Hoccleve's Works. II The minor poems in the Ashburnham Ms. Addit. 133. ... Edited by Sir Israel Gollancz |
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| I. |
| II. |
| III. |
| IV. |
| V. |
| VI. |
| VII. |
| VIII. | VIII. “Lepistre de Cupide.”
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| IX. |
 | X. |
 | Hoccleve's Works. II |  |
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VIII. “Lepistre de Cupide.”
1
Cupido / vn-to whos commandementThe gentil kynrede / of goddes on hy
And peple infernal been obedient,
And the mortel folk seruen bisyly;
Of goddesse Sitheree / sone oonly,
To alle tho / þat to our deitee
Been sogettes / greetynges senden we.
2
In general / we wole þat yee knoweÞat ladyes of honur and reuerence,
And othir gentil wommen, han I-sowe
Swich seed of conpleynte in our audience,
Of men þat doon hem outrage & offense,
Þat it oure eres greeueth for to heere,
So pitous is theffect of hir mateere,
3
And passyng alle londes / on this yleThat clept is Albioun / they moost conpleyne;
They seyn þat there is croppe and roote of gyle,
So can tho men dissimulen and feyne,
with standyng dropes in hire yen tweyne,
whan þat hire herte / feelith no distresse,
To blynde wommen with hir doublenesse.
4
His wordes spoken been so sighyngly,And with so pitous cheere and contenance,
That euery wight þat meeneth trewely
Deemeth / þat they in herte han swich greuance:
They seyn / so importable is hir penance,
Þat, but hir lady / list to shewe hem grace,
They right anoon moot steruen in the place.
5
“A, lady myn” / they seyn / “I yow ensure,Shewe me grace / & I shal euere be,
whyles my lyf may lasten & endure,
21
As possible is / and keepe al thyng secree,
As þat your seluen lykith þat I do,
And elles moot myn herte breste on two.”
6
Ful hard is it to knowe a mannes herte,For outward may no man the truthe deeme,
whan word out of his mowth / may ther noon sterte,
But it sholde any wight by reson qweeme;
So is it seid of herte / it wolde seeme.
O feithful womman, ful of Innocence,
Thow art betrayed by fals apparence!
7
By process / wommen meeued of pitee,weenyng al thyng were / as þat tho men seye,
Granten hem grace of hir benignitee,
For they nat sholden for hir sake deye;
And with good herte sette hem in the weye
Of blisful loue / keepe it if they konne:
Thus othir whyle been the wommen wonne.
8
And whan the man / the pot hath by the stele,And fully of hire hath possessioun,
with þat womman he keepith nat to dele
Aftir / if he may fynden in the toun
Any womman / his blynd affeccion
On to bestowe / foule moot he preeue:
A man, for al his ooth / is hard to leeue.
9
And for þat euery fals man / hath a make,As vn-to euery wight / is light to knowe,
whan this Traitour the womman hath forsake,
He faste him speedith / vn-to his felowe;
Til he be there / his herte is on a lowe;
His fals deceit / ne may him nat souffyse,
But of his treson / tellith al the wyse.
10
Is this a fair auant / is this honour,A man him-self to accuse & diffame?
22
And brynge a womman to a sclaundrous name,
And telle how he / hir body hath doon shame?
No worsship may he thus / to him conquere,
But ful greet repreef vn-to him and here.
11
To here / nay / yit was it no repreef;For al for pitee was it þat shee wroghte;
But he þat breewid hath al this mescheef,
Þat spak so faire / & falsly inward thoghte,
His be the shame / as it by reson oghte,
And vn-to here / thank perpetuel,
Þat in a neede helpe can so wel.
12
Al thogh þat men, by sleighte & sotiltee,A cely / symple / and ignorant womman
Betraye / is no wondir / syn the Citee
Of Troie / as þat the storie telle can,
Betrayed was / thurgh the deceit of man,
And set a-fyre / & al doun ouerthrowe,
And finally destroyed / as men knowe.
13
Betrayen man nat Remes grete and kynges?what wight is þat / can shape a remedie
Agaynes false / & hid purposid thynges?
who can the craft, tho castes to espye,
But man / whos wil ay reedy is tapplie
To thyng þat sovneth in-to hy falshede?
wemmen / be waar of mennes sleighte / I rede.
