Page:Romance of the Rose (Ellis), volume 2.pdf/181

Their misery dire by alms, till they
By handicraft their needs may stay.
But doing so they must not shirk
Hard labour, and seek ghostly work;12130
But I, by this, no figure mean,
But true hand work.
William St. Amour And thus I ween
In these examples that I give,
With reason, men may beg to live,
But in rare other case, I wot,
If good Saint-Amour lieth not,
Who of the matter held dispute
With men, deep read, of wit acute,
At Paris, most profound divines;
God starve me of good meats and wines12140
Unless his book in accord be
With Paris University;
Yea, and with all the world beside,
Which hailed his preaching far and wide,
And ne’er shall any who refuse
His doctrine find with God excuse.
Let those who scoff at him scoff still,
And grumblers grumble as they will,
For my part, I shall ever hold
His name in honour, and with bold12150
Stout words support him, though thereby
I lose my life, or cruelly
Be cast in gaol like holy Paul,
Or else be banished far from all
My friends like William Saint-Amour,
Who was, not many years before
I write, by Dame Hypocrisy,
My dam, exiled, all envious she.