ybauldis players of dyse
and messagers and corrours_

The rybaulders, players of dyse and of messagers and corrours ought to
be sette to fore the rook/ For hit apperteyneth to the rook whiche is
vicayre & lieutenant of the kynge to haue men couenable for to renne
here and there for tenquyre & espie the place and cytees that myght be
contrarye to the kynge/ And thys pawn that representeth thys peple ought
to be formed in this maner/ he must haue the forme of a man that hath
longe heeris and black and holdeth in his ryght hand a lityll monoye And
in his lyfte hande thre Dyse And aboute hym a corde in stede of a
gyrdell/ and ought to haue a boxe full o lettres And by the first/
whiche is money is vnderstand they that be fole large & wastours of
theyr goodes/ And by the seconde whiche is the dyse Ben represented the
players at dyse/ Rybauldes and butters/ And by the thyrde whiche is the
boxe full of lettres ben representid the messagers. corrours/ And berars
of lettres/ And y'e shall vnderstande that the roock whiche is vicaire of
the kynge whan he seeth to fore hym suche peple as ben folelarge and
wastours. He is bounden to constitute and ordeyne vpon them tutours and
curatours to see that they etc not ne waste in suche maner theyr goodes
ne theyr heritages/ that pouerte constrayne hem not to stele/ For he
that of custome hath had haboundance of moneye and goth and dispendith
hit folily and wasteth hit away/ whan he cometh to pouerte and hath
nought/ he must nedes begge and axe his breed, orellis he must be a
theef/ For suche maner of peple/ yf they haue ben delicyous they wyll
not laboure/ for they haue not lerned hit And yf they be noble and comen
of gentilmen/ they be ashamed to axe and begge/ And thus muste they by
force whan they haue wasted theyr propre goodes yf they wyll lyue they
muste stele and robbe the goodes of other And y'e shall vnderstande that
folelarge is a right euyll vice/ for how well that she dooth good and
prouffyt somtyme to other yet she doth harme and domage to hym that so
wasteth. Caffiodore admonesteth the fole larges to kepe theyr thynges/
that by no necessite they falle in pouerte/ And that they be not
constrayned to begge ne to stele of other men For he faith that hit is
gretter subtilte to kepe well his owne goodes/ than to fynde strange
thynge/ and that it is gretter vertue to kepe that is goten than to gete
and wynne more/ and claudian saith in like wise in his book that hit is
a gretter