Romance of the Rose (Ellis)/Chapter 65
LXV
False-Seeming, linked with Abstinence,
To aid the Lover, makes pretence
Of guesting with foul Evil-Tongue,
Whose lash hath many a good man stung.12770
Then Abstinence saluteth first,
With humble gest, this man accurst
And next False-Seeming bends him low,
With courteous reverential bow,
And he saluteth them again;
For, all unruffled, he amain
Seemed Abstinence beneath her feint
To know, yet saw not her constraint,
But innocently deemed that she
Was even that she seemed to be;12780
And took the garb which tricked her out
All in good faith, unchecked by doubt,
But ’tis forsooth her customed way
Ever such juggling tricks to play;
And if she e’er sincere hath been,
Her virtue was short-lived, I ween.
Disguised pilgrims
False-Seeming eyed he o’er right well,
Yet nought could he his falseness tell,
For wondrously was he disguised,
Nor lightly might be recognised;12790
And whosoe’er the knave had known
Before this garb were o’er him thrown,
Had sworn by God the Father he
The same one were who formerly
Bold Robin, in the dance, had been,
And now as Jacobin is seen.
But then, deny it whoso can,
Each Jacobin’s an honest man.
That holy order great disgrace
Would suffer, if therein found place12800
A charlatan. And Carmelites,
And Cordeliers and holy wights
Of other orders, whether they be
Big-bellied churls or lean, pardee,
As wolves, not one, where’er he wone,
But for a saint by dress is known,
But ne’er we seeming should permit
To o’erride sense or govern it.
If you such subtlety possess
As lightly shatters sophistries,12810
Whate’er the argument appear
Upon the face of it, look near
And closely for some fallacy
Lest you thereby deceived be.
When now the pilgrims twain were come
Where Evil-Tongue had made his home,
Their harness fain were they to flit
From off them and beside him sit.
Evil-Tongue
Quoth he: “Say sirs, whence hail ye then,
And what news stir the world of men,12820
And by what happy circumstance
Ye hither come, as ’twere by chance.”
Constrainèd-Abstinence
Entertainment sought
Constrainèd-Abstinence replied:
Fair sir, we seek this countryside
As pilgrims, loyal of heart and true,
Who fain their penitence would do:
Afoot we’ve gone the livelong day
Along the weary dust-strewn way.
Hither are we together sent
By God, to folk impenitent,12830
And hope our exhortations may
Restore some sinners gone astray;
No other fish we strive to catch,
And in God’s name, by whose dispatch
We sallied forth, we beg to be
Here harboured, and most willingly,
An’t please you, will make good our score
By fitting tale of ghostly lore,
If you such coin are fain to take.
The Author.
Then Evil-Tongue in answer spake:12840
Evil-Tongue
My house, quoth he, e’en such as ’tis,
Is yours, no further seek than this,
And preach whatso ye will, cast fear
False-Seeming.
Sweet thanks, fair sir.
The Author.
Forthwith to spin
Her tale doth Abstinence begin.