868Þere-fore no like no lud · of his luþur fare,
No hope for his harde lif · to haue no mede.
Ye do no alms. For almus-dede do ȝe non · as ȝe demen alle,
871But skarsete & skaþe · vn-skilfully fonden.
Our beasts would scorn your life! Ȝif we lengede in ȝoure land · ful loþ were our bestus
To ben so simple of vs silf · & suffre þat tene!
We scholde folewe oþur folk · & fonden echone
To a-corde of oure costom · wiþ comine peple;
876But ȝe han dainte in dul · ȝoure daies to spene,
& ben y-sustained so · wiþ sorwe in þis wode.
Ye are not to be praised. But ȝe ben litil to a-lowe · of ȝoure luþur fare;
For nouht but nisete · nedful you makus!
880 Ȝoure owne folie, folk · doþ ȝou ful ofte
In hungur & in hard lif · to holde ȝoure people.
Your wives use no gay apparel, Also ȝe sain in ȝour sonde · þat soþly ȝoure wiuus
Ne gon in go gay tyr · as gise of oþure,
884and no man commits adultery & þat ludus in ȝoure land · no lechurie haunten,
But sparen alle spouse-breche · þe space of hure liuus;
& þou ȝe wonde swich werk · me wondrus ful lite!
How can he, with such fare? How miht ȝe lechurie loue · or likinge haue,
888Whan luþur fare haþ alaid · ȝour lustus echone,
Þat ȝe megre ben maad · wiþ mischef & hungur?
For ȝe so simple ben seie · & semen so pore,
Ȝou wantus wordliche won · ȝour wiuus to hihte.
892Ye are chaste perforce. Þere-fore as bestus ȝe ben · & of body chaste,
non reciperemus sapientam de vestra penuria quam habetis, sed ipsa fames in suis finibus remaneret. Si vero in fines [ed. finines] vestros nostra tabernacula figeremus, paupertate sicut vos potiremur. Non enim est laudandus vir qui semper in angustia viuit, sed qui tempereate diuitiis perfruitur. Quot si laudandi [ed. laudendi] essent viri in angustia positi, Ceci claudi et leprosi deberent super ceteros homines commendari. Dixistis etiam quod femine vestre non ornantur, et cuiusmodi ornamenta portabunt, quia non habent et nullatenus possunt habere. Item quod adulteria non committis, sed semper in castitate manetis; quomodo fornicabuntur qui non comedunt? Libido enim non procedit nisi ex calore epatis et ciborum; vos autem non comeditis nisi herbas sicut porci, et fa-
