Of that I have be delicat. 950 [Sidenote: Confessor.] Mi Sone, I understonde wel That thou hast told hier everydel, And as me thenketh be thi tale, It ben delices wonder smale, Wherof thou takst thi loves fode. Bot, Sone, if that thou understode What is to ben delicious, Thou woldest noght be curious Upon the lust of thin astat To ben to sore delicat, 960 Wherof that thou reson excede: For in the bokes thou myht rede, If mannes wisdom schal be suied, It oghte wel to ben eschuied[795] [Sidenote: =P. iii. 34=] In love als wel as other weie; [Sidenote: [DELICACY.]] For, as these holi bokes seie, [Sidenote: Delicie corporis militant aduersus animam.] The bodely delices alle In every point, hou so thei falle, Unto the Soule don grievance. And forto take in remembrance, 970 A tale acordant unto this, Which of gret understondinge is To mannes soule resonable,[796] I thenke telle, and is no fable. [Sidenote: [DIVES AND LAZARUS.]] Of Cristes word, who wole it rede, Hou that this vice is forto drede [Sidenote: Hic ponit exemplum contra istos delicatos. Et narrat de diuite et Lazaro, quorum gestus[797] in euangelio Lucas euidencius describit.] In thevangile it telleth plein, Which mot algate be certein, For Crist himself it berth witnesse. And thogh the clerk and the clergesse 980 In latin tunge it rede and singe, Yit for the more knoulechinge Of trouthe, which is good to wite, I schal declare as it is write In Engleissh, for thus it began. Crist seith: ‘Ther was a riche man, A mihti lord of gret astat, And he was ek so delicat[798] Of his clothing, that everyday Of pourpre and bisse he made him gay, 990 And eet and drank therto his fille After the lustes of his wille, As he which al stod in delice[799] And tok non hiede of thilke vice. [Sidenote: =P. iii. 35=] And as it scholde so betyde, A povere lazre upon a tyde Cam to the gate and axed mete: Bot there mihte he nothing gete[800] His dedly hunger forto stanche; For he, which hadde his fulle panche 1000 Of alle lustes ate bord, Ne deigneth noght to speke a word, Onliche a Crumme forto yive, Wherof the povere myhte live[801] Upon the yifte of his almesse. Thus lai this povere in gret destresse[802] Acold and hungred ate gate, Fro which he mihte go no gate,[803] So was he wofulli besein. And as these holi bokes sein,[804] 1010 The houndes comen fro the halle, Wher that this sike man was falle,