Читать книгу The Political Songs of England: From the Reign of John to That of Edward II - Various - Страница 19

[MS. Harl. No. 978. fol. 123, v^o. of the 13th cent.]

Mundi libet vitia cunctis exarare;

Nam in mundo video multos nunc errare,

Spernere quod bonum est, quod malum est amare,

Et ad mala sæpius sponte declinare.

Mundus quia malus est, male scit nocere;

Mala novit facere, nescit pœnitere;

Caro quicquid appetit pro posse vult habere,

Sed quod Deus præcipit nequit adimplere.

Jam nil valet aliquis ni sciat litigare,

Nisi sciat cautius causis cavillare,

Nisi sciat simplices dolis impugnare,

Nisi sciat plenius nummos adunare.

Mundi status hodie multum variatur,

Semper in deterius misere mutatur;

Nam qui parcit nemini, quique plus lucratur,

Ille plus dilectus est et plus commendatur.

Rex et regni proceres satis sunt amari;

Omnes fere divites nimis sunt avari;

Pauper pauca possidens debet depilari,

Et ut ditet divitem rebus spoliari,

Bona per superflua dives excæcatur;

Circa temporalia tota mens versatur:

Et in vanis quoniam nimis delectatur,

Bona differt facere, malum non vitatur.

Ex prælatis plurimum Deum non timentes

Sunt sub boni specie mala facientes,

Hiique plus quam laici sæpe sunt nocentes,

Bene curant corpora, male pascunt mentes,

Regnat nunc impietas, pietas fugatur,

Nobilisque largitas procul relegatur;

Stricta nam tenacitas multos comitatur,

Et in multis caritas sic refrigeratur.

Fas et nefas ambulant pene casu pari,

Vix est jam quem pudeat nefas operari;

Carus hic acceptus est qui scit adulari,

Hicque privilegio gaudet singulari.

Quod ad lucrum pertinet nimis affectatur;

Lucra quisquis prospicit, cautus judicatur;

Res qui servat strictius, sapiens vocatur;

Sua qui dat largius, stultus reputatur.

Dolus avaritiæ comes copulatur;

Fidei perfidia jam parificatur;

Nam qui scit decipere, prudens prædicatur;

Qui plus mali perpetrat plus appretiatur.

Quatuor sunt maxime qui sic operantur,

Et cum malefecerint pejus meditantur,

Quorum infra scelera satis declarantur,

Et eorum nomina sic intitulantur.

Hii sunt fratres quatuor, Robertus, et Ricardus,

Gilebertus postea, vir valde Wandelardus,

Quartus inter alios frater est bastardus,

Galfridus, qui piger est, et ad bona tardus.

Cuique satis proprie nomen adaptatur,

Per quod quæ proprietas cujusque sit notatur;

Nam qui recte nominum vim interpretatur,

Scire potest certius quid significatur.

Competenter per Robert, robbur designatur;

Et per Richard, riche hard congrue notatur;

Gilebert non sine re gilur appellatur;

Gefrei, si rem tangimus, in jo frai commutatur.

Per istorum nomina, quæ sic figurantur,

Modus, fraus, et opera multorum denotantur;

Et ut cunctis clarius hæc aperiantur,

Melius et plenius hic notificantur.

Robertus excoriat, extorquet, et minatur;

Et Ricardus retinet totum quod lucratur;

Gilebertus decipit, et inde gloriatur;

Galfridus se procrastinat, et nil operatur.

Veritatem prosequar ore nunc aperto:

Vir quicunque rabidus consors est Roberto;

Vir fallax et cupidus par fit Gileberto;

Vir piger et tepidus Galfridus est pro certo.

Tempus piger protrahit omni tardus hora;

Operari negligit quæ sunt meliora;

Bona nimis differens ruit in pejora;

Et ut bene faciat semper est in mora.

Hic promittit quodlibet, sed nil vult implere;

Semper dicit “faciam,” nunquam facit vere;

Sed cum mors est proxima, tunc incipit dolere;

Magnum est periculum tam sero pœnitere.

Quisque sibi caveat ne decipiatur;

Pœnitere studeat antequam labatur;

Dum est compos corporis bene mereatur,

Ne dum differt interim forte moriatur.

