[6-text p 571]
Sire at o word / if that thee list it haue
Ye shul paye fourty pound / so god me saue
Line 1361
And nere the freendshipe / þat ye dide er this
To me /. ye sholde paye moore y-wis
¶ This preest the somme of fourty pound anon
Of nobles fette / and took hem euerichon
Line 1365
To this Chanon / for this ilke receit
Al his werkyng nas but fraude and deceit
¶ Sire preest he seyde / I kepe han no loos
Of my craft / for I wolde it kept were cloos
Line 1369
And as ye loue me / kepeth it secree
ffor and men knewen / al my soutiltee
By god / they wolden han so greet enuye
To me / by cause / of my Philosophye
Line 1373
I sholde be deed / ther were noon oother weye [folio 205a]
¶ God it forbeede quod the preest/ what sey ye
Yet hadde I leuere / spenden al the good
Which þat I haue / or elles wexe I wood
Line 1377
Than that ye sholden falle in swiche mescheef/
¶ ffor youre good wyl / sire haue ye right good preef
Quod the Chanon / and farwel grant mercy
He wente his wey / and neuer the preest hym sy
Line 1381
After that day / and whan þat this preest shoolde
Maken assay / at swich tyme as he wolde
Of this receit / farwel / it wolde nat be
Lo thus byiaped / and bigiled was he
Line 1385
Thus maketh he / his introduccion
To brynge folk/ to [hir] destruccion
COnsidereth sires / how þat in ech estaat
Bitwixe men and gold / ther is debaat
Line 1389
So ferforth / that vnnethe is ther noon
This multiplying blent so many oon
That in good feith / I trowe þat it bee
The cause grettest of swich scarsetee
Line 1393
Philosophres / speken so mystily
In this craft þat men kan nat come therby
