Chaucer's Works-The Canterbury Tales Part 110

609. E. and (_for_ or); Pt. either. 610. Selden, Pt. lesinge is; _rest om._ is. _All but_ Selden, Pt. Ln. _om. 2nd_ Another lesinge.

-- 40. Lat us now touche the vyce of flateringe, which ne comth nat gladly but for drede or for coveitise. / Flaterye is generally wrongful preisinge.

Flatereres been the develes norices, that [608] norissen hise children with milk of losengerie. / For sothe, Salomon seith, that 'flaterie is wors than detraccioun.' For som-tyme detraccion maketh an hautein man be the more humble, for he dredeth detraccion; but certes flaterye, that maketh a man to enhauncen his herte and his contenaunce. / Flatereres been the develes enchauntours; for they make a man to wene of him-self be lyk that he nis nat lyk. /615 They been lyk to Iudas that bitraysed [G.o.d; and thise flatereres bitraysen] a man to sellen him to his enemy, that is, to the devel. / Flatereres been the develes chapelleyns, that singen evere _Placebo_. / I rekene flaterye in the vyces of Ire; for ofte tyme, if o man be wrooth with another, thanne wol he flatere som wight to sustene him in his querele. /

615. E. the (_for_ they). 616. _All 7_ MSS. _om._ G.o.d ...

bitraysen. E. hise. 618. E. flarie (_for_ flaterye).

-- 41. Speke we now of swich cursinge as comth of irous herte. Malisoun generally may be seyd every maner power or harm. Swich cursinge bireveth man fro the regne of G.o.d, as seith seint Paul. / And ofte tyme swich cursinge wrongfully retorneth agayn to him that curseth, as a brid that retorneth agayn to his owene nest. /620 And over alle thing men oghten eschewe to cursen hir children, and yeven to the devel hir engendrure, as ferforth as in hem is; certes, it is greet peril and greet sinne. /

-- 42. Lat us thanne speken of chydinge and reproche, whiche been ful grete woundes in mannes herte; for they unsowen the semes of frends.h.i.+pe in mannes herte. / For certes, unnethes may a man pleynly been accorded with him that hath him openly revyled and repreved in disclaundre. This is a ful grisly sinne, as Crist seith in the gospel. / And tak kepe now, that he that repreveth his neighebor, outher he repreveth him by som harm of peyne that he hath on his body, as 'mesel,' 'croked harlot,' or by som sinne that he dooth. / Now if he repreve him by harm of peyne, thanne turneth the repreve to Iesu Crist; for peyne is sent by the rightwys sonde of G.o.d, and by his suffrance, be it meselrie, or maheym, or maladye. /625 And if he repreve him uncharitably of sinne, as, 'thou holour,' 'thou dronkelewe harlot,' and so forth; thanne aperteneth that to the reioysinge of the devel, that evere hath Ioye that men doon sinne. / And certes, chydinge may nat come but out of a vileyns herte. For after the habundance of the herte speketh the mouth ful ofte. / And ye shul understonde [609] that loke, by any wey, whan any man shal chastyse another, that he be war from chydinge or reprevinge. For trewely, but he be war, he may ful lightly quiken the fyr of angre and of wratthe, which that he sholde quenche, and per-aventure sleeth him which that he mighte chastyse with benignitee. / For as seith Salomon, 'the amiable tonge is the tree of lyf,' that is to seyn, of lyf espirituel: and sothly, a deslavee tonge sleeth the spirites of him that repreveth, and eek of him that is repreved. / Lo, what seith seint Augustin: 'ther is no-thing so lyk the develes child as he that ofte chydeth.' Seint Paul seith eek: 'I, servant of G.o.d, bihove nat to chyde.' /630 And how that chydinge be a vileyns thing bitwixe alle manere folk, yet it is certes most uncovenable bitwixe a man and his wyf; for there is nevere reste. And therfore seith Salomon, 'an hous that is uncovered and droppinge, and a chydinge wyf, been lyke.' / A man that is in a droppinge hous in many places, though he eschewe the droppinge in o place, it droppeth on him in another place; so fareth it by a chydinge wyf. But she chyde him in o place, she wol chyde him in another. / And therfore, 'bettre is a morsel of breed with Ioye than an hous ful of delyces, with chydinge,' seith Salomon. / Seint Paul seith: 'O ye wommen, be ye subgetes to youre housbondes as bihoveth in G.o.d; and ye men, loveth youre wyves.' _Ad Colossenses, tertio_. /

623. E. in disclaundre; _rest_ and desclaundered. 624. E. taak.

625. Ln. mayme; Cm. Pt. maym. 626. E. _om._ thou holour. 628. or]

E. and. 629. E. espiritueel. Hn. deslaue; Cm. Ln. Hl. dislaue; Pt.

disselaue. 630. Cm. Selden, behoue; _rest_ byhoueth (!). 632. E.

manye. 634. E. _om._ as ... G.o.d. E. _Colonienses_; Cm.

