Confessio Amantis | Page 7

him faire that
he wolde 600
Arede what it tokne may;
And seide: "Abedde wher I
lay,
Me thoghte I syh upon a Stage
Wher stod a wonder strange

ymage.
His hed with al the necke also
Thei were of fin gold bothe
tuo;
His brest, his schuldres and his armes
Were al of selver, bot the
tharmes,
The wombe and al doun to the kne,
Of bras thei were upon
to se; 610
The legges were al mad of Stiel,
So were his feet also
somdiel,
And somdiel part to hem was take
Of Erthe which men
Pottes make;
The fieble meynd was with the stronge,
So myhte it
wel noght stonde longe.
And tho me thoghte that I sih
A gret ston
from an hull on hyh
Fel doun of sodein aventure
Upon the feet of
this figure, 620
With which Ston al tobroke was
Gold, Selver, Erthe,
Stiel and Bras,
That al was in to pouldre broght,
And so forth
torned into noght."
This was the swevene which he hadde,
That
Daniel anon aradde,
And seide him that figure strange
Betokneth
how the world schal change
And waxe lasse worth and lasse,
Til it
to noght al overpasse. 630
The necke and hed, that weren golde,
He
seide how that betokne scholde
A worthi world, a noble, a riche,
To
which non after schal be liche.
Of Selver that was overforth
Schal
ben a world of lasse worth;
And after that the wombe of Bras
Tokne
of a werse world it was.
The Stiel which he syh afterward
A world
betokneth more hard: 640
Bot yet the werste of everydel
Is last,
whan that of Erthe and Stiel
He syh the feet departed so,
For that
betokneth mochel wo.

Whan that the world divided is,
It moste
algate fare amis,
For Erthe which is meynd with Stiel
Togedre may
noght laste wiel,
Bot if that on that other waste;
So mot it nedes
faile in haste. 650
The Ston, which fro the hully Stage
He syh doun
falle on that ymage,
And hath it into pouldre broke,
That swevene
hath Daniel unloke,
And seide how that is goddes myht,
Which
whan men wene most upryht
To stonde, schal hem overcaste.
And
that is of this world the laste,
And thanne a newe schal beginne,
Fro
which a man schal nevere twinne; 660
Or al to peine or al to pes

That world schal lasten endeles.
Lo thus expondeth Daniel
The
kynges swevene faire and wel
In Babiloyne the Cite,
Wher that the
wiseste of Caldee
Ne cowthen wite what it mente;
Bot he tolde al
the hol entente,
As in partie it is befalle.
Of gold the ferste regne of

alle 670
Was in that kinges time tho,
And laste manye daies so,

Therwhiles that the Monarchie
Of al the world in that partie
To
Babiloyne was soubgit;
And hield him stille in such a plit,
Til that
the world began diverse:
And that was whan the king of Perse,

Which Cirus hyhte, ayein the pes
Forth with his Sone Cambises 680

Of Babiloine al that Empire,
Ryht as thei wolde hemself desire,

Put under in subjeccioun
And tok it in possessioun,
And slayn was
Baltazar the king,
Which loste his regne and al his thing.
And thus
whan thei it hadde wonne,
The world of Selver was begonne
And
that of gold was passed oute:
And in this wise it goth aboute 690
In
to the Regne of Darius;
And thanne it fell to Perse thus,
That
Alisaundre put hem under,
Which wroghte of armes many a wonder,

So that the Monarchie lefte
With Grecs, and here astat uplefte,

And Persiens gon under fote,
So soffre thei that nedes mote.
And
tho the world began of Bras,
And that of selver ended was; 700
Bot
for the time thus it laste,
Til it befell that ate laste
This king, whan
that his day was come,
With strengthe of deth was overcome.
And
natheles yet er he dyde,
He schop his Regnes to divide
To knyhtes
whiche him hadde served,
And after that thei have deserved
Yaf the
conquestes that he wan;
Wherof gret werre tho began 710
Among
hem that the Regnes hadde,
Thurgh proud Envie which hem ladde,

Til it befell ayein hem thus:

The noble Cesar Julius,
Which tho was
king of Rome lond,
With gret bataille and with strong hond
Al
Grece, Perse and ek Caldee
Wan and put under, so that he
Noght al
only of thorient
Bot al the Marche of thoccident 720
Governeth
under his empire,
As he that was hol lord and Sire,
And hield
thurgh his chivalerie
Of al this world the Monarchie,
And was the
ferste of that honour
Which tok the name of Emperour.
Wher Rome
thanne wolde assaille,
Ther myhte nothing contrevaille,
Bot every
contre moste obeie:
Tho goth the Regne of Bras aweie, 730
And
comen is the world of Stiel,
And stod above upon the whiel.
As
Stiel is hardest in his kynde
Above alle othre that men finde
Of
Metals, such was Rome tho
The myhtieste, and laste so
Long time

amonges the Romeins
Til thei become so vileins,
That the fals
Emperour Leo
With Constantin his Sone also 740
The patrimoine
and the richesse,
Which to Silvestre in pure almesse
The ferste
Constantinus lefte,
Fro holy cherche thei berefte.
Bot Adrian, which
Pope was,
And syh the meschief of this cas,
Goth in to France forto
pleigne,
And preith the grete Charlemeine,
For Cristes sake and
Soule hele
That he wol take the querele 750
Of holy cherche in his
defence.
And Charles for the reverence
Of god the cause hath
undertake,
And with his host the weie