TO KING HENRY THE FOURTH1902

1904Electus Cristi, pie Rex Henrice, fuisti, Qui bene venisti cum propria regna petisti; Tu mala vicisti que bonis bona restituisti, Et populo tristi noua gaudia contribuisti. Est michi spes lata quod adhuc per te renouata Succedent fata veteri probitate beata, Est tibi nam grata gracia sponte data. O worthi noble kyng, Henry the ferthe,1905 In whom the glade fortune is befalle The poeple to governe uppon this erthe,1906 God hath the chose in comfort of ous alle:1907 The worschipe of this lond, which was doun falle,1908 Now stant upriht thurgh grace of thi goodnesse, Which every man is holde forto blesse. The highe god of his justice allone The right which longeth to thi regalie Declared hath to stonde in thi persone, 10 And more than god may no man justefie. Thi title is knowe uppon thin ancestrie, The londes folk hath ek thy riht affermed; So stant thi regne of god and man confermed. Ther is no man mai seie in other wise, That god himself ne hath thi riht declared,1909 Whereof the lond is boun to thi servise,1910 Which for defalte of help hath longe cared: Bot now ther is no mannes herte spared To love and serve and wirche thi plesance, 20 And al is this thurgh godes pourveiance.1911 In alle thing which is of god begonne Ther folwith grace, if it be wel governed: Thus tellen thei whiche olde bookes conne, Whereof, my lord, y wot wel thow art lerned. Axe of thi god, so schalt thou noght be werned Of no reqweste which is resonable; For god unto the goode is favorable. Kyng Salomon, which hadde at his axinge Of god what thing him was levest to crave,1912 30 He ches wisdom unto the governynge1913 Of goddis folk, the whiche he wolde save: And as he ches it fel him forto have; For thurgh his wit, whil that his regne laste, He gat him pees and reste unto the laste.1914 Bot Alisaundre, as telleth his histoire,1915 Unto the god besoghte in other weie, Of all the world to winne the victoire, So that undir his swerd it myht obeie. In werre he hadde al that he wolde preie, 40 The myghti god behight him that beheste, The world he wan, and had it of conqweste.1916 Bot thogh it fel at thilke time so, That Alisandre his axinge hath achieved, This sinful world was al paiene tho,1917 Was non which hath the hihe god believed: No wondir was thogh thilke world was grieved, Thogh a tiraunt his pourpos myhte winne; Al was vengance and infortune of sinne. Bot now the feith of Crist is come a place 50 Among the princes in this erthe hiere, It sit hem wel to do pite and grace; Bot yit it mot be tempred in manere: For as thei finden cause in the matiere1918 Uppon the point, what aftirward betide, The lawe of riht schal noght be leid aside. So mai a kyng of werre the viage Ordeigne and take, as he therto is holde, To cleime and axe his rightful heritage In alle places wher it is withholde: 60 Bot other wise if god himsilve wolde Afferme love and pes betwen the kynges, Pes is the beste above alle erthely thinges.1919 Good is teschue werre, and natheles A kyng may make werre uppon his right, For of bataile the final ende is pees. Thus stant the lawe, that a worthi knyght Uppon his trouthe may go to the fight; Bot if so were that he myghte chese, Betre is the pees, of which may no man lese. 70 <Sustene> pes oghte every man alyve,1920 First for to sette his liege lord in reste, And ek these othre men that thei ne stryve; For so this world mai stonden ate beste.1921 What kyng that wolde be the worthieste, The more he myghte oure dedly werre cesse, The more he schulde his worthinesse encresse. Pes is the chief of al the worldes welthe, And to the heven it ledeth ek the weie; Pes is of soule and lif the mannes helthe, 80 Of pestilence and doth the werre aweie. Mi liege lord, tak hiede of that y seie, If werre may be left, tak pes on honde, Which may noght be withoute goddis sonde. With pes stant every creature in reste; Withoute pes ther may no lif be glad: Above alle othre good pes is the beste, Pes hath himself whan werre is al bestad, The pes is sauf, the werre is evere adrad:1922 Pes is of alle charite the keie,1923 90 Which hath the lif and soule forto weie. My liege lord, if that the list to seche The sothe essamples that the werre hath wroght,1924 Thow schalt wiel hiere of wisemennes speche That dedly werre turneth into noght. For if these olde bokes be wel soght,1925 Ther myght thou se what thing the werre hath do, Bothe of conqueste and conquerour also. For vein honour or for the worldes good Thei that whilom the stronge werres made, 100 Wher be thei now? Bethenk wel in thi mod. The day is goon, the nyght is derk and fade, Her crualte, which mad hem thanne glade, Thei sorwen now, and yit have noght the more; The blod is schad, which no man mai restore. The werre is modir of the wronges alle; It sleth the prest in holi chirche at masse, Forlith the maide and doth hire flour to falle.1926 The werre makth the grete Citee lasse, And doth the lawe his reules overpasse. 