The Complete Works of John Gower, Vol. 2

[Uses of Labour.]

P. ii. 81

vii. Expedit in manibus labor, vt de cotidianis1307

Actibus ac vita viuere possit homo.

Set qui doctrine causa fert mente labores,

Preualet et merita perpetuata parat.

Of every wisdom the parfit

The hyhe god of his spirit

Hic loquitur contra ociosos quoscumque, et maxime contra istos, qui excellentis prudencie ingenium habentes absque fructu operum torpescunt. Et ponit exemplum de diligencia predecessorum, qui ad tocius humani generis doctrinam et auxilium suis continuis laboribus1308 et studiis, gracia mediante diuina, artes et sciencias primitus inuenerunt.

Yaf to the men in Erthe hiere

Upon the forme and the matiere

Of that he wolde make hem wise:

And thus cam in the ferste apprise

Of bokes and of alle goode

Thurgh hem that whilom understode 2370

The lore which to hem was yive,

Wherof these othre, that now live,

Ben every day to lerne newe.

Bot er the time that men siewe,

And that the labour forth it broghte,

Ther was no corn, thogh men it soghte,

In non of al the fieldes oute;1309

And er the wisdom cam aboute

Of hem that ferst the bokes write,

This mai wel every wys man wite, 2380

Ther was gret labour ek also.

Thus was non ydel of the tuo,

That on the plogh hath undertake

With labour which the hond hath take,

That other tok to studie and muse,

As he which wolde noght refuse

The labour of hise wittes alle.

And in this wise it is befalle,

Of labour which that thei begunne

We be now tawht of that we kunne: 2390

P. ii. 82

Here besinesse is yit so seene,1310

That it stant evere alyche greene;

Al be it so the bodi deie,

The name of hem schal nevere aweie.

[Discoverers and Inventors.]

In the Croniqes as I finde,

Cham, whos labour is yit in minde,

Was he which ferst the lettres fond1311

And wrot in Hebreu with his hond:

Of naturel Philosophie

He fond ferst also the clergie. 2400

Cadmus the lettres of Gregois

Ferst made upon his oghne chois.

Theges of thing which schal befalle,

He was the ferste Augurre of alle:

And Philemon be the visage

Fond to descrive the corage.

Cladyns, Esdras and Sulpices,1312

Termegis, Pandulf, Frigidilles,

Menander, Ephiloquorus,

Solins, Pandas and Josephus 2410

The ferste were of Enditours,

Of old Cronique and ek auctours:

And Heredot in his science

Of metre, of rime and of cadence1313

The ferste was of which men note.

And of Musique also the note

In mannes vois or softe or scharpe,

That fond Jubal; and of the harpe

The merie soun, which is to like,

That fond Poulins forth with phisique. 2420

P. ii. 83

Zenzis fond ferst the pourtreture,

And Promotheüs the Sculpture;

After what forme that hem thoghte,

The resemblance anon thei wroghte.

Tubal in Iren and in Stel

Fond ferst the forge and wroghte it wel:

And Jadahel, as seith the bok,

Ferst made Net and fisshes tok:

Of huntynge ek he fond the chace,

Which now is knowe in many place: 2430

A tente of cloth with corde and stake

He sette up ferst and dede it make.

Verconius of cokerie1314

Ferst made the delicacie.

The craft Minerve of wolle fond

And made cloth hire oghne hond;

And Delbora made it of lyn:

Tho wommen were of great engyn.

Bot thing which yifth ous mete and drinke

And doth the labourer to swinke 2440

To tile lond and sette vines,

Wherof the cornes and the wynes

Ben sustenance to mankinde,

In olde bokes as I finde,

Saturnus of his oghne wit

Hath founde ferst, and more yit

Of Chapmanhode he fond the weie,

And ek to coigne the moneie

Of sondri metall, as it is,

He was the ferste man of this. 2450

P. ii. 84

Bot hou that metall cam a place

Thurgh mannes wit and goddes grace

The route of Philosophres wise

Controeveden be sondri wise,

Ferst forto gete it out of Myne,

And after forto trie and fyne.

[Alchemy.]

And also with gret diligence

Nota de Alconomia.

Thei founden thilke experience,

Which cleped is Alconomie,

Wherof the Selver multeplie 2460

Thei made and ek the gold also.

And forto telle hou it is so,

Of bodies sevene in special

With foure spiritz joynt withal

Stant the substance of this matiere.

