And 3e Sire Chanoun / with many grete prebende 3e mai no lenger / haue distribucioun
Of golde & siluer / largeli to dispende
For ther is now / no consolacioun
But daunce with vs / for al 3owre hye renoun
For 3e of dethe / stonde vp on the brinke 3e mai ther of / haue no dilacioun
Dethe cometh ai / when men leste on hym thenke.
Mi benefices / with many a personage
God wote ful lite / mai me now comforte
Dethe hathe of me / so grete a-vantage
Al my richesse / mai me not disporte
Amys o[f] gris / thei wille a3en resorte
Vnto the worlde / surplus & prebende
Al is veyneglorie / treuli to reporte
To dei welle / eche man shulde entende.
Kannikken svarer
wote: véd
Amys of gris: kostbart gråt pelsværk
each man should intend to die well
Dethe to the Marchaunde
3e riche marchaunt / 3e mote loke hiderwarde
That passed haue / ful many dyuerse londe
On hors on fote / hauyng moste rewarde
To lucre & wynnynge / as I vndurstonde
But now to daunce / 3e mote 3eue me 3owre honde
For al 3owre laboure / ful litel a-vaileth now
A-dieu veyneglorie / bothe of fre and bonde
No[ne] more coueite / than thei that haue ynow.
Døden til Købmanden
...you must give me your hand
ynow: enough
The Marchaunte answereth
Be many an hille / and many [a] straunge vale
I haue trauailed / with my marchaundise
Ouer the see / do carye many a bale
To sundri Iles / mo than I can deuyse
Myn herte inwarde / ai frette with couetise
But al for nowght / now dethe [dothe] me constreyne
Be whiche I seie / be recorde of the wise
Who al embraceth / litel schal restreyne.
Købmanden svarer
(1)Domherre...: præst ved en domkirke.
Domherrer levede et regelbundet liv, "vita canonicus"
og kaldtes derfor også kannikker i gamle dage ("chanoun" i teksten).
(2)Prebender...: Stipendier fra domkirkens indtægter,
der tildeles kannikken / domherren.
Døden fra Lübeck
St. Pauls i London