"This story, but with a difference of circumstances, ends like the beautiful apologue of the Prodigal Son."-WARTON.
This fable is very well told by Gower, but with some variations.
[The letters printed in Italics are to be pronounced as separate syllables; the acute mark denotes the emphasis.]
Ere Rom-e came to the creánce1
Of Christ-es faith, it fell perchance
Cæsar, which then was emperour,
Him list-e for to do honour
Unto the temple Apollinis ;
And made an image upon this,
The which was cleped Apolló,
Was none so rich in Rom-e tho3.
Of plate of gold, a beard he had,
The which his breast all over spradde'.
Of gold also, withouten fail,
His mantle was of large entayle'.
5 Cut; from the French entailler.
Be-set with perrey' all about.
Forth right he stretched his finger out,
Upon the which he had a ring-
To see it, was a rich-e thing,
A fine carbuncle for the nones 2,
Most precious of all stones.
And fell that time in Rom-e thus,
There was a clerk, one Lucius,
A courtier, a famous man;
Of every wit' somewhat he can,
Out-take that him lacketh rule,
His own estate to guide and rule;
How so it stood of his speaking,
He was not wise in his doing;
But every riot-e at last
Must need-es fall, and may not last.
After the need of his desert,
So fell this clerk-e in povérte,
And wist not how for to rise
Whereof in many a sundry wise
He cast his wit-es here and there,
He looketh nigh, he looketh far.
Fell on a tim-e that he come
Into the temple, and heed nome
1 Pearls. 2 Purpose. 3 Knowledge. 5 Took.
Where that the god Apollo stood;
He saw the riches, and the good ';
And thought he wold-e by some way,
The treasure pick and steal away.
And thereupon so slily wrought,
That his purpose about he brought.
And went away unaperceived:
Thus hath the man his god deceived-
His ring, his mantle, and his beard,
As he which nothing was afeard,
All privily with him he bare;
And when the wardens were aware
Of that, their god despoiled was,
They thought it was a wondrous case,
How that a man for any weal,
Durst in so holy plac-e steal,
And nam-e-ly, so great a thing!—
This tale cam-e unto the king,
And was through spoken over-all.
But for to know in special,
What manner man hath done the deed,
They soughten help upon the need,
And maden calculatión,
Whereof by demonstratión
The man was found-e with the good. In judgment, and when he stood,
The king hath asked of him thus-
Say, thou unsely' Lucius,
Why hast thou done this sacrilege?"
"My lord, if I the cause allege,"
(Quoth he again,) "me-thinketh this,
That I have done nothing amiss.
Three points there be, which I have do,
Whereof the first-e point stands so,
That I the ring have ta'en away-
Unto this point this will I say.
When I the god beheld about,
I saw how he his hand stretched out,
And proffered me the ring to yeve2;
And I, which wold-e gladly live
Out of poverte thro' his largèss,
It underfang, so that I guess ;
And therefore, am I nought to wite'.
And overmore, I will me 'quit ',
Of gold that I the mantle took:
Gold in his kind, as saith the book,
Is heavy both, and cold also;
And for that it was heavy so,
Methought it was no garn-e-ment"
Unto the god convenient,
To clothen him the summer tide':
I thought upon that other side,
How gold is cold, and such a cloth
By reason ought-e to be lothe
In winter tim-e for the chiel.
And thus thinking thought-es fele3
As I mine eye about-e cast,
His larg-e beard-e then at last
I saw; and thought anon therefore
How that his father him before,
Which stood upon the sam-e place,
Was beardless, with a youngly face.
And in such wise, as ye have heard
I took away the son-nes beard,
For that his father had-e none,
To make him like; and hereupon
I ask for to be excused."
Lo, thus where sacrilege is used,
A man can feign his conscience;
And right upon such evidence
In lov-es cause if I shall treat,
There be of such-e small and great,
If they no leisure find-e else,
They will not wend-e for the bells;
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