The Minor Poems of John Lydgate :: :: University of Virginia Library

Who seith the best shal neuer repent,
A vertu callid of full grete reuerens;
For euery wiseman, to saue hym from reprefe,
Doth kepe his tong fful couert in scilens;
And men that bith most expert in prudens
Seyn of old tyme, that “tong brekith boone,”
Of his nature, “though he hymself haue none.”

2

Crokid langage is a ful perilous thefe,
Robbith the fame of vertuous innocens,
Take the darnel and cast corn fro the sheffe,
Sugurat gall with aureat eloquens,
Noise of disslaunder is wers þan pestilens,
Which comyth of tonges as men se mo þan oon,
And brekyth bonys though he hymself haue none.

3

Hit were bettir he fed hym on raw [befe],
Than with his slaundir mortal violens,
So for to sett his venym at a prefe,
To hurt a man which is not in presens,
And faile treacle to make resistens;
Ageyn such tonges as persse vnto þe boone,
Of their nature, þou þei hamself haue none.

4

Of viceȝ al, to seyn euyl is the chef,
That maybe told or rekenyd in sentens,
For cankerid mouthis doth most mortal grefe,
Namly when princeȝ list to yeue hem audiens,
For slaughtyr of sword doth not so grete offens
As mordir of tonges, expert of yore agone,
For he brekith bonys though he himself haue none.

796

5

He gaderith vp the vicious relefe
Of menneȝ maners be froward diligens,
Disseuerith frendship of folk þat were most lefe,
And cuttith asondir theire old benevolens,
For ech fals tong hath þis, of experiens,
Ageyn eche vertu to abutt anoone,
Thus brekith he bonys, and hymself hath none.

[Text.]

6

When the siluer deweȝ sote
From the heuyn down gan still
To bryng the bawme oute of the rote,
Aftyr kalendes of Aprill,
Within a park I found a bill
Vndir a bank beside a bent,
Directid to folk þat lyst speke yll,
“Who seith the best shall neuer repent.”

7

To sey the best, hit greuyth nought,
Both of folkes hiegh and low,
Lete the trouth be first out sought,
And deme no man till þou hym know;
Among good greyn no cockill sow
To peyr no man in thyn entent,
A foole hath redy bent his bow
To shete his bolt, till he repent.

8

For in this world þer is no man,
Where so a man to list fer sech,
Nor so vertuous no woman,
But may be hynderid be cursid spech
Venym of tung doth grete wrech,
And al þat euer þer-to assent,
For with þis lesson I wil hym tech,
“Who seith the best shal neuer repent.”

797

9

Alas, fals conspiracion,
Hath hynderid many a creature,
Vnkynd subplantacion,
Who may the sore ther-of endure?
The wound ther-of hath no mesure,
Hit perssith deppir þan doth a tent,
Take heed, therfore, to this scripture,
“Who seith the best shal neuer repent.”

10

A word, when hit is onys i-spooke,
May not be callid ayen of new;
When tonges arn to wyde vnlooke,
Hit makith many man to rew.
Theire spech is clad in dowbill hwe
To compace thynges þat neuer was ment,
Thei slaundir falsly folkes trew,
Ho seith the best shal neuer repent.

11

Most perilous hurt þat is on lyue
As inward smytyng at the bak,
A bacbiter for to discryue
Behynd folk he doth most wrak.
On folk absent he settith a bak,
Of such as be most innocent;
Of lesinges so i-stuffid is his sak,
That folkes welfare he doth repent.

12

And tho tunges be most to wite
That for suger yeuyn gall
Ageyn good wol hamself delite
To sey the worst in boure and hall,
And to eclipsyn and apall
Ech thyng be appeyrment
Therfore I sey to one and all
Who seith þe best shal neuer repent.

13

Caton writith þat good tung
Of vertuous hath the first price,
No man may stop whan thei be rong,

798

Theis belles as in my deuyce,
A slaundir of one goth vp so suyse,
By fals report or iugement;
Therfore folk[es] þat be wise,
To sey the best shal neuer repent.

14

There is som tong can mater ffynd,
Afore folk to fflatyr and glose,
And cursidly can sey behynd,
And of fals slaundir his sak vnclose,
Resemblyng and braydyng on a rose,
Outward fayre, and thorn in his entent,
Wherfore late ech man hym dispose
To sey wele, and he shal neuer repent.

15

Ther was on callid Diotropes,
Of whom Seynt Iohn makith mencion;
Whois tong couth neuer be in pees
But brought folk at discencion,
With fals spech and detraxcion,
For ech mannys tong was rent,
Wherfore ech of such condicion
Were good to chaunge lest he repent.

16

Many a lady and princesse
Of hiegh estate, and many a maide
Tonges haue brought in heuynesse,
Th[r]ough slaundir of tong falsly seid,
And where the venym doth abreid
Of recles tonges necligent,
Therfore, remembr the on þat I seid,
“Who seith þe best shal neuer repent.”

17

Salamon be writyng berith record,
He had abhominacion
Of tonges þat shew fals discord,
Among folkes by diuysion;
By hois cursid conclusion

799

Ful many a trew man is blent,
Therfore lern in this lesson,
Who seith þe best shal neuer repent.

18

Sey the best of more and lesse
Of low also and hiegh estate,
Lete not langage to sone passe
Nor bryng no folkes at debate.
To their name sey not chekmate,
Speke not withoute avisement
But lern this word, erly and late,
“Who seith the best shal not repent.”

19

Good seing doth ful greete plesaunce,
To God truly and to ech man.
Ther folowith þer-of no repentaunce
Who to hym first þat slaundir ganne.
The poison fro the Deuyll out-ranne
Rote and branch fro hym oute went,
Therfore þe best reed þat I canne,
To sey wele and hit neuer repent.

20

Ther is no wers þat thei þat most deme,
Ne more lewdir in theire lyuyng,
For with a circumstaunce thei make to seme,
Wele trewir in tast þan euer was trew thyng.
And al is long in cursid fauoryng
Of them þat lust hire of such oblocucion,
Almyghty Ihesu, heuyn kyng,
Staunch cruel tonges and fals detraxion.

21

Nature of God askith vengeaunce
On falshed and vnkyndnes,
For þer is neithir sword nor launce
So whet to kerue with sharpnes,
As tonges ful of doubylnes,
For all the world with hem is shent,
Therefore, for most sekyrnes,
Who seith þe best shal neuer repent.

Et ibi finis Inde.