"
He tooke the bill and looked it on,
Good comfort that he found there;
It told him of a castle wall
Where there stood three chests in feare:
Two were full of the beaten gold,
The third was full of white money.
He turned then downe his bags of bread
And filled them full of gold so red.
Then he did never cease nor blinne
Till John of the Scales house he did winne.
When that he came John of the Scales,
Up at the speere he looked then;
There sate three lords upon a rowe,
And John o' the Scales sate at the bord's head,
And John o' the Scales sate at the bord's head
Because he was the lord of Lynne.
And then bespake the heire of Lynne
To John o' the Scales wife thus sayd hee,
Sayd "Dame, wilt thou not trust me one shott
That I may sit downe in this company?"
"Now Christ's curse on my head," she said,
"If I do trust thee one pennye,"
Then bespake a good fellowe,
Which sate by John o' the Scales his knee,
Said "have thou here, thou heire of Lynne,
Forty-pence I will lend thee,--
Some time a good fellow thou hast beene
And other forty if it need bee."
They drunken wine that was so cleere,
And every man they made merry,
And then bespake him John o' the Scales
Unto the Lord of Lynne said hee;
Said "how doest thou heire of Lynne,
Since I did buy thy lands of thee?
I will sell it to thee twenty better cheepe,
Nor ever did I buy it of thee."
"I draw you to recorde, lords all:"
With that he cast him god's penny;
Then he tooke to his bags of bread,
And they were full of the gold so red.
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