Fons et auctor, Dominus, summæ pietatis

Nobis hic sic annuat flere pro peccatis,

Et dum sumus validi pœnitere gratis,

Ut possimus alibi gaudere cum beatis! Amen.

Translation.—Everybody has a right to satirize the world’s vices; for now I see many in the world err, despise what is good, love what is bad, and most frequently turning off spontaneously to evil.—Because the world is depraved, it knows how to do injury; it knows how to act ill, but not how to repent; the flesh will do all it can to possess whatever it desires, but is unable to fulfill God’s commandments.—Now nobody is esteemed unless he knows how to litigate; unless he can cavil cunningly in law-suits; unless he can overreach the simple; unless he know how to amass abundance of money.—The state of the world is at the present day constantly changing; it is always becoming miserably worse; for he who spares nobody, and who is bent most on gain, is most beloved and most commended.—The King and his nobles are sufficiently bitter; almost all the rich men are too avaricious; the poor man, who possesses little, must be robbed and spoiled of his property to enrich the wealthy.—The rich man is blinded by superfluous wealth; his whole mind is occupied with temporal matters; and, since he is too much pleased with vanities, he puts off the doing of good, but avoids not the evil.—Of the prelates, there are very many who, having no fear of God, do evil under the mask of good, and they often do more injury than the laymen; they take great care of the body, but feed ill the mind.—Now impiety reigns, piety is driven away, and noble liberality is sent into far exile; for narrow stinginess is the companion of many, and thus in many charity is become cold.—Right and wrong march nearly on an equal footing; there is now scarcely one who is ashamed of doing what is unlawful; the man is held dear who knows how to flatter, and he enjoys a singular privilege.—Lucre is a thing too much sought after; whoever has an eye to it, is considered prudent; he who keeps very close what he has, is called a wise man; he who gives liberally, is set down for a fool.—Treachery accompanies avarice; perfidy is now put on equality with honesty; for he who knows how to deceive, is proclaimed a prudent man; and he who does most ill is most prized.—There are four persons in particular who work thus; who, even while doing ill, are meditating to do worse, whose crimes are sufficiently declared below, and whose names are as follows:—They are four brothers, Robert, and Richard; next Gilbert, a true Wandelard; the fourth is a bastard brother, Geoffrey, who is a sluggard, and slow to do anything good.—Each of them has a very appropriate name, by which his own character is described; for if any one interpret rightly the names, he may know most accurately what each signifies.—By Robert, is very sufficiently indicated a robber; and by Richard, with much fitness, a rich hard man; Gilbert is not without reason called a guiler; and Geoffrey is, if we come to the point, changed into jo frai (i. e. I will do it).—By these people’s names, which are thus described, are denoted the habit, and fraud, and works, of many men; and in order that these may be made more manifest to all, they are here published better and more fully—Robert fleeces, extorts, and threatens; and Richard keeps all he gains; Gilbert deceives, and afterwards boasts of it; Geoffrey procrastinates, and does nothing.—I will follow up the truth now in full cry: every ravenous man is the companion of Robert; a false and miserly man is similar to Gilbert; a slow and listless man is, without doubt, a Geoffrey.—The latter idly protracts the time, behindhand at whatever hour is appointed, he neglects to do what is good, and by putting off the good he falls into that which is evil, and he is always backward in acting well:—he promises anything, but will perform nothing; he always says, “I will do,” but never does; but when death is at hand, he begins to lament: there is great danger in repenting so late.—Let every one take care that he is not himself deceived; let him try to repent before his end, that he may merit well while he is in health, lest by putting it off, he chance to die before it is done.—The Lord, who is the fountain and author of the highest degree of piety, give us here the inclination so to mourn for our faults, and to be penitent spontaneously while we are in health, that in the next world we may be in joy with the saints!

A perpetual subject of popular outcry against the great, during this and the following centuries, was afforded by the foreign and extravagant fashions in dress, which were prevalent. A glance at the illuminations in contemporary manuscripts will show us that these complaints were not without foundation. We, even at the present day, can with difficulty conceive the immense sums which were in former days expended on the toilet. This profusion was frequently and severely commented upon in the prose writings of the clergy, and was not uncommonly the subject of popular satire. The following song upon the tailors is very playful.