, and saw a bill,
And in it a key of gold so redd.

He took the bill, and lookt it on,
Strait good comfort found he there:
It told him of a hole in the wall,
In which there stood three chests in-fere.

Two were full of the beaten gold,
The third was full of white money;
And over them in broad letters
These words were written so plain to see:

'Once more, my son, I set thee clear;
Amend thy life and follies past;
For but thou amend thee of thy life,
That rope must be thy end at last.'

And let it be,' said the heir of Linne;
'And let it be, but if I amend:
For here I will make mine avow,
This read shall guide me to the end.'

Away then went with a merry cheer,
Away then went the heir of Linne;
I wis, he neither ceas'd nor stayed,
Till John o' the Scales' house he did win.

And when he came to John o' the Scales,
Up at the window then looked he:
There sate three lords upon a row,
Were drinking of the wine so free.

And John himself sate at the bord-head,
Because now lord of Linne was he.
'I pray thee,' he said, 'good John o' the Scales,
One forty pence for to lend me.'

'Away, away, thou thriftless loone;
Away, away, this may not be:
For a curse upon my head he said,
If ever I trust thee one pennie.'

Then bespake the heir of Linne,
To John o' the Scales' wife then spake he:
'Madame, some alms on me bestow,
I pray for sweet saint Charitie.'

'Away, away, thou thriftless loone,
I swear thou gettest no alms of me;
For if we shold hang any losel here,
The first we would begin with thee.'

Then bespake a good fellowe,
Which sat at John o' the Scales his bord;
Sayd, 'Turn again, thou heir of Linne;
Some time thou wast a well good Lord:

'Some time a good fellow thou hast been,
And sparedst not thy gold and fee:
Therefore I'll lend thee forty pence,
And other forty if need be.

'And ever, I pray thee, John o' the Scales,
To let him sit in thy companie:
For well I wot thou hadst his land,
And a good bargain it was to thee.'

Up then spake him John o' the Scales,
All hot he answered him againe:
'Now a curse upon my head, he said,
But I did lose by that bargaine.

'And here I proffer thee, heir of Linne,
Before these lords so fair and free,
Thou shalt have it back again better cheap,
By a hundred markes, than I had it of thee.

'I draw you to record, lords, he said.
With that he cast him a god's pennie:
Now by my fay, sayd the heir of Linne,
And here, good John, is thy money.'

And he