tho wepte I for wo · and wrat{b}he of hir speche

And in a wyndynge wratthe wex I a-sleep

A merueillous sweuene mette me þanne

that I was rauisshed riȝt þer · and fortune me fette

And to þe lond of longyng · allone she me brouȝte

And in a Mirour þat hiȝte mydlerd · sho made me biholde

Sithen she saide to me · here miȝtow se wondres

And knowe þat þow coueitest · and com þer-to paraunter

¶ Than had fortune folwyng hir · two faire damesels

Concupiscencia carnis men called þe elder maide

And couetise of eighes · called was þat other

Pride of parfit lyuyng pursued hem both

And bad me for my contenaunce · acounte clergie lighte

Concupiscencia carnis · colled me aboute þe nekke

And saide þou art yowng and yepe · and hast yeres Inow

For to lyue longe · and ladyes to louye

And in þis Mirour þow miȝte se mirthes ful manye

Þat lede þe wyl to lykyng al þy lyf-tyme

¶ the seconde saide þ / þ[e] same · I shal swe / s[e]we þy wille

Til þow be a lord and haue londe · lete þe I nylle

Þat I ne shal folowe þy felawship · if fortune it like

He shal fynd me his frende quod fortune þer-after

Þe freek þat folweþ my wille · failled neuere blisse

¶ Than was ther oon that highte · Elde þat heuy was

Man quod he if I mete wiþ þe · by marie of heuene

thow shalt fynde fortune þe faille · at þy moste nede

And concupiscencia carnis clene þe forsake

Bitterlich shaltow banne þann · bothe þe dayes and nyghtesC

Coueitise of {h}eigh · þat euere þou it knewe

And pride of parfit libbyng · to muche peril þe brouȝt

¶ ye recche þe neuere quod recchelesnesse · stoed forþ in ragged cloþesCN

Fo{?}lowe forþ þat fortune wole · þow hast wel fare to elde

A man may stoupe tyme ynough · whan he shal tyne þe crowne

Homo proponit quod a poete and plato he hiȝte

And deus disponit quod he · lat god don his wille

If treuth wol witnesse it be wel do · fortune to folowe

Concupiscencia carnis ne coueitise of eighes

Ne shal nat greue þe gretly · ne bigile þe but þou wolt

¶ ye fare wel phippe quod faunteltee · and forþ gan me draweC

Til concupiscencia carnis acorded al my werkes

¶ Allas eyghe quod Elde and holynesse bothe

That wit shal torne to wrecchednesse · for wille to haue his likyngC

Coueitise of eighes · conforted me sone after.

