No More Learning

No good man loveth hir companye. 1070
Richesse a robe of purpre on hadde,
Ne trowe not that I lye or madde;
For in this world is noon it liche,
Ne by a thousand deel so riche,
Ne noon so fair; for it ful wel 1075
With orfrays leyd was everydel,
And portrayed in the ribaninges
Of dukes stories, and of kinges.
And with a bend of gold tasseled,
And knoppes fyne of gold ameled. 1080
Aboute hir nekke of gentil entaile
Was shet the riche chevesaile,

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Par derriere dusques as os,
Qu'il abaissent des bons les los,
Et desloent les aloes,
Et si loent les desloes. 1050
Maint prodommes ont encuses,
Et de lor honnor recules
Li losengier par lor losenges;
Car il font ceus des cors estranges
Qui deussent estre prives:
Mal puissent-il estre arives
Icil losengier plain d'envie!
Car nus prodons n'aime lor vie.
Richece ot une porpre robe,
Ice ne tenes mie a lobe, 1060
Que je vous di bien et afiche
Qu'il n'ot si bele, ne si riche
Ou monde, ne si envoisie.
La porpre fu toute orfroisie;
Si ot portraites a orfrois
Estoires de dus et de rois.
Si estoit au col bien orlee
D'une bende d'or neelee
Moult richement, sachies sans faille.
Si i avoit tretout a taille 1070

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In which ther was ful gret plentee
Of stones clere and bright to see.
Rychesse a girdel hadde upon, 1085
The bokel of it was of a stoon
Of vertu greet, and mochel of might;
For who-so bar the stoon so bright,
Of venim [thurte] him no-thing doute,
While he the stoon hadde him aboute. 1090
That stoon was greetly for to love,
And til a riche mannes bihove
Worth al the gold in Rome and Fryse.
The mourdaunt, wrought in noble wyse,
Was of a stoon ful precious, 1095
That was so fyn and vertuous,
That hool a man it coude make
Of palasye, and of tooth-ake.
And yit the stoon hadde suche a grace,
That he was siker in every place, 1100
Al thilke day, not blind to been,
That fasting mighte that stoon seen.
The barres were of gold ful fyne,
Upon a tissu of satyne,
Ful hevy, greet, and no-thing light, 1105
In everich was a besaunt-wight.
Upon the tresses of Richesse
Was set a cercle, for noblesse,

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De riches pierres grant plente
Qui moult rendoient grant clarte.
Richece ot ung moult riche ceint
Par desus cele porpre ceint;
La boucle d'une pierre fu
Qui ot grant force et grant vertu:
Car cis qui sor soi la portoit,
Nes uns venins ne redotoit:
Nus nel pooit envenimer,
Moult faisoit la pierre a aimer. 1080
Ele vausist a ung prodomme
Miex que trestous li ors de Romme.
D'une pierre fu li mordens,
Qui garissoit du mal des dens;
Et si avoit ung tel eur,
Que cis pooit estre asseur
Tretous les jors de sa veue,
Qui a geun l'avoit veue.
Li clou furent d'or esmere,
Qui erent el tissu dore; 1090
Si estoient gros et pesant,
En chascun ot bien ung besant.
Richece ot sus ses treces sores
Ung cercle d'or; onques encores

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Of brend gold, that ful lighte shoon;
So fair, trowe I, was never noon. 1110
But he were cunning, for the nones,
That coude devysen alle the stones
That in that cercle shewen clere;
It is a wonder thing to here.
For no man coude preyse or gesse 1115
Of hem the valewe or richesse.
Rubyes there were, saphyres, iagounces,
And emeraudes, more than two ounces.
But al bifore, ful sotilly,
A fyn carboucle set saugh I. 1120
The stoon so cleer was and so bright,
That, al-so sone as it was night,
Men mighte seen to go, for nede,
A myle or two, in lengthe and brede.
Swich light [tho] sprang out of the stoon, 1125
That Richesse wonder brighte shoon,
Bothe hir heed, and al hir face,
And eke aboute hir al the place.
Dame Richesse on hir hond gan lede
A yong man ful of semelihede, 1130
That she best loved of any thing;
His lust was muche in housholding.

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Ne fu si biaus veus, ce cuit,
Car il fu tout d'or fin recuit;
Mes cis seroit bons devisierres
Qui vous sauroit toutes les pierres,
Qui i estoient, devisier,
Car l'en ne porroit pas prisier 1100
L'avoir que les pierres valoient,
Qui en l'or assises estoient.
Rubis i ot, saphirs, jagonces,
Esmeraudes plus de dix onces.
Mais devant ot, par grant mestrise,
Une escharboucle ou cercle assise,
Et la pierre si clere estoit,
Que maintenant qu'il anuitoit,
L'en s'en veist bien au besoing
Conduire d'une liue loing.