"The goddés, which her pleintés
herd
And sigh how wofully she ferd,
Her life they toke awey anone
And shopen her into a stone
After the forme of her ymáge
Of body both and of visage.
And for the merveile of this thing
Unto this placé came the king
And eke the quene and many mo,
And whan they wisten it was so,
As I have tolde it here above,
How that Iphís was dede for love
Of that he haddé be refused,
They helden allé men excused
And wondren upon the vengeaúnce.
And for to kepé remembraúnce
This faire ymagé maiden liche,
With compaignié noble and riche
With torche and great solempnité
To Salaminé the cité,
They lede and carie forth withall
This dede corps, and saine it shall
Besidé thilke ymágé have
His sepulture and be begrave.1
This corps and this ymágé thus
Into the cité to Venús,
As thing which shulde abidé stable,
The letters graven in a table
Of marbre were and saiden this:
'Here lith, which sloughe him self,
Iphis
For love of Araxarathen,
And in ensample of tho women
That suffren men to deié so,
Her forme a man may se also,
How it is tornéd flesshe and bone
Into the figure of a stone.
He was to neissh1 and she to harde,
Beware forthý here afterwarde,
Ye men and women, bothé two,
Ensampleth you of that was tho.'
"Lo thus, my sone, as I thee say
It greveth by diversé way
In Desespeire a man to falle,
Which is the lasté braunch of alle
Of Slouthe, as thou hast herd devise,
Wherof that thou thy self avise
Good is, er that thou be deceived
Wher that the grace of hope is
weived."-
"My fader, how so that it stonde, Now have I pleinly understonde Of Slouthés Court the properté, Wherof touchénd in my degre For ever I thenké to beware. But over this so as I dare With all min hert I you beseche,
Where that goddesse her temple That yeme wolde enforme and teche,
To-gider bothé two they lad.
This ilke ymáge as for miracle
Was set upon an high pinácle
That allé men it mighté knowe,
And under that they maden lowe
A tombé riché for the nones
Of marbre and eke of jaspre stones,
Wherin that Iphis was beloken
That evermore it shall be spoken.
And for men shall the sothé wite
They have her epitaphé write
What there is more of your apprise
In Love als well as otherwise,
So that I may me clené shrive."-
My soné, while thou art alive
And hast also thy fullé minde,
Among the Vices, which I finde,
There is yet one such of the Seven
Which all this world hath set uneven
And causeth many thingés wronge
Where he the cause hath underfonge;
Wherof hereafter thou shalt here
The formé bothe and the matére.
1 Neissh, delicate.
First whan the highé God began
worlde and that the kind
Was fall into no gret encress,
For worldés good was tho1 no press
But all was set to the comune,
They speken than of no fortúne
Or for to lese or for to winne,
Till Avaricé brought it inne.
And that was whan the world was
Of man, of hors, of shepe, of oxe,
And that men knewen the monéy,
Tho wenté pees out of the wey
And werré came on every side,
Whiche allé lové laid aside
And of común his propré made,
So that in stede of shovel and spade
The sharpéswerd was take on honde.
And in this wise it cam to londe
Wherof men maden diches depe
And highé wallés for to kepe
The gold which Avarice encloseth.
But all to litel him supposeth,
Though he might all the world pur-
cháse.
For what thing that he may embrace
Of golde, of catel or of londe,
He let it never out of his honde,
But get him more and halt it fast,
As though the world shuld ever last.
1 Tho, then.
So is he lich unto the helle,
For as these olde bokés telle,
What cometh ther in lass or more
It shall departé nevermore.
Thus whan he hath his cofre loken,
It shall nought after ben unstoken 1
But whan him list to have a sight
Of gold, how that it shineth bright,
That he theron may loke and muse,
For otherwise he dare nought use
To take his part or lasse or more.
So is he pouer, and evermore
Him lacketh that he hath inough.
An oxé draweth in the plough
Of that him self hath no profíte,
A shep right in the samé plite
His wolle bereth, but on a day
An other taketh the flees away.
