But netheles yet other while
For all his fleight and all his guile,
Of that he wolde his werke forfake
He is atteint and overtake,
Wherof thou fhalte a tale rede,
In Rome as it befell in dede.
Er Rome cam to the creaunce
qui larvata confcien- Of Criftes feith, it fell perchaunce, cia facrilegium fibi
licere fingunt.
narrat, quod cum
Et Cefar, which tho was emperour, quidam Lucius cleri- Him lifte for to done honour cus famofus et impe
ratori notus deum Unto the temple Apollinis,
templo Rome de anu- And made an ymage upon this, lo fuo, pallio et barba The which was cleped Apollo, aurea fpoliaffet, ipfe
tandem apprehenfus Was none fo riche in Rome tho. et coram imperatore
accufatus taliter fe Of plate of golde a berde he hadde,
lum a deo recepi, The which his breft all over spradde.
tenfo ex fua largitate Of golde alfo withoute faile
michi obtulit,pallium His mantell was of large entaile
ftructum tuli, quia Befet with perrie all about,
aurum maxime pon- Forth right he ftraught his finger out,
derofum et frigidum
naturaliter confiftit,
unde nec in eftate Upon the which he had a ringe,
propter pondus, nec To feen it was a riche thing, in yeme propter fri
gus ad dei veftes utile A fine carbuncle for the nones fuit, barbam a deo
depofui, qui ipfum Most precious of alle stones.
patri fuo affimulare
volui. Nam et A
And fell that time in Rome thus
pollo, qui ante ipfum There was a clerke one Lucius, in templo ftetit, abf
que barba juvenis A courteour, a famous man, apparuit, et fic ea que
geffi non ex furto, fed Of every wit fomwhat he can, honeftate proceffiffe
manifeste declaravi. Out take that him lacketh reule
His owne eftat to guide and reule.
How so it stood of his speking,
He was nought wife in his doing,
But every riote ate last
Mot nedes falle and may nought laste
After the mede of his deferte.
So fell this clerke in pouerte
And wiste nought how for to rise,
Wherof in many a fondry wise
He caft his wittes here and ther,
He loketh nigh, he loketh fer,
Till on a time that he come
Into the temple and hede he nome,
Where that the god Apollo stood,
He figh the richeffe and the good
And thought he wolde by some way
The trefor picke and stele away.
And therupon fo fleighly wrought,
That his purpose about he brought,
And went awey unapperceived.
Thus hath the man his god deceived,
His ring, his mantel and his berd,
As he, which nothing was aferd,
All prively with him he bare.
And whan the wardeins weren ware
Of that her god defpuiled was,
Hem thought it was a wonder cas,
How that a man for any wele
Durft in fo holy place ftele,
And namely fo great a thing.
This tale came unto the king,
And was through spoken over all.
But for to knowe in fpeciall,
What maner man hath do the dede,
They foughten helpe upon the nede
And maden calculacion,
Wherof by demonstracion
The man was founde with the good,
In jugement and whan he stood,
The king hath axed of him thus:
Say thou, unfely Lucius,
Why haft thou don this facrilegge?
My lord, if I the cause allegge,
Quod he ayein, me thenketh this,
That I have do nothing amis.
Thre points ther ben, which I have do,
Wherof the firfte point stant so,
That I the ring have take away,
As unto that this woll I fay,
Whan I the god behelde about,
I figh, how he his hond ftraught out
And profred me the ring to yive.
And I, which wolde gladly live,
Out of pouerte, through his largeffe
It underfang, fo that I geffe,
As therof I am nought to wite.
And overmore I woll me quite
Of gold that I the mantel toke,
Gold in his kind, as faith the boke,
Is hevy both and colde alfo.
And for that it was hevy fo,
Me thought it was no garnement
Unto the god convenient
To clothen him the fomer tide,
I thought upon that other fide,
How gold is colde, and fuch a clothe
By refon ought to be lothe
In winter time for the chele.
And thus thenkende thoughtes fele
As I min eie aboute caft,
His large berd than ate last
I figh and thought anone therfore,
How that his fader him before,
Which stood upon the fame place,
Was berdles with a yongly face.
And in fuch wife, as ye have herde,
I toke away the fones berde
For that his fader hadde none
To make hem liche, and here upon
I axe for to ben excufed.
Lo thus, where facrilegge is used,
A man can feigne his confcience
And right upon fuch evidence]
In loves cause if I fhall trete,
There ben of fuche fmall and great,
If they no leifer finden elles,
They wol nought wonden for the belles,
Ne though they sen the preft at masse,
That wol they leten overpaffe,
If that they finden her love there,
They ftande and tellen in her ere
And axe of god none other grace,
While they ben in that holy place.
But er they gon, fome avauntage
There will they have, and fome pilage
Of goodly word or of behefte,
Or elles they take ate leste
Out of her honde a ring or glove,
So nigh the weder they will hove,
As who faith she shall nought foryete,
Now I this token of her have gete.
Thus halwe they the highe feste,
Such thefte may no chirch arefte,
For all is lefull that hem liketh,
To whom that elles it misliketh.
And eke right in the selve kinde
In great citees men may finde
This lufty folk, that make hem gay,
And waite upon the haliday,
In chirches and in minftres eke
They gon the women for to seke,
And where that fuch one goth about
To-fore the fairest of the route,
Where as they fitten all a rewe,
There will he mofte his body fhewe,
His croket kempt and theron set
An ouche, with a chapelet
Or elles one of grene leves,
Which late came oute of the greves,
All for he fhulde feme fresh.
And thus he loketh on his flesh
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