A Ballad of Gentleness
The firste stock-father of gentleness,
What man desireth gentle for to be,
Must follow his trace, and all his wittes dress,
Virtue to love, and vices for to flee;
For unto virtue longeth dignity,
And not the reverse, safely dare I deem,
All wear he mitre, crown, or diademe.
This firste stock was full of righteousness,
True of his word, sober, pious, and free,
Clean of his ghost, and loved business,
Against the vice of sloth, in honesty;
And, but his heir love virtue as did he,
He is not gentle, though he riche seem,
All wear he mitre, crown, or diademe.
Vice may well be heir to old richess,
But there may no man, as men may well see,
Bequeath his heir his virtuous nobless;
That is appropried to no degree,
But to the first Father in majesty,
Which makes his heire him that doth him queme,
All wear he mitre, crown, or diademe.
Gentleness meant "gentility," "refinement," as in the terms "genteel," "gentleman," and "gentry." I think "queme" meant "please." Jeff Chaucer was a fascinating fellow, well-educated and well-travelled, a prosperous businessman of the Medieval merchant class (including a wine-import business in London). A writer on the side. We are fortunate that some of his work survived the years. Was he the Father of English literature? Sort-of, yes. I took the Chaucer course in college, and we read it all in the Olde English. Good fun. We read everything he wrote. Almost like learning a new language.
