The Pilgrimage of the Life of Man Englisht by John Lydgate, A.D. 1426, from the French of Guillaume De Deguileville, A.D. 1330, 1355. The Text Edited by F. J. Furnivall ... With Introduction, Notes, Glossary and Indexes by Katharine B. Locock |
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 | The Pilgrimage of the Life of Man |  |
Other two ladyes I sawe also;
To the chapitre that wentë tho;
The ton off hem, bar in hir hondis,
Cordës and eke strongë bondis;
The thother (in the samë while)
In hir mouthe sche bare a ffyle
Endentyd; the teth there-off were large;
And on hir breste, a fful brood targe.
The Pylgryme:
And or they ffurther myghtë goon,
I requyred hem anoon,
Te telle më (by good avys,)
Bothe ther names and ther offis.
Obedyence:
The Pylgryme:
Off whom I gan anoon enquere,
That sche woldë goodly leere
To me (by schorte conclusyoun)
Hir name and hir condissyoun;
And off the tablys cured echon,
And there-ate syttynge many on;
And also, as I dyde obserue,
Noon other ffolke at metë serve,
But ffolkes deedë euere more,
Where-off I wás abaschyd sore.
Abstynence:
[The Pilgrim]:
To the chapitre that wentë tho;
The ton off hem, bar in hir hondis,
Cordës and eke strongë bondis;
The thother (in the samë while)
In hir mouthe sche bare a ffyle
Endentyd; the teth there-off were large;
And on hir breste, a fful brood targe.
The Pylgryme:
And or they ffurther myghtë goon,
I requyred hem anoon,
Te telle më (by good avys,)
603
Obedyence:
The lady that the boondys bar,
To me seyde (as I was war),
‘I am,’ quod sche, ‘(schortely to expresse),
Of this hous the cheeff pryoresse,
Nexte Gracë Dieu (in substaunce,)
I haue here the gouernaunce,
(Bothe byfforne and eke byhynde.)
And with these boondës eke I bynde,
(Wher-so that they be soure or swete,)
Off ffolkës bothë hand and ffete,
That they, in no wysë, doore
Passen by noon opene doore:
I holde hem in, lyke prisoners,
And off look and eke off cherys;
And my namë (in sentence)
Callyd is Obedyence.
To me seyde (as I was war),
‘I am,’ quod sche, ‘(schortely to expresse),
Of this hous the cheeff pryoresse,
Nexte Gracë Dieu (in substaunce,)
I haue here the gouernaunce,
(Bothe byfforne and eke byhynde.)
And with these boondës eke I bynde,
(Wher-so that they be soure or swete,)
Off ffolkës bothë hand and ffete,
That they, in no wysë, doore
Passen by noon opene doore:
I holde hem in, lyke prisoners,
And off look and eke off cherys;
And my namë (in sentence)
Callyd is Obedyence.
‘My boondes and my lygamentys
Ben dyuerse comaundëmentys,
To holden in subieccyoun
ffolkës off relygyoun.
Ben dyuerse comaundëmentys,
To holden in subieccyoun
ffolkës off relygyoun.
And off my ffylë to termyne,
It is I-called Dyscyplyne:
And that I (bothe northe and south)
Am wonte to bere it in my mouth,
Betokeneth reprehensyoun
Off ffolke, ffor her transgressyoun,
There-with I scoure in euery syde,
That ther may no ruste abyde,
Nowther ffylthe, ffor noon offence.
It is I-called Dyscyplyne:
And that I (bothe northe and south)
Am wonte to bere it in my mouth,
Betokeneth reprehensyoun
Off ffolke, ffor her transgressyoun,
There-with I scoure in euery syde,
That ther may no ruste abyde,
Nowther ffylthe, ffor noon offence.
‘My targë callyd ys ‘Prudence:’
Euery thyng (I the ensure)
tó gouérne it by mesure.’
Euery thyng (I the ensure)
tó gouérne it by mesure.’
And, as I haddë good reward,
I sawgh oon in-to the ffreyterward
Goon a mesurable paas,
Wonder sobre off look and ffaas,
And no thyng dissolut off cher:
Armyd sche was with a gorger.
