O glotonye, ful of cursednesse,
O cause first of our confusioun,
O original of our dampnacioun,
Til Crist had boght us with his blood
agayn!

Lo, how dere, shortly for to sayn,
Aboght 28 was thilke cursed vileinye;
Corrupt was al this world for glotonye!

175

Adam our fader, and his wyf also, Fro Paradys to labour and to wo Were driven for that vyce, it is no drede;29 For whyl that Adam fasted, as I rede, 180 He was in Paradys; and whan that he Eet of the fruyt defended30 on the tree, Anon he was out-cast to wo and peyne. O glotonye, on thee wel oghte us pleyne!31 O, wiste a man how many maladyes Folwen of excesse and of glotonyes, He wolde been the more mesurable32 Of his diete, sittinge at his table. Allas! the shorte throte, the tendre mouth, Maketh that, Est and West, and North

and South,

185

190

Sente him a paire of dees of gold in scorn,
For he hadde used hasard ther-biforn; 296
For which he heeld his glorie or his renoun
At no value or reputacioun.
Lordes may fynden other maner pley
Honeste ynough to dryve the day awey. 300
Now wol I speke of othes false and grete
A word or two, as olde bokes trete.
Gret swering is a thing abhominable,
And fals swering is yet more reprevable.
The heighe god forbad swering at al,
Witnesse on Mathew; but in special
Of swering seith the holy Ieremye,
"Thou shalt seye sooth thyn othes, and
nat lye,

305

And swere in dome, and eek in rightwisnesse;' ""

But ydel swering is a cursednesse.
Bihold and see, that in the firste table
Of heighe goddes hestes honurable,

310

Forswering, ire, falsnesse, homicyde.
Now, for the love of Crist that for us dyde,
Leveth your othes, bothe grete and smale;
But, sirs, now wol I telle forth my tale. 332

Thise ryotoures three, of whiche I telle,
Longe erst er pryme16 rong of any belle,
Were set hem in a taverne for to drinke; 335
And as they satte, they herde a belle clinke
Biforn a cors, was caried to his grave;
That oon of hem gan callen to his knave,
"Go bet,"17 quod he, "and axe redily,
What cors is this that passeth heer forby;
And look that thou reporte his name
wel."

341

"Sir," quod this boy, "it nedeth neveradel. 18

It was me told, er ye cam heer, two houres; He was, pardee, an old felawe19, of youres; And sodeynly he was yslayn to-night, 345 For-dronke, 20 as he sat on his bench upright;

Ther cam a privee theef, men clepeth21
Deeth,

That in this contree al the peple sleeth,
And with his spere he smoot his herte
atwo,
And wente his wey with-outen wordes mo.
He hath a thousand slayn this pestilence:

349

Me thinketh that it were necessarie For to be war of swich an adversarie: Beth redy for to mete him evermore. Thus taughte me my dame, I sey namore. "By seinte Marie," seyde this taverner, "The child seith sooth,22 for he hath slayn this yeer,

11 plainly. 12 depart. 13 five.

14 three.

15 cursed. 16 nine o'clock A. M. 17 quickly. 18 there is no need of it. 19 companion. 20 dead drunk. 22 truth.

21 name.

Henne1 over a myle, with-in a greet village, Both man and womman, child and hyne,2

and page.

360

I trowe his habitacioun be there;
To been avysed3 greet wisdom it were,
Er that he dide a man a dishonour."
"Ye, goddes armes," quod this ryotour,
"Is it swich peril with him for to mete? 365
I shal him seke by wey and eek by strete,
I make avow to goddes digne1 bones!
Herkneth, felawes, we three been al ones;5
Lat ech of us holde up his hond til other,
And ech of us bicomen otheres brother, 370
And we wol sleen this false traytour Deeth;
He shal be slayn, which that so many
sleeth,

By goddes dignitee, er it be night.”

Togidres han thise three her trouthes plight,

To live and dyen ech of hem for other, 375 As though he were his owene yboren brother.

And up they sterte al dronken, in this rage, And forth they goon towardes that village, Of which the taverner had spoke biforn, And many a grisly ooth than han they

Thou spak right now of thilke traitour Deeth,

425 That in this contree alle our frendes sleeth. Have heer my trouthe, as thou art his aspye,23

24

25

Tel wher he is, or thou shalt it abye,2 By god, and by the holy sacrament! For soothly thou art oon of his assent, 430 To sleen us yonge folk, thou false theef!" "Now, sirs," quod he, "if that yow be so leef26

To finde Deeth, turne up this croked wey, For in that grove I lafte him, by my fey, Under a tree, and ther he wol abyde; 435 Nat for your boost 28 he wol him no-thing hyde.

See ye that ook? right ther ye shul him finde.

God save yow, that boghte agayn mankinde,

And yow amende!"-thus seyde this olde

man.

440

And everich of thise ryotoures ran, Til he cam to that tree, and ther they founde

Of florins fyne of golde ycoyned rounde Wel ny an eighte1 busshels, as hem thoughte.

No lenger thanne after Deeth they soughte, But ech of hem so glad was of that sighte, For that the florins been so faire and brighte, 446

That doun they sette hem by this precious hord.

The worste of hem he spak the firste word. "Brethren," quod he, "tak kepe2 what I seye;

My wit is greet, though that I bourde3 and pleye.

450

This tresor hath fortune un-to us yiven,
In mirthe and Iolitee our lyf to liven,
And lightly as it comth, so wol we spende.
Ey! goddes precious dignitee! who wende1
To-day, that we sholde han so faire a
grace?

455

485

Thy profit wol I telle thee anon.
Thou woost wel that our felawe is agon;
And heer is gold, and that ful greet plentee,
That shal departed been among us three.
But natheles, if I can shape it so
That it departed were among us two,
Hadde I nat doon a frendes torn to thee?"
That other answerde, "I noot how that
may be;

He woot10 how that the gold is with us tweye;

What shal we doon, what shal we to him seye?"

490

"Shal it be conseil?" seyde the firste shrewe, 12

"And I shal tellen thee, in wordes fewe, What we shal doon, and bringe it wel aboute."

"I graunte," quod that other, "out of doute,

biwreye."13

495

"Now," quod the firste, "thou woost wel we be tweye,

And two of us shul strenger be than oon. Look whan that he is set, and right anoon Arys, as though thou woldest with him pleye;

And I shal ryve him thurgh the sydes tweye

500

Whyl that thou strogelest with him as in game,

And with thy dagger look thou do the

same;

And than shal al this gold departed be, My dere freend, bitwixen me and thee; Than may we bothe our lustes al fulfille,505 And pleye at dees right at our owene wille."

And thus acorded14 been thise shrewes tweye

To sleen the thridde, as ye han herd me

seye.

2 note of.

* jest.

4 thought.

6 quickly.

7 it seems best.

8 fist.

12 scoundrel.

13 betray.

14 agreed.