"Ye, I bi-hote thee," quod Hunger, "Or ellis the Bible lieth; Go to Genesis the geaunt, The engendrour of us alle: _In sudore_ and swynk Thow shalt thi mete tilie, And laboure for thi liflode, And so oure Lorde highte. And Sapience seith the same, 4270 I seigh it in the Bible, _Piger præ frigore_ No feeld nolde tilie, And therfore he shal begge and bidde, And no man bete his hunger. "Mathew with mannes face Mouthed thise wordes, That _servus nequam_ hadde a mnam, And for he wolde noght chaffare, He hadde maugree of his maister 4280 Evere moore after, And by-nam hym his mnam, For he ne wolde werche, And yaf that mnam to hym That ten mnames hadde; And with that he seide, That holy chirche it herde, He that hath shal have And helpe there it nedeth; {132} And he that noght hath shal noght have, 4290 And no man hym helpe, And that he weneth wel to have I wole it hym bi-reve. Kynde wit wolde That ech a wight wroghte, Or in dikynge or in delvynge, Or travaillynge in preieres; Contemplatif lif or actif lif Crist wolde thei wroghte. The Sauter seith in the Psalme 4300 Of _Beati omnes_, The freke that fedeth hymself With his feithful labour, He is blessed by the book In body and in soule." _Labores manuum tuarum, etc._ "Yet I preie yow," quod Piers, "_Par charité_, and ye konne Any leef of leche-craft, Lere it me, my deere; 4310 For some of my servauntz, And myself bothe, Of al a wike werche noght, So oure wombe aketh." "I woot wel," quod Hunger, "What siknesse yow eyleth; Ye han manged over muche, And that maketh yow grone. Ac I hote thee," quod Hunger, "As thow thyn hele wilnest, 4320 That thow drynke no day Er thow dyne som what. Ete noght, I hote thee, {133} Er hunger thee take, And sende thee of his sauce To savore with thi lippes; And keep som til soper-tyme, And sitte noght to longe, And rys up er appetit Have eten his fille. 4330 Lat noght sire Surfet Sitten at thi borde. Leve hym noght, for he is lecherous, And likerous of tunge, And after many maner metes His mawe is a-fyngred.