| | But enpeire his purs & make his wittis thynne | |
| | And whan he thorow his madnes and foly | |
| | Hath lost his owen good thorou Iepardy | |
| 25 | Than he excitith other folk therto | |
| | To lese her good as he hym self hath do | |
| | For vnto shrewis ioye it is and ese | |
| | To haue her felowis in peyne and disese | |
| | For thus was I onys lernyd of a clerk | |
| 30 | Of that no charge I wol speke of our werk | |
| | When we be there as we shal excercise | |
| | Our eluyssh craft we semyn wonder wyse | |
| | Our termys been so clergial and queynte | |
| | I blowe the fire til my herte queynte | |
| 35 | What sholde I telle eche proporcion | |
| | Of thingis whiche we werkyn vp and doun | |
| | As on . v . or . vj . vncis may wel be | |
| | Of siluer or sum other quantite | |
| | And besy me to telle you the namys | |
| 40 | Of orpement brent bonys Iren squamys | |
| | That in to powder grounde be ful smal | |
| | And in an erthyn pot how put is al | |
| | And salt petir and also papir | |
| | Beforne thyse powdris that I speke of here | |
| 45 | And wel y couerid with a lampe of glas | |
| | And of muche other thing whiche þt there was | |
| | And of the pottis and glassis enlutynge | |
| | That of the eyr mighte passe out no thing | |
| | And of the fyre esy and smert also | |
| 50 | Whiche that was maad & of the care & woo | |
