"Ac ther ne was leon ne leopard That on laundes wenten, Neither bere ne boor, Ne oother beest wilde, That ne fil to hir feet, {313} And fawned with the taillies; And if thei kouthe han y-carped, By Crist! as I trowe, Thei wolde have y-fed that folk Bifore wild foweles. 10220 Ac God sente hem foode by foweles, And by no fierse beestes, In menynge that meke thyng Mylde thyng sholde fede. "Ac who seith religiouses Rightfulle men sholde fede, And lawefulle men to lif-holy men Liflode sholde brynge; And thanne wolde lordes and ladies Be looth to agulte, 10230 And to taken of hir tenauntz Moore than trouthe wolde, Foulde thei that freres Wolde forsake hir almesses, And bidden hem bere it There it was y-borwed. For we ben Goddes foweles, And abiden alwey Til briddes brynge us That we sholde lyve by. 10240 For hadde ye potage and payn y-nogh, And peny ale to drynke, And a mees thermyd Of o maner kynde, Ye hadde right y-nogh, ye religiouse, And so youre rule me tolde. _Nunquam, dicit Job, rugit onager cum herbam habuerit, aut mugiet bos cum ante plenum præsepe {314} steterit. Brutorum animalium 10250 natura te condemnat, quia cum eis pabulum commune sufficiat, ex adipe prodiit iniquitas tua._ "If lewed men knewe this Latyn, Thei wolde loke whom thei yeve, And avisen hem bifore A fyve dayes or sixe, Er thei amortisede to monkes Or chanons hir rente. Allas! lordes and ladies, 10260 Lewed counseil have ye, To gyve from youre heires That youre aiels yow lefte, And gyveth it to bidde for yow Fo swiche that ben riche, And ben founded and feffed ek To bidde for othere. "Who perfourneth this prophecie Of the peple that now libbeth? _Dispersit, dedit pauperibus._ 10270 "If any peple perfourne that text, It are thise poore freres; For that thei beggen aboute, In buyldynge thei spende it, And on hemself som, And swiche as ben hir laborers; And of hem that habbeth thei taken, And gyveth hem that habbeth. "Ac clerkes and knyghtes, And communers that ben riche, 10280 Fele of yow fareth As if I a forest hadde {315} That were ful of faire trees, And I fondede and caste How I myghte mo therinne Amonges hem sette. "Right so, ye riche, Ye robeth that ben riche, And helpeth hem that helpeth yow, And gyveth ther no nede is. 10290 As who so filled a toune Of a fressh ryver, And wente forth with that water To woke with Temese; Right so, ye riche, Ye robeth and fedeth Hem that han as ye han, Hem ye make at ese.