Page:Gesta Romanorum - Swan - Hooper.djvu/436

352 And wist not how for to rise Whereof in many a sundry wise He cast his wit-es here and there, He looketh nigh, he looketh far. Fell on a tim-e that he come Into the temple, and heed nome Where that the god Apollo stood; He saw the riches, and the good; And thought he wold-e by some way, The treasure pick and steal away. And thereupon so slily wrought, That his purpóse about he brought. And went away unaperceived: Thus hath the man his god deceived— His ring, his mantle, and his beard, As he which nothing was afeard, All privily with him he bare; And when the wardens were aware Of that, their god despoiled was. They thought it was a wondrous case, How that a man for any weal, Durst in so holy plac-e steal, And nam-e-ly, so great a thing!— This tale cam-e unto the king, And was through spoken over-all. But for to know in special, What manner man hath done the deed, They soughten help upon the need, And maden calculatión, Whereof by demonstratión The man was found-e with the good. In judgment, and when he stood, The king hath asked of him thus— "Say, thou unsely Lucius, Why hast thou done this sacrilege?" "My lord, if I the cause allege," (Quoth he again,) "me-thinketh this. That I have done nothíng amiss. Three points there be, which I have do, Whereof the first-e point stands so, That I the ring have ta'en away— Unto this point this will I say." When I the god beheld about, I saw how he his hand stretched out, And proffered me the ring to yeve; And I, which wold-e gladly live Out of povérte thro' his largéss, It underfang, so that I guess;