And folow me fourty wynter · or fifty and more

Þat of dowel ne do-bet · no deynte me thynke

I had no lykyng ne no luste · of hem ouȝt to knowe

Coueitise of eighes · cam ofter in mynde

And do-wel or do-bet · among my dedes alleT

And saide haue no conscience how þou come to good

Go confesse þe to some frere · and shewe hym þy synnesCN

For whiles fortune his þy frende · freres wol þe louye

And fecche þe to hir fraternite · and for þe biseke

To hir priour prouincial · a pardon for to haue

And pray for þe pol by pol · if þw / þ[o]w be pecuniosus

¶ Set pena pecuniaria non sufficit pro spiritualibus delictis

By wissyng of þis wenche I wrouȝte · hir wordes were so sweteC

Til I forgate youthe · and yarne in-to elde

And than was fortune my fo · for al hir faire biheste

And pouerte pursued me · and putte me lowe

And þo fonde I þe frere · aferd and flettyng bathe

Ayeins oure first forward · for I saide I nolde

Be buried at hir hous · but at my parisshN chirche

For I herde ons how conscience it tolde

that þer a man were cristynde · by kynde he schulde be buried

Or wher he were parisshen · riȝt þer he sholde be grauen

¶ And for I saide thus to freres · a fool they me helden

And loued me the lasse · for my leale speche

And yet I cried on my confessour · that held hym-self so konyng

By my faith frere quod I · ye faren like this wowers

That wedde no widowes · but for to welde hir goodes

Right so by the rode · roughte þe neuere

Where my body were buried · by so ye hadde the siluer

I haue muche merueill of yow · and so hath many other

Why youre couent coueiteth · to confesse and to burie

Rather than to baptize barnes · that beth catekonnelyns

Baptisyng and buriyng hath be ful nedful

And muche more meritorie · me thyngket is to baptize

For a baptized man · may asN maistires telles

Thurgh contricioun come to the highe heuene

Sola contrico delet peccatum

¶ And a barne with-outen bapteme · may nought be saued

Nisi quis renatus fuerit ex aqua &cetera .

