Nay by criste quod conscience congeye me rather

But reson red me þer-to · rather wil I deye

¶ And I comaunde þe quod þe kyng · to conscience þanne

Rape þe to ride and reson þow fecche

Comaunde hym þat he come · my counsel to here

For he schal reule my reaume · and rede me the beste

And acounte with þe conscience so me crist helpe

How þow lernest þe pepyle · þe lered and þe lewede

¶ I am fayne of þat forward · saide þe freke thanne

And rit right to reson · and rowneþ in his ere

And saide as þe kyng badde · and siþen took his leue

¶ I schal araie me to ride quod reson reste þe a while

And called caton his knaue curteise of speche

And also Thomme trewe tong tel me no tales

Ne lesyng to laughe of · for I loued hem neuere

And sette my sadel vppon suffre · til I se my tyme

And lete warrok it wele · with witty wordes gerthes

And hange on hym þe heuy bridel · to holde his hede lowe

For he wil make wehe · twyees er he be therde / the[r]e

¶ Thanne conscience vp-on his caple · kaireþ forþ faste

And reson with hym rydes rownyng to-giders

Which maistries Mede · makeþ on þis erþe

¶ On waryn wisdom and witty his fere

Folwed hem faste · for hij hadde to doone

In þe cheker and in þe chauncerie · to be discharged of thynges

And riden faste for reson · schulde rede hem þe beste

For to saue hem for siluer fro schame and fram harmes

¶ And conscience knewe hem wel · þei loued couettiseN

ther aren wyles in hir wordes and with Mede þey dwelleth

Þer-as wrath and wranglyng is · þer wynne þey siluer

And þer is loue and leaute · þei wol nouȝt come þer

Contricio & infelicitas in vijs eorum & cetera

¶ thay ne gyueth nouȝt of god · one gose wenge

Non est timor domini ante oculos eorum :

