"Right as som man yeve me mete, 7820 And a-mydde the floor sette me, And hadde mete moore than y-nough, Ac noght so muche worshipe As tho that seten at the syde table, Or with the sovereynes of the halle; But sete as a beggere bord-lees By myself on the grounde. So it fareth by that felon {240} That a Good-friday was saved. He sit neither with seint Johan, 7830 Symond ne Jude, Ne with maydenes ne with martires, Confessours ne wydewes; But by hymself as a soleyn, And served on erthe. For he that is ones a thef Is evere moore in daunger, And, as lawe liketh, To lyve or to deye. _De peccato propitiato, noli esse sine metu._ = And for to serven a seint 7842 And swich a thef togideres, It were neither reson ne right To rewarde hem bothe y-liche. "And right as Trojanus the trewe knyght Dwelte noght depe in helle, That oure Lord ne hadde hym lightly out, So leve I the thef be in hevene. For he is in the loweste of hevene, 7850 If oure bileve be trewe; And wel loselly he lolleth there, By the lawe of holy chirche. _Qui reddit unicuique juxta opera sua, etc._ = "And why that oon theef on the cros Creaunt hym yald Rather than that oother theef, Though thow woldest appose, Alle the clerkes under Crist 7860 Ne kouthe the skile assoille. _Quare placuit, quia voluit._ {241} "And so I seye by thee That sekest after the whyes, And a-resonedest Reson A rebukynge as it were; And of the floures in the fryth, And of hire faire hewes, Wherof thei cacche hir colours So clere and so brighte; 7870 And willest of briddes and of beestes, And of hir bredyng, to knowe, Why some be a-lough and some a-loft, Thi likyng it were; And of the stones and of the sterres Thow studiest, as I leve; How evere beest outher brid Hath so breme wittes. "Clergie ne kynde wit Ne knew nevere the cause; 7880 Ac kynde knoweth the cause hymself, And no creature ellis. He is the pies patron, And putteth it in hir ere There the thorn is thikkest To buylden and brede. And kynde kenned the pecok To cauken in swich a kynde; And kenned Adam To knowe his pryvé membres, 7890 And taughte hym and Eve To helien hem with leves. "Lewed men many tymes Maistres thei apposen, Why Adam ne hiled noght first His mouth that eet the appul, {242} Rather than his likame a-logh; Lewed asken thus clerkes.