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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,

Confeffor.

Amans.

Confeffor.

12.

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,

fpoliis infidiatur.

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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