¶ For wote god þey wolde · do more for a dozeyn chickenes

Or as many capons · or for a seme of otes

than for loue of oure lorde · or alle his leue seyntes

For-þy reson lete hem ride · þo riche by hem-seluen

For conscience knoweþ hem nouȝt · ne crist as I trowe

And þan reson rade faste · þe righte {faste} heiȝe gate

As conscience hym kenned · til þey come to þe kyng

¶ Curteisliche þe kyng · þanne · come ayein resoun

And bitwen hym-self and his sone sette hym on benche

And wordeden wel wisely · at grete while togideres

¶ And thane com pees in to parlement · and put forþ a bille

How wrong ayeins his wille · hadde his wif taken

And how he rauisshed Rose Reynoldes loue

And Margarete of hir maidenhode maugre hir chekes

Boþe my gees and my gris hise gadelynges fecches

I dar nouȝt for fere of hym fighte no chide

He borwed of me bayard he brouȝte hym hom neuereT

He meynteneth his men · to morther myn hewen

Forstalles my Fairs · and fiȝtes in my chepyng T

And takes me a taille for a ten quarters of otes

And yet he bet me þer-to · and lith by my maide

I nam nouȝt hardy for hym · vneesLX to loke

¶ þe kyng knewe he saide soth · for conscience hym tolde

that wrong was a wikked lyft · and wrouȝt moche sorwe

¶ Wronge was a-fered þanne · and wisdome he souȝte

To make pees with his pens · and profered hym manye

And sayde had I loue of my lord þe kyng · litel wolde I recche

Þeiȝe pees and his power pleyned hym euere

¶ þo whan wisdome and sire waryn þe witty

For þat wronge had ywrouȝte · so wikked a dede

And warned wrong þo · with swiche a wise tale

Who-so worches my wille · wratthe maketh ofte

I sey it b{i}y my-self · þow shalt it wel fynde

But if mede it make · þy myschief is vp

For boþe þy life and þy londe · liþ in his grace

¶ thanne wowed wrong · wisdome ful yerne

To make is pees with is pens · handy dandy paied

Wisdom and witty þan wenten togidyres

And took Mede with hem · mercy to wynne

¶ Pees put forþ his hede · and his panne blody

With-outen gilte god it wote · gat I þis skaþe

Conscience and þe comune knowen þe sothe

And wisdome and wit were aboute faste

To ouercome þe kyng wiþ catel if þey myȝte

the kyng swore by crist · and by his crowne boþe

Þat wronge for hise werkes scholde wo þolye

And comaunded a conestable · to cast hym in Irens

And leet hym nouȝt þis seuene yer seen hise feet ones

¶ God wot quod wisdome þat were nouȝt þe beste

And he amendes mowe make · lat mainprise hym haue

And be borgh for his bale · and biggen hem bote

And so amenden þat is mysdo · and euere more þe better

¶ Wit a-corded þer-with · and saide þe same

Better is þat bote · bale adoun brynge

than bale be ybette · and bote neuere þe better

¶ And thanne gan Mede to mengen hir · and mercy bisouȝt

And profred pees a present al of pure golde

Haue þis man of me quod she to amende þy skaþe

For I wole wage for wronge · he wol do so namare

¶ Pitouly / Pitou[s]ly pees þanne · prayed to þe kyng

To haue mercy on þat man · þat mysdid hym so ofte

For he has waged me wel · as wisdome hym tauȝte

And I forgyue hym þat gilt · with a god wille

So þat þe kyng assent · I kan say no better

For Mede has made me amendes · I may namare axe

¶ Nay quod þe kyng þo · so me crist help

Wronge wendes nouȝt so away · erst wille I more

For loupe he so liȝtly · laughen he wolde

And eft þe balder be · to bete myn hewen

But reson haue routhe on hym · he schal reste in my stokkes

And þat as longe as he lNeues · bot lawnesse hym borwe

¶ Somme men redde reson þo · to haue reuthe on þat schrewe

And for to conseille þe kyng · and conscience after

Þat mede most be mainpernour · reson þey bisouȝte

¶ Rede me nouȝt quod reson no reuthe to haue

Til lordes and ladies louyen al trouthe

And haten al harlotrie · to heren it or to mouthen it

Til peronelle purfile · be put in hir hucche

And children cherisyng · be chastyng with yerdes

And harlotes holynesse be holden for an hyne

Til clerken couettise be · to cloþe þe pore and to fede

And religious romares recordare in hir? cloistres

As seynt Benet hem badde · Bernard and Fraunceys

Til prechours prechyng be preued on hem-seluen

Til þe kynges conseil be þe comune profit

Til bischopes bayardes ben beggers chambres

Hir haukes an hir houndes · help þe pore religious

¶ And til saynt Iames be souȝt · ther I schal assigne

That no man go to Calis but if he go for euere

And alle rome renners for robbers of biȝonde

Bere no siluer ouer see · þat signe of kyng schewes

Netther / Ne[i]ther graue ne vngraue · gold neiþer siluer

vp-on forfeture of þat fee · who-so fynt hym at Douere

But if he be m{e}archaunt or his man · or messagere with lettres

Prouisour or preste · or penaunt for his synnes

¶ And yet quod reson by þe rode · I schal no reuthe haue

Whil Mede haes þe maistrie in þis moot halle

And I may schewe ensamples · I se other while

I say it by my-self quod he · and it so were

Þat I were kyng with crowne · to kepe a reame

Schulde neuer wrong in þis worlde · þat I wite myȝte

Ben vnpunyss{e}hed in my power · for peril of my saule

Ne gete my grace for giftes · so me god saue

Ne for no med haue mercy · but mekenesse it make

For nullum malum the man · mette with Inpunitum

And badde nullum bonum be Irremuneratum:

¶ Lat youre confessoure sir kyng construe þis vnglosed

And if ye wyrken it in werke · I wedde myn eres

that lawe shal ben a laboror · and lede a felde donge

And loue shal lede thy lond · as þe lief likes

¶ Clerkes þat were confessours coupled hem togiders

Alle to construe þis clause · and for þe kynges profit

And nought for confort of þe comune · ne for þe kynges soule

¶ For I seiȝ Mede in þe moot halle · on men of lawe wynke

And thay laughyng lepe to hir · and laft reson manye

¶ waryn wisdome wynked vp-on Mede

And saide madame I yowre mane · what-so my mouþe iangleth

I falle in floreyns quod þat freke · and faille speche oft

¶ Alle rigtful recorded · þat reson trouþe tolde

And wit a-corded þer-with · and comended hise wordes

And þe moste pepile in þe halle · and many of þe grete

And leten meknesse a maistre · and mede a mased schrewe

¶ Loue lete of hir liȝte · and leaute yet lasse

And saide it so heiȝ · þat alle þe halle it herde

Who-so wilneþ hir to wif · for welþe of hir goodes

But he be knowe for a cokwolde · kut of my nose

¶ Mede mourned þo · and made heuy chere

For þe most comune of þat Court called hir an hore

And a sisour and a sompnour suyd hir faste

And a schireues clerc bischrewed al þe route

For oft haue I quod he · holp yow at þe barre

And yet gaue ye me neuere · þe worþ of a resshe

¶ The kyng called conscience and afterward resone

And recorded þat reson hadde reufulliche shewed

And modiliche vp-on Mede wiþ miȝte þe kyng loked

And gand wax wroth with lawe · for Mede almost had schent

And saide thorugh youre lawe as I leue I lese many chetes

Mede oure Maistrieth lawe · And muche treuthe lettees

An reson shal rekken wiþ yow if I rengne any while

And deme yow by þis day · as ye han deserued

Med shal nouȝt mainprise yow · by þe marie of heuene

I wol haue leaut in lawe · and late be al youre iangelyng

And as most folk witnesse wel · wronge shal be demed

¶ Quod conscience to þe kyng but comune wol assent

It is ful hard by my hed · her-to to brynge it

Alle youre lige leodes · to lede þus euene

By hym þat rauȝte on þe rode · quod reson to þe kyng

But if I reule þus youre reame · Rende out my guttes

If ye bidden buxomnesse · be of myn assente

¶ And I assent saye þe kyng by seinte marie my ladyT

And redily reson · þow shalt n{o}at ride fro me

For as longe as I lyue · lete þe I nelle

¶ I am al redy quod reson to reste wiþ yow euere

So conscience be of oure conseil · I kepe no bettre

And I graunte quod þe kyng goddesforbode / goddes forbode it faille

Als longe as oure lif lasteþ · lyue we togidires