Come doun from a castel · and called me faire

An saide sone slepestow · sestow this peeple

How besy thay ben a-bouten the mase

The moste partie of þis pepile · þat passes on this erthe

Haue thay worchip in this world · thay wilnen no bettre

Of othyr heuene than here · holde thay no tale

¶ I was a-fered of hir face · theiȝ scho faire were

And saide mercy madame · what is this to mene

The thour v{?}p þe toft quod she · treuthe is ther-Inne

And wolde that ye wrowȝte · as his word thecheth

For he is fader of fayth · formed yow alle

Bothe with felle an wth / w[i]th face · an gaf yow fyue wyttes

For to worschip hym ther-with · the while þat ye ben here

And ther-fore he highte þe erþe · to help yow vchoon

Of wollen of lynnen · oLX lifode atte nede

In mesurable manere · to make yow atte ese

¶ An comanded of his curteisie · In comune thre thynges

Aren noon nedful but thyo · And nempne hem I thynke

And rekene hem by reson · Reherce thow hem after

that oon is vesture · from chelde the to saue

And meet atte the Mele · for mysese of þy-selue

And drynk whan thow driest · and do nought out of resonC

that thow worþ þe worse · wan thow worche sholdest

¶ For Loth in his lif-dayes · for likyng of drynke

Dide by hise dougtres · that þe deuel woldeN

And leccherie hym lauȝte · an lay by hem boþe

And al he witte it þe wyn · that wikked dede.

¶Inebriemus eum vino dormiamusque cum eo ut seruare possimus de patre nostro semenC

¶ Thorugh wyn and thoruȝ wymmen · ther was loth acombred

And ther gatte in glotonye · barnes that were karles

For-thy drede delitable drynke · and thou schalt do þe better

Mesur is medicyne · thouȝ thow mikile ȝerne

It is nowht al good to þe goost · that guttis askys

Ne liflode to thy likam · for a lyer hym techys

That is the wrecched world · wolde þe bitraye

For þe fende an thy flesche · folowes the togidire

This and þat sees þy soule · and setth it in thy herte

An for thou schuldest ben ware · I wisse the beste

¶ Madame mercy quod I · Me likes wel youre wordes

And the moneie of this molde · that men so faste holdes

Thel me to whom madame · that tresour appendes

¶ Go to þe gospel quod she · that god saide hym-seluen

When þe pepyl hym apposed · with a peny in þe temple

Whether thay schuld þer-with · worschip þe kyng Cesare

And god asked of hem · of wham spak the lettre

And þe ymage ylike · that þer-Inne stondes

Cesar thay sayde · we see hym wel Ilkone

¶Reddite cesari quod god · that cesar bifalles

¶Et que sunt dei deo : or elles ye do ille

For rightful reson · schulde rewle {o}yow alle

And kynde with be wardeyn · youre wele to kype

And tutour of ȝoure tresour · and take it yow at nede

For housbondrie an hij · holden to-gideres

Than I frayned hir fayre · for hym that hir made

That dongeoun in þe dale · that dredful is of sighte

What may it be to mene · madame I yow be biseche

That is the castel of care who-so cometh ther-Inne.

