Iustice he was / ful often in Assise,
By patente / and by pleyn commissioun
ffor his science / and for his heigh renoun
Line 316
Of fees and robes / hadde he many oon
So greet a purchasour / was nowher noon
Al was fee symple to hym in effect
His purchasyng / myghte nat been infect
Line 320
Nowher / so bisy a man as he ther nas
And yet he semed / bisier than he was
In termes hadde he caas and doomes alle
That from the tyme / of kyng william were yfalle
Line 324
Ther-to / he koude endite and make a thyng
Ther koude no wight / pynchen at his writyng
And euery statut / koude he pleyn by rote
He rood but hoomly / in a medlee cote
Line 328
Girt with a ceint of silk / with barres smale
Of his array telle I no lenger tale.
A ffrankeleyn / was in his compaignye [¶ ffrankeleyn]
Whit was his heed / as is a dayesye
Line 332
Of his complexion / he was sangwyn
Wel loued he by the morwe a sope in wyn
To lyuen in delit was euere his wone
For he was / Epicurus owene sone
Line 336
That heeld opinion that pleyn delit [folio 8b]
Was verray felicitee parfit
An housholdere / and that a greet was he
Seint Iulian was he in his contree
Line 340
His breed / his Ale / was alweys after oon
A bettre envyned man / was neuere noon
With oute bake mete / was neuere his hous
Of fissh and flessh / and that so plenteuous
Line 344
It snewed in his hous / of mete and drynke
Of alle deyntees / that men koude thynke
After the sondry sesons / of the yeer
So chaunged he / his mete and his soper
Line 348
fful many a fat partrich / hadde he in Muwe
