Is morë strong than when it is y-scatter’d.
Thomas, of me thou shalt not be y-flatter’d,
Thou wouldest have our labour all for nought.
The highë God, that all this world hath wrought,
Saith, that the workman worthy is his hire.
Thomas, nought of your treasure I desire
As for myself, but that all our convént
To pray for you is aye so diligent:
And for to buildë Christë’s owen church.
Thomas, if ye will learnë for to wirch,2331
Of building up of churches may ye find
If it be good, in Thomas’ life of Ind.
Ye lie here full of anger and of ire,
With which the devil sets your heart on fire,
And chidë here this holy innocent
Your wife, that is so meek and patiént.
And therefore trow2332 me, Thomas, if thee lest,2333
Ne strive not with thy wife, as for the best.
And bear this word away now, by thy faith,
Touching such thing, lo, what the wise man saith:
‘Within thy housë be thou no lión;
To thy subjécts do none oppressión;
Nor make thou thine acquaintance for to flee.’
And yet, Thomas, eftsoonës2334 charge I thee,
Beware from ire that in thy bosom sleeps,
Ware from the serpent, that so slily creeps
Under the grass, and stingeth subtilly.
Beware, my son, and hearken patiently,
That twenty thousand men have lost their lives
For striving with their lemans2335 and their wives.
Now since ye have so holy and meek a wife,
What needeth you, Thomas, to makë strife?
There is, y-wis,2336 no serpent so cruél,
When men tread on his tail nor half so fell,2337
As woman is, when she hath caught an ire;
Very2338 vengeánce is then all her desire.
Ire is a sin, one of the greatë seven,2339
Abominable to the God of heaven,
And to himself it is destructión.
This every lewëd2340 vicar and parsón
Can say, how ire engenders homicide;
Ire is in sooth th’ executor2341 of pride.
I could of ire you say so muchë sorrow,
My tale shouldë last until to-morrow.
And therefore pray I God both day and night,
An irous2342 man God send him little might.
It is great harm, and certes great pitý
To set an irous man in high degree.
“Whilom2343 there was an irous potestatë,2344
As saith Senec, that during his estate2345
Upon a day out rodë knightës two;
And, as fortunë would that it were so,
The one of them came home, the other not.
Anon the knight before the judge is brought,
That saidë thus; ‘Thou hast thy fellow slain,
For which I doom thee to the death certáin.’
And to another knight commanded he;
‘Go, lead him to the death, I chargë thee.’
And happened, as they went by the way
Toward the placë where as he should dey,2346
The knight came, which men weened2347 had been dead.
Then thoughtë they it was the bestë rede2348
To lead them both unto the judge again.
They saidë, ‘Lord, the knight hath not y-slain
His fellow; here he standeth whole alive.’
‘Ye shall be dead,’ quoth he, ‘so may I thrive,
That is to say, both one, and two, and three.’
And to the firstë knight right thus spake he:
‘I damned thee, thou must algate2349 be dead:
And thou also must needës lose thine head,
For thou the cause art why thy fellow dieth.’
And to the thirdë knight right thus he sayeth,
‘Thou hast not done that I commanded thee.’
And thus he did do slay them2350 allë three.
Irous Cambyses was eke dronkelew,2351
And aye delighted him to be a shrew.2352
And so befell, a lord of his meinie,2353
That loved virtuous moralitý,
Said on a day betwixt them two right thus:
‘A lord is lost, if he be vicious.
[An irous man is like a frantic beast,
In which there is of wisdom none arrest;]2354
And drunkenness is eke a foul record
Of any man, and namely2355 of a lord.
There is full many an eye and many an ear
Awaiting on2356 a lord, he knows not where.
For Goddë’s love, drink more attemperly:2357
Wine maketh man to losë wretchedly
His mind, and eke his limbës every one.’
‘The réverse shalt thou see,’ quoth he, ‘anon,
And prove it by thine own experience,
That winë doth to folk no such offence.
There is no wine bereaveth me my might
Of hand, nor foot, nor of mine eyen sight.’
And for despite he drankë muchë more
A hundred part2358 than he had done before,
And right anon this cursed irous wretch
This knightë’s sonë let2359 before him fetch,
Commanding him he should before him stand:
And suddenly he took his bow in hand,
And up the string he pulled to his ear,
And with an arrow slew the child right there.
‘Now whether have I a sicker2360 hand or non?’2361
Quoth he; ‘Is all my might and mind agone?
Hath wine bereaved me mine eyen sight?’
Why should I tell the answer of the knight?
His son was slain, there is no more to say.
Beware therefore with lordës how ye play,2362
Sing Placebo;2363 and I shall if I can,
But if2364 it be unto a poorë man:
To a poor man men should his vices tell,
But not t’ a lord, though he should go to hell.
Lo, irous Cyrus, thilkë2365 Persian,
How he destroy’d the river of Gisen,2366
For that a horse of his was drowned therein,
When that he wentë Babylon to win:
He madë that the river was so small,
That women mightë wade it over all.2367
Lo, what said he, that so well teachë can,
‘Be thou no fellow to an irous man,
Nor with no wood2368 man walkë by the way,
Lest thee repent;’ I will no farther say.
“Now, Thomas, levë2369 brother, leave thine ire,
Thou shalt me find as just as is as squire;
Hold not the devil’s knife aye at thine heart;
Thine anger doth thee all too sorë