May banne that he borne was · to body or to soule

Ther-Inne wonnyes a wight · that wronge is yhote

Fader of falsed · and founded it hym-seluen

Adam and eue · he egged to ille

Counseilled Caym to kyllen his brother

Iudas he Iaped · with Iuwen siluir

And sithen on Eller · hanged hym after

He is letter of loue · and lieth hem alle

That trusten on his tresoure · by-trayes he sonnest

¶ Than had I wonder in my wit · what womman it were

That swilke wise wordes · of holy writ me scheued

And asked hir in þe heigh name · ers scho þennes yede

What she were witterly · þat wissed me so faire

¶ Holycherche I am quod schoe · thowe oughtest me to knowe

I vnderfonge the firste · and the fayth taughte

And brougtest me borwes · Mi biddyng to fulfille

And to loue lelly · the whille thy life dureth

¶ Thanne I coureed on my knees · and criede hir of grace

And prayed hir pitously · praye for my synnes

And also kenne me kyndely · on criste to bileue

That I myghte worchen his wille · that wrouȝte me to man

Theche me to no tresour · but telle me this ilke

How I may saue my saule · þat seynt art yholden

¶ Whan alle tresoures aren tried · treuthe is the beste

I do it on deus caritas to deme the sothe

It is as derworth a drewerie · as dere god hym-seluen

¶ Who-so is trewe of his tonge · and telleth non other

And dothy þe werkes therwith · an willeneth no man ille

He is a god by the gospel · a-grounde and a-loft

And ylike to oure lord · by seynt lukes wordes

The clerkes that knoweth this · schulde kenne it aboute

For cristen an vncristen · clameth it echone

¶ Kynges an knygtes · schulde kepe it by reson

Riden and rapendoun / rapen doun · in reaumes aboute

And taken transgressores and thyen hem faste

Thil treuthe had ytermined · hir trespas to the ende

And that is the professioun aperly / aper[t]ly · þat appendyth for knyghtes

And nought to fasten a friday in fyue score wynter

But holden with hym and with hir · that wolden al treuthe

And neuer leue hem for loue · ne for lacchyng of siluir

¶ For dauid in hise dayes · dubbed knyghtes

And dide hem swere on hir swerd · to serue trouthe euere

And who-so passed that poynt · was apostata in þe order

¶ But crist kyngen kyng · knyghted ten

Cherubyn and seraphyn · swiche seuen and another

And gaf hem myghte in his magiste · the muryer hem thought

And ouer his mene meynnge · made hem archangels

Thauȝte hem by the · Trinite treught to knowe

ThoLX be bouxom at his biddyng · he bad hem nought elles

¶ Lucifer with legiones · lerned it in heuenN

But for he brake buxomnese · his blisse gan he tyne

And fel fro that felawschip · in a fendes liknes

In-to a depe derk helle · to dwelle ther for euere

And mo thousandes with hym · than man kouthe novmber

Loupen out with lucifer · in lotheliche formeN

Ponam pedem in aquilone et similis ero altissimo.

¶ An alle that hoped it myghte be so · no heuen myghte hem holdeC

But fellen out in fendes liknesse · nyne dayes togidres

Til god of his goodnese · gane stable and stynte

And garte the heuene to steke · and stonden in quiete

¶ Whan thise wikked went out · wonderwise thay fellen

Som in þe eire some in þe erthe · and som in helle depe

And lucifer lawest · lyes of hem alle

For pride that he put out · his payn hath non ende

And alle worcheth with wrong · wenden hij shulle

After hir deth-day · and dwelle with that schrewe

And thoLX that worches wel · as holy writ telleth

And enden as I er saide · In trouthe þat is þe beste

Mowe be siker that hir soule · schal wende to heuene

Ther treuhte is in Trinite and troneth hem alle

For-thy I sey as I saide ere · by sighte of þis texte

Wan alle tresoures aren ytried · treuthe is the beste

Lereth it this lewed men · for lettred men ne knowen

That treuthe is tresoure · the triest on erthe

yhet haue I no kynde knowyng quod I · yhet mote ye kene me bettreC

By what craft in my corps · it comseth and where

¶ Thow doted daffe quod she · dulle aren þy wittes

ThoLX lityl latyn thou lernedest · lede in thy thougthe

¶Heu michi quia sterilem duxi vitam Iuuenilem :