Lok ye lettred men · wheher I lye or nouȝt

And leaute lok on me . and I loured after

Wherfore lourestow quod leaute · and loked on me harde

If I dorst quod I amonges men · this metels auowe

Bi petir and by paule quod he · and took bothe to witnese

Non oderis fratres secrete in corde tuo set publice argue illos

They wol allegge also quod I · and by þe gospel prouen

¶ Nolite iudicare quemquam

¶ And where-of serueth law quod leaute · if no lif vndirtoook it

Falsnesse and faytrie · for somwhat the gospel saide ·

Non oderis fratrem and in the sauter · saith · Dauid the prophete

Existimasti inique quod ero tui similis &cetera

It is licitum for lewed men · to segge the sothe

If hem liketh and lest · ech lawe it graunteth

Excepte persones and prestes · and prelates of haly cherche

It falleth nought for that folk · no tales to telle

Though the tale were trewe · and it touched synne

Thyng that al þe worlde woot · wherfore schuldestow spare

And reden it in rethorik to arate dedly synne

And be neuere the first · the defaute to blame

Though thow see yuel say it nought · first be sory it nere amended

And thyng thas is priue · publice thow it neuer

Nether for loue laude it nouȝt  ne lakke it for enuye

¶ Parum lauda vitupera parcius

He sayes sothe quod scripture · and skipte an heigh and preched

And the matere that he moued · if lewed men it knewe

The lasse as I leue · louyen it thay woldeT

This was hir teme and hir tixt · I tok ful god hede

Multi to a mangerie · and to the mete were sompned

And whan the pepile was plener comen · the vnpynned the gate

And plukked in pauci priueliche · and lete the remenaunt go roome

Al for tene of hir texte · trembled myn herte

And in were gan I wax · and with my-self dispute

Whetther I were chosen or nowth · on holy chirche I thoughte

That vnderfange me at the fount · for oon of goddes chosen

For crist cleped vs alle · come if we walde

Sarazenes and scismatikes · and sa he dide the Iewes

O vos omnes scicientes · venite & cetera

And bad hem souk for synne · saufly at is breste

And drynk boote for bale · broke it who-so myghte

¶ Than may al cristen come quod I · and claym ther entree

By the blood that he boughte vs with · and thurgh baptisme afterC

Qui crediderit & baptizatus fuerit & cetera

For though a cristen man coueited · his cristedom to forsake

Rightfulliche to reuþe · no reson it wolde

For may no cherche chartre make · ne his catel selle

With-outen leue of his lord · no lawe wol it graunte

And he may renne in arrerage · and rowme so fro home

And as a renyed caytif · recchesly aboute

And reson shal reken with hym · and caste hym in arrarege

And puten after in prisonN · in purgatorie to brenne

For his arrerage rewarde hym ther · to the day of dome

But if contricioun wol come · and crye by h{ii}ys lyue

Mercy for hise mysdedes · with mouthe or with herte

¶ That is sothe quod scripture may no synne lette

Mercy alle to amende · and meknesse hir folowe

For thay bee as houre bookes telles · a-boue goddes werkes

Misericordia eius super omnia opera eius

¶ Ye bawe for bookes quod oon · was broken out of helle

Hight Troianus had ben a trewe knyght · took witnesse at þe popeC

How he was ded and dampned · to dwellen in peyne

For an vncristen creature · clerkes witen the sothe

That al clergie vndir crist · myghte cracche fro helle

But onliche loue and leaute and my lawful domes

¶ Gregory wist this wel · and wilneth to my saule

Saluacion for sothnesse · that he seigh my werkes

And after that he wepte · and wilned me graunted were

Grace with-outen any bede biddyng · his boone was vndirf{?}ange

And I saued as ye may se · with-outen syngen of masses

By loue and by lernyng · of my lyuyng in trouthe

Broughte me fra bytter peyne · there no biddyng myghte

¶ Lo ye lordes what leaut dide · by an Emperour of Rome

That was an vncristen creature · as clerkes fynde in bokes

Nought thorugh prayer of a pape · but for his pure treuthe

Was that sarasen saued as saynt Gregorie bereth witnesse

¶ Wel aughte þe lordes that lawes kepe thys lesson haue in myndeC

And on Troianus trouthe to thenk · and do treuthe to the pypileT

Law with-outen loue quod Troianus lay ther a beene

Or any science vndir sonne ; the seuene artz and alle

But thay be lerned for oure lordes loue ; lost is al{le} the tyme

For no cause to cacche siluer ther-by · ne to be called a maister

But al for loue of oure lorde · and the better to loue the pepile

For saynt Iohan sayde it ; and soth aren his wordes

Qui non diligit manet in morte

¶ Who-so loueth nouȝt leue me · he leueth in deth deynge

And that alle manere men enemys and frendes

Louen hir aither other · and lene hym as hir-seluen.

Who-so leneth nouȝt he loues nouȝt · god woot the sothe

And comande Ilk creature · to confourme hym to louye

And souereigneliche pore pepile · and hir enemys after

For hem that haten vs · is oure merite to loue

And pouere pepile to plese hir prayers may vs helpe

For oure Ioie and oure hele Ihesu crist of heuene

In a pouere mannes apperaille · pursueth vs euere

And lokes on vs in hir liknesse · and þat with louely chere

To knowe vs by oure kynde herte ; and castyng of oure eighe

Wheither we loue the lordes here · bifore oure lorde of blisse

And excited vs by the euaungelie · that whan we maken festes

We shal nat cale oure kyne þer-to · ne noon kynnes riche

Cum facitis conuiuia nolite inuitare amicos

¶ And calles the carful ther-to · the croked and the pore

For oure frendes wol fenden yow · and fonde yow to quyte

youre festynge and youre faire giftes · Ilke frende quiteth so otherT

That gyues hym met or monei · and loues hem for my sakeT

For the beste ben som riche · and som beggers and pore

For alle are we cristes creatures · and of coffres riche

And brethren as of blood ; as wel beggers as erles

For on caluarie of cristes blood · cristendom gan sprynge

And blody brethren we bicom ther · of a body ywonne

As quasi modo geniti and gentil men ech oon

No begger ne boye amang vs · but if it synne made

Qui facit peccatum seruus est peccati

¶ In the alde lawe · as holy letter telles

Mennes sonnes men called vs echone

Of Adames issue and Eue ay til god mand / man deyed

And after his resurreccion Redemptor was his name

And we his bretheren thurgh hym bought · bath riche and pouere

For-thy loue we as leue bretheren shal · and Ilk man laughe vp onotherC

And if that Ilk man may for-bere · amende ther it nedes

And euery man help other · for hennes shal we alle

Alter alterius onera portate & cetera .

