Page:Gesta Romanorum - Swan - Wright - 1.djvu/460

The king hath asked of him thus—
"Say, thou unsely^[1] 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 yeve^[2];
And I, which wold-e gladly live
Out of povérte thro' his largéss,
It underfang^[3], so that I guess;
And therefore, am I nought to wite^[4].
And overmore, I will me 'quit^[5],
Of gold that I the mantle took
Gold in his kind, as saith the book,
Is heavy both, and cold also;
And fór that it was heavy so,
Methought it was no garn-e-ment^[6]
Unto the god convenient,

1. Foolish.
2. Give.
3. Accepted.
4. Blame
5. Acquit.
6. Garment.