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Their misery dire by alms, till they

By handicraft their needs may stay.

But doing so they must not shirk

Hard labour, and seek ghostly work;

But I, by this, no figure mean,

But true hand work.

And thus I ween

In these examples that I give,

With reason, men may beg to live,

But in rare other case, I wot,

If good Saint-Amour lieth not,

Who of the matter held dispute

With men, deep read, of wit acute,

At Paris, most profound divines;

God starve me of good meats and wines

Unless his book in accord be

With Paris University;

Yea, and with all the world beside,

Which hailed his preaching far and wide,

And ne’er shall any who refuse

His doctrine find with God excuse.

Let those who scoff at him scoff still,

And grumblers grumble as they will,

For my part, I shall ever hold

His name in honour, and with bold

Stout words support him, though thereby

I lose my life, or cruelly

Be cast in gaol like holy Paul,

Or else be banished far from all

My friends like William Saint-Amour,

Who was, not many years before

I write, by Dame Hypocrisy,

My dam, exiled, all envious she.