And wende well it were she. And thus in ftede of Eole Anone he profreth him to love, But he, which felte a man above, This Hercules him threw to grounde So fore, that they have him founde Liggende there upon the morwe, And tho was nought a litel forwe, That Faunus of him felve made. But elles there they were all glade And loughen him to fcorne aboute, Saba with nimphes all a route
Came down to loke, how that it ferde, And whan that they the fothe herde, He was bejaped over all.
My fone, be thou ware with all To feche fuche micheries,
But if thou have the better afpies In aunter, if the fo betide As Faunus dide thilke tide, Wherof thou might be shamed fo.
Min holy fader, certes no. But if I hadde right good leve, Such micherie I thenke leve, My fainte herte woll nought serve, For malgre wolde I nought deserve In thilke place, where I love. But for ye tolden here above Of covetife and his pilage,
If there be more of that lignage,
Hic tractat fuper ultima cupiditatis
Which toucheth to my fhrifte, I pray, That ye therof me wolde say, So that I may the vice efcheue. Sone, if I by order sue The vices, as they stonde a rowe Of covetife, thou fhalt knowe, There is yet one, which is the last, In whom there may no vertue last, For he with god him felf debateth, Wherof that all the heven him hateth.
Sacrilegus tantum furto loca facra prophanat, Ut fibi fint agri, fic domus alma dei.
Nec locus eft, in quo non temptat amans que amatur, Si que poffe nequit, carpere velle capit.
The highe god, whiche alle good fpecie, que facrile- Purveied hath for mannes food
gium dicitur, cuius Of clothes and of mete and drinke, furtum ea que altis
fimo fanctificantur Bade Adam, that he shulde fwinke bona depredans
ecclefie tantum To geten him his fuftenaunce,
And eke he fet an ordenaunce
Upon the lawe of Moises,
That though a man be haveles, Yet fhall he nought by thefte ftele. But now a daies there ben fele, That woll no labour undertake, But what they may by ftelthe take They holde it fikerliche wonne. And thus the lawe is overronne, Which god hath fet, and namely With hem that so untruely
The goodes robbe of holy chirche.
The thefte, which they thanne wirche,
By name is cleped facrilegge,
Ayein the whom I thenke allegge, [Upon the points as we ben taught* Stont facrilege, and elles nought The firste point is for to say, Whan that a thefe fhall ftele away The holy thing from holy place. The feconde is, if he purchace By way of theft unholy thinge, Whiche he upon his knowlechinge Fro holy place away toke.
The thirde point, as faith the boke, Is fuche, as where as ever it be, In wode, in felde or in cite, Shall no man ftele by no wise That halowed is to the fervise Of god, whiche alle thinges wote, But there is nouther cold ne hote, Whiche he for god or man woll spare, So that the body may wel fare, And that he may the world escape, The heven him thinketh is but a jape Of his condicion to telle,]
Which rifeleth bothe boke and belle. So forth with all the remenaunt To goddes hous appurtenaunt, Where that he fhulde bid his bede, He doth his theft in holy stede,
* Only in MS. Stafford, and Berthelette's editions.
And taketh what thing he fint therin. For whan he seeth that he may win, He wondeth for no curfedneffe, That he ne breketh the holineffe And doth to god no reverence. For he hath loft his confcience, That though the prest therfore curse, He faith, he fareth nought the worse. And for to fpeke it other wise,
What man that laffeth the fraunchise And taketh of holy chirch his pray, I not what bedes he shall pray, Whan he fro god, which hath yive all, The purpartie in speciall,
Which unto Crift him felf is due, Benimth, he may nought wel efchue The peine comend afterward, For he hath made his foreward With facrilegge for to dwelle, Which hath his heritage in helle. And if we rede of tholde lawe, I finde write in thilke lawe Of princes, how there weren thre Coupable fore in this degre. That one of hem was cleped thus The proude king Antiochus, That other Nabuzardan hight, Which of his cruelte behight The temple to deftruie and waste, And fo he did in alle haste,
The thridde, which was after shamed,
Was Nabugodonofor named,
And he Jerufalem put under
Of facrilegge and many a wonder There in the holy temple he wrought, Which Baltazar his heire abought, Whan Mane Techel Phares write Was on the wall, as thou might wite, So as the bible it hath declared. But for al that it is nought spared Yet now a day, that men ne pille And maken argument and skille To facrilegge as it belongeth,
For what man that there after longeth He taketh none hede what he doth. [And if a man fhall telle foth,* Of guile and of subtilite
Is none fo fligh in his degre To feigne a thing for his beyete,
As is this vice of whiche I trete. He can so priveliche pike, He can fo well his wordes flike To put away fufpicion, That in his excufation
There shall no man defalte finde. And thus full ofte men be blinde, That ftonden in his word deceived, Er his queintise be perceived.
* Only in MS. Stafford, and Berthelette's editions.
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