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Whan he was ded, his Sone hath lad

To Bathuel, wher he Rebecke

Hath wedded with the whyte necke;

For sche, he wiste wel and syh,

Was to the child cousine nyh.

And thus as Habraham hath tawht,

Whan Isaa5c was god betawht, 120

His Sone Jacob dede also,

And of Laban the dowhtres tuo,

Which was his Em, he tok to wyve,

And gat upon hem in his lyve,

Of hire ferst which hihte Lie,

Sex Sones of his Progenie,

And of Rachel tuo Sones eke:

The remenant was forto seke,

That is to sein of foure mo,

Wherof he gat on Bala tuo, 130

And of Zelpha he hadde ek tweie.

And these tuelve, as I thee seie,

Thurgh providence of god himselve

Ben seid the Patriarkes tuelve;

Of whom, as afterward befell,

The tribes tuelve of Irahel

Engendred were, and ben the same

That of Hebreus tho hadden name,

Which of Sibrede in alliance

For evere kepten thilke usance 140

Most comunly, til Crist was bore.

Bot afterward it was forbore

Amonges ous that ben baptized;

For of the lawe canonized

The Pope hath bede to the men,

That non schal wedden of his ken

Ne the seconde ne the thridde.

Bot thogh that holy cherche it bidde,

So to restreigne Mariage,

Ther ben yit upon loves Rage 150

Full manye of suche nou aday

That taken wher thei take may.

For love, which is unbesein

Of alle reson, as men sein,

Thurgh sotie and thurgh nycete,

Of his voluptuosite

He spareth no condicion

Of ken ne yit religion,

Bot as a cock among the Hennes,

Or as a Stalon in the Fennes, 160

Which goth amonges al the Stod,

Riht so can he nomore good,

Bot takth what thing comth next to honde.

Mi Sone, thou schalt understonde,

That such delit is forto blame.

Forthi if thou hast be the same

To love in eny such manere,

Tell forth therof and schrif thee hiere.

Mi fader, nay, god wot the sothe,

Mi feire is noght of such a bothe, 170

So wylde a man yit was I nevere,

That of mi ken or lief or levere

Me liste love in such a wise:

And ek I not for what emprise

I scholde assote upon a Nonne,

For thogh I hadde hir love wonne,

It myhte into no pris amonte,

So therof sette I non acompte.

Ye mai wel axe of this and that,

Bot sothli forto telle plat, 180

In al this world ther is bot on

The which myn herte hath overgon;

I am toward alle othre fre.

Full wel, mi Sone, nou I see

Thi word stant evere upon o place,

Bot yit therof thou hast a grace,

That thou thee myht so wel excuse

Of love such as som men use,

So as I spak of now tofore.

For al such time of love is lore, 190

And lich unto the bitterswete;

For thogh it thenke a man ferst swete,

He schal wel fielen ate laste

That it is sour and may noght laste.

For as a morsell envenimed,

So hath such love his lust mistimed,

And grete ensamples manyon

A man mai finde therupon.

At Rome ferst if we beginne,

Ther schal I finde hou of this sinne 200

An Emperour was forto blame,

Gayus Caligula be name,

Which of his oghne Sostres thre

Berefte the virginite:

And whanne he hadde hem so forlein,

As he the which was al vilein,

He dede hem out of londe exile.

Bot afterward withinne a while

God hath beraft him in his ire

His lif and ek his large empire: 210

And thus for likinge of a throwe

For evere his lust was overthrowe.

Of this sotie also I finde,

Amon his Soster ayein kinde,

Which hihte Thamar, he forlay;

Bot he that lust an other day

Aboghte, whan that Absolon

His oghne brother therupon,

Of that he hadde his Soster schent,

Tok of that Senne vengement 220

And slowh him with his oghne hond:

And thus thunkinde unkinde fond.

And forto se more of this thing,

The bible makth a knowleching,

Wherof thou miht take evidence

Upon the sothe experience.

Whan Lothes wif was overgon

And schape into the salte Ston,

As it is spoke into this day,

Be bothe hise dowhtres thanne he lay, 230

With childe and made hem bothe grete,

Til that nature hem wolde lete,

And so the cause aboute ladde

That ech of hem a Sone hadde,

Moab the ferste, and the seconde

Amon, of whiche, as it is founde,

Cam afterward to gret encres

Tuo nacions: and natheles,

For that the stockes were ungoode,