¶ It is a kynde knowyng quod heLX þat kenneth in thyne herte

For to loue thy lorde · leuere than thy-seluen

No dedly syne to do · dey þouȝ þou sholdest

This I trowe by treuthe · who kan teche þe better

¶ Loke thow suffyre hym to saye · and sithen here it after

For thus witnesseþ his word · worche yow þer-after

For treuthe telleþ þat loue · is triacle of heuene

May no synne be on hym sene · that vses þat spyce

And alle this werkes he wrought · with loue as hym liste

And lered it moyses for þe leuest þing · an most like to heuene selfC

And also plentee of pees · Most preciouse of vertues

¶ For heuen myȝte nouȝt holden it · it was so heuy of hym-selfC

Thil it had of the erthe · heten his fille

And whan it had of þis folde · flessh and blood taken

Was neuer leef vp-on lynde · liȝter ther-after

And portatif and persaunt · as the poynt of a nedele

That myght non armurer it lete · ne non heigh. walles

¶ For-thy is loue leder · of þe lordes folk of heuene

And a mene as þe Mair is · bitwene þe kyng ande þe comune

Right so is loue a leder · and þe lawe schapeth

Vp-on a man for his mysdedes · þe mercyment he taxeth

And for to knowe it kyndely · it comseth by nyght / [m]yght

And in þe/herte / þe herte þer is þe heuede · an þe heiȝ welle

¶ For in kynde knowyng in herte · þer a miȝte bygynneth

And that falles to þe fader · þat formed vs alle

Loked on vs with loue · and lete his sone deye

Mekel for oure mysdedes · to amende vs alle

And yhet wolde he hem no wo · þat wrought hym þat peyne

But Mikely / M[e]kely with mouþe · Mercy he bisoughte

ThoLX haue pitee of þat pepyle · that peyned hym to dethe

¶ Here myghtestow see ensaumpyle · In hym-selue oone

That he was myghtful and meke · and mercy gan grawnte

ThoLX hem þat hongen hym an heigh · and his herte thirlede

¶ For-thy I rede yow riche · haue reuthe of the pore

Thought ye be myghtful to mote · beth meke in youre werkesC

¶ For þe same mesures þat ye mete · amys outher elles

ye schullen be weyen ther-with · whan ye wende hennes

¶Eadem mensura qua mensi fueritis remecietur vobis :

¶ For though ye be trewe of youre tonge · & treweliche wynne

And as chaste as a childe · that in kerke wepes

But if ye louen lelliche · and lene the pore

Swilk good as god ȝow sent · goodliche parteth

Ye ne haue no merite · in masse ne in houres

Than Malkyng of hir maydenhode · þat no man desires

¶ For Iames þe gentil · Iuggede in hise bookes

That feiþ with-oute þe facte · is ryght no-thyng worthy

And as dede a dore-tre · but if thy dedes folwe

¶ Fides sine operibus mortua est & cetera

¶ For-thy chastite with-oute charite · worth cheyned in helle

It is as lewed as a lampe · that no light is Inne

¶ Many chapeleyns aren chaste · and charite is awey

Aren no man auerouser than hij · whan þey ben auaunced

vnkynde to hir kynne · and to alle cristene

Chewen hir charite · and chiden after more

Swilk chastite with-oute charite · worth cheyned in helle

¶ Many curatours kepen hem · clene of hir bodyes

Thay ben acombred with coueitise · þey kanne nouȝt do it fram hemC

So hard hath auarice · yhasped hem togiders

And that is no treuthe of þe Trinite . bot tricherie of helle

And lernyng to lewed men · the latter for to dele

¶ For-thy thise wordes · ben writen In the gospel

¶ Date & dabitur vobis · for I dele yow alle

And that is the lokke of loue · and leteth oute my grace

ThoLX confort the carful · a-combyred with synne

¶ Loue is leche of lif · and nexit oure lord selue

And also the graythe gate · that goth in-to heuene

For-thi I say as I sayde er · by þe textis

Whan alle tresores ben ytried · treuthe is the beste

Now haue I tolde the what treuhte is · þat no tresore is bettere

I may no lenger lenge the with · now loke the oure lorde