# Romance of the Rose (Ellis)/Chapter 61

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LXI
Herein the God of Love retains False-Seeming as his man, and gains Applause thereby, the host doth ring With shouts to crown him Ribalds’ King.
False-Seeming accepted ’Tis thus agreed, False-Seeming then, That thou should’st join my loyal men,
To give our friends thy powerful aid, And guard them lest they be betrayed.11420 ’Tis thine, so far as in thee lies, To help them, and their enemies To grieve and injure, thou shall be The King of Ribalds under me; ​’Tis thus our chapter hath decreed. Most surely thou in thought and deed Art but a rogue, a common thief, A villain almost past belief, A hundred thousand times forsworn, Held of all honest men in scorn;11430 Speak out I charge thee, have no fear, Make all thy ways and doings clear, And let the assembly know amain Where they may find thee, since they fain Would learn thy woning: say also What sign there is by which to know Where thou may’st commonly be found.
False-Seeming.
False-Seeming’s declaration In truth, great lord, I shift my ground So often that ’tis hard to say Where ’tis I dwell from day to day, And should I all my mansions name, Alack! it would but bring me shame, For if my vile companions knew That I had told this thing to you, Good lord! on my devoted head A thousand cruelties were sped. Their wickedness I know too well, And how they’d treat me should I tell The truth, which hate they of all things; And grievous pains and sufferings11450 Were put upon me, dared I say One word about their evil way Of life, or had the hardihood To speak of them aught else but good, ​For that ’tis wounds them to the quick, Excites their anger, and doth prick Them on to vengeance. False-Seeming’s fears If they heard Their condemnation through the word Of holy Scripture, I’ll engage ’Twould rouse them into furious rage.11460 For mad are they in their despite, With bitter wrath and venom dight. And well I ken that should I bring Before you the most trifling thing, How close soe’er your court may be, These men would know it presently. But among good men none would take To heart whatever words I spake As touching them; for if one took My words in evil part, ’twould look11470 As though his life must mingled be With Falsehood and Hypocrisy, Who gave me life and nourriture.
Love.
A fair performance to be sure. Cried Love, their work was on a level With that of nurturing the devil. But howsoe’er that be, straightway ’Tis needful thou before us lay. Without a lie, where thou dost dwell, And also thou at full may’st tell Thy way of life with nimble tongue; The mischief wrought since thou wert young Discover, nor thy evil work, Now thou art with us, seek to shirk. ​And if perchance it comes about That thou receivest cuff and clout To recompense thy deeds accurst, I doubt they scarce will be the first.
False-Seeming.
Great lord, if ’twere your pleasure I Should shortly be condemned to die,11490 I’d calmly lay my head upon The block and cry: ’Tis rightly done.
The Author.
False-Seeming then delayed no more, But, standing forth, thus spake before The great assembly:
False-Seeming.
False-Seeming’s confession All and each Of ye, O barons, list my speech: Whoso False-Seeming would behold, Must seek him in the cloistered fold As much as in the open street, And trow I ye will scarcely meet11500 With me elsewhere, but far above The world the convent hath my love. In short, I much prefer to be Where I may work most secretly; And ’neath a simple vesture find That I most readily may blind Men’s eyes, more secret is the way Of holy cloister folk than lay. ​But think ye not I would defame Religion, or its votaries blame, For nought it matters what they wear By way of habit, I will spare All faithful ones, but fain confess I do not love them ne’ertheless.
Monks good and bad I speak of worthless monks and nuns, Felonious and malicious ones, Who care alone for holy dress, And clothe their hearts with wickedness. Good cloisterers are with pity fraught And kindliness, and harbour nought11520 Of evil, far from them is pride, And love they humbly to abide In peace. If I with these should stay, My cue it were false cards to play. Their habits well could I assume, But ’neath them should but fret and fume, And sooner hang would than forego My ends, whate’er my outward show.
