Wel koude he in eschaunge sheeldes selle
This worthy man / ful wel his wit bisette
Ther wiste no wight þat he was in dette
Line 280
So estatly / was he of his gouernaunce
With his bargaynes / and with his cheuyssaunce
ffor sothe / he was a worthy man with alle
But sooth to seyn / I noot how men hym calle
Line 284
A Clerk ther was / of Oxenford also [¶ Clerk of Oxenford,]
That vn to logyk / hadde longe ygo
And leene was his hors as is a rake
And he nas nat right fat, I vndertake
Line 288
But looked holwe / and ther to sobrely [folio 8a]
fful thredbare / was his ouereste courtepy
ffor he hadde geten hym yet no benefice
Ne was so worldly / for to haue office
Line 292
ffor hym was leuere / haue at his beddes heed
Twenty bookes / clad in blak or reed
Of Aristotle / and his Philosophie
Than robes riche / or fithele / or gay sautrie
Line 296
But al be / that he was a Philosophre
Yet hadde he / but litel gold in cofre
But al þat he myghte / of his freendes hente
On bookes / and his lernynge he it spente
Line 300
And bisily / gan for the soules preye
Of hem / þat yaf hym wher with to scoleye
Of studie took he moost cure and moost heede
Noght o word / spak he moore than was neede
Line 304
And that was seyd / in forme and reuerence
And short and quyk and ful of hy sentence
Sownynge in moral vertu / was his speche
And gladly wolde he lerne and gladly teche
Line 308
A Sergeant of the Lawe / war and wys [¶ Sergeant of lawe]
That often hadde been at the Parvys
Ther was also / ful riche of excellence
Discreet he was / and of greet reuerence
Line 312
He semed swich / hise wordes weren so wise