110 There is no thing wherof meschef mai growe Which is noght caused of the werre, y trowe. The werre bringth in poverte at hise hieles, Wherof the comon poeple is sore grieved; The werre hath set his cart on thilke whieles Wher that fortune mai noght be believed. For whan men wene best to have achieved, Ful ofte it is al newe to beginne: The werre hath no thing siker, thogh he winne. Forthi, my worthi prince, in Cristes halve, 120 As for a part whos feith thou hast to guide,1927 Ley to this olde sor a newe salve,1928 And do the werre awei, what so betide: Pourchace pes, and set it be thi side,1929 And suffre noght thi poeple be devoured, So schal thi name evere after stonde honoured.1930 If eny man be now or evere was1931 Ayein the pes thi preve counseillour, Let god ben of thi counseil in this cas,1932 And put awei the cruel werreiour.1933 130 For god, which is of man the creatour, He wolde noght men slowe his creature Withoute cause of dedly forfeture. Wher nedeth most, behoveth most to loke. Mi lord, how so thi werres ben withoute, Of time passed who that hiede toke, Good were at hom to se riht wel aboute; For everemor the werste is forto doute: Bot if thou myghtest parfit pes atteigne, Ther schulde be no cause forto pleigne. 140 Aboute a kyng good counseil is to preise Above alle othre thinges most vailable; Bot yit a kyng withinne himself schal peise, And se the thinges that ben resonable, And ther uppon he schal his wittes stable Among the men to sette pes in evene, For love of him which is the kyng of hevene. Ha, wel is him that schedde nevere blod,1934 Bot if it were in cause of rihtwisnesse: For if a kyng the peril undirstod, 150 What is to sle the poeple, thanne y gesse, The dedly werres and the hevynesse, Wherof the pes distourbid is ful ofte Schulde at som time cesse and wexe softe. O kyng fulfild of grace and of knyghthode,1935 Remembre uppon this point for Cristes sake, If pes be profred unto thi manhode, Thin honour sauf, let it noght be forsake. Though thou the werres darst wel undirtake, Aftir reson yit tempre thi corage, 160 For lich to pes ther is non avantage. My worthi lord, thenk wel, how so befalle,1936 Of thilke lore, as holi bokes sein, Crist is the heved and we ben membres alle, Als wel the subgit as the sovereign:1937 So sit it wel that charite be plein, Which unto god himselve most acordeth, So as the lore of Cristes word recordeth. In tholde lawe, er Crist himself was bore, Among the ten comandementz y rede 170 How that manslaghtre schulde be forbore; Such was the will that time of the godhede: And aftirward, whanne Crist tok his manhede,1938 Pes was the ferste thing he let do crie Ayein the worldes rancour and envie.1939 And er Crist wente out of this erthe hiere, And stigh to hevene, he made his testament,1940 Wher he beqwath to his disciples there And yaf his pes, which is the foundement Of charite, withouten whos assent 180 The worldes pes mai nevere wel be tried,1941 Ne love kept, ne lawe justefied. The Jewes with the paiens hadden werre,1942 Bot thei among hemself stode evere in pes: Whi schulde thanne oure pes stonde out of herre,1943 Which Crist hath chose unto his oghne encres? For Crist is more than was Moïses, And Crist hath set the parfit of the lawe, The which scholde in no wise be withdrawe. To yive ous pes was cause whi Crist dide; 190 Withoute pes may no thing stonde availed: Bot now a man mai sen on everi side How Cristes feith is every dai assailed,1944 With the Paiens destruid, and so batailed That for defalte of help and of defence Unethe hath Crist his dewe reverence. The righte feith to kepe of holy chirche The firste point is named of knyghthode, And everi man is holde forto wirche Uppon the point which stant to his manhode.1945 200 Bot now, helas, the fame is sprad so broode, That everi worthi man this thing compleigneth,1946 And yit ther is no man which help ordeigneth.1947 The worldes cause is waited overal, Ther ben the werres redi to the fulle; Bot Cristes oghne cause in special, Ther ben the swerdes and the speres dulle; And with the sentence of the popes bulle, As forto do the folk paien obeie,1948 The chirche is turned al an other weie. 210 It is to wondre above a mannys wit1949 Withoute werre how Cristes feith was wonne, And we that ben uppon this erthe yit Ne kepe it noght, as it was first begonne. To every creature undir the sonne Crist bad himself how that we schulden preche,1950 And to the folk his evangile teche. More light it is to kepe than to make; Bot that we founden mad tofore the hond1951 We kepe noght, bot lete it lightly slake. 