Page:Gesta Romanorum - Swan - Wright - 1.djvu/458

Be-set with perrey^[1] 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^[3] somewhat he can,
Out-take,^[4] 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^[5]

1. Pearls.
2. Purpose.
3. Knowledge.
4. Except.
5. Took.