14
And forthermore, han the men in vsage,Þat where-as they nat likly been to speede,
Swiche as they been / with a double visage
They procuren / for to pursue hir neede,
He preyeth him / in his cause proceede,
And largely / him qwytith his trauaille:
Smal witen wommen / how men hem assaille!
23
15
To his felawe an othir wrecche seith,“Thou fisshist faire / shee þat hath thee fyrid,
Is fals / and inconstant / & hath no feith;
Shee for the rode of folk is so desyrid,
And as an hors fro day to day is hyrid,
That whan thow twynnest from hir conpaignie,
An othir comth / and blerid is thyn ye.
16
“Now prike on faste / & ryde thy iourneye;whyl thow art ther / shee, behynde thy bak,
So liberal is / she can no wight withseye,
But qwikly of an othir take a snak;
For so the wommen faren, al the pak:
who-so hem trustith, hangid moot he be!
Ay they desiren chaunge & noueltee.”
17
Where-of procedith this / but of enuye:For he him-self / here ne wynne may,
Repreef of here he spekth, and villenye,
As mannes labbyng tonge is wont alway:
Thus sundry men ful often make assay
For to destourbe folk in sundry wyse,
For they may nat accheuen hire empryse.
18
Ful many a man eek wolde for no good,Þat hath in lone / spent his tyme & vsid,
Mon wiste / his lady / his axyng withstood,
And þat he were of his lady refusid,
Or waast & veyn were / al þat he had musid;
wherfore / he can no bettre remedie,
But on his lady / shapith him to lie.
19
“Euery womman,” he seith / “is Light to gete;Can noon seyn nay / if shee be wel I-soght;
who so may leiser han / with hire to trete,
Of his purpos / ne shall he faille noght,
But on maddyng he be so deepe broght,
24
Þat louen wommen nat / as þat I gesse.”
20
To sclaundre wommen thus / what may profyteTo gentils namly / þat hem armen sholde,
And in deffense of wommen hem delyte,
As þat the ordre of gentillesse wolde.
If þat a man list / gentil to be holde,
Al moot he flee / þat is to it contrarie;
A sclaundryng tonge / is ther-to Aduersarie.
21
A foul vice is / of tonge to be light;For who so mochil clappith / gabbith ofte.
The tonge of man, so swift is and so Wight,
Þat w[h]an it is areisid vp on lofte,
Reson it sueth / so slowly and softe
Þat it him neuere ouertake may:
Lord, so the men been trusty at assay!
22
Al be it þat men fynde / o womman nyce,Inconstant / rechelees / or variable,
Deynous / or prowd, fulfillid of malice,
withoute feith or loue / & deceyuable,
Sly / qweynte & fals / in al vnthrift coupable,
wikkid and feers / & ful of crueltee,
It folwith nat / swiche alle wommen be.
23
whan þat the hy god / angels fourmed hadde,Among hem alle / whethir ther was noon
Þat fownden was malicious & badde?
Yis / men wel knowen / ther was many oon
Þat for hir pryde / fil from heuene anoon.
Shal man therfore alle angels prowde name?
Nay / he þat that susteneth / is to blame.
24
Of .xiie. apostles / oon a traitour was;The remanaunt / yit goode were and treewe;
Thanne, if it happe / men fynden par cas
25
And deeme nat / þat they been alle vntreewe.
I see wel mennes owne falsenesse
Hem causith / wommen for to truste lesse.
25
O, euery man oghte han an herte tendreVn-to woman / & deeme hire honurable,
whethir his shap be eithir thikke or sclendre,
Or he be badde or good / this is no fable:
Euery man woot / þat wit hath resonable,
Þat of a womman / he descendid is,
Than is it shame / speke of hire amis.
26
A wikkid tree / good fruyt may noon foorth brynge;For swich the fruyt is / as þat is the tree.
Take heede / of whom thow took thy begynnynge!
lat thy modir be mirour vn-to thee!
Honure hire / if thow wilt honurid be;
Despyse thow nat hire / in no maneere,
lest þat ther-thurgh thy wikkidnesse appeere.
27
An old prouerbe seid is in englissh:Men seyn þat brid or foul is deshonest,
what so it be / and holden ful cherlissh,
Þat wont is to deffoule his owne nest.