And be we nouȝt vnkynde of oure catel · ne of oure konnyng nouther

For not no manN how it is · to be by nome fra bathe

For-thy lak no lif other · though he more latyn knowe

Ne vndirnym nouȝt foule · is non with-outen faute

For what-euere clerkes carpe · of cristendome or elles

Crist to a commune womman · Saide in comune at the feste

That fides sua shuld sauen hir · and saluen of hir synnes

¶ Thanne is bileue a lele helpe · a-boue logik or lawe

Of logik ne of lawe · in legenda sanctorum

Is litel alowance made · but if bileue hem helpe

For it is ouerlonge · or logik any lesson assoille

And lawe is loth to loue · but if he take siluer

Bath logik and lawe · that loues nought to lye

I conseille alle cristen men · cleue nought ther-on to sore

For some wordes I fynde writen · were of feithes techyng

That saued synful men · as saynt Iohan bereth witnesse

Eadem mensura qua mensi fueritis remecietur vobis

¶ For-thy lerne we the lawe of loue · as oure lorde taughte

And as saynt Gregorie s{e}aide for mannes saule helthe

Melius est scrutari scelera nostra quam naturas rerum

¶ Why I moeue this matere · is moost the pouere

For in his liknesse oure lorde · oft has ben knawen

Witnesse in the Passe weke · whan he yede to Emaus

Clephas knewe hym nought · that he criste were

For his pouere apparalle · and pilgrymes wedes

Til he blissed and brake · the brede that thay eten

So by hise werkes thay wisten · that he was Ihesu

And by clothyng thay knewe hym nouȝt · ne by carpyng of tongeC

¶ And al was in ensampile · to vs synful here

That we shulde be lawe · and louelich of speche

And apparaille vs nouȝt to proudly · for pilgrymes er we alle

And in apparaille of a pouere man · and pilgrymes liknesse

Many tyme god has · ben mette · among nedy pepile

There neuere segge mane hym sawe · in secte of the riche

Saynt Iohan and other sayntes · ware seyn pouere clothyng

And as poure pilgrymes prayden mennes goddes

Ihesu criste on a Iewes dowghter aligt · gentil womman though she wereC

Was a pure pouere maide · and to a pouere man wedded

Martha on marie magdaleyne · and huge playnte sho madeC

And to oure sauour self · sayde this wordes.

Domine non est tibi cura quod soror mea reliquit me solam &cetera

And hastiliche god answerd · and aytheres wil folowed

Both in marthas and in Maries as mathew beres witnesseC

And pouerte god pute be-fore and praysedP it þe better

Maria optimam partem elegit que non auferetur ab ea

¶ And alle wise that eure were · by aught I kan aspie

Praisen pouerte for beste lif · if pacience it folowe

And bathe better and blisseder · by many folde than ricchesseC

And though it be soure to soffre · ther comes swete after

As on a walnot with-outen · is a bittre barke

And after that bitter barke · be the shelle aweye

Is a kernel of confort · kynde to restore

So after pouerte or penaunce · pacientlich ytake

For it maketh man to haue mynde in god and a grete willeC

To wepe and to wele bidde wher-of wexeth mercye

Of wich crist is a kernellN · to conforte the soule

And wel sikerer he slepes · the man that is pouere

And lasse he dredes deth · and in derke to be robbed

Than he that is right riche · reson beres witnesse

Pauper ego ludo dum tu diues meditaris

Al-though salamon saide · as folk sees in þe bibile

Diuicias nec paupertates & cetera.

Wiser than salamon was · bereth witnesse and taughte

That parfit pouerte · was · was no posessioun to haue

And lif most likyng to god ; and luk beres witnesse

Si vis perfectus esse vade & vende & cetera

¶ And is to many to men · that on this molde lyuen

Who-so wol be pouere parfit · moot possession forsake

Or selle it as sayes the book · and the siluer dele

To beggers that gaen and begge · and bidde good for goddesloue / goddes loueCN

For failled neuere man mete · that mygtful god serued

As dauid saies in the sauter · to swich that ben in wille

To seruen god goodlich · ne greues hym no penaunce

Nichil inpossibile volenti

Ne lakketh neuere lynnen ne wollen

Inquirentes autem dominum non minuentur omni bono

If preestes were parfit · thay walde no siluer take

For masses ne for matyns · nouȝt hir meet of vsurers

Ne nouther kirtil ne cote · theygh thay for calde sholde deyeC

And thay hir deuoir dide as dauid says in þe sauter

Iudica me deus & discerne causam meam &cetera · spera in deo &cetera

Spekes of prestes that haue no spendyng siluer

That if thay trauaille trewly and trist in god almyghty

thaym shal lakke no liflode · nouther wollen ne lynnen

And the title thay take ordersby / orders by · til ye ben auaunced

Than nedes naught yow take siluer for masses þat ye synge

For he that took yow youre titile · Shal take yow youre wagesC

Of the bisshop that blisses yow · if þat ye ben worthy.

