Cap. XXXII. How Godfrey Gobelive Was Taken of Correction, and Punyshed

And for because that I was than full sadde And by the way he made me good game; To have his company I was somwhat gladde. I was not proude, I toke of him no shame: He came to me and sayd: Ye are to blame So to ryde louring for a womans sake, Unto the devyll I do them all betake.

They be not stedfast, but chaunge as the mone; Whan one is gone, they love another sone. Who that is single and wyll have a wyfe, Right out of joy he shall be brought in stryfe. Thus whan Godfrey did so mery make, There did a lady us sone overtake, And in her hand she had a knotted whyp; At every yerte she made Godfrey to skyppe. Alas! he sayd, that ever I was borne; Now am I take for all my mocke and scorne! I loked about whan that I herde hym crye, Seing this lady on her palfray ryde hye: Madame, I sayde, I pray you me tell Your proper name, and where that you dwell? My name, quod she, is called Correccion; And the toure of Chastite is my mancyon. This strong thefe, called False Reporte, Wyth Vylayne Courage, and an other sorte And vyle perlers False Conjecture, All these I had in pryson full sure. But this False Reporte hath broken pryson, With his subtyl crafte and evyl treason, And this journey prively to spede He hath clad him in this fooles wede. Now have I answered you your question, And I pray you of a lyke solucion; You seme, me thinke, for to be a knight; I pray you first to tell me your name aryght. My name, quod I, is La Graund Amour. A! well, quod she, you are the perfite floure Of al true lovers, as I do wel know; You shall attayne La Belle Pucell, I trow. I know right well ye are adventurous, Onward your way to the toure peryllous; And for as much as the night is nere, I humbly pray you for to take the chere That I may make you in my toure this night: It is here by, you shall of it have a sight. And I pray you to helpe me to bynde This False Reporte, as you should do by kynde. What! Godfrey, quod I, wyll you chaunge your name? Nay, nay, quod he, it was for no shame; But, alas! for wo, that she hath me taken! I must obey, it can not be forsaken. His fete were fettered underneth his nagge, And bound his handes behinde to his bagge; Thus Correction, with her whyp did dryve The litle nagge wyth Godfrey Gobelyve Tyll at the last we gan to approche Her riall tour upon a craggy roche. The night was come, for it was right late; Yet right anone we came unto the gate, Where we were let in by dame Measure, That was a fayre and a goodly creature. And so Correccion brought me to the hall, Of gete well wrought, glased with cristall; The rofe was golde, and amiddes was set A carbuncle that was large and great, Whose vertue clere in the hall so bryght About did cast a great mervaylous lyght. So forth we went unto a chamber fayre, Where many ladies did them selfe repayre, And at our coming than incontinent They welcomed us as was convenient. But of Correccyon they were very glad, Which False Reporte agayne take had. There was quene Phantasyle with Penalape, Quene Helayne and quene Menelape, Quene Ythesile and quene Prosperine, The lady Meduse and yong Polixine; With many mo that I do not rehearse: My time is short, I must from them reverse. And dame Correccion into a chambre ledde Me right anone, for to go to my bedde. What nede I shew of my great chere and rest? I wanted nought, but had all of the best. And so I slept tyll that Aurora clere Began to shyne amiddes the golden spere. Than up I rose, and my verlet also, Which made me redy, and to my stede did go; And dame Correccion, at the morow tyde, Did me entreat a while to abyde; And right anone my breakfast was brought, To make me chere there wanted right nought. And after this, dame Correccion Did lede me to a mervaylous dongen: And first she led me to the upper ward, Where Shamefastnes did us well regarde, For he was gayler, and had at his charge Every rebell not for to go at large. In the first ward there wente to and fro Both men and women might no ferther go, But yet they hoped for to have releve Of theyr imprison which did them so greve. These prisoners, whan true love was meved, They wold dryve of and release the greved; And for this cause, by egal jugement, Lyke as they did, here hath they punishment. And Shamefastnes lower did us bring Where we saw men in great tormenting, With many ladies, that their mouthes gagged; And Fales Reporte on me his head wagged. Than right anone a lady gan to scrape His furred tonge, that he cryed lyke an ape; And, vyle peller, in lykewyse also, His tonge was scraped that he suffered wo; And yet we went into a depe vale, Where I saw men that were in great bale, In holly bushes they did hange aloft, Theyr hedes downeward for to fall unsofte; And two ladyes dyde theyr bodyes bete, With knotted whyppes in the flesshe to frete, That the desyre it sholde sone aswage And specyally of the Vylayne Courage. These men, with sugred mouthes so eloquente, A maydens herte coude ryght sone relente, And these yonge madens for to take in snare They fayne greate wo and for to suffer care: The folyshe maydens dyd byleve they smarted, That to theyr wyll the men them converted: Thus whan that they had them so begyled, And with theyr fraude these maydens defyled, They cast them of; they toke no lenger kepe; Go where ye lyst, though they crye and wepe; Therfore these ladyes, wyth theyr whyppes harde, Theyr bodyes bete that theyr bodyes had marde. And every man as he hath deserved A payne there is whiche is for hym observed. Thus whan I had all the pryson sene, With the tourmente of many a one I wene, And forthe we wente agayne to the hall; My stede was redy and brought to the wall, And of the ladyes clere in excellence I toke my leve, with all due reverence, And thanked Correccyon, with my herte entere, Of my repose and of her lovynge chere. To me she sayd: Remembre you well Of the swete beaute of La Belle Pucell; Whan you her herte in fetters have chayned, Let her have yours in lykewyse retayned; Loke that your herte, your worde, and countenaunce, Agre all in one without varyaunce. Yf she for pyte do release your payne, Consyder it and love her best agayne. Be true and secrete, and make none advaunte Whan you of love have a perfyte graunte. And if ye wyll come unto your wyll, Both here and se and than holde you styll. Drede you nothing, but take a good herte, For right sone after you from hens departe Right high adventures unto you shall fall. In tyme of fight unto your mind than call, If you prevayle you shall attayne the fame Of hye honour to certify the same. And therwith I lyght upon my stede. Madame, I sayd, I pray God do you mede! Farewell! she sayd, for you must now hens, Adue, quod I, with all my diligens.