Torpor, ebes sensus, scola parua labor minimusque
Causant quo minimus ipse minora canam:
Qua tamen Engisti lingua canit Insula Bruti
Anglica Carmente metra iuuante loquar.
Ossibus ergo carens que conterit ossa loquelis
Absit, et interpres stet procul oro malus.
| 1 | Of hem that writen ous tofore |
|---|---|
| 2 | The bokes duelle, and we therfore |
| 3 | Ben tawht of that was write tho: |
| 4 | Forthi good is that we also |
| 5 | In oure tyme among ous hiere |
| 6 | Do wryte of newe som matiere, |
| 7 | Essampled of these olde wyse |
| 8 | So that it myhte in such a wyse, |
| 9 | Whan we ben dede and elleswhere, |
| 10 | Beleve to the worldes eere |
| 11 | In tyme comende after this. |
| 12 | Bot for men sein, and soth it is, |
| 13 | That who that al of wisdom writ |
| 14 | It dulleth ofte a mannes wit |
| 15 | To him that schal it aldai rede, |
| 16 | For thilke cause, if that ye rede, |
| 17 | I wolde go the middel weie |
| 18 | And wryte a bok betwen the tweie, |
| 19 | Somwhat of lust, somewhat of lore, |
| 20 | That of the lasse or of the more |
| 21 | Som man mai lyke of that I wryte: |
| 22 | And for that fewe men endite |
| 23 | In oure englissh, I thenke make |
| 24 | A bok for Engelondes sake, |
| 25 | The yer sextenthe of kyng Richard. |
| 26 | What schal befalle hierafterward |
| 27 | God wot, for now upon this tyde |
| 28 | Men se the world on every syde |
| 29 | In sondry wyse so diversed, |
| 30 | That it welnyh stant al reversed, |
| 31 | As forto speke of tyme ago. |
| 32 | The cause whi it changeth so |
| 33 | It needeth nought to specifie, |
| 34 | The thing so open is at ije |
| 35 | That every man it mai beholde: |
| 36 | And natheles be daies olde, |
| 37 | Whan that the bokes weren levere, |
| 38 | Wrytinge was beloved evere |
| 39 | Of hem that weren vertuous; |
| 40 | For hier in erthe amonges ous, |
| 41 | If noman write hou that it stode, |
| 42 | The pris of hem that weren goode |
| 43 | Scholde, as who seith, a gret partie |
| 44 | Be lost: so for to magnifie |
| 45 | The worthi princes that tho were, |
| 46 | The bokes schewen hiere and there, |
| 47 | Wherof the world ensampled is; |
| 48 | And tho that deden thanne amis |
| 49 | Thurgh tirannie and crualte, |
| 50 | Right as thei stoden in degre, |
| 51 | So was the wrytinge of here werk. |
| 52 | Thus I, which am a burel clerk, |
| 53 | Purpose forto wryte a bok |
| 54 | After the world that whilom tok |
| 55 | Long tyme in olde daies passed: |
| 56 | Bot for men sein it is now lassed, |
| 57 | In worse plit than it was tho, |
| 58 | I thenke forto touche also |
| 59 | The world which neweth every dai, |
| 60 | So as I can, so as I mai. |
| 61 | Thogh I seknesse have upon honde |
| 62 | And longe have had, yit woll I fonde |
| 63 | To wryte and do my bisinesse, |
| 64 | That in som part, so as I gesse, |
| 65 | The wyse man mai ben avised. |
| 66 | For this prologe is so assised |
| 67 | That it to wisdom al belongeth: |
| 68 | What wysman that it underfongeth, |
| 69 | He schal drawe into remembrance |
| 70 | The fortune of this worldes chance, |
| 71 | The which noman in his persone |
| 72 | Mai knowe, bot the god al one. |
| 73 | Whan the prologe is so despended, |
| 74 | This bok schal afterward ben ended |
| 75 | Of love, which doth many a wonder |
| 76 | And many a wys man hath put under. |
| 77 | And in this wyse I thenke trete |
| 78 | Towardes hem that now be grete, |
| 79 | Betwen the vertu and the vice |
| 80 | Which longeth unto this office. |
| 81 | Bot for my wittes ben to smale |
| 82 | To tellen every man his tale, |
| 83 | This bok, upon amendment |
| 84 | To stonde at his commandement, |
| 85 | With whom myn herte is of accord, |
| 86 | I sende unto myn oghne lord, |
| 87 | Which of Lancastre is Henri named: |
| 88 | The hyhe god him hath proclamed |