220 The pes of Crist hath altobroke his bond, We reste ourselve and soeffrin every lond To slen ech other as thing undefendid: So stant the werre, and pes is noght amendid. Bot thogh the heved of holy chirche above Ne do noght al his hole businesse Among the men to sette pes and love,1952 These kynges oughten of here rightwisnesse Here oghne cause among hemself redresse: Thogh Petres schip as now hath lost his stiere, 230 It lith in hem that barge forto stiere. If holy cherche after the duete Of Cristes word ne be noght al avysed To make pes, acord and unite Among the kinges that ben now devised, Yit natheles the lawe stant assised Of mannys wit to be so resonable, Withoute that to stonde hemselve stable.1953 Of holy chirche we ben children alle, And every child is holden forto bowe 240 Unto the modir, how that evere it falle,1954 Or elles he mot reson desalowe: And for that cause a knyght schal ferst avowe The right of holi chirche to defende, That no man schal the previlege offende. Thus were it good to setten al in evene The worldes princes and the prelatz bothe, For love of him which is the king of hevene: And if men scholde algate wexe wrothe, The Sarazins, whiche unto Crist be lothe, 250 Let men ben armed ayein hem to fighte;1955 So mai the knyht his dede of armes righte. Uppon thre pointz stant Cristes pes oppressed: Ferst holy cherche is in hirsilf divided,1956 Which oughte of reson first to be redresced; Bot yit so highe a cause is noght decided. And thus, whan humble pacience is prided, The remenant, which that thei schulden reule, No wondir is though it stonde out of reule. Of that the heved is siek, the limes aken: 260 These regnes that to Cristes pes belongen For worldes good these dedly werres maken, Whiche helpeles as in balance hongen.1957 The heved above hem hath noght undirfongen To sette pes, bot every man sleeth other, And in this wise hath charite no brother. The two defaltes bringen in the thridde, Of mescreantz, that sen how we debate, Betwen the two thei fallen in amidde,1958 Wher now aldai thei finde an open gate. 270 Lo, thus the dedly werre stant algate; Bot evere y hope of King Henries grace That he it is which schal the pes embrace. My worthi noble prince and kyng enoignt, Whom god hath of his grace so preserved, Behold and se the world uppon this point,1959 As for thi part that Cristes pes be served: So schal thin highe mede be deserved To him which al schal qwiten ate laste, For this lif hiere mai no while laste. 280 See Alisandre, Ector and Julius, See Machabeu, David and Josue, See Charlemeine, Godefroi, Arthus,1960 Fulfild of werre and of mortalite. Here fame abit, bot al is vanite; For deth, which hath the werres under fote, Hath mad an ende of which ther is no bote. So mai a man the sothe wite and knowe,1961 That pes is good for every king to have: The fortune of the werre is evere unknowe, 290 Bot wher pes is, ther ben the marches save.1962 That now is up, to morwe is under grave; The mighti god hath alle grace in honde, With outen him pes mai nought longe stonde.1963 Of the Tenetz to winne or lese a chace,1964 Mai no lif wite er that the bal be ronne: Al stant in god, what thing men schal pourchace, Thende is in him er that it be begonne. Men sein the wolle, whanne it is wel sponne, Doth that the cloth is strong and profitable, 300 And elles it mai nevere be durable.1965 The worldes chaunces uppon aventure Ben evere sett, bot thilke chaunce of pes Is so behoveli to the creature, That it above alle othre is piereles:1966 Bot it mai noght be gete natheles1967 Among the men to lasten eny while, Bot wher the herte is plein withoute guyle. The pes is as it were a sacrement Tofore the god, and schal with wordes pleine 310 Withouten eny double entendement Be treted, for the trouthe can noght feine: Bot if the men withinne hemself be veine, The substance of the pes may noght be trewe, Bot every dai it chaungeth uppon newe. Bot who that is of charite parfit, He voideth alle sleightes ferr aweie, And sett his word uppon the same plit, Wher that his herte hath founde a siker weie: And thus whan conscience is trewly weie, 320 And that the pes be handlid with the wise,1968 It schal abide and stonde in alle wise. Thapostle seith, ther mai no lif be good Which is noght grounded uppon charite, For charite ne schedde nevere blod, So hath the werre as ther no proprite: For thilke vertu which is seid pite With charite so ferforth is aqweinted, That in hire may no fals semblant