For made neuer kyng no knyght · but he had catel to spende

As bifel for a knyght · or fande hym for his strenthe

It is a carful knyght · and of caytif kynges makynges

That has no land ne lynage riche · negood / ne good loos of hise handesC

The same I say for sothe · by alle swiche preestes

That haue nouther konnyng ne kynne · bot a crown oon

And a titile a taile of nouȝt · to his liflod at meschief

He has more bileue as I leue · to cacche thurgh his crownn

Cure than for konnyng or knowyng · for clene of berynge

I haue wonder and why · and wherfore the bisshop

Makes swich prestes · that lewed men bitrayen

¶ A charter is chalengeable · bi-for a chife Iustice

If false latyn be in that letter · the lawe it impugnes

Or peynted parentrelynarie · parcells ouer-kipped / ouer-[s]kipped

The gome that gloses so charters · for a gooky is holden

So is it a goky by god · that in his gospel failleth

Or in masse or matynes · makes any defaute

Qui offendit in vno in omnibus est reus & cetera.

And also in the sauter sayes dauid to ouerkippers

Psallite deo nostro psallite quoniam rex terre deus Israhael psallite sapienter

¶ The bisshop shal be blamed bifor god a I leue

That crowned swich goddes knyȝtes · þat konnes nouȝt sapienter

Synge ne psalmes rede · ne saye a masse of the daye

And neuere nouther is blameles · the bisshop ne chapeleyn

For here either is endited and that of I{i}gnorancia

Non excusat Episcopos nec ydiotes prestes

¶ This lokyng on lewed prestes · has done me lepe fra pouertee

Which I praise there pacience · is more parfit than richesse

¶ And muche more in metyng thus with me gan oon dispute

And slepyng I seigh alle this · and sithen cam kynde

And called me by name · and bad me nymen hede

And thurgh the wondires of this worlde · wit for to take

And on a mountaigne that myddelerd · highte as me than thoughteC

I was fet forth · by ensampel to knowe

Thorugh Ilk a creature and kynde · my creatour to louye.

