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So far, that ever while I live
I shall the better hede yive
Unto my self by many wey.
But over this now wolde I prey
To wite, what the braunches are
Of avarice, and how they fare
Als well in love as otherwise.

My fone, and I the fhall devise
In fuche a maner as they ftonde,
So that thou shalt hem understonde.

Agros jungit agris cupidus domibufque domofque
Poffideat totam fic quafi folus humum.
Solus et innumeros mulierum fpirat amores,
Ut facra millenis fit fibi culta Venus.

Dame avarice is nought foleine,
Which is of gold the capiteine.
But of her courte in fondry wife
After the scole of her apprise
She hath of fervaunts many one,
Wherof that covetife is one,
Which goth the large worlde about
To feche thavauntages out,

Where that he may the profit winne
To avarice and bringeth it inne.
That one halt and that other draweth,
There is no day which hem bedaweth
No more the fonne than the mone,
Whan there is any thing to done,
And namely with covetise,

For he ftant out of all affife

Confeffor.

3.

Hic tractat confeffor fuper illa specie avaricie, que cupiditas dicitur, quam in amoris caufa pertractans amanti fuper hoc opponit.

Of refonable mannes fare,
Where he purposeth him to fare
Upon his lucre and his beyete.
The smalle path, the large ftrete,
The furlonge and the longe mile,
All is but one for thilke while.
And for that he is fuch one holde,
Dame avarice him hath witholde,
As he which is the principall
Outward, for he is over all
A purveiour and an espy.
For right as of an hungry py
The ftorve beftes ben awaited,
Right fo is covetise affaited
To loke where he may purchace,
For by his will he wolde embrace
All that this wide world beclippeth.
But ever he fomwhat overhippeth,
That he ne may nought all fulfille
The luftes of his gredy wille.
But where it falleth in a londe,
That covetise in mighty honde
Is fet, it is full hard to fede.

For than he taketh none other hede,
But that he may purchace and gete,

His confcience hath all foryete

And nought what thing it may amounte, That he shall afterwarde accompte.

But as the luce in his degre

Of tho, that laffe ben than he,

The fishes gredily devoureth,

So that no water hem foccoureth,
Right fo no lawe may refcowe
Fro him, that woll no right allowe.
For where that such one is of might,
His will shall ftonde in stede of right.
Thus be the men deftruied full ofte,
Till that the grete god alofte
Ayein fo great a covetise
Redreffe it in his owne wife.
And in enfample of all tho
I finde a tale write fo,

The which for it is good to lere
Herafterward thou shalt it here.

Whan Rome stood in noble plite, 1031
Virgile, which was tho parfite,
A mirrour made of his clergie
And fette it in the townes eye
Of marbre on a piller without,
That they by thritty mile about
By day and eke alfo by night
In that mirrour beholde might
Her ennemies, if any were,
With all her ordenaunce there,
Which they ayein the citee caft.
So that while thilke mirrour last,

Ther was no lond, which might acheve
With werre Rome for to greve,

Wherof was great envie tho.

And fell that ilke time fo,

Hic ponit exemplum contra magnates cupidos et narrat de Craffo Romanorum imperatore, qui turrim, in qua speculum Virgilii Rome fixum extiterat, dolofa circumventus cupiditate evertit, unde non folum fui ipfius perdicionem, fed tocius civitatis intollerabile dampnum contingere caufavit.

That Rome hadde werres ftronge
Ayein Cartage, and stoden longe
The two citees upon debate.
Cartage figh the strong estate
Of Rome in thilke mirrour stonde
And thought all prively to fonde
To overthrowe it by fome wile.
And Hanibal was thilke while
The prince and leader of Cartage,
Which hadde fet all his corage
Upon knighthode in such a wife,
That he by worthy and by wife
And by none other was counfeiled,
Wherof the world is yet merveiled
Of the maistries that he wrought
Upon the marches, which he fought.
And fell in thilke time alfo,

The kinge of Puile, which was tho,
Thought ayein Rome to rebelle,
And thus was take the quarelle,
How to deftruie the mirrour.
Of Rome tho was emperour
Craffus, which was fo covetous,
That he was ever defirous
Of gold to gete the pilage,
Wherof that Puile and eke Cartage
With philofophres wife and great
Beginne of this matere to treat.
And ate last in this degre

There weren philofophres thre

To do this thing whiche undertoke,
And therupon they with hem toke
A great trefure of gold in cofres
To Rome, and thus these philofophres
To-gider in compaignie went,
But no man wiste what they ment.
Whan they to Rome come were,
So prively they dwelte there,

As they that thoughten to deceive.
Was none, that might of hem perceive,
Till they in fondry stedes have

Her gold under the erth begrave
In two trefors that to beholde

They fholden feme as they were olde.
And fo forth than upon a day
All openly in good array

To themperour they hem present
And tolden, it was her entent
To dwellen under his fervise.
And he hem axeth in what wise.
And they him told in such a plite,
That eche of hem had a spirite,
The which slepend anight appereth
And hem by fondry dremes lereth
After the world that hath betid,
Under the grounde if ought be hid
Of olde trefor at any throwe,
They fhall it in her fwevenes knowe.
And upon this condition

They fain, what gold under the town

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