Than all the sooth sawes that Solomon said ever. Wisdom and wit now is not worth a kerse,[42] But if it be carded with covetise, as clothers kemb their wool; Whoso can contrive deceits, and conspire wrongs, And lead forth a loveday,[43] to let with truth, He that such craftes can is oft cleped to counsel, They lead lords with lesings, and belieth truth. Job the gentle in his gests greatly witnesseth That wicked men wielden the wealth of this world; The Psalter sayeth the same, by such as do evil; _Ecce ipsi peccatores abundantes in seculo obtinuerunt divitias_. Lo, saith holy lecture, which lords be these shrewes? Thilke that God giveth most, least good they dealeth, And most unkind be to that comen, that most chattel wieldeth.[44] _Quae perfecisti destrutxerunt, justus autem, &c_. Harlots for their harlotry may have of their goodes, And japers and juggelers, and janglers of jestes, And he that hath holy writ aye in his mouth, And can tell of Tobie, and of the twelve apostles, Or preach of the penance that Pilate falsely wrought To Jesu the gentle, that Jewes to-draw: Little is he loved that such a lesson sheweth; Or daunten or draw forth, I do it on God himself, But they that feign they fooles, and with fayting[45] liveth, Against the lawe of our Lord, and lien on themself, Spitten and spewen, and speak foule wordes, Drinken and drivellen, and do men for to gape, Liken men, and lie on them, and lendeth them no giftes, They can[46] no more minstrelsy nor music men to glad, Than Mundie, the miller, of _multa fecit Deus_. Ne were their vile harlotry, have God my truth, Shoulde never king nor knight, nor canon of Paul's Give them to their yeare's gift, nor gift of a groat, And mirth and minstrelsy amongst men is nought; Lechery, losenchery,[47] and losels' tales, Gluttony and great oaths, this mirth they loveth, And if they carpen[48] of Christ, these clerkes and these lewed, And they meet in their mirth, when minstrels be still, When telleth they of the Trinity a tale or twain, And bringeth forth a blade reason, and take Bernard to witness, And put forth a presumption to prove the sooth, Thus they drivel at their dais[49] the Deity to scorn, And gnawen God to their gorge[50] when their guts fallen; And the careful[51] may cry, and carpen at the gate, Both a-hunger'd and a-thirst, and for chill[52] quake, Is none to nymen[53] them near, his noyel[54] to amend, But hunten him as a hound, and hoten[55] him go hence. Little loveth he that Lord that lent him all that bliss, That thus parteth with the poor; a parcel when him needeth Ne were mercy in mean men, more than in rich; Mendynauntes meatless[56] might go to bed. God is much in the gorge of these greate masters, And amonges mean men, his mercy and his workes, And so sayeth the Psalter, I have seen it oft. Clerks and other kinnes men carpen of God fast,