¶ Gabbe I of þis. þou wolt seye nay. 1308 ¶ Certys rycchesse han anoyed ful ofte hem þat han þe rycchesse. [Sidenote: Every wicked man desires another’s wealth, and esteems him alone happy who is in possession of riches.] ¶ Syn þat euery wicked shrew {and} for hys wickednesse þe more gredy aftir oþer folkes rycchesse wher so euer it be in any place. be it golde or 1312 p{re}cious stones. [[pg 50]] [Sidenote: [* fol. 13.]] {and} weniþ hym *only most worþi þat haþ hem [Sidenote: You, therefore, who now so much dread the instruments of assassination, if you had been born a poor wayfaring man, might, with an empty purse, have sung in the face of robbers.] ¶ þou þan þat so besy dredest now þe swerde {and} þe spere. yif þou haddest entred in þe paþe of þis lijf a voide wayfaryng man. þan woldest þou syng[e] 1316 by-fore þe þeef. ¶ As who seiþ a poure man þat bereþ no rycchesse on hym by þe weye. may boldly syng[e] byforne þeues. for he haþ nat wher-of to ben robbed. [Sidenote: O the transcendant felicity of riches! No sooner have you obtained them, than you cease to be secure.] ¶ O preciouse {and} ryȝt clere is þe blysfulnesse of 1320 mortal rycchesse. þat wha{n} þou hast geten it. þan hast þou lorn þi syke[r]nesse. [Linenotes: 1278 _hire owen_--hir owne 1281 _ne_ (2)--omitted _vndirstonde_--vndyrstondyn 1282 _gret_--MS. grete, C. gret 1284 _oþer erþely_--oothre worldly _þresten_--threste 1285 _by-neþen_--by-nethe _if_--yif 1286 _good_--MS. goode, C. good _þing_--thinge _preciouse_--p{re}syos _þilk þing_--thilke thinge 1287 _þe_ (2)--tho 1288 _summytten_--submitten 1289 _self_--seluen _foulest[e]_--fowleste 1290 _bitidiþ_--tydeth 1291 _out_--owte _desert_--desertes 1292 _al_--alle 1293 _self_--selue 1294 _it is_--is it 1296 [_leuynge_]--from C. _hem_--hym 1297 _þat_--omitted 1298 _comeþ_--comth 1299 _þing_--thinge 1302 _put_--MS. putte, C. put 1303 _whiche_--which 1306 _filþe_--felthe 1307 _þing_--thinge _good_--MS. goode, C. good 1308 _haþ_--MS. haþe 1309 _rycchesse_--Rychesses _þe_--tho 1310 _rycchesse_--Rychesses _shrew_--shrewe 1311 _rycchesse_--rychesses 1312 _golde_--gold 1314 _haþ_--MS. haþe, C. hat _besy_--bysy _swerde_--swerd 1315 _paþe_--paath 1316 _wayfaryng_--wayferynge _syng[e]_--synge 1317 _by-fore_--by-forn _seiþ_--MS. seiþe, C. seyth _poure_--pore _bereþ_--berth 1318 _boldly syng[e]_--boldely synge 1319 _haþ_--MS. haþe 1320 _preciouse_--p{re}cyos _clere_--cler 1321 _rycchesse_--rychesses 1322 _lorn_--MS.