Page:Romance of the Rose (Ellis), volume 2.pdf/183

God’s holy fear.
Miscreants thrive If men eschew
All evil and uprightly do,
Nought will they win of worldly good,
But must eftsoons for livelihood
Beg alms of others and drink deep
Of sorrow their poor lives to keep:
Such lot do I in horror hold.
But see what goodly heaps of gold,
Have usurers in their treasuries
And other folk akin to these;12190
Base-coining knaves, and limitours,
Provosts, catchpoles, and gold-chained mayors,
Who fat on fraud and rapine grow,
While the poor people bend alow
Before them. They, like wolves, devour
And rob all folk beneath their power;
For each and all of these in turn
Despoil the poor of that they earn,
And most ingeniously contrive
To pluck their victims while alive.12200
The stronger rob the weaker ever,
And, ’neath my simple cloak, so clever
Am I, that cozeners by the dozen
Who cozen others do I cozen
Lightly, and robbers and robbed alike
I rob, yet none know when I strike.
By my chicanery I rake
Together treasure none can take
From out my hands, grand palaces,
I build that I my fantasies12210
May please, and gather friends around
My tables, where rich meats abound.