The Complete Works of John Gower, Vol. 2

[The Christian Faith.]

De fide Cristiana, in qua perfecte legis complementum, summi misterii sacramentum, nostreque saluacionis fundamentum infallibiliter1655 consistere credimus.

The hihe almyhti majeste,

Of rihtwisnesse and of pite,

The Sinne which that Adam wroghte,

Whan he sih time, ayein he boghte, 1740

And sende his Sone fro the hevene

To sette mannes Soule in evene,1656

Which thanne was so sore falle1657

Upon the point which was befalle,

That he ne mihte himself arise.1658

Gregoire seith in his aprise,1659

It helpeth noght a man be bore,

If goddes Sone were unbore;

For thanne thurgh the ferste Sinne,

Which Adam whilom broghte ous inne, 1750

P. ii. 186

Ther scholden alle men be lost;

Bot Crist restoreth thilke lost,

And boghte it with his fleissh and blod.

And if we thenken hou it stod

Of thilke rancoun which he payde,

Gregorius. O necessarium Ade peccatum!1660 O felix culpa, que talem ac tantum meruit habere redemptorem!

As seint Gregoire it wrot and sayde,

Al was behovely to the man:

For that wherof his wo began

Was after cause of al his welthe,

Whan he which is the welle of helthe, 1760

The hihe creatour of lif,

Upon the nede of such a strif

So wolde for his creature1661

Take on himself the forsfaiture

And soffre for the mannes sake.

Thus mai no reson wel forsake

That thilke Senne original

Ne was the cause in special

Of mannes worschipe ate laste,

Which schal withouten ende laste. 1770

For be that cause the godhede

Assembled was to the manhede1662

In the virgine, where he nom

Oure fleissh and verai man becom

Of bodely fraternite;

Wherof the man in his degre

Stant more worth, as I have told,

Than he stod erst be manyfold,

Thurgh baptesme of the newe lawe,

Of which Crist lord is and felawe. 1780

P. ii. 187

And thus the hihe goddes myht,1663

Which was in the virgine alyht,

The mannes Soule hath reconsiled,

Which hadde longe ben exiled.

So stant the feith upon believe,

Withoute which mai non achieve

To gete him Paradis ayein:

Bot this believe is so certein,

So full of grace and of vertu,

That what man clepeth to Jhesu 1790

In clene lif forthwith good dede,1664

He mai noght faile of hevene mede,

Which taken hath the rihte feith;

For elles, as the gospel seith,

Salvacion ther mai be non.

And forto preche therupon

Crist bad to hise Apostles alle,

The whos pouer as nou is falle

On ous that ben of holi cherche,

Iacobus. Fides sine operibus mortua est.1665

If we the goode dedes werche;1666 1800

For feith only sufficeth noght,1667

Bot if good dede also be wroght.

Confessor.

Now were it good that thou forthi,

Which thurgh baptesme proprely

Art unto Cristes feith professed,

Be war that thou be noght oppressed

Nota hic contra istos qui iam lollardi dicuntur.1668

With Anticristes lollardie.

For as the Jwes prophecie1669

Was set of god for avantage,

Riht so this newe tapinage 1810

P. ii. 188

Of lollardie goth aboute

To sette Cristes feith in doute.

The seintz that weren ous tofore,

Be whom the feith was ferst upbore,

That holi cherche stod relieved,

Thei oghten betre be believed

Than these, whiche that men knowe

Noght holy, thogh thei feigne and blowe

Here lollardie in mennes Ere.

Bot if thou wolt live out of fere, 1820

Such newe lore, I rede, eschuie,

And hold forth riht the weie and suie,

As thine Ancestres dede er this:

So schalt thou noght believe amis.

Incepit Jhesus facere et docere.

Crist wroghte ferst and after tawhte,

So that the dede his word arawhte;1670

He yaf ensample in his persone,

And we the wordes have al one,

Lich to the Tree with leves grene,

Upon the which no fruit is sene. 1830

Nota quod, cum Anthenor Palladium Troie a templo Minerue abstulit, Thoas ibidem summus sacerdos auro corruptus oculos auertit, et sic malum quasi non videns scienter fieri permisit.

The Priest Thoas, which of Minerve

The temple hadde forto serve,

And the Palladion of Troie

Kepte under keie, for monoie,

Of Anthenor which he hath nome,1671

Hath soffred Anthenor to come

And the Palladion to stele,

Wherof the worschipe and the wele

Of the Troiens was overthrowe.

Bot Thoas at the same throwe, 1840

P. ii. 189

Whan Anthenor this Juel tok,

Wynkende caste awei his lok

For a deceipte and for a wyle:

As he that scholde himself beguile,

He hidde his yhen fro the sihte,

And wende wel that he so mihte

Excuse his false conscience.

