Page:Gesta Romanorum - Swan - Hooper.djvu/437

Rh And therefore, am I nought to wite. And overmore, I will me 'quit,
 * Of gold that I the mantle took:

Gold in his kind, as saith the book, Is heavy both, and cold also; And fór that it was heavy so, Methought it was no garn-e-ment Unto the god convenient, To clothen him the summer tide: I thought upon that other side, How gold is cold, and such a cloth By reason ought-e to be lothe In winter tim-e for the chiel. And thus thinking thought-es fele As I mine eye about-e cast, His larg-e beard-e then at last I saw; and thought anon therefore How that his father him before. Which stood upon the sam-e place, Was beardless, with a youngly face. And in such wise, as ye have heard I took away the son-nes beard, For that his father had-e none. To make him like; and hereupon I ask for to be excused."
 * Lo, thus where sacrilege is used,

A man can feign his consciénce; And right upon such evidénce In lov-es cause if I shall treat, There be of such-e small and great. If they no leisure find-e else, They will not wend-e for the bells; Not tho' they see the priest at mass— That will they letten over-pass: If that they find their lov-e there They stand, and tellen in her ear; And ask of God none other grace, Whil-e they be in that holy place. But ere they go, some advantáge There will they have; and some pilláge Of goodly word, or of behest; Or else they taken at the least Out of her hand a ring or glove, So nigh, the weder they will hove — As who saith, "She shall not forget Now I this token of her have get."
 * Thus hallow they the high-e feast.

Such theft-e may no church arrest,