Men to seye of wommen wel / it is best,
And nat for to despise hem ne depraue,
If þat hem list hire honur keepe and saue.
28
Ladyes eek conpleynen hem on Clerkis,Þat they han maad bookes of hir deffame,
In whiche / they lakken wommennes werkis,
And speken of hem / greet repreef and shame,
And causelees / hem yeue a wikkid name:
Thus they despysid been on euery syde,
And sclaundred / and belowen on ful wyde.
29
Tho wikkid bookes / maken mencion,How they betrayeden, in special,
26
And many oon mo / who may rehercen al
The tresoun / þat they haue doon & shal?
who may hire hy malice conprehende?
Nat the world / Clerkes seyn / it hath noon ende.
30
Ouyde, in his book callid RemedieOf loue / greet repreef of wommen writith;
where-in I trowe / he dide greet folie,
And euery wight / þat in swich cas delitith;
A clerkes custume is whan he endytith
Of wommen, be it prose / rym or vers,
Seyn they be wikke / al knowe he the reuers.
31
And þat book scolers lerne in hir childhede,For they of wommen be waar sholde in age,
And for to loue hom / euere been in drede,
Syn to deceyue is set al hir corage.
They seyn / peril to caste, is auantage,
Namely swich / as men han in be trappid;
For many a man / by wommen han mis-happid.
32
No charge / what so þat the Clerkes seyn:Of al hir wrong wrytyng do we no cure;
Al hir labour and trauaille is in veyn;
For, betwixt vs & my Lady nature,
Shal nat be souffred, whyl the world may dure,
Clerkes, by hire outrageous tirannye,
Thus vp-on wommen kythen hire maistrye.
33
Whilom ful many of hem were in our cheyneTyd / and lo now / what for vnweeldy age,
And for vnlust / may nat to loue atteyne,
And seyn / þat loue is but verray dotage;
Thus / for þat they hem-self lakken corage,
They folk excyten / by hir wikked sawes,
For to rebelle ageyn vs and our lawes.
27
34
But maugree hem þat blamen wommen moost,Swich is the force of oure impressioun,
Þat sodeynly We felle can hir boost,
And al hir wrong ymaginacioun,
It shal nat been in hire elleccioun,
The foulest slutte / in al a town refuse,
If þat vs list / for al þat they can muse.
35
But hire in herte as brennyngly desyreAs thogh shee were a duchesse or a qweene;
So can We mennes hertes sette on fyre,
And as vs list / hem sende ioie & teene.
They that to wommen been I-whet so keene,
Our sharpe strokes, how sore they smyte,
Shul feele and knowe / & how they kerue & byte.
36
Pardee, this greet Clerk, this sotil Ouyde,And many an othir, han deceyued be
Of wommen / as it knowen is ful wyde,
what no men more / & þat is greet deyntee,
So excellent a Clerk / as þat was he,
And othir mo / þat kowde so wel preche,
Betrappid wern / for aght they kowde teche.
37
And trustith wel þat it is no meruaille,For wommen kneewen pleynly hire entente;
They wiste / how sotilly / they kowde assaille
Hem / and what falshode in herte they mente;
And tho Clerkes / they in hir daunger hente:
with o venym an othir was destroyed,
And thus the Clerkes often were anoyed.
38
This, ladyes / ne gentils, natheleesweren nat they / þat wroghten in this wyse;
But swiche filthes þat wern vertulees,
They qwitten thus / thise olde Clerkes wyse,
To Clerkes for-thy / lesse may souffyse
28
For honur shuln they gete noon therby.
39
If þat tho men þat louers hem pretende,To wommen weren feithful / goode & treewe,
And dredden hem to deceyue and offende,
wommen to loue hem wolde nat escheewe;
But euery day hath man an herte neewe;
It vp-on oon abyde can no whyle:
what force is it / swich oon for to begyle?
40
Men beren eek the wommen vp-on honde,Þat lightly, and withouten any peyne,
They wonne been / they can no wight withstonde,
Þat his disese list to hem conpleyne:
They been so freel / they mowe hem nat restreyne;
But who-so lykith / may hem lightly haue;
So been hire hertes esy / in to graue.
