Page:Romance of the Rose (Ellis), volume 2.pdf/174

146

Than are the poor, and so much more

Their souls have need of watching o’er.

Yet true it is dire poverty

Draws men to sin as much, pardee,

As too great wealth; they both man’s soul

Distain, and hinder from its goal.

For Poverty and Riches are

The two extremes, and better far

Is plain sufficiency; between

The two is most of virtue seen.

And hath not wise King Solomon

This matter well discoursed upon

Within his book of Proverbs? it

We find in chapter thirty writ:

God in thy mercy give to me

Nor riches nor yet poverty!

For whensoe’er a man doth wrap

His soul in wealth, ’twill surely sap

His virtue, till at last the debt

He owes his Maker he’ll forget.

And who with Poverty doth fight,

How shall he keep his soul aright?

Alas! perforce he comes to be

Befouled with theft and perjury,

Or God doth lie, for he hath said,

By Solomon, they both are wed

To Poverty. And dare I swear,

Free of reproach, that no man e’er

Hath found in any sacred book

(At least ’twere vain in ours to look)

That Christ and his apostles dear

The while on earth they wandered here,