_Colonienes_; Hn. Pt. _Colonisenses_; Ln. _Clonicenses_; Hl.

_Colocenses_.

-- 43. Afterward speke we of scorninge, which is a wikked sinne; and namely, whan he scorneth a man for hise G.o.de werkes. /635 For certes, swiche scorneres faren lyk the foule tode, that may nat endure to smelle the sote savour of the vyne whanne it florissheth. / Thise scorneres been parting felawes with the devel; for they han Ioye whan the devel winneth, and sorwe whan he leseth. / They been adversaries of Iesu Crist; for they haten that he loveth, that is to seyn, salvacion of soule. /

-- 44. Speke we now of wikked conseil; for he that wikked conseil yeveth is a traytour. For he deceyveth him that trusteth in him, _ut Achitofel ad Absolonem_. But natheless, yet is his wikked conseil first agayn him-self.

/ For, as seith the wyse man, [610] every fals livinge hath this propertee in him-self, that he that wole anoye another man, he anoyeth first him-self. /640 And men shul understonde, that man shal nat taken his conseil of fals folk, ne of angry folk, or grevous folk, ne of folk that loven specially to muchel hir owene profit, ne to muche worldly folk, namely, in conseilinge of soules. /

639. E. _om. 2nd_ for. 640. _All_ lyuynge (levyng, leueyng); _after which_ Selden (_alone_) _adds_ man. Selden, Ln. Hl. this; _rest_ his. 641. E. Hn. _om._ ne of folk.

-- 45. Now comth the sinne of hem that sowen and maken discord amonges folk, which is a sinne that Crist hateth outrely; and no wonder is. For he deyde for to make concord. / And more shame do they to Crist, than dide they that him crucifyede; for G.o.d loveth bettre, that frends.h.i.+pe be amonges folk, than he dide his owene body, the which that he yaf for unitee. Therfore been they lykned to the devel, that evere been aboute to maken discord. /

643. E. been; Hl. ben (_before_ aboute); _rest_ is.

-- 46. Now comth the sinne of double tonge; swiche as speken faire biforn folk, and wikkedly bihinde; or elles they maken semblant as though they speke of good entencioun, or elles in game and pley, and yet they speke of wikked entente. /

644. E. speeke (_1st time_); Hn. Hl. speke; Cm. spoke; Pt. speken; Ln.

spake.

-- 47. Now comth biwreying of conseil, thurgh which a man is defamed; certes, unnethe may he restore the damage. /645

Now comth manace, that is an open folye; for he that ofte manaceth, he threteth more than he may perfourne ful ofte tyme. /

Now cometh ydel wordes, that is with-outen profit of him that speketh tho wordes, and eek of him that herkneth tho wordes. Or elles ydel wordes been tho that been nedelees, or with-outen entente of naturel profit. / And al-be-it that ydel wordes been som tyme venial sinne, yet sholde men douten hem; for we shul yeve rekeninge of hem bifore G.o.d. /

647. E. natureel.

Now comth Ianglinge, that may nat been withoute sinne. And, as seith Salomon, 'it is a sinne of apert folye.' / And therfore a philosophre seyde, whan men axed him how that men sholde plese the peple; and he answerde, 'do many G.o.de werkes, and spek fewe Iangles.' /650

After this comth the sinne of Iaperes, that been the develes apes; for they maken folk to laughe at hir Iaperie, as folk doon at [611] the gaudes of an ape. Swiche Iaperes deffendeth seint Paul. / Loke how that vertuouse wordes and holy conforten hem that travaillen in the service of Crist; right so conforten the vileyns wordes and knakkes of Iaperis hem that travaillen in the service of the devel. / Thise been the sinnes that comen of the tonge, that comen of Ire and of othere sinnes mo. /

651. Hl. Pt. Ln. Suche iapes. 652. E. _adds_ woordes (_after_ holy).

SEQUITUR REMEDIUM CONTRA PECCATUM IRE.

