And therefore, am I nought to wite.[1]
And overmore, I will me 'quit,[2]
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[3]
Unto the god convenient,
To clothen him the summer tide:[4]
I thought upon that other side,
How gold is cold, and such a cloth
By reason ought-e to be lothe[5]
In winter tim-e for the chiel.
And thus thinking thought-es fele[6]
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[7] they will hove[8]—
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,[9]
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