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This chapitre of the thirder book treteth of Rybauldis players of dyse and messagers and corrours
The rybaulders, players of dyse and of messagers and corrours ought to be sette to fore the rook/ For hit apperteyneth to the rook whiche is vicayre & lieutenant of the kynge to haue men couenable for to renne here and there for tenquyre & espie the place and cytees that myght be contrarye to the kynge/ And thys pawn that representeth thys peple ought to be formed in this maner/ he must haue the forme of a man that hath longe heeris and black and holdeth in his ryght hand a lityll monoye And in his lyfte hande thre Dyse And aboute hym a corde in stede of a gyrdell/ and ought to haue a boxe full o lettres And by the first/ whiche is money is vnderstand they that be fole large & wastours of theyr goodes/ And by the seconde whiche is the dyse Ben represented the players at dyse/ Rybauldes and butters/ And by the thyrde whiche is the boxe full of lettres ben representid the messagers. corrours/ And berars of lettres/ And y’e shall vnderstande that the roock whiche is vicaire of the kynge whan he seeth to fore hym suche peple as ben folelarge and wastours. He is bounden to constitute and ordeyne vpon them tutours and curatours to see that they etc not ne waste in suche maner theyr goodes ne theyr heritages/ that pouerte constrayne hem not to stele/ For he that of custome hath had haboundance of moneye and goth and dispendith hit folily and wasteth hit away/ whan he cometh to pouerte and hath nought/ he must nedes begge and axe his breed, orellis he must be a theef/ For suche maner of peple/ yf they haue ben delicyous they wyll not laboure/ for they haue not lerned hit And yf they be noble and comen of gentilmen/ they be ashamed to axe and begge/ And thus muste they by force whan they haue wasted theyr propre goodes yf they wyll lyue they muste stele and robbe the goodes of other And y’e shall vnderstande that folelarge is a right euyll vice/ for how well that she dooth good and prouffyt somtyme to other yet she doth harme and domage to hym that so wasteth. Caffiodore admonesteth the fole larges to kepe theyr thynges/ that by no necessite they falle in pouerte/ And that they be not constrayned to begge ne to stele of other men For he faith that hit is gretter subtilte to kepe well his owne goodes/ than to fynde strange thynge/ and that it is gretter vertue to kepe that is goten than to gete and wynne more/ and claudian saith in like wise in his book that hit is a gretter thynge & better to kepe that is goten Than to gete more And therfore hit is sayd y’t the poure demandeth and beggeth er he felith/ and also hit is sayd that he y’t dispendith more than he hath/ with oute strook he is smyten to the deth/ Ther was a noble man named Iohn de ganazath whiche was ryght ryche/ And this man had but two doughters whom he maryed to two noble men/ And whan he had maryed them/ he loued so well his sones in lawe their husbondes/ that in space