41
To maistir Iohn de Meun / as I suppose,Than it was a lewde occupacioun,
In makynge of the Romance of the Rose;
So many a sly ymaginacioun
And perils / for to rollen vp and doun;
So long procees / so many a sly cautele,
For to deceyue a cely damoisele.
42
Nat can We seen ne in our / wit conprehende,Þat art and peyne and sotilte may faille
For to conquere, and soone make an ende,
whan man a feeble place shal assaille,
And soone also / to venquisshe a Bataille,
Of which no wight dar make resistence,
Ne herte hath noon / to stonden at deffense.
43
Than moot it folwen of necessitee,Syn art askith / so greet engyn & peyne,
A womman to deceyue / what shee be,
29
As þat some of the sotil Clerkes feyne;
But they been / as þat wommen oghten be,
Sad, constaunt / and fulfillid of pitee.
44
How freendly was Medea to Iasoun,In the conqueryng of the flees of gold!
How falsly quitte he hire affeccion,
By whom victorie he gat / as he hath wold!
How may this man / for shame be so bold
To falsen hire / þat from deeth & shame
him kepte / and gat him so greet prys & name?
45
Of Troie also the traitour Eneas,The feithlees man / how hath he him forswore
To Dydo / þat Queene of Cartage was,
Þat him releeued of his greeues sore?
what gentillesse mighte she do more
Than shee, with herte vnfeyned, to him kidde?
And what mescheef / to hire of it betidde!
46
In our legende of martirs may men fynde,who-so þat lykith ther-in for to rede,
That ooth noon / ne byheeste may men bynde:
Of repreef ne of shame han they no drede;
In herte of man / conceites trewe arn dede;
The soile is naght / ther may no trouthe growe:
To womman / is hir vice nat vnknowe.
47
Clerkes seyn also / ther is no maliceVn-to wommannes crabbid wikkidnesse.
O / womman / how shalt thow thy self cheuyce,
Syn men of thee / so mochil harm witnesse?
Yee / strah / do foorth / take noon heuynesse!
Keepe thyn owne / what men clappe or crake,
And some of hem shuln smerte / I vndirtake.
48
Malice of wommen / what is it to drede?They slee no men / destroien no Citees;
30
Betraye Empyres / Remes ne Duchees;
Ne men byreue hir landes ne hir mees,
Folk enpoysone / or howses sette on fyre,
Ne fals contractes maken for noon hyre.
49
Trust, parfyt loue / and enteer charitee,Feruent wil / and entalentid corage
To thewes goode / as it sit wel to be,
Han wommen ay of custume & vsage;
And wel they can a mannes ire asswage
with softe wordes, discreet & benigne:
What they been inward / shewith owtward signe.
50
wommannes herte / to no crewelteeEnclyned is / but they been charitable,
Pitous / deuout / ful of humilitee,
Shamefast / debonaire and amiable,
Dreedful / and of hir wordes mesurable:
what womman / thise hath nat per auenture,
Follwyth nothyng the way of hir nature.
51
Men seyn / oure firste modir, nathelees,Made al man-kynde leese his libertee,
And nakid it of ioie / doutelees
For goddes heeste / disobeied shee,
whan shee presumed / to ete of the tree
which god forbad / þat shee nat ete of sholde,
And nad the feend been / no more she wolde.
52
Thenuyous swellyng / þat the feend our foHad vn-to man in herte / for his welthe
Sente a serpent / and made hire to go
To deceyue Eeue / and thus was mannes welthe
Byreft him by the feend / right in a stelthe.
The womman nat knowyng / of the deceit,
God woot / ful fer was it from hir conceit.
31
53
Wherfore We seyn / this good womman EeueOur fadir Adam ne deceyued noght:
Ther may no man for a deceit it preeue
Proprely / but if þat shee in hir thoght
Had it conpassid first / or it was wroght:
And for swich was nat / hire impressioun,
Men calle it may no deceit, by resoun.
54
No wight deceyueth / but he it purpose:The feend this deceit caste / & nothyng shee:
Than is it wrong for to deeme or suppose
Þat shee sholde of þat gilt / the cause be.
wytith the feend / and his be the maugree;
And for excusid haue hire Innocence,
Sauf oonly þat shee brak obedience.