| 89 | Ful of knyhthode and alle grace. |
| 90 | So woll I now this werk embrace |
| 91 | With hol trust and with hol believe; |
| 92 | God grante I mot it wel achieve. |
| 93 | If I schal drawe in to my mynde |
| 94 | The tyme passed, thanne I fynde |
| 95 | The world stod thanne in al his welthe: |
| 96 | Tho was the lif of man in helthe, |
| 97 | Tho was plente, tho was richesse, |
| 98 | Tho was the fortune of prouesse, |
| 99 | Tho was knyhthode in pris be name, |
| 100 | Wherof the wyde worldes fame |
| 101 | Write in Cronique is yit withholde; |
| 102 | Justice of lawe tho was holde, |
| 103 | The privilege of regalie |
| 104 | Was sauf, and al the baronie |
| 105 | Worschiped was in his astat; |
| 106 | The citees knewen no debat, |
| 107 | The poeple stod in obeissance |
| 108 | Under the reule of governance, |
| 109 | And pes, which ryhtwisnesse keste, |
| 110 | With charite tho stod in reste: |
| 111 | Of mannes herte the corage |
| 112 | Was schewed thanne in the visage; |
| 113 | The word was lich to the conceite |
| 114 | Withoute semblant of deceite: |
| 115 | Tho was ther unenvied love, |
| 116 | Tho was the vertu sett above |
| 117 | And vice was put under fote. |
| 118 | Now stant the crop under the rote, |
| 119 | The world is changed overal, |
| 120 | And therof most in special |
| 121 | That love is falle into discord. |
| 122 | And that I take to record |
| 123 | Of every lond for his partie |
| 124 | The comun vois, which mai noght lie; |
| 125 | Noght upon on, bot upon alle |
| 126 | It is that men now clepe and calle, |
| 127 | And sein the regnes ben divided, |
| 128 | In stede of love is hate guided, |
| 129 | The werre wol no pes purchace, |
| 130 | And lawe hath take hire double face, |
| 131 | So that justice out of the weie |
| 132 | With ryhtwisnesse is gon aweie: |
| 133 | And thus to loke on every halve, |
| 134 | Men sen the sor withoute salve, |
| 135 | Which al the world hath overtake. |
| 136 | Ther is no regne of alle outtake, |
| 137 | For every climat hath his diel |
| 138 | After the tornynge of the whiel, |
| 139 | Which blinde fortune overthroweth; |
| 140 | Wherof the certain noman knoweth: |
| 141 | The hevene wot what is to done, |
| 142 | Bot we that duelle under the mone |
| 143 | Stonde in this world upon a weer, |
| 144 | And namely bot the pouer |
| 145 | Of hem that ben the worldes guides |
| 146 | With good consail on alle sides |
| 147 | Be kept upriht in such a wyse, |
| 148 | That hate breke noght thassise |
| 149 | Of love, which is al the chief |
| 150 | To kepe a regne out of meschief. |
| 151 | For alle resoun wolde this, |
| 152 | That unto him which the heved is |
| 153 | The membres buxom scholden bowe, |
| 154 | And he scholde ek her trowthe allowe, |
| 155 | With al his herte and make hem chiere, |
| 156 | For good consail is good to hiere. |
| 157 | Althogh a man be wys himselve, |
| 158 | Yit is the wisdom more of tuelve; |
| 159 | And if thei stoden bothe in on, |
| 160 | To hope it were thanne anon |
| 161 | That god his grace wolde sende |
| 162 | To make of thilke werre an ende, |
| 163 | Which every day now groweth newe: |
| 164 | And that is gretly forto rewe |
| 165 | In special for Cristes sake, |
| 166 | Which wolde his oghne lif forsake |
| 167 | Among the men to yeve pes. |
| 168 | But now men tellen natheles |
| 169 | That love is fro the world departed, |
| 170 | So stant the pes unevene parted |
| 171 | With hem that liven now adaies. |
| 172 | Bot forto loke at alle assaies, |
| 173 | To him that wolde resoun seche |
| 174 | After the comun worldes speche |
| 175 | It is to wondre of thilke werre, |
| 176 | In which non wot who hath the werre; |
| 177 | For every lond himself deceyveth |
| 178 | And of desese his part receyveth, |
| 179 | And yet ne take men no kepe. |