Thus hath he, that he nought ne
hath,
For he therof his part ne tath,2
Το
say how suche a man hath good
Who so that reson understood
It is unproperliché said;
That good hath him and halt him
taid 3
That he ne gladdeth nought withall,
But is unto his good a thrall
And a subgit; thus serveth he
Where that he shuldé maister be:
2 Tath, taketh.
1 Unstoken, unbarred.
3 Taid, tied.
Suche is the kinde of thavarous.
My sone, as thou art amorous, Tell if thou fare of Lové so."
"My fader, as it semeth, no,
That avarous yet never I was,
So as ye setten me the cas.
For as ye tolden here above
In full possessiön of love
Yet was I never here to-fore,
So that me thenketh well therfore
I may excusé well my dede.
But of my will withouté drede
If I that tresor mighté gete
It shuldé never be foryete
That I ne wolde it fasté holde,
Till God of Love him selvé wolde
That deth us shuld departe atwo.
For leveth well, I love her so,
That even with min owné life,
If I that sweté lusty wife
Might onés welden at my wille,
For ever I wold holde her stille.
And in this wisé, taketh kepe,
If I her had I wolde her kepe;
And yet no friday wolde I fast,
Though I her kepte and heldé fast.
Fy on the baggés in the kist,
I had inough if I her kist.
For certés if she weré min,
I had her lever than a mine
Of gold, for all this worldes riche
Ne mighté maké me so riche
As she, that is so inly good
I setté nought of other good;
For might I getté such a thing,
I had a tresor for a king,
And though I wolde it fasté holde,
I weré thanné wel beholde.
But I might pipé now with lasse
And suffre that it overpasse,
Nought with my will, for thus I
wolde
Ben avaroús if that I sholde,
But fader, I you herdé say,
How thavaroús hath yet some way,
Wherof he may be glad. For he
May, whan him list, his tresor se
And grope and fele it all aboute.
But I full ofte am shet theroute,
There as my worthy tresor is,
So is my life lich unto this
That ye me tolden here to-fore,
How that an oxe his yoke hath bore
For thing that shulde him nought
availe;
And in this wise I me travaile.
For who that ever hath the welfare
I wot wel that I have the care,
For I am had and nought ne have
And am as who saith lovés knave.
Now demeth in your owné thought,
If this be avarice or nought."—
"My sone, I have of thee no
wonder,
Though thou to servé be put under With Lové, which to kinde accordeth.
But so as every boke recordeth,
It is to findé no plesaunce
That man above his sustenaunce
Unto the gold shall serve and bowe,
For that may no resón avowe,
But Avaricé nethéles,
If he may geten his encrés
Of gold, that wold he serve and kepe,
For he taketh of nought ellés kepe,
But for to fille his baggés large;
And all is to him but a charge,
For he ne parteth nought withall,
But kepeth it as a servaunt shall,
And thus though that he multiply
His goldé, without tresory
He is, for man is nought amended
With gold but if it be despended
To mannés use, wherof I rede
A tale and take therof good hede
Of that befell by oldé tide,
As telleth us the clerke Ovide.
Bachus, which is the god of
wine,
Accordant unto his divine
A prest the which Cillenus hight
He had, and fell so, that by night
This prest was drunke and goth
Wherof the men were evil apaied
In Phrigilond, where as he went.
But atté last a cherle him hent
With strength of other felaship,
So that upon his drunkeship
They bounden him with cheines
faste
And forth they lad him also faste
Unto the king, which highté Mide.
But he that wolde his Vicé hide
This curteis king toke of him hede
And bad, that men him shuldé lede
Into a chambre for to kepe,
Till he of leiser hadde slepe.
And tho this prest was sone unbound
And up a couché fro the ground
To slepe he was laid soft inough.
And whan he woke, the king him
drough
To his presénce and did him chere,
So that this prest in such manere
While that him liketh ther he
dwelleth,
And al this he to Bachus telleth
Whan that he cam to him ayein.
And whan that Bachus herdé sain
How Mide hath done his curtesy,
Him thenketh, it were a vilany
But he reward him for his dede,
So as he might of his godhede.
Unto this king this god appereth
And clepeth, and that other hereth.
