good
for the comyn prouffit. And y'e shall vnderstande that after these
wastours of goodes we saye that the pleyars of dyse and they that vse
bordellis ben worst of alle other For whan the hete of playnge at the
dyse/ And the couetyse of theyr stynkynge lecherye hath brought hem to
pouerte/ hit foloweth by force that they muste ben theuys and robbeurs
And also dronkenship. glotonye. And alle maner of euyllis folowe them
and myschief/ And they folowe gladly the companyes of knyghtes and of
noble men whan they goon vnto the warre or batayllis And they coueyte
not so moche the victorye as they do the robberie And they do moche
harme as they goo And they brynge lityll gayn or wynnynge/ wherof hit
happend on a tyme that fsaynt bernard rode on an hors aboute in the
contrey And mette wyth an hasardour or dyse-player/ whiche sayd to hym/
thou goddes man wilte thou playe at dyse wyth me thyn hors ayenst my
sowle/ to whom saynt Bernard answerd/ yf thou wilt oblige thy sowle to
me ayenst my hors/ I wolle a lighte doun & playe wyth the/ and yf thou
haue mo poyntes than I on thre dyse I promyse the thou shalt haue myn
hors/ And than he was glad/ and an[=o]n cafte. iii. dyse/ And on eche dyse
was a fyfe/ whiche made. xviii. poynts And anone he toke the hors by the
brydell/ as he that was fewr that he had wonne/ and said that the hors
was his And than saynt Bernard sayde abyde my sone For ther ben mo
poyntes on the dyse than. xviii. And than he caste the dyse/ In suche
wyse that one of the. iii. dyse clefte a sonder in the myddes/ And on
that one parte was fyfe and on that other an Aas/ And eche of that other
was a fyfe/ And than Saynt Bernard sayde That he had wonne hys sowle for
as moche as he had caste on thre dyse. xix. points/ And than whan thys
player sawe and apperceyuyd thys myracle/ He gaf hys sowle to saynt
Bernard and be cam a monke and finysshid his lyf in good werkes/ The
corrours and berars of lettres ought hastely and spedily do her viage
that comanded hem/ with oute taryenge/ For their taryenge might noye and
greue them that sende hem forth/ or ellis them to whom they ben sent
too/ And torne hem to ryght grete domage or villonye/ for whiche cause
euery noble man ought well to take hede to whom he deliuere his lettres
and his mandements/ and otherwhilis suche peple ben Ioghelers &
dronkelewe/ And goon out of their waye for to see abbayes and noble men
for to haue auantage And hit happeth ofte tymes/ that whan suche
messa