and swere I myght ha sold it so
the last[ë] day, to a chapman:
thus I begyll many a man
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¶ withe this hand of whiche I tell,
bothë when I by and sell.
'this hand myght nat well be worse:
some tyme ther-with I can sell horse,
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and lyke a falce coursar, I can
with othis deceyue many a man.
'som tyme by borows and by towns
I walke about[en] with pardons,
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with reliks, and dedë bones,
closyd vndar glase and stons:
I shew them vndar sell and bull,
and thus the pore people I pull,
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of ther sylvar I make them quite,
in falsnes I ha so gret delyght.
'to abbeys eke I can wel gon,
stell ymagis of tre and stone,
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thowghe they ben old, & paynt them newe,
and make them semë freshe of hewe,
with colours bothë whit and redd;
and at theyr brestis and at ther hedd
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I set berryls and crystall;
vndar, I make an hole full smale;
I put in oylë, wyne, and blood,
and melke also, to get[ten] good;
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make the lycour round about,
at small holes to rennyn out,
as it were done by myracle,
that ther nis balme nor triacle
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in this world, so ryche of prys,
of foltyshe people that ben nat wys.
'I set eke out swyche ymagis,
in stret[i]s and at hermytagis,
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and in subbarbys at many a towne,
with bullis fret full of pardon;
byshops seles be nat behynd:
and thus I makë folk[ë]s blynd,
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by my sleyght and by my guyle.