I wot noght if thilke evidence

Nou at this time in here estatz1672

Excuse mihte the Prelatz, 1850

Knowende hou that the feith discresceth

And alle moral vertu cesseth,

Wherof that thei the keies bere,

Bot yit hem liketh noght to stere

Here gostliche yhe forto se1673

The world in his adversite;

Thei wol no labour undertake

To kepe that hem is betake.

Crist deide himselve for the feith,

Bot nou our feerfull prelat seith, 1860

‘The lif is suete,’ and that he kepeth,

So that the feith unholpe slepeth,

And thei unto here ese entenden

And in here lust her lif despenden,

And every man do what him list.

Thus stant this world fulfild of Mist,

That noman seth the rihte weie:

The wardes of the cherche keie

Thurgh mishandlinge ben myswreynt,

The worldes wawe hath welnyh dreynt 1870

P. ii. 190

The Schip which Peter hath to stiere,

The forme is kept, bot the matiere

Transformed is in other wise.

Bot if thei weren gostli wise,

And that the Prelatz weren goode,

As thei be olde daies stode,

It were thanne litel nede

Among the men to taken hiede

Of that thei hieren Pseudo telle,1674

Which nou is come forto duelle, 1880

To sowe cokkel with the corn,

So that the tilthe is nyh forlorn,

Which Crist sew ferst his oghne hond.1675

Nou stant the cockel in the lond,

Wher stod whilom the goode grein,

For the Prelatz nou, as men sein,

Forslowthen that thei scholden tile.

And that I trowe be the skile,

Whan ther is lacke in hem above,

The poeple is stranged to the love 1890

Of trouthe, in cause of ignorance;

For wher ther is no pourveance

Of liht, men erren in the derke.1676

Bot if the Prelatz wolden werke

Upon the feith which thei ous teche,

Men scholden noght here weie seche

Withoute liht, as now is used:

Men se the charge aldai refused,

Which holi cherche hath undertake.

Gregorius. Quando Petrus cum Judea, Andreas cum Achaia, Thomas cum Yndea, et Paulus cum gente venient, quid dicemus nos moderni, quorum fossum talentum pro nichilo computabitur?

Bot who that wolde ensample take, 1900

P. ii. 191

Gregoire upon his Omelie

Ayein the Slouthe of Prelacie

Compleigneth him, and thus he seith:

‘Whan Peter, fader of the feith,

At domesdai schal with him bringe

Judeam, which thurgh his prechinge1677

He wan, and Andrew with Achaie

Schal come his dette forto paie,

And Thomas ek with his beyete

Of Ynde, and Poul the routes grete 1910

Of sondri londes schal presente,1678

And we fulfild of lond and rente,

Which of this world we holden hiere,

With voide handes schul appiere,

Touchende oure cure spirital,

Which is our charge in special,

I not what thing it mai amonte

Upon thilke ende of oure accompte,

Wher Crist himself is Auditour,

Which takth non hiede of vein honour.’ 1920

Thoffice of the Chancellerie

Or of the kinges Tresorie

Ne for the writ ne for the taille1679

To warant mai noght thanne availe;

The world, which nou so wel we trowe,1680

Schal make ous thanne bot a mowe:

So passe we withoute mede,

That we non otherwise spede,

Bot as we rede that he spedde,

The which his lordes besant hedde 1930

P. ii. 192

And therupon gat non encress.

Bot at this time natheles,

What other man his thonk deserve,

The world so lusti is to serve,

That we with him ben all acorded,

And that is wist and wel recorded

Thurghout this Erthe in alle londes

Let knyhtes winne with here hondes,

For oure tunge schal be stille

And stonde upon the fleisshes wille. 1940

It were a travail forto preche

The feith of Crist, as forto teche

The folk Paiene, it wol noght be;

Bot every Prelat holde his See

With al such ese as he mai gete

Of lusti drinke and lusti mete,1681

Wherof the bodi fat and full

Is unto gostli labour dull

And slowh to handle thilke plowh.

Bot elles we ben swifte ynowh 1950

Toward the worldes Avarice;

And that is as a sacrifice,1682

Which, after that thapostel seith,1683

Is openly ayein the feith

Unto thidoles yove and granted:

Bot natheles it is nou haunted,

And vertu changed into vice,

So that largesce is Avarice,

In whos chapitre now we trete.

Amans.

Mi fader, this matiere is bete 1960

P. ii. 193

So fer, that evere whil I live

I schal the betre hede yive

Unto miself be many weie:

Bot over this nou wolde I preie

To wite what the branches are1684

Of Avarice, and hou thei fare

Als wel in love as otherwise.

Confessor.

Mi Sone, and I thee schal devise

In such a manere as thei stonde,1685

So that thou schalt hem understonde.1686 1970