I seigh the sonne and the see · and the sande after

And where that briddes and bestes · by hir make thay yeden

Wilde wormes in wodes · and wonderful foules

With flekked fetheres · and of fele coloures

Man and his make · I · myghte both biholde

Pouertee and plentee · bathe pees and werre

Blisse and bale · bathe I seigh atones / at ones

And how men token mede · and mercy refused

Reson I seigh sothely · suwen alle bestes

In etynge in drynkynge · and in engendrynge of kynde

And after cours of concepcioun · noon took kepe of other

And whan thay had r{ii}yde in Roteye-tyme anon right ther-after

Males drowen hem to males · a morwenges by hem-selue

And in euenynges also · the males fro femeles

Ther was cowe ne cowkynde · that conceyued hadde

That walde belwe after b{u}olles · ne boor after sow

Bathe hors and houndes · and alle other bestes

Medled nouȝt with hir makes · that with fole were

¶ Briddes I bihelde · that in buskes made nestes

Had neuere wye wit · to worche the leste

I had wonder at whom · and where the pye lerned

To laye the stikkes · in wich he layes and bredes

Ther nys wright as I wene · sholde worche hir neste to paye

If any mason made a molde ther-to · muche wonder it were

¶ And yet me merueilled more · how many other briddes

H{u}ydden and heleden · hir egghes ful derne

In marreys and mores · for men shuld hem nouȝt fynde

And hydden hire egges · whan thay there fro wente

For fere of other foules · and for wilde bestes

¶ And some traden hir makes · and on trees bredden

And brouȝte forth hir briddes so · alle aboue the groundeT

And some kackeled I took kepe · how pacokkes bredden

Muche merueilled me what maister thay hadde

And who taughte hem on trees · to tymbre sa heighe

Ther nouther barne ne beste may hir briddes reche

And sithen I loked on the see · and so on the sterres

Many selcouthes I seigh · be nought to say nowe

I seigh floures in the frith · and hir faire coloures

And how among the grene gras · grewe so many hewes

And som sour and som swete · selcouthe me thoughte

Of hir kynde and hir colour · to carpe it ware to lange

¶ And that moost moeued me · and my mode chaunged

That reson rewarded · and reuled al bestesT

Ne reson hem folwed · and than I rebuked

Reson and right · til hym-seluen saide

I haue wondire of the quod I · that witty art holden

Why thow ne suwest man and his make þat na mysfaut hem folweC

And reson arated me · and saied recche the neuere

Why I suffyre or nouȝt suffire · thy-self hast nouȝt to donne

Amende þow if þou myȝt · for my tyme is nouȝt to abide

Suffraunce is souereigne vertue · and a swifte vengeaunce

Who suffres more than god quod he · na man as I leue

He myȝte amende in a litel whileT al that mystandes

And he suffres for some mannes goode · and so is oure betterT

The wise and witty · wroot thus in the bible

de re que te non molestat noli certare

¶ For be a man fair or foule · it falles nouȝt for to lakke

The schap ne the schaft · that god shope hym-selue

For alle that he dide was wel ydoo · as haly writ witnesse

Et vidit deus cuncta que fecerat & erant valde bona

And bad euery creature · in his kynde encresce

Al to murthe with man · that maest wa tholde

In foundynge of the flesshe · and of the fende bothe

For man was made of swich a matere · he may nouȝt wel asterteC

That ne som-tyme · hym bitid to folwe his kynde

Caton acordes ther-with · Nemo sine crimine viuit

¶ Tho caughte I colour anoon · and comsed to be aschamde

And a-waked ther-with · wo was me thanne

That I in metels ne myght · more haue I-knawen

Thanne saide I to my-self · and chidde that tyme

Now I woot what do wel is quod I · by god as me thyngkes

And as I caste vp myne eyen · oon loked on me and axed

Of me what thyng it were · I-wis sir I saide

To se muche and suffre more certes quod I is dowel

¶ haddestow suffred he saide · slepyng tho thow were

Thow shuldest haue yknowe þat clergie kan and conceyued more thurȝ resoneC

For reson walde haue reherced the right as clergie saide

And for thyn entermetyng here · artow forsake

Philosophus esses si tacuisses

¶ Adam whiles he spak nouȝt · had parad{ii}ys at wille

And whan he mameled aboute meet · and entermet hym to knowe

The wisdome of the wit of god · he pute fra blisse

And right sa ferde reson by the · thow with thy rude speche

Lakkedest and losest thyng that longed nought to be doute

Tho had he no likyng · for to lere the more

¶ Pride now and presumpcioun · par-auenture wyl the appele

That clergie thy compaignye · ne kepes nought to suwe

Shal neuere chalangynge ne chidynge · chastie a man so soone

As shal schame and schenden hym · and shape hym to amende

For lat a dronken daffe in a dike falle

lat hym ligge look nouȝt on hym · til hym liste to risse

For though reson rebuked hym thanne · it were but pure synne

And whan nede takes hym vp · for doute lest he sterue

And shame shcrapet hise clathes · and hise schynnes wasshede

Than woot the droken daffe · · where-fore he is to blame

¶ ye saye sothe quod I · Ich haue yseyn it ofte

Ther smytes no thyng so smerte · ne smelles sa soure

As shame ther he shewes hym · for euery man hym shonyes

Why ye wisse me thus quod I · was for I rebuked reson.

Certes quod he that is sothe · and shope hym for to walken

And I aros vp right with that · and folwed hym after

And praide hym of his curteise · to telle me his name