Romance of the Rose (Ellis)/Chapter 30
XXX
Here green-eyed Jealousy doth scold
Fair-Welcome for the falsehoods told3690
By Evil-Tongue against him, he
Loves to load men with calumny.
Jealousy attacks Fair-Welcome
Then on Fair-Welcome straightway fell
Wan Jealousy: “I prithee tell,”
Quoth she, “how thou dost boldly dare
To bring one here towards whom I bear
Suspicious hatred? Unto me,
It seems that thou too easily
Tak’st strangers for thy friends, henceforth
I trust no more thy faith and worth,3700
But straightway bound, within a tower,
Will hold thee prisoner ’neath my power.
Too far from thee hath wandered Shame,
Who well deserves to suffer blame
For negligence to hold thee fast;
Full many a time I’ve stood aghast,
Noting the scanty succour she
Affords her sister Chastity.
’Tis she hath suffered thee to bring
Within these precincts a loseling,3710
Whose presence doth but cast disgrace
On each and all who guard the place.”
The Lover.
Fair-Welcome all dumfounded stood:
Right willingly had he made good
His flight, but nought could he deny:
We twain stood there in company.
Soon as I saw this angry hag,
Knew her vile face, and heard her wag
Her cursed tongue, I strove to hide,
In hope to shirk her spite’s full tide.3720
Then coming towards us Shame appeared,
With downcast look, as though she feared
Correction. On her head a simple
Nun’s convent veil she wore for wimple,
And thus with faltering words outspake:
Shame speaks to Jealousy.
Shame excuses him
“ Madame, I pray you, for God’s sake.
The words of Evil-Tongue despise,
A man is he who lightly lies.
And worthy folk calumniates:
If now he wrathfully delates3730
Fair-Welcome, he is not the first
To suffer ’neath his tongue accurst.
For, ever Evil-Tongue delights
To mar the fame of noble knights
And gentle damosels. In truth
Fair-Welcome, though a gentle youth,
Doth make his leash sometimes too long,
Nor may he be acquit of wrong
In gathering friends too readily;
Yet do I not believe that he3740
Should be accused of ill intent,
For is he not of good descent
Through Courtesy, his mother, who,
Life-long hath never stooped unto
Base folk for friends? No man can be
More free from all iniquity
Than is Fair-Welcome; only this
His foes may charge him with, he is
Mirthful and merry, and to each
And all he meeteth, free of speech.3750
Too easy have I been, past doubt,
In passing o’er his faults without
Due chastisement. I humbly plead
Guilty hereof, if evil deed
Account ye this. If I forgot
My duty, I repent with hot
And scalding tears, and nevermore
Shall you have reason to deplore
My negligence herein; he ne’er
Shall step one pace beyond my care.”3760
Jealousy addresseth Shame.
Jealousy scolds Shame.
“Ah! Shame!” cried Jealousy, “afraid
Am I to be again betrayed,
For vice is now so widely spread,
That soon I fear all past and dead
Will virtue be. Nor is my fear
Needless, when now we see appear
On every side such wantonness,
Such luxury, such pride of dress,
Which day by day yet seem to grow,
Nor e’er was abbey built, I trow,3770
With walls so close, well-barred and high,
As safely to keep Chastity.
But for these Rose-trees and the Rose,
I will with stronger walls inclose
Their beauties. All the confidence
I placed in you is lost, and hence
My surest guard is gone. A year
Will not go by before all here
Will take me for a sot or fool,
Unless I hold some safer rule.
A strong tower needful
But now have I devised a plan,
Whereby to circumvent each man
Who boldly dares to come anigh
My precious Roses. Never I
Shall be content, until a tower
I’ve built to be at once a bower
And fortress to protect my Roses,
And planned it so that it incloses
A keep, the which Fair-Welcome fast
Shall hold, for fear that he at last3790
Betray me. And with such strong guard
Shall he be kept, that monstrous hard
’Twill be for him to issue out,
Or converse with the rabble rout
Who’d fain disgrace me; he hath been
Too easily deceived I ween;
But if I live, thine eyes shall see
What gain he gets deceiving me.”
The Author.
Hearing these words, a shiver past
O’er Fear, who, trembling and aghast,3800
Stood still, and not a word dared say
The wrath of Jealousy to stay,
Whose eyes expressed her spiteful heart.
Therewith the beldame did depart
Fear and Shame tremble
And Shame and Fear were left alone,
Both trembling to the buttock bone,
Fear, low-voiced, with drooping head,
To Shame, her cousin, spake and said:
Fear.
“Fair Cousin Shame, it sore doth fret
My soul to think we twain should get3810
Reproach for crime that was not ours.
Through April’s tears and Maytide’s flowers,
Long years we’ve passed devoid of blame,
Till Jealousy, the green-eyed, came
Brimmed with suspicions.
Let us go
Whither fell Danger lurks, and show
Clearly to him what mischief he
Hath done, that not more warily
He kept strict watch and ward. A fool
Was he to let Fair-Welcome rule3820
The Garden at his wont. ’Twere well
That we, in plain-set terms, should tell
To him his duty, and that he
Must mend his ways, or speedily
Betake him otherwhere. If so
It happed that Jealousy should grow
To hate him, then, beyond all doubt,
War should she wage, and thrust him out,
As guerdon of the feeble ward
And watch he kept the Rose to guard.”3830