The Manciple's Portrait

567: A gentil maunciple was ther of a temple,
A gentile manciple was there of a temple,
568: Of which achatours myghte take exemple
Of which buyers might take example
569: For to be wise in byynge of vitaille;
For to be wise in the buying of food;
570: For wheither that he payde or took by taille,
For whether that he payed or by credit,
571: Algate he wayted so in his achaat
Always he waited in his buying
572: That he was ay biforn and in good staat.
That he was always ahead and in good stature.
573: Now is nat that of God a ful fair grace
Now is not that a God full of fair grace
574: That swich a lewed mannes wit shal pace
That such an uneducated man's intelligence shall pace
575: The wisdom of an heep of lerned men?
The wisdom of a number of learned men?
576: Of maistres hadde he mo than thries ten,
Of master had he more than three ten,
577: That weren of lawe expert and curious,
That were experts of the law of curious,
578: Of which ther were a duszeyne in that hous
Of which there were a dozen in that house
579: Worthy to been stywardes of rente and lond
Worthy to be stewards of tored and land
580: Of any lord that is in engelond,
Of any lord that is in England,
581: To make hym lyve by his propre good
To make him live by his proper good
582: In honour dettelees (but if he were wood),
In debtless honor (but if he were insane),
583: Or lyve as scarsly as hym list desire;
Or live as scarsly as he does desire;
584: And able for to helpen al a shire
And able to help although in the shire
585: In any caas that myghte falle or happe;
In any case that might fall or happen;
586: And yet this manciple sette hir aller cappe.
And yet this manciple set his traveling cap.

Peer review by: Ekummer