'And I shal telle the euerydel:
Line 17696
Gracë dieu, ful yore agon,
Among the planetys euerychon,
(As clerkys wel rehersë konne,)
In the zodyak sette a sonne,
Line 17700
ffor to shede hys bemys bryht,
And to mynystre hys cler lyht
Indyfferently (I the ensure)
Vn-to euery crëature,
Line 17704
And to be comoun, ther-with-al,
To al the world in general;
To make the Erthe with frut habounde,
That ther wer no dyffautë founde.
Line 17708
'Whér-off (yiff I shal nat lye)
I hadde in herte ful gret envye;
ffor, yt wente nat as I wolde;
ffor, my wyl were, that yt sholde
Line 17712
Vn-to my lust appropryd be,
By exaumple as thow shalt se.
'ffyrst, ageyn[e]s al resoun,
I wolde, by vsurpacïoun,
Line 17716
ffro poynt to poynt in ech degre,
The zodyak sholde obeyë me, [folio 251b] [[me St., C. burnt]]
Sonne and mone (ageyns alle skyll), [[St. & C.]]
Wynd and wether were at my wyll; [[C. & St.]]
Line 17720
Al put in my governaunce, [[C. & St.]]
Yt to weye in my ballaunce.
'Al thys thyng (as thow shalt se [[se St., C. burnt]] )
I vsurpe yt vp-on me:
Line 17724
The yer, I weye yt in ballaunce, [Stowe folio 309a]
And selle [yt] ek at my plesaunce;
I selle the wyke, I selle the day,
(To wych no man dar seyë [[sey C., say St.]] nay)
Line 17728
Somtyme by twelue and by thryttene,
By twenty ek, and by nyntene;
And in a yer (who kan yt telle)
The pound for xxty pans [[pens St.]] I selle;
Line 17732
The moneth also, by reknyng,
I selle for ix. or .x. shyllyng; [[C. & St.]]
The wyke also for vj. or fyve,