This god to Midé thonketh faire
Of that he was so debonaire
Toward his prest, and bad him say
What thinge it were he woldé pray
He shulde it have, of worldés good.
This king was glad and stillé stood
And was of his axínge in doubte
And all the worlde he cast aboute,
What thing was best for his estate.
And with him self stood in debate
Upon thre pointés, which I finde
Ben levest unto mannés kinde.
The first of hem it is delite,
The two ben worship and profite.
And than he thought, if that I crave
Delite, though I delite may have,
Delite shall passen in my age;
That is no siker avantage.
For every joié bodely
Shall ende in wo, delite forthý
Woll I nought chese. And if worship
I axe and of the world lordship,
That is an occupation
Of proude ymaginatiön,
Which maketh an herté vein with-
There is no certain for to winne, For lorde and knave is all o wey Whan they be bore and whan they deie.
And if I profite axé wolde,
I not in what manér I sholde
Of worldés good have sikernesse,
For every thefe upon richesse
Awaiteth for to robbe and stele.
Such good is cause of harmés fele ;
And also though a man at ones
Of all the world within his wones 1.
The tresor might have every dele,
Yet had he but one mannés dele
Toward him self, so as I thinke,
Of clothing and of mete and drinke,
For more, out také vanité,
There hath no lord in his degre.
And thus upon these points
diverse
Diverselich he gan reherce, What point it thought him for the best.
But pleinly for to get him rest
He can no siker waié cast,
And nethéles yet atté laste
He fell upon the covetise
Of gold, and than in sondry wise
He thought, as I have said to-fore,
How tresor may be soné lore,
And hadde an inly great desir
Touchénde of such recoverír,
How that he might his cause availe
To gete him gold withouté faile.
Within his hert and thus he preiseth
The gold, and saith how that he
peiseth
Above all other metal most.
The gold, he saith, may lede an hoste
To maké werre ayein a king,
The gold put under allé thing
And set it whan him list above,
The gold can make of haté love
And werre of pees and right of wrong
And long to short and short to long.
Withouté gold may be no fest,
Gold is the lord of man and best
And may hem bothé beie and selle,
So that a man may sothly telle
That all the world to golde obeieth.
"Forthý this king to Bachus
preieth
To graunt him gold, but he excedeth
Mesúré moré than him nedeth.
Men tellen, that the malady,
Which clepéd is ydropesy
Resembled is unto this Vice
By way of kinde of Avarice.
The more ydropesié drinketh,
The more him thursteth, for him
thinketh
That he may never drink his fille.
So that there may no thing fulfille
The lustés of his appetite,
And right in such a maner plite
Stant Avarice and ever stood;
The more he hath of worldés good,
The more he wolde it kepé streite
And ever more and more coveite,
And right in such condicion
Withouté good discreciön
This king with Avarice is smitte,
That all the worlde it mighté witte.
For he to Bachus thanné preide,
That therupon his honde he leide,
It shuldé through his touche anone
Becomé gold; and therupon
This god him graunteth as he bad.
Tho was this kinge of Phrigé glad.
And for to put it in assay
With all the hasté that he may
He toucheth that, he toucheth this,
And in his hond all gold it is;
The stone, the tre, the leef, the gras,
The flour, the fruit, all gold it was.
Thus toucheth he while he may laste
To go, but hunger atté laste
Him toké so, that he must nede
By wey of kinde his hunger fede.
The cloth was laid, the bord was set
And all was forth to-fore him set
His dissh, his cup, his drink, his
But whan he wolde or drinke or ete
Anone as it his mouth cam nigh
It was all gold, and than he sigh
Of Avaricé the folie.
And he with that began to crie
And preidé Bachus to foryive
His gilt and suffre him for to live
And be such as he was to-fore,
So that he weré nought forlore.
This god which herd of this gre-
vaúnce
Toke routhe upon his repentaúnce
And bad him go forth redély
Unto a flood was fasté by,
The which Pactolé thanné hight,
In whiche als clene as ever he might
He shuld him wasshen overall,
And said him thanné that he shall
Recover his first estate ayein.
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