The bodies whiche I speke of hiere

Of the Planetes ben begonne:

The gold is titled to the Sonne,

The mone of Selver hath his part,

And Iren that stant upon Mart, 2470

The Led after Satorne groweth,

And Jupiter the Bras bestoweth,

The Coper set is to Venus,

And to his part Mercurius

Hath the quikselver, as it falleth,

The which, after the bok it calleth,

Is ferst of thilke fowre named1315

Of Spiritz, whiche ben proclamed;

And the spirit which is secounde

In Sal Armoniak is founde: 2480

P. ii. 85

The thridde spirit Sulphur is;

The ferthe suiende after this

Arcennicum be name is hote.

With blowinge and with fyres hote

In these thinges, whiche I seie,

Thei worchen be diverse weie.

For as the philosophre tolde

Of gold and selver, thei ben holde

Tuo principal extremites,

To whiche alle othre be degres 2490

Of the metalls ben acordant,

And so thurgh kinde resemblant,

That what man couthe aweie take

The rust, of which thei waxen blake,

And the savour and the hardnesse,

Thei scholden take the liknesse

Of gold or Selver parfitly.

Bot forto worche it sikirly,

Betwen the corps and the spirit,

Er that the metall be parfit, 2500

In sevene formes it is set;1316

Of alle and if that on be let,

The remenant mai noght availe,

Bot otherwise it mai noght faile.

For thei be whom this art was founde

To every point a certain bounde

Ordeignen, that a man mai finde

This craft is wroght be weie of kinde,

So that ther is no fallas inne.

Bot what man that this werk beginne, 2510

P. ii. 86

He mot awaite at every tyde,

So that nothing be left aside,1317

Ferst of the distillacion,

Forth with the congelacion,

Solucion, descencion,

And kepe in his entencion

The point of sublimacion,

And forth with calcinacion

Of veray approbacion

Do that ther be fixacion 2520

With tempred hetes of the fyr,

Til he the parfit Elixir

Of thilke philosophres Ston

Mai gete, of which that many on1318

Of Philosophres whilom write.

And if thou wolt the names wite

Of thilke Ston with othre tuo,

Whiche as the clerkes maden tho,

So as the bokes it recorden,

The kinde of hem I schal recorden. 2530

[The Three Stones of the Philosophers.]

These olde Philosophres wyse1319

Be weie of kinde in sondri wise

Thre Stones maden thurgh clergie.

Nota de tribus lapidibus, quos philosophi composuerunt, quorum primus dicitur lapis vegetabilis, qui sanitatem conseruat, secundus dicitur lapis animalis, qui membra1320 et virtutes sencibiles fortificat, tercius dicitur lapis mineralis, qui omnia metalla purificat et in suum perfectum naturali potencia deducit.

The ferste, if I schal specefie,1321

Was lapis vegetabilis,1322

Of which the propre vertu is

To mannes hele forto serve,

As forto kepe and to preserve1323

The bodi fro siknesses alle,

Til deth of kinde upon him falle. 2540

P. ii. 87

The Ston seconde I thee behote

Is lapis animalis hote,

The whos vertu is propre and cowth

For Ere and yhe and nase and mouth,

Wherof a man mai hiere and se

And smelle and taste in his degre,

And forto fiele and forto go

It helpeth man of bothe tuo:

The wittes fyve he underfongeth

To kepe, as it to him belongeth. 2550

The thridde Ston in special

Be name is cleped Minerall,

Which the metalls of every Mine

Attempreth, til that thei ben fyne,

And pureth hem be such a weie,1324

That al the vice goth aweie1325

Of rust, of stink and of hardnesse:

And whan thei ben of such clennesse,

This Mineral, so as I finde,

Transformeth al the ferste kynde 2560

And makth hem able to conceive

Thurgh his vertu, and to receive1326

Bothe in substance and in figure

Of gold and selver the nature.

For thei tuo ben thextremetes,1327

To whiche after the propretes

Hath every metal his desir,

With help and confort of the fyr

Forth with this Ston, as it is seid,1328

Which to the Sonne and Mone is leid; 2570

P. ii. 88

For to the rede and to the whyte

This Ston hath pouer to profite.

It makth multiplicacioun

Of gold, and the fixacioun

It causeth, and of his habit

He doth the werk to be parfit1329

Of thilke Elixer which men calle

Alconomie, as is befalle1330

To hem that whilom weren wise.