be peinted.1969 Cassodre, whos writinge is auctorized, 330 Seith, wher that pite reigneth, ther is grace,1970 Thurgh which the pes hath al his welthe assised, So that of werre he dredeth no manace. Wher pite dwelleth, in the same place Ther mai no dedly cruelte sojorne, Wherof that merci schulde his weie torne.1971 To se what pite forth with mercy doth, The croniqe is at Rome in thilke empire Of Constantin, which is a tale soth; Whan him was levere his oghne deth desire 340 Than do the yonge children to martire, Of crualte he lafte the querele, Pite he wroghte and pite was his hele. For thilke mannes pite which he dede God was pitous and mad him hol at al;1972 Silvestre cam, and in the same stede Yaf him baptisme first in special, Which dide awai the sinne original, And al his lepre it hath so purified, That his pite for evere is magnified.1973 350 Pite was cause whi this emperour Was hol in bodi and in soule bothe, And Rome also was set in thilke honour Of Cristes feith, so that the lieve of lothe, Whiche hadden be with Crist tofore wrothe, Resceived weren unto Cristes lore:1974 Thus schal pite be preised evermore. My worthi liege lord, Henri be name, Which Engelond hast to governe and righte, Men oghten wel thi pite to proclame, 360 Which openliche in al the worldes sighte Is schewed with the help of god almighte, To yive ous pes, which longe hath be debated, Wherof thi pris shal nevere ben abated. My lord, in whom hath evere yit be founde1975 Pite withoute spot of violence, Kep thilke pes alwei withinne bounde, Which god hath planted in thi conscience: So schal the cronique of thi pacience Among the seintz be take into memoire 370 To the loenge of perdurable gloire.1976 And to thin erthli pris, so as y can, Which everi man is holde to commende, I, Gower, which am al thi liege man, This lettre unto thin excellence y sende, As y which evere unto my lives ende Wol praie for the stat of thi persone In worschipe of thi sceptre and of thi throne.1977 Noght only to my king of pes y write, Bot to these othre princes cristene alle, 380 That ech of hem his oghne herte endite, And see the werre er more meschief falle:1978 Sette ek the rightful Pope uppon his stalle, Kep charite and draugh pite to honde, Maintene lawe, and so the pes schal stonde.

1981Rex celi deus et dominus, qui tempora solus Condidit, et solus condita cuncta regit; Qui rerum causas ex se produxit et vnum In se principium rebus inesse dedit; Qui dedit vt stabili motu consisteret orbis Fixus ineternum mobilitate sua; Quique potens verbi produxit ad esse creata, Quique sue mentis lege ligauit ea; Ipse caput regum, reges quo rectificantur, Te que tuum regnum, rex pie, queso, regat.1982 10 Grata superueniens te misit gracia nobis, Quo sine labe salus nulla perante fuit. Sic tuus aduentus noua gaudia sponte reduxit, Quo prius in luctu lacrima maior erat: Nos tua milicies pauidos releuauit ab ymo, Quos prius oppressit ponderis omne malum: Ex probitate tua, quo mors latitabat in vmbra, Vita resurexit clara que regna regit: Sic tua sors sortem mediante deo renouatam Sanat et emendat, que prius egra fuit. 20 O pie rex, Cristum per te laudamus, et ipsum Qui tibi nos tribuit terra reuiua colit. Sancta sit illa dies qua tu tibi regna petisti, Sanctus et ille deus qui tibi regna dedit. Qui tibi prima tulit, confirmet regna futura, Quo poteris magno magnus honore frui. Sit tibi progenies ita multiplicata per euum, Quod genus inde pium repleat omne solum. Quicquid in orbe boni fuerit, tibi summus ab alto Donet, vt in terris rex in honore regas: 30 Omne quod est turpe vacuum discedat, et omne Est quod honorificum det deus esse tuum. Consilium nullum, pie rex, te tangat iniquum, In quibus occultum scit deus esse dolum. Absit auaricia, ne tangat regia corda, Nec queat in terra proditor esse tua. Sic tua processus habeat fortuna perhennes, Quo recolant laudes secula cuncta tuas: Nuper vt Augusti fuerant preconia Rome,1983 Concinat in gestis Anglia leta tuis. 40 O tibi, rex, euo detur, fortissime, nostro Semper honorata sceptra tenere manu: Stes ita magnanimus quod, vbi tua regna gubernas, Terreat has partes hostica nulla manus: Augeat imperium tibi Cristus et augeat annos, Protegat et nostras aucta corona fores: Sit tibi pax finis, domito domineris in orbe, Cunctaque sint humeris inferiora tuis.1984 Sic honor et virtus, laus, gloria, pax que potestas1985 Te que tuum regnum magnificare queant.1986 50 Cordis amore boni, pie rex, mea vota paraui; Corpore cum nequii, seruio mente tibi: Ergo tue laudi que tuo genuflexus honori1987 Verba loco doni pauper habenda tuli. Est tamen ista mei, pie rex, sentencia verbi, Fine tui regni sint tibi regna poli.