55
Touchynge which / ful fewe men ther been—Vnnethes any, dar We saufly seye,
Fro day to day as men mowe wel seen—
But þat the heeste of god they disobeye:
This haue in mynde, sires / We yow preye;
If þat yee be discreet and resonable,
Ȝee wole hire holde the more excusable.
56
And wher men seyn / in man is stidfastnesse,And womman is of hir corage vnstable:
who may of Adam bere swich witnesse?
Tellith on this / was he nat changeable?
They bothe weren in a cas semblable,
Sauf willyngly the feend deceyued Eeue;
So dide shee nat Adam / by your leeue.
57
Yit was þat synne happy to man-kynde;The feend deceyued was / for al his sleighte;
For aght he kowde him / in his sleightes wynde,
God, to descharge man-kynde of the weighte
Of his trespas / cam doun from heuenes heighte;
32
And souffred deeth / man to deliure of pyne.
58
And god, fro whom / ther may no thyng hid be,If he in womman / knowe had swich malice,
As men of hem recorde in generaltee,
Of our lady / of lyf reparatrice
Nolde han be born / but for þat shee of vice
was voide / and of al vertu, wel he wiste,
Endowid / of hire be born him liste.
59
Hire hepid vertu / hath swich excellence,Þat al to weyk is mannes facultee
To declare it / & therfore, in suspense,
Hir due laude / put moot needes be.
But this We Witen verraily / þat shee,
Next god, the best freend is / þat to man longith;
The keye of mercy / by hir girdil hongith.
60
And of mercy / hath euery wight swich neede,Þat cessyng / it / farwel the ioie of man!
Of hir power / it is to taken heede;
Shee mercy may / wole, & purchace can.
Displese hir nat / honureth þat womman,
And othir wommen alle / for hir sake,
And but yee do / your sorwe shal awake.
61
Thow precious gemme / martir Margarete,Of thy blood dreddist noon effusioun!
Thy martirdom / ne may We nat foryete.
O constant womman, in thy passioun
Ouercam the feendes temptacioun,
And many a wight / conuerted thy doctryne,
Vn-to the feith of god / holy virgyne.
62
But vndirstondith / We commende hir noghtBy encheson of hir virginitee:
Trustith right wel / it cam nat in our thoght,
32
And euere shal / but this leeueth wel yee:
Hir louyng herte / and constant to hir lay,
Dryue out of remembrance we nat may.
63
In any book also / wher can yee fyndeÞat of the wirkes / or the deeth, or lyf
Of Ihesu spekth / or makith any mynde,
Þat wommen him forsook / for wo or stryf?
wher was ther any wight so ententyf
Abouten him / as wommen? perdee, noon!
Thapostles him forsooken euerichoon.
64
wommen forsook him noght / for al the feithOf holy chirche / in womman lefte oonly:
This is no lees / for thus holy writ seith;
Looke / and yee shuln so fynde it hardily;
And therfore it may preeued be ther-by,
That in womman regneth al the constaunce,
And in man is al chaunge & variaunce.
65
Now holdith this for ferme / and for no lye,Þat this treewe / & iust commendacioun
Of wommen / is nat told / for flaterie,
Ne to cause hem pryde or elacioun,
But oonly, lo / for this entencioun,
To yeue hem corage of perseuerance
In vertu / & hir honur to enhaunce.
66
The more vertu / the lasse is the pryde:Vertu so noble is / and worthy in kynde,
Þat vice & shee / may nat in feere abyde;
Shee puttith vice / cleene out of mynde;
Shee fleeth from him / shee leueth him behynde.
O womman / þat of vertu art hostesse,
Greet is thyn honur & thy worthynesse!
67
Than thus we wolen conclude and deffyne:we you commaunde, our Ministres echoon,
34
Þat of tho men vntreewe / our rebel foon,
Yee do punisshement / and þat anoon;
Voide hem our Court / & banisshe hem for euere,
So þat ther-ynne / they ne come neuere.
68
Fulfillid be it / cessyng al delay;Looke ther be noon excusacion!
writen in their / the lusty monthe of May,
In our Paleys / wher many a milion
Of louers treewe / han habitacion,
The yeer of grace / ioieful & iocounde,
M.CCCC. and secounde.
“Explicit epistola Cupidinis.”
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