Bot now it stant al otherwise; 2580

Thei speken faste of thilke Ston,

Bot hou to make it, nou wot non

After the sothe experience.

And natheles gret diligence

Thei setten upon thilke dede,

And spille more than thei spede;

For allewey thei finde a lette,1331

Which bringeth in poverte and dette

To hem that riche were afore:

The lost is had, the lucre is lore, 2590

To gete a pound thei spenden fyve;

I not hou such a craft schal thryve

In the manere as it is used:

It were betre be refused

Than forto worchen upon weene

In thing which stant noght as thei weene.

Bot noght forthi, who that it knewe,

The science of himself is trewe

Upon the forme as it was founded,

Wherof the names yit ben grounded 2600

P. ii. 89

Of hem that ferste it founden oute;

And thus the fame goth aboute

To suche as soghten besinesse

Of vertu and of worthinesse.

Of whom if I the names calle,

[The First Alchemists.]

Hermes was on the ferste of alle,

To whom this art is most applied;

Geber therof was magnefied,

And Ortolan and Morien,1332

Among the whiche is Avicen, 2610

Which fond and wrot a gret partie

The practique of Alconomie;

Whos bokes, pleinli as thei stonde

Upon this craft, fewe understonde;

Bot yit to put hem in assai1333

Ther ben full manye now aday,

That knowen litel what thei meene.

It is noght on to wite and weene;

In forme of wordes thei it trete,

Bot yit they failen of beyete,1334 2620

For of tomoche or of tolyte

Ther is algate founde a wyte,

So that thei folwe noght the lyne

Of the parfite medicine,

Which grounded is upon nature.

Bot thei that writen the scripture

Of Grek, Arabe and of Caldee,1335

Thei were of such Auctorite

That thei ferst founden out the weie1336

Of al that thou hast herd me seie; 2630

P. ii. 90

Wherof the Cronique of her lore

Schal stonde in pris for everemore.

[Letters and Language.]

Bot toward oure Marches hiere,

Of the Latins if thou wolt hiere,

Of hem that whilom vertuous

Were and therto laborious,

Carmente made of hire engin

The ferste lettres of Latin,

Of which the tunge Romein cam,

Wherof that Aristarchus nam 2640

Forth with Donat and Dindimus1337

The ferste reule of Scole, as thus,1338

How that Latin schal be componed

And in what wise it schal be soned,

That every word in his degre

Schal stonde upon congruite.

And thilke time at Rome also

Was Tullius with Cithero,

That writen upon Rethorike,

Hou that men schal the wordes pike1339 2650

After the forme of eloquence,

Which is, men sein, a gret prudence:

And after that out of Hebreu

Jerom, which the langage kneu,

The Bible, in which the lawe is closed,

Into Latin he hath transposed;

And many an other writere ek

Out of Caldee, Arabe and Grek

With gret labour the bokes wise

Translateden. And otherwise 2660

P. ii. 91

The Latins of hemself also

Here studie at thilke time so1340

With gret travaile of Scole toke

In sondri forme forto boke,

That we mai take here evidences

Upon the lore of the Sciences,

Of craftes bothe and of clergie;

Among the whiche in Poesie

To the lovers Ovide wrot

And tawhte, if love be to hot, 2670

In what manere it scholde akiele.

Confessor.

Forthi, mi Sone, if that thou fiele

That love wringe thee to sore,

Behold Ovide and take his lore.1341

Amans.

My fader, if thei mihte spede

Mi love, I wolde his bokes rede;1342

And if thei techen to restreigne

Mi love, it were an ydel peine

To lerne a thing which mai noght be.

For lich unto the greene tree, 2680

If that men toke his rote aweie,1343

Riht so myn herte scholde deie,

If that mi love be withdrawe.

Wherof touchende unto this sawe

There is bot only to poursuie

Mi love, and ydelschipe eschuie.

Confessor.

Mi goode Sone, soth to seie,

If ther be siker eny weie

To love, thou hast seid the beste:

For who that wolde have al his reste 2690

P. ii. 92

And do no travail at the nede,

It is no resoun that he spede

In loves cause forto winne;

For he which dar nothing beginne,

I not what thing he scholde achieve.

Bot overthis thou schalt believe,

So as it sit thee wel to knowe,

That ther ben othre vices slowe,

Whiche unto love don gret lette,

If thou thin herte upon hem sette. 2700

[vi. Somnolence.]

viii. Perdit homo causam linquens sua iura sopori,

Et quasi dimidium pars sua mortis habet.