-- 48. The remedye agayns Ire is a vertu that men clepen Mansuetude, that is Debonairetee; and eek another vertu, that men callen Pacience or Suffrance.

654. Cm. (_only_) that Ihon de Bonania clepith debonayretee.

-- 49. Debonairetee withdraweth and refreyneth the stiringes and the moevynges of mannes corage in his herte, in swich manere that they ne skippe nat out by angre ne by Ire. /655 Suffrance suffreth swetely alle the anoyaunces and the wronges that men doon to man outward. / Seint Ierome seith thus of debonairetee, that 'it doth noon harm to no wight, ne seith; ne for noon harm that men doon or seyn, he ne eschaufeth nat agayns, his resoun.' / This vertu som-tyme comth of nature; for, as seith the philosophre, 'a man is a quik thing, by nature debonaire and tretable to goodnesse; but whan debonairetee is enformed of grace, thanne is it the more worth.' /

-- 50. Pacience, that is another remedye agayns Ire, is a vertu that suffreth swetely every mannes goodnesse, and is nat wrooth for noon harm that is doon to him. / The philosophre seith, that 'pacience is thilke vertu that suffreth debonairely alle the outrages of adversitee and every wikked word.' /660 This vertu maketh a man lyk to G.o.d, and maketh him G.o.ddes owene dere child, as seith Crist. This vertu disconfiteth thyn enemy. And therfore seith the wyse man, 'if thou wolt venquisse thyn enemy, lerne to suffre.' / And thou shalt understonde, that man suffreth foure manere of grevances in outward thinges, agayns the whiche foure he moot have foure manere of paciences. /

659. E. Ln. it is a; _rest_ is a.

-- 51. The firste grevance is of wikkede wordes; thilke suffrede Iesu Crist with-outen grucching, ful paciently, whan the Iewes despysed and repreved him ful ofte. / Suffre thou therfore paciently; for the wyse man seith: 'if thou stryve with a [612] fool, though the fool be wrooth or though he laughe, algate thou shalt have no reste.' / That other grevance outward is to have damage of thy catel. Ther-agayns suffred Crist ful paciently, whan he was despoyled of al that he hadde in this lyf, and that nas but hise clothes. /665 The thridde grevance is a man to have harm in his body. That suffred Crist ful paciently in al his pa.s.sioun. / The fourthe grevance is in outrageous labour in werkes. Wherfore I seye, that folk that maken hir servants to travaillen to grevously, or out of tyme, as on halydayes, soothly they do greet sinne. / Heer-agayns suffred Crist ful paciently, and taughte us pacience, whan he bar up-on his blissed shulder the croys, up-on which he sholde suffren despitous deeth. / Heer may men lerne to be pacient; for certes, noght only Cristen men been pacient for love of Iesu Crist, and for guerdoun of the blisful lyf that is perdurable; but certes, the olde payens, that nevere were Cristene, commendeden and useden the vertu of pacience. /

668. E. baar. Cm. Ln. cros. 669. Hl. Pt. Ln. guerdoun; E. Cm.

gerdoun; Hn. gerdon. E. p_er_durale.

-- 52. A philosophre up-on a tyme, that wolde have beten his disciple for his grete trespas, for which he was greetly amoeved, and broghte a yerde to scourge the child; /670 and whan this child saugh the yerde, he seyde to his maister, 'what thenke ye to do?' 'I wol bete thee,' quod the maister, 'for thy correccion.' / 'For sothe,' quod the child, 'ye oghten first correcte youre-self, that han lost al youre pacience for the gilt of a child.' / 'For sothe,' quod the maister al wepinge, 'thou seyst sooth; have thou the yerde, my dere sone, and correcte me for myn inpacience.' / Of Pacience comth Obedience, thurgh which a man is obedient to Crist and to alle hem to whiche he oghte to been obedient in Crist. / And understond wel that obedience is perfit, whan that a man doth gladly and hastily, with good herte entierly, al that he sholde do. /675 Obedience generally, is to perfourne the doctrine of G.o.d and of his sovereyns, to whiche him oghte to ben obeisaunt in alle rightwysnesse. /

670. Hn. scourge; E. scoure with; _rest_ scoure(!). 671. Cm. Hl. to do; E. do. Pt. Ln. what wil ye do.

SEQUITUR DE ACCIDIA.

