y’e handes of the labourers/ and thus all craftes
& occupacions ben ordeyned not only to suffise to
them only/ but to the comyn/ And so hit happeth ofte
tyme that y’e labourer of the erthe vseth grete
and boystous metes/ and bringeth to his maister more
subtile & more deyntous metes/ And valerius reherceth
in his. vi. book that ther was a wife & noble maistre
y’t was named Anthoni9 that was accused of a
caas of aduoultrye/ & as the cause henge to fore the
Iuges/ his accusers or denonciatours brought I labourer
that closid his 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 shail dye the ryche as the