grete that
the yate of the cete most be brokyn for to late it cum in. And the hors
was sette opon whelis, that rolled it forth to the temple; and when
nyght come and when the tovne was most in rest, than the knyghtes lepid
owt of the hors and vent abowte in the cete, the which brente and kyllid
and distroiid the towne. The[re]for it is seide to the good knyght that
he shulde not trost in no sich fantasies ne offerynges. To this purpose
a wyse man seith, “A man shulde dowte the sotiltees and the spies of his
enemie, yif he be wise, and his shrewdenes,[573] yf he be a foole.”
By Minerve temple we may vnderstond holy chirch, where shulde not a been
offird but prayer. And Seynt Awstyn seith in the booke of Feyth, that
withowte the ffelechippe of holy chirch and baptym no thyng may availe,
ne the dedes of mercye may not vaile to euerlastyng liffe, for withowte
the lappe of the chirch non helthe may be. There[for] Dauid seith in the
Sauter booke, [“Apud te laus mea in ecclesia magna”].[574]
XCVII.
Trost not to haue a sure castell;
For Ylyones towre, sette full well,
Was take and brent, and so was Thune.[575]
All is in the handes of fortune.
Ylyon was the mayster doongon of Troye and the faryst and [Sidenote: f.
73.] the strengest castell that euer was made of the which stories
makyth mencion; but notwithstondyng it was take and brent and broute to
nowte, and so was the cete of Thune, the which was some tyme a grete
thyng. And becavse that sich causes falleth bi the chaungabilnes of
fortvne, it is desirid that the good knyght shulde not be prowde in hyme
selfe ne thynke hym selfe sure for no streyngh. Therefor Tholome[576]
seith, “The hyer that a lorde be raysed the perlyouser is the
ouyrthrowe.”
That man shuld not wene to have a svre castell, we may vndirstond that
the good sperite shulde take non hede to no maner delite; for as
delitees be passyng and not svre and ledith a person to dampnacion,
Seynt Jerom seith that it is inpossibile for a person to passe fro
delittes to delyttes, that is to sey, for to pase and lepe fro delites
of this worlde to the delyttes of paradyse, the which fillyth the wombe
here and the sowle there. For the diuine condicion is vnbounde, for it
is not yoven to thoo that weneth to haue the worlde euerlastyng in
delittes. And to this purpose is wreetyn in the Pocalipce, [“Quantum
glorificavit se et in deliciis fuit, tantum date ei tormentum et
luctum”].[577]
XCVIII.
Eschwe thou shulde þe swyn of Circes,
Where that the knyttes[578] off Vlixes
Were turnyd to swyne as to the ye.
Vmbethynke the wele of this partie.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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