I sawgh oon in-to the ffreyterward
Goon a mesurable paas,
Wonder sobre off look and ffaas,
And no thyng dissolut off cher:
Armyd sche was with a gorger.
604
Off whom I gan anoon enquere,
That sche woldë goodly leere
To me (by schorte conclusyoun)
Hir name and hir condissyoun;
And off the tablys cured echon,
And there-ate syttynge many on;
And also, as I dyde obserue,
Noon other ffolke at metë serve,
But ffolkes deedë euere more,
Where-off I wás abaschyd sore.
Abstynence:
‘I am,’ quod sche, ‘the Freytourer
Off this hous, and Botëler,
And mynystre the sustenaunce
To ffolkës, lyke to ther plesaunce.
I kepe hem hool, I kepe hem cleene,
By a mesurable meene,
That, surffét be not to blame.
Off this hous, and Botëler,
And mynystre the sustenaunce
To ffolkës, lyke to ther plesaunce.
I kepe hem hool, I kepe hem cleene,
By a mesurable meene,
That, surffét be not to blame.
‘Abstynence,’ that is my name;
And my gorger that thow doste se,
Is I-callyd ‘Sobrete,’
To kepe the gorge in sobrenesse,
ffrom sorffét, and al excesse.
And my gorger that thow doste se,
Is I-callyd ‘Sobrete,’
To kepe the gorge in sobrenesse,
ffrom sorffét, and al excesse.
‘And these ffolkës that ben deede,
Whiche that serue, (ȝeue thow take heede,)
Be thilkë ffolkës euerychon,
Whichë that, off ȝore agoon,
To-fforne her deth, off holynesse
And off verrey parffytenesse,
Madë the ffoundacyoun
Off ffolkys off relygyoun;
Endowyd hem with greet substaunce,
Ther-by to haue ther sustynaunce.
Whiche that serue, (ȝeue thow take heede,)
Be thilkë ffolkës euerychon,
Whichë that, off ȝore agoon,
To-fforne her deth, off holynesse
And off verrey parffytenesse,
Madë the ffoundacyoun
Off ffolkys off relygyoun;
Endowyd hem with greet substaunce,
Ther-by to haue ther sustynaunce.
And ffor that skele (as I devyse)
They donë eche day her servyse,
And ben to hem eke servysable
Whanne they sytten at the table.
They donë eche day her servyse,
And ben to hem eke servysable
Whanne they sytten at the table.
‘And ageyneward, sothe to seye,
The tother ffor hem wake and praye,
‘Bothe by day and eke by nyght,
As they are bounden, off dewe ryght,
To ther sowlis to don socowre,
And afftirward to the dortoure.’
The tother ffor hem wake and praye,
605
As they are bounden, off dewe ryght,
To ther sowlis to don socowre,
And afftirward to the dortoure.’
[The Pilgrim]:
I wotë not wel what it mente,
I sawgh how tweynë ladyes wente:
The on off hem, (as I was war,)
In hir hand, a staff sche bar;
The tother, save a gambesoun,
Was nakyd (in myne inspeccyoun).
I sawgh how tweynë ladyes wente:
The on off hem, (as I was war,)
In hir hand, a staff sche bar;
The tother, save a gambesoun,
Was nakyd (in myne inspeccyoun).
And sche that bare the staff, anon
ffro bed to bed sche is agon
Thorowgh-out the dortour (by and by),
And made the beddës fful clenly;
And with clothis cleene and white
Sche spradde hem ouer, by delyte,
That no thyng ne lay a wronge.
ffro bed to bed sche is agon
Thorowgh-out the dortour (by and by),
And made the beddës fful clenly;
And with clothis cleene and white
Sche spradde hem ouer, by delyte,
That no thyng ne lay a wronge.
Sche that was nakyd, gan a songe,
Whiche (to putte in rémembraunce)
Was pleynely this, as in substaunce:
Whiche (to putte in rémembraunce)
Was pleynely this, as in substaunce:
| The Pilgrimage of the Life of Man | |