Est in amore vigil Venus, et quod habet vigilanti

Obsequium thalamis fert vigilata suis.

Toward the Slowe progenie

Ther is yit on of compaignie,

Hic loquitur de Sompnolencia, que Accidie1344 Cameraria dicta est, cuius natura semimortua alicuius negocii vigilias obseruare soporifero1345 torpore recusat: vnde quatenus amorem concernit Confessor Amanti diligencius opponit.

And he is cleped Sompnolence,

Which doth to Slouthe his reverence,

As he which is his Chamberlein,

That many an hundrid time hath lein

To slepe, whan he scholde wake.

He hath with love trewes take,

That wake who so wake wile,

If he mai couche a doun his bile,1346 2710

He hath al wowed what him list;1347

That ofte he goth to bedde unkist,

And seith that for no Druerie

He wol noght leve his sluggardie.

For thogh noman it wole allowe,

To slepe levere than to wowe

P. ii. 93

Is his manere, and thus on nyhtes,

Whan that he seth the lusti knyhtes

Revelen, wher these wommen are,

Awey he skulketh as an hare, 2720

And goth to bedde and leith him softe,

And of his Slouthe he dremeth ofte

Hou that he stiketh in the Myr,

And hou he sitteth be the fyr

And claweth on his bare schanckes,

And hou he clymbeth up the banckes

And falleth into Slades depe.

Bot thanne who so toke kepe,

Whanne he is falle in such a drem,

Riht as a Schip ayein the Strem, 2730

He routeth with a slepi noise,

And brustleth as a monkes froise,

Whanne it is throwe into the Panne.

And otherwhile sielde whanne

That he mai dreme a lusti swevene,

Him thenkth as thogh he were in hevene

And as the world were holi his:

And thanne he spekth of that and this,

And makth his exposicion

After the disposicion 2740

Of that he wolde, and in such wise

He doth to love all his service;

I not what thonk he schal deserve.1348

Bot, Sone, if thou wolt love serve,1349

I rede that thou do noght so.

Confessio Amantis.

Ha, goode fader, certes no.

P. ii. 94

I hadde levere be mi trowthe,

Er I were set an such a slouthe

And beere such a slepi snoute,

Bothe yhen of myn hed were oute. 2750

For me were betre fulli die,

Thanne I of such a slugardie

Hadde eny name, god me schilde;

For whan mi moder was with childe,

And I lay in hire wombe clos,

I wolde rathere Atropos,

Which is goddesse of alle deth,

Anon as I hadde eny breth,

Me hadde fro mi Moder cast.

Bot now I am nothing agast,1350 2760

[The Lover’s Wakefulness.]

I thonke godd; for Lachesis,

Ne Cloto, which hire felawe is,

Me schopen no such destine,

Whan thei at mi nativite

My weerdes setten as thei wolde;

Bot thei me schopen that I scholde

Eschuie of slep the truandise,

So that I hope in such a wise

To love forto ben excused,

That I no Sompnolence have used. 2770

For certes, fader Genius,

Yit into nou it hath be thus,

At alle time if it befelle1351

So that I mihte come and duelle

In place ther my ladi were,

I was noght slow ne slepi there:

P. ii. 95

For thanne I dar wel undertake,

That whanne hir list on nyhtes wake

In chambre as to carole and daunce,

Me thenkth I mai me more avaunce, 2780

If I mai gon upon hir hond,

Thanne if I wonne a kinges lond.

For whanne I mai hire hand beclippe,

With such gladnesse I daunce and skippe,

Me thenkth I touche noght the flor;

The Ro, which renneth on the Mor,

Is thanne noght so lyht as I:

So mow ye witen wel forthi,1352

That for the time slep I hate.

And whanne it falleth othergate, 2790

So that hire like noght to daunce,

Bot on the Dees to caste chaunce1353

Or axe of love som demande,

Or elles that hir list comaunde

To rede and here of Troilus,

Riht as sche wole or so or thus,1354

I am al redi to consente.

And if so is that I mai hente

Somtime among a good leisir,

So as I dar of mi desir 2800

I telle a part; bot whanne I preie,

Anon sche bidt me go mi weie1355

And seith it is ferr in the nyht;

And I swere it is even liht.

