Out of a man into a stone
Forfhape, and thus ful many one
Deceived were, of that they wolde
Misloke, where that they ne shulde.
But Perfeus that worthy knight,
Whom Pallas of her grete might
Halpe and toke him a fhield therto,
And eke the god Mercury also
Lent him a fwerde, he as it fell
Beyond Athlans the highe hill
These monftres fought and there he fonde
Diverse men of thilke londe
Through fight of hem miftorned were
Stondend as ftones here and there.
But he, which wisdome and proweffe
Hath of the god and the goddeffe,
The shielde of Pallas gan embrace,
With which he covereth fauf his face,
Mercuries fwerde and out he drough
And fo he bare him, that he flough
Thefe dredfull monftres alle thre.
Lo now, my fone, avise the,
That thou thy fight nought misuse,
Cast nought thin eye upon Meduse,
That thou be torned into stone.
For fo wife man was never none
But if he woll his eye kepe
And take of foul delite no kepe,
That he with lufte nis ofte nome
Through strengthe of love and overcome.
Of miflokinge how it hath ferde,
As I have told, now haft thou herde.
My gode fone, take good hede
And over this yet I the rede,
That thou beware of thin hering,
Which to the herte the tiding
Of many a vanite hath brought
To tarie with a manes thought.
And netheles good is to here
Such thing, wherof a man may lere,
That to vertue is accordaunt,
And toward all the remenaunt
Good is to torne his ere fro,
For elles but a man do fo
Him may ful ofte mifbefalle.
I rede enfample amonges alle,
Wherof to kepe wel an ere
It oughte put a man in fere.
A ferpent, which that afpidis
Is cleped, of his kinde hath this,
That he the stone noblest of alle
The which that men carbuncle calle
Bereth in his heed above on highte.
For which whan that a man by slighte
The ftone to winne and him to daunte
With his carecte him wolde enchaunte,
Anone as he perceiveth that,
He lith down his one ere al plat
Unto the ground and halt it faste
And eke that other ere als fafte
Hic narrat confeffor exemplum, ut non ab auris exaudicione fatua animus deceptus involvatur. Et dicit, qualiter ille ferpens, qui afpis vocatur, quendam preciofiffimum lapidem nomine carbunculum in fue frontis medio geftans, contra verba incantantis aurem unam terre affigendo premit et aliam fue caude ftimulo firmiffime obturat.
Aliud exemplum fuper eodem, qualiter
He stoppeth with his tail fo fore,
That he the wordes laffe or more
Of his enchauntement ne hereth.
And in this wife him felf he fkiereth,
So that he hath the wordes weived
And thus his ere is nought deceived.
An other thing who that recordeth
rex Ulixes cum a bel- Lich unto this enfample accordeth,
lo Trojano verfus Whiche in the tale of Troye I finde.
Greciam navigio re-
migaret et prope illa Sirenes of a wonder kinde
renes nuncupata, an- Ben monftres, as the bokes tellen,
gelica voce canoras
ipfum ventorum ad- And in the grete fee they dwellen,
verfitate navigare
oporteret, omnium Of body bothe and of visage
res obturari coegit. Like unto women of yonge age
Et fic falutari provi- Up fro the navel on high they be,
que periculo falvus And down benethe, as men may se,
They bere of fisshes the figure.
cum fua claffe Ulixes
pertranfivit.
And over this of fuch nature
They ben, that with so swete a steven
Like to the melodie of heven
In womannishe vois they finge
With notes of fo great likinge,
Of fuche mesure, of fuche mufike,
Wherof the shippes they befwike,
That paffen by the coftes there.
For whan the shipmen lay an ere
Unto the vois, in here avis
They wene it be a paradis,
Whiche after is to hem an helle.
For refon may nought with hem dwelle,
Whan they the grete luftes here
They conne nought here fhippes ftere,
So befilich upon the note
They herken and in fuch wise afsote,
That they here righte cours and weie
Foryete and to their ere obeie
And failen, till it fo befalle
That they into the perill falle,
Where as the shippes ben to-drawe
And they ben with the monftres flawe.
But fro this peril netheles
With his wisdom king Ulixes
Escapeth and it over paffeth,
For he to-fore the hond compaffeth,
That no man of his compaignie
power unto that folie
His ere for no luft to cafte.
For he hem stopped alle faste,
That non of hem may here hem finge.
So whan they comen forth failinge,
There was such governaunce on honde,
That they the monftres have withstonde
And flain of hem a great partie.
Thus was he fauf with his navie
This wife king through governaunce.
Herof, my fone, in remembraunce
Thou might enfample taken here,
As I have tolde, and what thou here
Be wel ware and yef no credence,
But if thou fe more evidence.
For if thou woldest take kepe
And wifely coutheft warde and kepe
Thine eye and ere, as I have spoke,
Than haddeft thou the gates ftoke
Fro fuch foly, as cometh to winne
Thin hertes wit, whiche is withinne,
Wherof that now thy love excedeth
Mesure and many a peine bredeth.
But if thou coutheft fette in reule
Tho two, the thre were eth to reule.
Forthy as of thy wittes five
I wol as nowe no more fhrive,
But only of these ilke two,
Tel me therfore if it be so,
Hast thou thine eye nought misthrowe?
My fader ye, I am beknowe,
I have hem caft upon Meduse
Therof I may me nought excufe.
Min hert is growen into stone,
So that my lady there upon
Hath fuche a printe of love grave,
That I can nought my felfe fave.
What faift thou fone, as of thin ere?
Refpondet Amans. My fader, I am gilty of there,
For whanne I my lady here,
My wit with that hath loft his ftere.
I do nought as Ulixes dede,
But falle anon upon the stede,
Where as I fe my lady ftonde.
And there I do you understonde
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