-- 53. After the sinnes of Envie and of Ire, now wol I speken of the sinne of Accidie. For Envye blindeth the herte of a man, [613] and Ire troubleth a man; and Accidie maketh him hevy, thoghtful, and wrawe. / Envye and Ire maken bitternesse in herte; which bitternesse is moder of Accidie, and binimeth him the love of alle goodnesse. Thanne is Accidie the anguissh of a trouble herte; and seint Augustin seith: 'it is anoy of goodnesse and Ioye of harm.' / Certes, this is a dampnable sinne; for it doth wrong to Iesu Crist, in-as-muche as it binimeth the service that men oghte doon to Crist with alle diligence, as seith Salomon. / But Accidie dooth no swich diligence; he dooth alle thing with anoy, and with wrawnesse, slaknesse, and excusacioun, and with ydelnesse and unl.u.s.t; for which the book seith: 'acursed be he that doth the service of G.o.d necligently.' /680 Thanne is Accidie enemy to everich estaat of man; for certes, the estaat of man is in three maneres. / Outher it is thestaat of innocence, as was thestaat of Adam biforn that he fil into sinne; in which estaat he was holden to wirche, as in heryinge and adouringe of G.o.d. / Another estaat is the estaat of sinful men, in which estaat men been holden to laboure in preyinge to G.o.d for amendement of hir sinnes, and that he wole graunte hem to arysen out of hir sinnes. / Another estaat is thestaat of grace, in which estaat he is holden to werkes of penitence; and certes, to alle thise thinges is Accidie enemy and contrarie. For he loveth no bisinesse at al. / Now certes, this foule sinne Accidie is eek a ful greet enemy to the lyflode of the body; for it ne hath no purveaunce agayn temporel necessitee; for it forsleweth and forsluggeth, and destroyeth alle goodes tem-poreles by reccheleesnesse. /685

677. Selden, Pt. Ln. sinnes; _rest_ synne. E. _om._ a _after_ herte of. E. wrawful; Pt. wrowe; _rest_ wrawe. 678. E. Hl. _om._ a. E.

troubled. 683. E. _om._ the. 685. sinne] E. swyn. E. temporeel (for temporel).

-- 54. The fourthe thinge is, that Accidie is lyk to hem that been in the peyne of h.e.l.le, by-cause of hir slouthe and of hir hevinesse; for they that been dampned been so bounde, that they ne may neither wel do ne wel thinke.

/ Of Accidie comth first, that a man is anoyed and encombred for to doon any goodnesse, and maketh that G.o.d hath abhominacion of swich Accidie, as seith seint Iohan. /

687. E. _om._ as ... Iohan.

-- 55. Now comth Slouthe, that wol nat suffre noon hardnesse ne no penaunce.

For soothly, Slouthe is so tendre, and so delicat, as seith Salomon, that he wol nat suffre noon hardnesse ne penaunce, and therfore he shendeth al that he dooth. / Agayns [614] this roten-herted sinne of Accidie and Slouthe sholde men exercise hem-self to doon G.o.de werkes, and manly and vertuously cacchen corage wel to doon; thinkinge that oure lord Iesu Crist quyteth every good dede, be it never so lyte. / Usage of labour is a greet thing; for it maketh, as seith seint Bernard, the laborer to have stronge armes and harde sinwes; and Slouthe maketh hem feble and tendre. /690 Thanne comth drede to biginne to werke any G.o.de werkes; for certes, he that is enclyned to sinne, him thinketh it is so greet an empryse for to undertake to doon werkes of goodnesse, / and casteth in his herte that the circ.u.mstaunces of goodnesse been so grevouse and so chargeaunt for to suffre, that he dar nat undertake to do werkes of goodnesse, as seith seint Gregorie. /

