Page:Readings in European History Vol 1.djvu/410

 374 Readings in European History And when the Abbat dothe amonge his bretheren suppe, Then tossed are the cuppes with quaffinge to and froe, And then with bothe his handes the wine he holdeth uppe, And with a thunderinge voice these wordes he doth out- blowe : " O how muche glorious is the lordes lamp so bright, The cuppe in strong man's hande, that makes men druncke I meane. O Baccus, god of wyne ! our convent guyde aright, With fruict of Daviddes stocke to wash us thoroughlie cleane." And aftir this the cuppe he takethe from the breade, And cryes alowde, " Ho ! sires, can yow as well as I Drincke this cuppe in his kind that I lift to my heade?" They answer, " Yea, we can," then goe to by and by. Then of a moncke a right demoniacke is made, And everie moncke dothe chatte and jangle with his brother, As popingaye or pie, the which are taught this trade, By filling of their gorge, to speake one to an other. Their order to transgresse, thei have but small remorce, By fraude and perjurie, by missreport and spite, By gredines of mynde, withholdinge thinges by force, By filling of their pawnches, and fleshlie fowle delight. Wurse than a moncke there is no feende nor sprite in hell, Nothinge as covetuouse nor more straunge to be knowen, For yf yow give him ought, he maie possesse it well, But if you aske him ought, then nothinge is his owne. The German minnesinger, Walther von der Vogel- weide, who lived a little later than Walter Mapes, speaks in a still more bitter tone of the popes :