Page 167
ÞE UERÞE STAPE OF PROUESSE.
Ase þe holy gost makeþ his knyȝt ziker uor to abide þe tormens and þe zorȝes þet byeþ to comene. Alsuo he him makeþ strang and þolyinde. uor to þolye huanne hi comeþ. and þet is þe uerþe stape þet hi clepieþ / pacience. be þise uirtue / þe guode ouercomþ alle his uyendes. þane dyeuel. þe wordle. and þet uless. and al þet hi moȝe zigge and do. Vor þet is þe sseld [typographic Fol. 52. a.] of gold / to him þet uor godes loue þoleþ / þet him wriȝþ of eche half / ase zayþ þe sauter. zuo þet no strok / ne may him breke þe herte. Þise uirtue non ne heþ : þet ne heþ bi uonded. Vor tribulacion : makeþ pacience. Ase zayþ zaynte paul. ase þet uer: makeþ þe teȝele / hard. Wyþ-oute þise uirtue non ne is y-proued. ne þet gold ne may by wyþ-oute uer y-clensed. wyþ-oute pacience : non ne heþ uictorie. Vor huo þet lyest pacience : he is ouercome. wyþ-oute pacience : non ne comþ to perfeccion. Þerof we yzeþ uorbisne / ate leste ine alle þe mestyeres þet me deþ mid hand. Moche þoleþ þe coupe of gold of strokes of yzen / erþan hi by yzet ope þet bord of þe kinge. and þe chalis er ha by yblissed / and y-zet ope þane weued. Moche þoleþ þe tonne of greate strokes / er me do þrin þet guode wyn. Mochel is defouled mid þe uet of uolleres þe robe of scarlet / erþan þet þe kuen his do an. And ase uele miȝt þou to þan vinde uorbisnes : ase þer byeþ workmen at paris of alle mestyeres. Be þise uirtue is strang þe man / ase þet ysen þet alle metals a-daunteþ. Of grat pris ase þet gold / þet þe more hit is ine uere : þe more hit is clene / and clyer / and tretable. ase þe salamandre þet leueþ ine þe uere. and ase þe viss þet ine þe trauailinde wetere : him baþeþ and norisseþ.