688. E. delicaat. 691. E. anye.

-- 56. Now comth wanhope, that is despeir of the mercy of G.o.d, that comth somtyme of to muche outrageous sorwe, and somtyme of to muche drede; imagininge that he hath doon so muche sinne, that it wol nat availlen him, though he wolde repenten him and forsake sinne: / thurgh which despeir or drede he abaundoneth al his herte to every maner sinne, as seith seint Augustin. / Which dampnable sinne, if that it continue un-to his ende, it is cleped sinning in the holy gost. /695 This horrible sinne is so perilous, that he that is despeired, ther nis no felonye ne no sinne that he douteth for to do; as shewed wel by Iudas. / Certes, aboven alle sinnes thanne is this sinne most displesant to Crist, and most adversarie. / Soothly, he that despeireth him is lyk the coward champioun recreant, that seith creant withoute nede. Allas! allas! nedeles is he recreant and nedeles despeired. / Certes, the mercy of G.o.d is evere redy to every penitent, and is aboven alle hise werkes. / Allas! can nat a man bithinke him on the gospel of seint Luk, 15., where-as Crist seith that 'as wel shal ther be Ioye in hevene upon a sinful man that doth penitence, as up-on nynety and nyne rightful men that neden no penitence?' /700 Loke forther, in the same gospel, the Ioye and the feste of the G.o.de man that hadde lost his sone, whan his sone with repentaunce was retourned to his fader. / Can they nat remembren hem eek, that, as seith seint Luk _xxiii_ _capitulo_, how that the theef that was hanged [615] bisyde Iesu Crist, seyde: 'Lord, remembre of me, whan thou comest in-to thy regne?' / 'For sothe,' seyde Crist, 'I seye to thee, to-day shaltow been with me in Paradys.' / Certes, ther is noon so horrible sinne of man, that it ne may, in his lyf, be destroyed by penitence, thurgh vertu of the pa.s.sion and of the deeth of Crist. / Allas! what nedeth man thanne to been despeired, sith that his mercy so redy is and large? Axe and have. /705 Thanne cometh Sompnolence, that is, sluggy s...o...b..inge, which maketh a man be hevy and dul, in body and in soule; and this sinne comth of Slouthe. / And certes, the tyme that, by wey of resoun, men sholde nat slepe, that is by the morwe; but-if ther were cause resonable. / For soothly, the morwe-tyde is most covenable, a man to seye his preyeres, and for to thinken on G.o.d, and for to honoure G.o.d, and to yeven almesse to the povre, that first cometh in the name of Crist. / Lo! what seith Salomon: 'who-so wolde by the morwe awaken and seke me, he shal finde.' / Thanne cometh Necligence, or recchelesnesse, that rekketh of no-thing. And how that ignoraunce be moder of alle harm, certes, Necligence is the norice. /710 Necligence ne doth no fors, whan he shal doon a thing, whether he do it weel or baddely. /

696. E. sheweth. 698. E. _om._ that seith ... recreant. Hl.

recreaunt (_for_ creant). 700. E. a man nat; Pt. a man not. Hl. as vp-on; _rest_ than vp-on. Hl. Selden, nynety and nyne; _rest_ 90 and 19(!). 702. _All but_ Seld. Ln. _om._ capitulo. Seld. Pt. Ln. on me. 706. E. Seld. sloggy; Ln. slogge. 707. E. _om._ the morwe.

711. E. wheither.

-- 57. Of the remedie of thise two sinnes, as seith the wyse man, that 'he that dredeth G.o.d, he spareth nat to doon that him oghte doon.' / And he that loveth G.o.d, he wol doon diligence to plese G.o.d by his werkes, and abaundone him-self, with al his might, wel for to doon. / Thanne comth ydelnesse, that is the yate of alle harmes. An ydel man is lyk to a place that hath no walles; the develes may entre on every syde and sheten at him at discovert, by temptacion on every syde. / This ydelnesse is the thurrok of alle wikked and vileyns thoghtes, and of alle Iangles, trufles, and of alle ordure. /715 Certes, the hevene is yeven to hem that wol labouren, and nat to ydel folk. Eek David seith: that 'they ne been nat in the labour of men, ne they shul nat been whipped with men,' that is to seyn, in purgatorie. / Certes, thanne semeth it, they shul be tormented with the devel in h.e.l.le, but-if they doon penitence. /

715. Hl. tryfles; Seld. triflis.

-- 58. Thanne comth the sinne that men clepen _Tarditas_, as whan a man is to latrede or taryinge, er he wole turne to G.o.d; and [616] certes, that is a greet folye. He is lyk to him that falleth in the dich, and wol nat aryse. / And this vyce comth of a fals hope, that he thinketh that he shal live longe; but that hope faileth ful ofte. /