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tum naturaliter precellunt. Et ponit exemplum de Adriano Romano fenatore, qui in quadam forefta venacionibus infiftens, dum predam perfequeretur, in cifternam profundam nefcia fa

Through happe, which no man efcheueth, milia corruit, ubi fu

He felle unware into a pit,
Where that it mighte nought be let.
The pit was depe, and he fell lowe,
That of his men none mighte knowe,
Where he became, for none was nigh,
Which of his fall the mischefe figh.
And thus alone there he lay
Clepende and criend all the day
For focoure and deliverance,
Till ayein eve it fell per chance,
A while er it began to night,
A pouer man, which Bardus hight,
Cam forth walkend with his affe
And hadde gadered him a taffe
Of grene stickes and of drie

To felle, whom that wolde hem bie,
As he, which had no livelode,
But whan he mighte fuche a lode
To towne with his affe carie.
And as it fel him for to tarie,
That ilke time nigh the pit
And hath the truffe fafte knit,
He herde a vois, which cried dimme,

And he his ere to the brimme

perperveniens quidam pauper, nomine Bardus, immiffa cordula putans hominem extraxiffe, primo fimeam extraxit, fecundo ferpentem, tercio Adrianum, qui pauperem defpiciens aliquid ei pro benefacto reddere recufabat. Sed tam ferpens quam fimea gratuita benevolencia ipfum fingulis donis fufficienter re

muneraverunt.

Hath leide and herde it was a man,
Which faide: O helpe here Adrian,
And I will yive half

my good. The pouer man this understood, As he that wolde gladly win,

And to this lord, which was within,
He spake and faid: If I the fave,
What fikerneffe fhall I have
Of covenant, that afterwarde
Thou wolt me yive fuch rewarde,
As thou behightest now before?
That other hath his othes swore
By heven and by the goddes alle,
If that it mighte so befalle,
That he out of the pit him brought,
Of all the goodes, which he ought,
He shall have even halven dele.

This Bardus faid, he wolde wele.
And with this worde his affe anon
He let untruffe and therupon
Down goth the corde into the pit,
To whiche he hath at ende knit
A staff, wherby, he saide, he wolde,
That Adrian him fhulde holde.
But it was tho per chaunce falle,
Into that pit was alfo falle

An ape, which at thilke throwe,

Whan that the corde cam down lowe,

All fodeinly therto he skipte

And it in both his armes clipte.

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For helpe and cride and preide faste.
And he eftfone his corde caste.
But whan it came unto the grounde,
A great ferpent it hath bewounde,
The which Bardus anone up drough.
And than him thoughte wel inough,
It was fantasme that he herde
The vois, and he therto answerde:
What wight art thou in goddes name?
I am, quod Adrian, the fame,
Whose good thou shalt have even halfe.
Quod Bardus than a goddes halfe,
The thridde time affaie I fhall.
And caft his corde forth withall
Into the pit, and whan it came
To him, this lord of Rome it name
And therupon him hath adressed
And with his hond ful ofte bleffed.
And than he bad to Bardus hale.
And he, which understood his tale,
Betwene him and his affe all fofte
Hath drawe and fet him up a lofte
Withouten harm all efely.

He faith not ones graunt mercy,

But ftraught him forth to the citee

And let this pouer Bardus be.
And netheles this fimple man

His covenaunt, fo as he can,
Hath axed. And that other faide,
If fo be that he him upbraide

Of ought, that hath be fpoke or do,
It shall be venged of him fo,

That him were better to be dede.
And he can tho no other rede,
But on his affe ayein he caft

His truffe and hieth homward fast.
And whan that he came home to bed,
He tolde his wife, how that he fped.
But finally to speke ought more
Unto this lorde, he drad him fore,
So that a word ne durft he fain.
And thus upon the morwe ayein
In the maner, as I recorde,

Forth with his affe and with his corde,

To gader wode, as he did er,

He goth, and whan that he cam ner
Unto the place, where he wolde,
He gan his ape anone beholde,
Which had gadered al aboute
Of stickes here and there a route
And leide hem redy to his honde,
Wherof he made his truffe and bonde.
Fro daie to daie and in this wife
This ape profreth his fervise,

So that he had of wode inough.
Upon a time and as he drough
Toward the wode, he figh befide
The greate gastly serpent glide,
Till that she cam in his presence
And in her kinde a reverence
She hath him do and forth withall
A ftone more bright than a cristall
Out of her mouth to-fore his way
She let down fall and went away,
For that he shall nought ben adrad.
Tho was this pouer Bardus glad,
Thonkende god and to the stone
He goth and taketh it up anone
And hath great wonder in his witte,
How that the beste him hath aquitte,
Where that the mannes fone hath failed,
For whom he hadde most travailed.
But all he put in goddes honde

And torneth home and what he fonde
Unto his wife he hath it shewed
And they, that weren bothe lewed,
Accorden, that he fhulde it felle.
And he no lenger wolde dwelle,
But forth anone upon the tale
The stone he profreth to the sale,
And right as he him felfe it sette,
The jueller anone forth fette
The golde and made his paiement,
Therof was no delaiement.

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