THE EIGHTH BOUGH OF AVARICE. The eighth bough of avarice is unfair dealing, wherein one sins in many ways for temporal gain, and especially in seven ways. The first is to sell things as dear as one can, and to buy as cheap as one can. The second is lying, swearing, and forswearing, the dearer to sell their chaffer. The third way is what one does in weights and measures, and that may be in three ways. The first when one has diverse weights or diverse measures, and buys by the greatest weights or by the greatest measures, and sells by the least. The second way is when one has just weights and just measures, and sells dishonestly, as do these tavern-keepers that fill the measure with scum. The third way is when those that sell by weight so procure and cause that the thing that one shall weigh shows more heavy. The fourth way to sin in unfair dealing is to sell to time; of this we have spoken above. The fifth way is to sell another thing than one is shown before, as do these scriveners that show a good letter at the beginning and afterwards make a bad one. The sixth is to hide the truth about the thing that one will sell, as do the fraudulent dealers. The seventh is to cause (to procure) that the thing that one sells seems to have a better appearance than it has, as do these sellers of cloth that choose dark places, where they sell their cloth. In many other ways one may sin in unfair dealings, but it would be a long matter to tell. THE NINTH BOUGH OF AVARICE. The ninth bough of avarice is in evil crafts. In this sin much folk in many ways; as these foolish women, that for a little gain give themselves to sin: also these heralds and these champions and many others, that for pence or for temporal profit give themselves to dishonest craft, which cannot be done without sin, both of those that do it and of those that support them. THE TENTH BOUGH OF AVARICE. The tenth bough of avarice is evil games, such as games of dice and of tables and others, whatever they may be, where one plays for pence or for other temporal gain. Such evil games, especially of dice and of tables, are forbidden by right because of many sins that follow such games. The first is covetousness, to win, and to despoil his fellow. The second is too great usury, as nine for twelve, not for a month, nor for eight days, but in one self-same day. The third is to increase lies and idle words and, what is worse, great blasphemies of God and of His saints, wherefore God is angry, as oftentimes He has taken too little vengeance. For sometimes their visage turns round, with the front behind. _A Tale._ There was a knight that swore by God’s eyes; in haste his one eye leapt upon the checker. An archer, because he had lost at gambling, took his bow and shot upwards at God. In the morning, when he sat at play, his arrow fell upon the checker all bloody.