Thin herte in hope of suche a grace,
For dronkeship in every place
To whether fide that it torne
Doth harme and maketh a man to sporne
And ofte falle in fuche a wife,
Where he parcas may nought arise.
And for to loke in evidence
Upon the fothe experience,
So as it hath befall er this,
In every mannes mouth it is,
How Triftram was of love drunke
With Bele Ifolde, whan they drunke
The drink, which Brangweine hem betok,
Er that king Mark his eme her toke
To wife, as it was after knowe.
And eke, my fone, if thou wolt knowe
As it hath fallen over more
In loves cause, and what is more
Of dronkeshippe for to drede,
As it whilom befell in dede,
Wherof thou might the better efcheue
Of drunke men that thou ne fue
The compaigny in no manere,
A great ensample thou shalt here.
This finde I write in poesy
Of thilke faire Ypotafy,
Of whofe beaute there as she was
Spake every man. And fell par cas,
That Pirothous fo him fpedde,
That he to wife her fhulde wedde,
Hic de amoris ebrietate ponit exemplum, qualiter Triftrans ob potum, quem Brangweine in navi ei porrexit, de amore Bele Ifolde inebriatus extitit.
Hic de periculis ebrietatis caufa in amore contingentibus narrat, quod cum Pirothous illam pulcherrimam Ypotafiam in uxorem duceret,quofdam, qui Centauri vocabantur, inter alios vicinos ad nupcias invitavit, qui vi
no imbuti, nove nupte Wherof that he great joie made. entes, duplici ebrie- And for he wolde his love glade, quod ipfi fubito fali- Ayein the day of mariage
entes a menfa Ypota- By mouthe bothe and by message rito fuo in impetu His frendes to the fest he praid
With great worship, and as men said
He hath this yonge lady spoused.
And whan that they were alle housed
And fet and ferved ate mete,
There was no wine, which may begete,
That there ne was plenty inough.
But Bachus thilke tonne drough,
Wherof by way of dronkeship
The greatest of the felaship
Were out of refon overtake,
And Venus, which hath also take
The cause most in speciall,
Hath yive him drinke forth with all
Of thilke cuppe, whiche exciteth
The luft, wherin a man deliteth.
And thus by double weie drunke
Of luft that ilke firy funke
Hath made hem as who faith half wode,
That they no refon understode
Ne to none other thing they seen
But her, which to-fore her eyen
Was wedded thilke fame day,
That fresshe wife, that lufty may,
Of her it was all that they thoughten
And fo ferforth her luftes foughten,
That they, the whiche named were
Centauri, at the feste there
Of one affent, of one accorde
This yonge wife malgre her lorde
In fuche a rage away forth ladden,
As they, which none insight hadden,
But only to her drunke fare,
Which many a man hath made misfare
In love als wel as other wey.
Wherof, if I fhall more fay
Upon the nature of this vice,
Of cuftume and of exercise
The mannes grace, how it fordoth,
A tale, which was whilom foth
Of fooles, that fo drunken were,
I shall rehercen unto thin ere.
I rede in a cronique thus
Of Galba and of Vitellus,
The which of Spaine bothe were
The greatest of all other there,
And bothe of o condition
After the difpofition
Of glotony and dronkeship,
That was a fory felafhip.
For this thou might wel understonde,
Hic loquitur fpecialiter contra vicium illorum, qui nimia potacione quafi ex confuetudine ebriofi efficiuntur, et narrat exemplum de Galba et Vitello, qui potentes in Hifpania principes fuerunt, fed ipfi cotidiane ebrietatis potibus affueti, tanta vicinis intulerunt enormia, quod tandem toto conclamante populo, pena fententie
That man may nought well longe ftonde, capitalis in eos judi
Which is wine drunke of comun use,
For he hath lore the vertues,
Wherof refon fhuld him clothe,
And that was fen upon hem bothe.
cialiter diffinita eft, qui priufquam morerentur ut penam mortis alleviarent, fpontanea vim ebrietate fopiti, quafi porci femimortui gladio in
Men fain, there is non evidence,
Wherof to knowe a difference
Betwene the drunken and the wode,
For they ben never nouther good,
For where that wine doth wit awey,
Wisdome hath loft the righte wey,
That he no maner vice dredeth,
No more than a blind man thredeth
His nedel by the fonnes light,
No more is refon than of might,
Whan he with dronkeship is blent.
And in this point they weren fhent
This Galba both and eke Vitelle
Upon the cause, as I fhall telle,
Wherof good is to taken hede.
For they two through her dronkenhede
Of witles excitation
Oppreffed all the nacion
Of Spaine, for all foul ufaunce,
Which done was of continuaunce
Of hem, which all day drunke were.
There was no wife ne maiden there,
What fo they were or faire or foule,
Whom they ne taken to defoule,
Wherof the lond was often wo.
And eke in other thinges mo
They wroughten many a fondry wronge.
But how fo that the day be longe,
The derke night cometh ate laft.
God wolde nought, they shulden last,
And shope the lawe in fuche a wise,
That they through dome to the juife
Ben dampned for to be forlore.
But they, that hadden be to-fore
Enclined to alle drunkeneffe,
Her ende thanne bare witneffe,
For they in hope to affuage
The peine of dethe upon the
That they laffe shulden fele,
Of wine let fill full a mele
And drunken till fo was befall,
That they her strengthes loften all
Withouten wit of any braine,
And thus they ben half dede slaine,
That hem ne greveth but a lite.
My fone, if thou be for to wite
In any point, which I have faid,
Wherof thy wittes bene unteid,
I rede clepe hem home ayein.
I fhall do, fader, as ye fain,
Als ferforth as I may fuffife.
But well I wot, that in no wife
The dronkeship of love awey
I may remue by no wey,
It stant nought upon my
But if
you lifte to comune
Of the feconde glotony,
Which cleped is delicacy,
Wherof ye fpeken here to-fore,
Befeche I wolde you therfore.
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