O hateful harm! condicion of poverte!
With thurst, with cold, with hunger so confounded! 100
To asken help thee shameth in thyn herte;
If thou noon aske, with nede artow so wounded,
That verray nede unwrappeth al thy wounde hid!
Maugree thyn heed, thou most for indigence
Or stele, or begge, or borwe thy despence! 105
Thou blamest Crist, and seyst ful bitterly,
He misdeparteth richesse temporal;
Thy neighebour thou wytest sinfully, (10)
And seyst thou hast to lyte, and he hath al.
‘Parfay,’ seistow, ‘somtyme he rekne shal, 110
Whan that his tayl shal brennen in the glede,
For he noght helpeth needfulle in hir nede.’
Herkne what is the sentence of the wyse:—
‘Bet is to dyën than have indigence;’
Thy selve neighebour wol thee despyse; 115
If thou be povre, farwel thy reverence!
Yet of the wyse man tak this sentence:—
‘Alle the dayes of povre men ben wikke;’ (20)
Be war therfor, er thou come in that prikke!
If thou be povre, thy brother hateth thee, 120
And alle thy freendes fleen fro thee, alas!
O riche marchaunts, ful of wele ben ye,
O noble, o prudent folk, as in this cas!
Your bagges been nat filled with _ambes as_,
But with _sis cink_, than renneth for your chaunce; 125
At Cristemasse merie may ye daunce!
Ye seken lond and see for your winninges,
As wyse folk ye knowen al thestaat (30)
Of regnes; ye ben fadres of tydinges
And tales, bothe of pees and of debat. 130
I were right now of tales desolat,
Nere that a marchaunt, goon is many a yere,
Me taughte a tale, which that ye shal here.
102. _So_ Hn.; Cp. Pt. art þou so; Ln. þou art so; Hl. so art thou;
_but_ E. so soore artow ywoundid. 109. E. Hn. lite; _rest_ litel.
118. E. _om._ the. 119. E. Hn. Hl. to; Cp. Pt. Ln. in. 124. E.
fild.
[134: T. 4554-4579.]
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