"Wisdom and wit now Is noght worth a kerse, But if it be carded with coveitise, 5630 As clotheres kemben hir wolle. Who so can contreve deceites And conspire wronges, And lede forth a love-day To lette with truthe, He that swiche craftes can To counseil is cleped. Thei lede lordes with lesynges, And bi-lieth Truthe. "Job the gentile 5640 In his gestes witnesseth, That wikked men thei welden The welthe of this worlde; And that thei ben lordes of ech a lond That out of lawe libbeth. _Quare impii vivunt, bene est omnibus qui prævaricantur et inique agunt._ "The Sauter seith the same By swiche that doon ille: 5650 _Ecce ipsi peccatores abundantes in sæculo obtinuerunt divitias._ "Lo! seith holy lettrure, {175} Whiche beth thise sherewes? Thilke that God gyveth moost, Leest good thei deleth; And moost un-kynde to the commune That moost catel weldeth. _Quæ perfecisti destruxerunt, justus autem, etc._ 5660 "Harlotes for hir harlotrie May have of hir goodes, And japeris and jogelours, And jangleris of gestes. "Ac he that hath holy writ Ay in his mouthe, And kan telle of Tobye, And of twelve apostles, Or prechen of the penaunce That Pilat wikkedly wroghte 5670 To Jhesu the gentile, That Jewes to-drowe; Litel is he loved That swich a lesson sheweth, Or daunted or drawe forth, I do it on God hymselve. "But thoo that feynen hem foolis, And with faityng libbeth, Ayein the lawe of oure Lord, And lyen on hemselve, 5680 Spitten and spuen, And speke foule wordes, Drynken and drevelen, And do men fer to gape, Likne men, and lye on hem, That leneth hem no giftes; Thei konne na-moore mynstralcie {176} Ne musik men to glade, Than Munde the millere Of _Multa fecit Deus_. 5690 Ne were hir vile harlotrye, Have God my trouthe! Sholde nevere kyng ne knyght, Ne chanon of seint Poules, Gyve hem to hir yeres-gyve The gifte of a grote. "Ac murthe and mynstralcie Amonges men is nouthe Lecherie, losengerye, And losels tales, 5700 Glotonye and grete othes, This murthe thei lovyeth. "Ac if thei carpen of Crist, Thise clerkes and thise lewed At mete in hir murthe, Whan mynstrals beth stille, Thanne telleth thei of the Trinité A tale outher tweye, And bryngen forth a balled reson, And taken Bernard to witnesse, 5710 And putten forth a presumpcion To preve the sothe. Thus thei dryvele at hir deys The Deitee to knowe, And gnawen God with the gorge, Whanne hir guttes fullen.