s land for so moche as they sayde whan his
maistre wente to doo the aduoultrye/ this same seruant bare the
lanterne. wherof Anthonyus was sore abasshyd and doubted that he shold
depose agaynst hym But the labourer that was named papirion sayd to his
maister that he shold denye his cause hardyly vnto the Iuges For for to
be tormentid/ his cause shold neuer be enpeyrid by hym/ ner no thynge
shold yssue out of his mouth wherof he shold be noyed or greuyd And than
was the labourer beten and tormentid and brent in many places of his
body But he sayd neuer thynge wherof his mayster was hurte or noyed/ But
the other that accused his maister were punysshid And papiryon was
deliuerid of his paynes free and franc/ And also telleth valerius that
ther was another labourer that was named penapion/ that seruyd a maister
whos name was Themes which was of meruayllous faith to his maystre For
hit befell that certain knyghtes cam to his maisters hows for to slee
hym And anone as papiryon knewe hit/ he wente in to his maisters chambre
And wold not be knowen For he dide on his maisters gowne and his rynge
on his fynger/ And laye on his bedde And thus put hym self in parill of
deth for to respite his maisters lyf/ But we see now a dayes many fooles
that daigne not to vse groos metes of labourers. And flee the cours
clothynge And maners of a seruant Euery wise man a seruant that truly
serueth his maister is free and not bonde/ But a foole that is ouer
proude is bonde/ For the debilite and feblenes of corage that is broken
in conscience by pryde Enuye. or by couetyse is ryght seruytude/ yet
they ought not to doubte to laboure for feere and drede of deth/ no man
ought to loue to moche his lyf/ For hit is a fowll thynge for a man to
renne to the deth for the enemye of his lyf/ And a wyse man and a
stronge man ought not to flee for his lyf/ but to yssue For ther is no
man that lyueth/ but he must nedes dye. And of this speketh claudyan and
sayth that alle thoo thynges that the Ayer goth aboute and enuyronned.
And alle thynge that the erthe laboureth/ Alle thyngys that ben
conteyned wyth in the see Alle thynges that the floodes brynge forth/
Alle thynges that ben nourysshid and alle the bestes that ben vnder the
heuen shall departe alle from the world/ And alle shall goo at his
comandement/ As well Kynges Prynces and alle that the world enuyronned
and gooth aboute/ Alle shall goo this waye/ Than he ought not to doubte
for fere of deth. For as well
|