Ha, wolde god I hadde knowe,
Wherof bejaped with a mowe
He goth, for whan the grete stede
Is ftole, than he taketh hede
And maketh the stable-dore fast.
Thus ever he pleith an after cast
Of all that he shall say or do.
He hath a maner eke also,
Him lift nought lerne to be wife,
For he fette of no vertu prise
But as him liketh for the while,
So feleth he ful ofte guile,
Whan that he weneth fiker to ftonde.
And thus thou might wel understonde,
My fone, if thou art fuche in love
Thou might nought come at thin above
Of that thou woldeft wel acheve.
Min holy fader, as I leve,
wel with fauf conscience
Excufe me of negligence
Towardes love in alle wife.
For though I be none of the wise,
I am fo truly amorous,
That I am ever curious
Of hem, that conne best enforme
To knowe and witen all the forme,
What falleth unto loves craft.
But yet ne fond I nought the haft,
Which might unto the blade accorde.
For never herd I men recorde
What thinge it is, that might availe
To winne love withoute faile.
Yet fo fer couthe I never finde
Man, that by refon ne by kinde
Me couthe teche fuche an arte,
That he ne failed of a parte.
And as toward min owne wit
Contrive I couthe never yit
To finde any fikernesse,
That me might other more or leffe
Of love make for to spede.
For leveth wel withouten drede,
If that there were fuche a wey
As certainly as I fhall deie
I hadde it lerned longe ago.
But I wot wel there is none so,
And netheles it may wel be
I am fo rude in my degre
And eke my wittes ben fo dull,
That I ne may nought to the full
Atteigne unto fo highe a lore.
But this I dar fay overmore,
All though my wit ne be nought stronge,
It is nought on my will alonge,
For that is befy night and day
To lerne all that he lerne may,
How that I mighte love winne.
But yet I am as to beginne
Of that I wolde make an ende,
And for I not, how it fhall wende,
Hic contra vicium
negligencie ponit confeffor exemplum. Et narrat, quod cum Pheton filius Solis
That is to me my mofte forwe.
But I dare take god to borwe,
As after min entendement
None other wife negligent,
Than I you say, have I nought be.
Forthy pur fainte charite
Tell me, my fader, what you femeth.
In good feith, fone, wel me quemeth,
That thou thy felf haft thus acquite
Toward this vice in which no wit
Abide may, for in an houre
The longe yere, so that men sain,
What ever he doth it is in vein.
For through the flouth of negligence
There was yet never such science
Ne vertue which was bodely,
That nis deftruied and loft therby.
Ensample, that it hath be so,
In boke I finde write alfo.
Phebus, which is the sonne hote,
That fhineth
upon erthe hote
currum patris fui per He hadde a fone in all his welth, aera regere debuerat,
admonitus a patre, Which Pheton hight, and he defireth
equa manu diligen And with his moder he confpireth, confilium patris fua The which was cleped Clemene, negligencia preteri For helpe and counfeil, so that he nimis baffe errare per- His faders carte lede might
incendio orbem in- Upon the faire daies light.
And for this thing they bothe praide
Unto the fader, and he faide,
He wolde wel, but forth with all
Thre points he bad in speciall
Unto his fone in alle wife,
That he him fhulde wel avife
And take it as by wey of lore.
First was, that he his hors to fore
Ne prike, and over that he tolde,
That he the reines fafte holde.
And also that he be right ware,
In what maner he lede his chare,
That he mistake nought his gate.
upon avisement algate
He shulde bere a siker eye,
That he to lowe ne to high
His carte drive at any throwe,
Wherof that he might overthrowe.
And thus by Phebus ordenaunce
Toke Pheton into governaunce
The fonnes carte, which he ladde.
But he fuch veine gloire hadde
Of that he was fet upon high,
That he his own estate ne figh
Through negligence and toke none hede.
So might he wel nought longe fpede.
For he the hors withouten lawe
The carte let aboute drawe
Where as hem liketh wantonly,
That ate lafte fodeinly,
flammavit, fed et ipfum de curru cadentem in quoddam fluvium demergi ad interitum caufavit.
Exemplum fuper eo
dem de Icharo Dedali
For he no refon wolde knowe,
This firy cart he drove to lowe
And fireth all the worlde aboute,
Wherof they weren all in doubte
And to the god for helpe criden
Of fuche unhappes, as betiden.
Phebus, which figh the negligence,
How Pheton ayein his defence
His chare hath drive oute of the wey
Ordeigneth, that he fel awey
Out of the cart into the flood
And dreint. Lo now, how it stood
With him, that was fo negligent,
That fro the highe firmament,
For that he wolde go to lowe,
He was anone down overthrowe.
In high estate it is a vice
To go to lowe, and in fervice
It greveth for to go to high,
Wherof a tale in poefie
I finde, how whilom Dedalus,
filio in carcere Mino- Whiche hadde a fone and Icharus
tauri exiftente, cui He hight, and though hem thoughte lothe
laret, alas componens In fuch prison they weren bothe
nimis alte propter fo- With Minotaurus, that aboute
ret, quod Icharus fua They mighten no where wenden oute. negligencia postpo
limatus fuiffet fubito
ad terram corruens expiravit.
nens cum altius fub- So they begonne for to shape,
How they the prison might escape.
This Dedalus, which fro his youthe
Was taught and many craftes couthe,
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