undertake There is no manner good therein Whereof ye might a Profit win. Now go together of one assent And take your own Advisément. Whether I you this day advance Stands only on your Choice and Chance. No question here of Royal Grace, It shall be showéd in this place Upon you all, and well and fine, If Fortune fails by Fault of mine.”

They all kneel down, and with one voice They thank the King for this free Choice; And after this they up arise And go aside and them advise, And at the last they all accord; Whereof their Finding to record To what Issue their Voices fall, A Knight shall answer for them all.

He kneeleth down unto the King And saith, that they upon this thing Or for to win or for to lose Are all decided how to choose. Then took this Knight a Rod in hand And goes to where the Coffers stand, And with the Assent of every one He layeth his Rod upon one, And tells the King they only want Him that for their Reward to grant, And pray him that they might it have. The King, who would his Honour save, When he hath heard the common Voice, Hath granted them their own free Choice, And gave them thereupon the Key. But as he would that men might see What Good they got, as they suppose, He bade anon the Coffer unclose,— Which was filled full with Straw and Stone; Thus are they served, the Luck’s their own.

“Lo,” saith the King, “now may ye see That there is no Default in me; Therefore myself I will acquit, Bear ye the Blame now, as is fit, For that which Fortune you refused.” Thus was this wise old King excused, And they left off their evil Speech, And Mercy of their King beseech.

Touching like matter to the quick, I find a Tale how Frederick, At that time Emperor of Rome, Heard, as he went, a Clamour come From two poor Beggars on the way. The one of them began to say, “Ha, Lord, the man is rich indeed To whom a King’s Wealth brings his Speed!” The other said, “It is not so, But he is rich and well-to-do To whom God pleases Wealth to send.” And thus their Words went without end, Whereto this Lord hath given ear And caused both Beggars to appear Straight at his Palace, there to eat; And bade provide them for their Meat Two Pasties which men were to make, And in the one a Capon bake, And in the other, Wealth to win, Of Florins all that may within He bade them put a great Richésse, And just alike, as one may guess, Outward they were, to Sight of Men.

This Beggar was commanded then, He that had held him to the King, That he first choose upon this thing. He saw them, but he felt them not, So that upon his single Thought He chose 

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