I live with rascals puffed with pride, From out whose hearts, ’twould seem, hath died11530 All virtue; schemers, whose desire Before all else is to acquire Honour and wrath, and therefore set Themselves to plot how they may get Great folks’ acquaintance; men who make Themselves bare paupers for the sake Of Christ, and yet good meat and drink Will pasture on, and love the chink ​Of gold, and, preaching that they wish For poverty alone, still fish11540 With trammel-net and wide-spread seine, In hope great worldly wealth to gain. Religious pretenders Religious are they not, nor good, Yet have the shameless hardihood, Whene’er they preach, to boldly say, That wearing holy habits they Must needs be holy. By my life Their claim’s not worth a wooden knife; That “not by robe the monk is made,” None but a fool hath e’er gainsaid.11550 And none to this can make reply Although his head were shaven high By hand of Fraud, who cuts thirteen Thereto had given with razor keen. But hereof dare no man discuss, To speak one word is perilous, For truth they turn the nether way. And therefore in their nests I lay My eggs, as often may be seen By those who closely look therein.11560 Know ye that wheresoe’er I go. And whatso sort of face I show, I purpose some ill deed, and that, Even as Master Tybert cat Of nought else dreams but rats and mice, So do I find my paradise In lying, robbery, and wrong. And though but few among the throng Of men detect me through my dress, Nor pierce beneath my gentleness11570 ​Of speech, they by my works may see My heart, unless they blinded be. For those who do not as they say Deceive you howsoever they Array them, or whatever state Of life they keep, or small or great, Cleric or layman, squire or dame, Lady or quean, ’tis aye the same.
The Author.
When thus far had Fair-Seeming spoken His pattering by the God was broken,11580 Who cried aloud: (to stay his speech, Which seemed but vice and fraud to teach)
The God of Love.
Where dwells religion? Who art thou, shameless imp of hell ? How dar’st thou of such miscreants tell? Deem’st thou religion we may find Where vows no monks nor friars bind?
False-Seeming.
Most surely, sire! it needeth not A man with sin his life should blot, And lose his soul in hell-fire’s flare Because he mundane clothes doth wear;11590 That were a sentence hard indeed. Well may, beneath gay-tinted weed, Holy religion thrive. We’ve seen A troop of holy saints, I ween, ​Saints among lay folk Women and men alike, who ne’er Aught else but worldly garments ware, Yet none the less were canonized ; Nay, ’twere the other way devised, For many a saint to whom we pray, Within the church or by the way,11600 Fair virgins chaste, or matrons mild, Mothers of many an angel child, Through life in worldly clothes did hide Their bodies and within them died, Yet saints were they, and aye shall be. Was not that blessèd company Of virgins who now tapers hold Before the throne of God (all told Eleven thousand) habited In lay folks’ robes? yet honourèd11610 Are they in every church no less Because they lacked of convent dress. In holy heart wakes holy thought, Through vesture ’tis nor marred nor wrought, And worthy thought gives birth to deed
Of worth, for ’tis thereof the seed.
Thus of religion have I given The pith, as ’tis ordained by heaven.
If in the fleece of Bellin ram Sir Isegrym had made a sham11620 To clothe him, and had gone to feed Among the sheep in that false weed, Suppose you he would therefore keep From greedy ravin of the sheep? ​I trow not, but beneath the skin He wore he’d suck their life-blood in By no means with less appetite Or less enjoyment and delight That he’d deceived them, and that they Still followed where he chose to stray.11630 Believe me, wolves no meagre few There are ’mong these apostles new: The Church in peril Ah! holy Church, thou wilt be sacked If thus thy city be attacked By soldiers of thine own domain. Alas! thy power is on the wane, For those but seek to spoil thee who Thou hast thy safety trusted to. Who is there that will guarantee Thee ’gainst them? Thou wilt taken be,11640 Although no stroke of trepeget Or mangonel thou feel’st, nor yet Set’st banner to the wind. If thou No help afford, O then, I trow, Nought else there is but let them be. Though now they subject stand to thee, Ere long must thou before them bend As tributary, and descend To make thy peace in such a way As they demand, who straight will lay11650 Great burdens on thee, if forsooth The traitors, all devoid of ruth, Master thee not. With craft will they Lull thee to sleep, and while by day They haste to man thy walls, by night Deep mines their treacherous hands will dight. ​Bethink thee otherwhere to root The grafts to which thou look’st for fruit. Delay thou not, but act amain— I’ve said—my mouth will I refrain11660 From further speech thereon, lest some My words with weariness o’ercome.
Fraud all-powerful My promise readily I give From henceforth with your friends to live In peaceful wise, if they agree Thereto, or else I warrant me They’ll meet grim death. They must receive My leman too would they achieve Their end. I am with justice named A traitor, and have been proclaimed11670 By Love as common thief. Forsworn Am I, but till mine end is worn No man perceives it. Oft my blow Is dealt, yet nought thereof men know; And should one be of it aware, Unless he too seeks death, will spare Resentment. Treachery is so strong, That all the world condones its wrong. Proteus himself, who changed his shape Whene’er he pleased, for guile or jape,11680 Was less adept at fraud than I. So great is my dexterity, That though within some town I’ve been A thousand times, but little ween The folk who meet me unaware That oft before I’ve entered there.