Bot as it falleth ate laste,

Ther mai no worldes joie laste,

P. ii. 96

So mot I nedes fro hire wende

And of my wachche make an ende:

And if sche thanne hiede toke,

Hou pitousliche on hire I loke, 2810

Whan that I schal my leve take,

Hire oghte of mercy forto slake

Hire daunger, which seith evere nay.

Bot he seith often, ‘Have good day,’

That loth is forto take his leve:

Therfore, while I mai beleve,

I tarie forth the nyht along,

For it is noght on me along

To slep that I so sone go,

Til that I mot algate so; 2820

And thanne I bidde godd hire se,

And so doun knelende on mi kne1356

I take leve, and if I schal,

I kisse hire, and go forth withal.

And otherwhile, if that I dore,

Er I come fulli to the Dore,1357

I torne ayein and feigne a thing,

As thogh I hadde lost a Ring

Or somwhat elles, for I wolde

Kisse hire eftsones, if I scholde, 2830

Bot selden is that I so spede.

And whanne I se that I mot nede

Departen, I departe, and thanne1358

With al myn herte I curse and banne

That evere slep was mad for yhe;

For, as me thenkth, I mihte dryhe

P. ii. 97

Withoute slep to waken evere,

So that I scholde noght dissevere

Fro hire, in whom is al my liht:

And thanne I curse also the nyht 2840

With al the will of mi corage,

And seie, ‘Awey, thou blake ymage,

Which of thi derke cloudy face

Makst al the worldes lyht deface,

And causest unto slep a weie,

Be which I mot nou gon aweie1359

Out of mi ladi compaignie.

O slepi nyht, I thee defie,

And wolde that thou leye in presse

With Proserpine the goddesse 2850

And with Pluto the helle king:

For til I se the daies spring,

I sette slep noght at a risshe.’

And with that word I sike and wisshe,

And seie, ‘Ha, whi ne were it day?

For yit mi ladi thanne I may

Beholde, thogh I do nomore.’

And efte I thenke forthermore,

To som man hou the niht doth ese,

Whan he hath thing that mai him plese1360 2860

The longe nyhtes be his side,

Where as I faile and go beside.

Bot slep, I not wherof it serveth,

Of which noman his thonk deserveth

To gete him love in eny place,

Bot is an hindrere of his grace

P. ii. 98

And makth him ded as for a throwe,1361

Riht as a Stok were overthrowe.

And so, mi fader, in this wise

The slepi nyhtes I despise, 2870

And evere amiddes of mi tale

I thenke upon the nyhtingale,

Which slepeth noght be weie of kinde

For love, in bokes as I finde.

Thus ate laste I go to bedde,

And yit min herte lith to wedde

With hire, wher as I cam fro;

Thogh I departe, he wol noght so,

Ther is no lock mai schette him oute,

Him nedeth noght to gon aboute, 2880

That perce mai the harde wall;

Thus is he with hire overall,

That be hire lief, or be hire loth,

Into hire bedd myn herte goth,

And softly takth hire in his arm

And fieleth hou that sche is warm,

And wissheth that his body were

To fiele that he fieleth there.

And thus miselven I tormente,

Til that the dede slep me hente: 2890

[Dreams.]

Bot thanne be a thousand score

Welmore than I was tofore

I am tormented in mi slep,

Bot that I dreme is noght of schep;

For I ne thenke noght on wulle,

Bot I am drecched to the fulle

P. ii. 99

Of love, that I have to kepe,

That nou I lawhe and nou I wepe,

And nou I lese and nou I winne,

And nou I ende and nou beginne. 2900

And otherwhile I dreme and mete

That I al one with hire mete

And that Danger is left behinde;

And thanne in slep such joie I finde,

That I ne bede nevere awake.

Bot after, whanne I hiede take,

And schal arise upon the morwe,

Thanne is al torned into sorwe,

Noght for the cause I schal arise,

Bot for I mette in such a wise, 2910

And ate laste I am bethoght

That al is vein and helpeth noght:

Bot yit me thenketh be my wille

I wolde have leie and slepe stille,

To meten evere of such a swevene,

For thanne I hadde a slepi hevene.

Confessor.

Mi Sone, and for thou tellest so;

A man mai finde of time ago

That many a swevene hath be certein,

Al be it so, that som men sein 2920

That swevenes ben of no credence.

Bot forto schewe in evidence

That thei fulofte sothe thinges

Betokne, I thenke in my wrytinges

To telle a tale therupon,

Which fell be olde daies gon.