Of his dietë, sitting at his table.
Alas! the shortë throat, the tender mouth,
Maketh that east and west, and north and south,
In earth, in air, in water, men do swink3561
To get a glutton dainty meat and drink.
Of this mattére, O Paul! well canst thou treat
Meat unto womb, and womb eke unto meat,
Shall God destroyë both, as Paulus saith.3562
Alas! a foul thing is it, by my faith,
To say this word, and fouler is the deed,
When man so drinketh of the white and red,3563
That of his throat he maketh his privý
Through thilkë cursed superfluity
The apostle saith,3564 weeping full piteously,
There walk many, of which you told have I—
I say it now weeping with piteous voice—
That they be enemies of Christë’s crois;3565
Of which the end is death; womb is their God.
O womb, O belly, stinking is thy cod,3566
Full fill’d of dung and of corruptioún;
At either end of thee foul is the soun’.
How great laboúr and cost is thee to find!3567
These cookës how they stamp, and strain, and grind,
And turnë substance into accident,
To fúlfil all thy likerous talent!
Out of the hardë bonës knockë they
The marrow, for they castë naught away
That may go through the gullet soft and swoot3568
Of spicery and leaves, of bark and root,
Shall be his sauce y-maked by delight,
To make him have a newer appetite.
But, certes, he that haunteth such delices
Is dead while that he liveth in those vices.
A lecherous thing is wine, and drunkenness
Is full of striving and of wretchedness.
O drunken man! disfigur’d is thy face,3569
Sour is thy breath, foul art thou to embrace:
And through thy drunken nose sowneth the soun’,
As though thous saidest aye, Samsoún! Samsoún!
And yet, God wot, Samson drank never wine.
Thou fallest as it were a sticked swine;
Thy tongue is lost, and all thine honest cure;3570
For drunkenness is very sepultúre
Of mannë’s wit and his discretión.
In whom that drink hath dominatión,
He can no counsel keep, it is no dread.3571
Now keep you from the white and from the red,
And namely3572 from the whitë wine of Lepe,3573
That is to sell in Fish Street3574 and in Cheap.
This wine of Spainë creepeth subtilly
In other winës growing fastë by,
Of which there riseth such fumosity,
That when a man hath drunken draughtës three,
And weeneth that he be at home in Cheap,
He is in Spain, right at the town of Lepe,
Not at the Róchelle, nor at Bourdeaux town;
And thennë will he say, Samsoún! Samsoún!
But hearken, lordings, one word, I you pray,
That all the sov’reign actës, dare I say,
Of victories in the Old Testament,
Through very God that is omnipotent,
Were done in abstinence and in prayére:
Look in the Bible, and there ye may it lear.3575
Look, Attila, the greatë conqueror,
Died in his sleep,3576 with shame and dishonór,
Bleeding aye at his nose in drunkenness:
A captain should aye live in soberness.
And o’er all this, advisë3577 you right well
What was commanded unto Lemuel;
Not Samuel, but Lemuel, say I.
Readë the Bible,3578 and find it expresslý
Of wine giving to them that have justíce.
No more of this, for it may well suffice.
And, now that I have spoke of gluttony,
Now will I you defendë hazardry.3579
Hazárd is very mother of leasíngs,3580
And of deceit, and cursed forswearíngs:
Blasphem’ of Christ, manslaughter, and waste also
Of chattel3581 and of time; and furthermo’
It is repreve,3582 and contrar’ of honoúr,
For to be held a common hazardoúr.
And ever the higher he is of estate,
The morë he is holden desolate.3583
If that a princë usë hazardry,
In allë governance and policy
He is, as by commón opinión,
Y-hold the less in reputatión.
Chilon, that was a wise ambassador,
Was sent to Corinth with full great honór
From Lacedaemon,3584 to make álliánce;
And when he came, it happen’d him, by chance,
That all the greatest that were of that land,
Y-playing attë hazard he them fand.
For which, as soon as that it mightë be,
He stole him home again to his countrý.
And saidë there, “I will not lose my name,
Nor will I take on me so great diffame,3585
You to ally unto no hazardors.3586
Sendë some other wise ambassadors,
For, by my troth, me werë lever3587 die,
Than I should you to hazardors ally.
For ye, that be so glorious in honoúrs,
Shall not ally you to no hazardoúrs,
As by my will, nor as by my treatý.”
This wisë philosópher thus said he.
Look eke how to the King Demetrius
The King of Parthes, as the book saith us,
Sent him a pair of dice of gold in scorn,
For he had used hazard therebeforn:
For which he held his glory and renown
At no valúe or reputatioún.
Lordës may finden other manner play
Honest enough to drive the day away.
Now will I speak of oathës false and great
A word or two, as oldë bookës treat.
Great swearing is a thing abomináble,
And false swearing is morë reprováble.
The highë God forbade swearing at all;
Witness on Matthew:3588 but in special
Of swearing saith the holy Jeremie,3589
Thou shalt swear sooth thine oathës, and not lie:
And swear in doom,3590 and eke in righteousness;
But idle swearing is a cursedness.3591
Behold and see, there in the firstë table
Of highë Goddë’s hestës3592 honouráble,
How that the second best of him is this,
Take not my name in idle3593 or amiss.
Lo, rather3594 he forbiddeth such swearíng,
Than homicide, or many a cursed thing;
I say that as by order thus it standeth;
This knoweth he that his hests understandeth,
How that the second hest of God is that.
And farthermore, I will thee tell all plat,3595
That vengeance shall not partë from his house,
That of his oathës is outrageoús.
“By Goddë’s precious heart, and by his nails,3596
And by the blood of Christ, that is in Hailes,3597
Seven is my
