"That is mete, whan men hym werneth 13950 { 426} And he no moneye weldeth, Ne wight noon wol ben his borugh, Ne wed hath noon to legge; And he caughte in that caas, And come therto by sleighte, He synneth noght, soothliche, That so wynneth his foode.
"And though he come so to a clooth, And kan no bettre chevyssaunce, Nede anoon righte 13960 Nymeth hym under maynprise.
"And if hym list for to lape, The lawe of kynde wolde That he dronke at ech dych, Er he for thurst deide. So Nede al gret nede May nymen, as for his owene, Withouten counseil of Conscience Or cardynale vertues, So that he sewe and save 13970 _Spiritus temperantiæ_.
"For is no vertue bi fer To _spiritus temperantiæ_; Ne _spiritus justitiæ_ Ne _spiritus fortitudinis_. For _spiritus fortitudinis_ Forfeteth ful ofte. He shal do moore than mesure Many tyme and ofte, And bete men over bittre, 13980 And some of hem to litel, And greve men gretter Than good feith it wolde { 427}
"And _spiritus justitiæ_ Shal juggen, wol he nele he, After the kynges counseil, And the comune like. And _spiritus prudentiæ_ In many a point shal faille Of that he weneth wolde falle, 13990 If his wit ne weere. Wenynge is no wysdom, Ne wys ymaginacion, _Homo proponit, et Deus disponit_, And governeth alle goode vertues; Ac Nede is next hym, For anoon he meketh, And as lowe as a lomb, For lakkyng of that hym nedeth. Wise men forsoke wele, 14000 For thei wolde be nedy, And woneden in wildernesse, And wolde noght he riche.
"And God al his grete joye Goostliche he lefte, And cam and took mankynde, And bi-cam nedy. So nedy he was, as seith the book, In manye sondry places, That he seide in his sorwe 14010 On the selve roode, Bothe fox and fowel May fle to hole and crepe, And the fissh hath fyn To flete with to reste, Ther Nede hath y-nome me That I moot nede abide { 428} And suffre sorwes ful soure That shal to joye torne, For-thi be noght abasshed 14020 To bide and to be nedy; Sith he that wroghte al the world Was wilfulliche nedy, Ne nevere noon so nedy Ne poverer deide."
Whan Nede hath under-nome me thus, Anoon I fil a-slepe; And mette ful merveillously, That in mannes forme Antecrist cam thanne, 14030 And al the crop of Truthe Torned it up-so-doun, And over-tilte the roote; And fals sprynge and sprede, And spede mennes nedes, In ech a contree ther he cam He kutte awey truthe, And gerte gile growe there, As he a Good weere.