Venus behield
me than and lowh,
And axeth, as it were in game,
What love was. And I for schame
Ne wiste what I scholde
ansuere;
And natheles I gan to swere
That be my trouthe I knew him noght;
So ferr it was out of mi thoght,
Riht as it hadde nevere be.
"Mi goode sone," tho quod sche,
"Now at this time I lieve it wel,
So goth the fortune of my whiel;
Forthi mi conseil is
thou leve.”
*** *** ***
Bot sche, that wolde
make an ende,
As therto which I was most able,
A peire of bedes blak as sable
Sche tok and heng my necke aboute;
Upon the gaudes al withoute
Was write of gold, Por reposer.
"Lo,"
thus sche seide,
"John Gower,
Now thou art ate laste cast,
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From the end of Gower’s Confessio Amantis VII.2870-2970
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This have I for thin ese
cast,
That thou no more of love sieche.
Bot my will is that thou besieche
And preie hierafter for the pes,
And that thou make a plein
reles
To love, which takth litel
hiede
Of olde men upon the nede,
Whan that the lustes
ben aweie:
Forthi to thee nys bot
o weie,
In which let reson be thi
guide;
For he may sone himself misguide,
That seth noght the
peril tofore.
Mi sone, be wel war therfore,
And kep the sentence of my lore
And tarie thou mi court no more,
Bot go ther vertu moral
duelleth,
Wher ben thi bokes, as men telleth,
Whiche of long time thou hast write.
For this I do thee wel to wite,
If thou thin hele wolt pourchace,
Thou miht noght make
suite and chace,
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