With wynde and with water · witerly enioygned

Kynde hath closed þer-Inne · craftily with-alle

A lemman þat he loues · like to hym-selue ·

Anima scho hatte · and enuye hir hates

A proude priker of fraunce · princeps huius mundi

And walde wynne hir away · with wiles and he miȝte

¶ And kynde knowes this wyel · and kepes hir þe better

As does hir with sire do-wel · Is duc of þise marches

¶ Dobet is hir damisele · sir dowel douȝter

To serue þis lady lealy · boþ late and rathe

¶ Dobest is a-boue bothe · a bisshope piere

Þat he bidis moot be do · he reule hem alle

Anima þat lady · {e}is lad by by / by his lerynge

¶ An þe conestable of þat castel · þat kepes al þe wache

Is a wise knyȝt wit-al · sir Inwit he hatte

And has fyue faire sones · by his firste wife

Sire se wel · and say wel · and here wel þe hende

And worche wel with þyn honde · a wiȝt man of strenghte

And sir godfray go wel · grete lordes for-sothe

this fyue be sette to saue this lady · Anima

Til kynde come or sende · to sauen hir for euere

What þyng is kynde quod I · kanstow me telleN

¶ kynde quod wit is a creature · of alkynge thynges

Fader and fourmour of al þat euere was maked

And þat is þe grete god · þat gynnyng hadde neuere

Lord of lif and of light · of lisse and of peyne

Angels and al þyng aren at his wille

And man is hym most like · of marke and of schape

For thourȝ þe word þat he spak · woxen forþ bestesT

Dixit & facta sunt & cetera

And made man likest · to hym-self oon

And Eue of his ribbe-boon · with-outen an{n}y mene

For he was singuler hym-self · and saide faciamus

As who say more moot her-to · thanne my worde oon

My miȝt moot helpe now · with my speche

Ryght as lord schuld make lettres · and hym lakked perchemyn

though he kouþe write neuere so wel · if he had a penne

Þe lettre for al þe lordchip · I leue were neuere ymaked

¶ And so it semes by hym as þe book telles

Ther it sayes · Dixit & facta sunt

He most werche with his worde · and his wit schewe

And in þis manere was man made · thurȝ miȝt of god almyghty

With his word and werkmanschip · and with lif to laste

And thus god gaf hym a goost · of þe godhed of heuene

And of his grete grace · graunted hym blisse

And þat is lif that ay schal laste · to alle lynages after

And þat is þe castillN þat kynde made · Caro it hatte

And is as muche to mene · as man with a soule

And þat he wrouȝte wiþ werk · and wiþ word boþe

Thurȝ miȝt of þe maieste · man was ymaked

Inwit and alle wittes · closed be þer-Inne

For loue of þe lady Anima þat lif is ynempnedT

And in þe herte is his hom · and his most reste

And inwit is in þe hed · and to þe herte he lokes

What Anima is lief or loþe · he let hir at his wille

For after þe grace of god · þe gretest is Inwit

Mikyl wo worþe þat man · þat mysreules his Inwit

And þat be glotons globbers · hir god is hir wombe

Quorum deus venter est

¶ For thay seruen · Sathan hir saules schal he haue

that lyues synful lif here · hir soules is like þe deuel

And al þat lyuen good lif · aren like to god almyȝty

Qui manet in caritate in deo manet & cetera.

Allas þat drynke shal fordo · þat god dere abouȝte

And dothes god forsaken hem þat he schope to his liknesse

Amen dico vobis nescio vos et alibi & dimisi eos secundum desideria &cetera

¶ Fooles that fawtes Inwit · I fynde þat halicherche

Schuld fynden hem þat hem fautes · and faderlese childrenT

Madde men and maydens · þat helpelese were

Al þis lakken Inwit · and lore bihoues

¶ Of þis mater I miȝt make a lange tale

And fynd feel witnesse · among þe foure doctours

And þat I lye nouȝt of þat I lere þe · luc beres witnesse

¶ Godfader and godmoder · þat seen hir godchildren

At myseise and myschief · an mowe hem amende

Shul haue penaunce in purgatorie but if þey hem helpe

For more bilonges to þe litel barn · er he þe lawe knowe

Þan nempnyng of a name · and neuere þe wiser

¶ Shuld no cristene creature · crien at þe yate

Ne faille payn ne potage · and prel{o}ates did as þey shuld

A Iewe walde nouȝt seen a Iewe go Iangelyng for defaute

For al þe moebules on þis molde · and he amende it myghte

Allas þat a cristene creature · shal be vnkynde to an other

Siþen Iewes þat we Iugge Iudas felawes

Eiþer of hem helpes oþer of þat that hym nedes

Why nyl we cristene · of cristes good be as kynde

As Iewes þat be oure / loresmen · schame to vs alle

Þe comune for hir wikkednesse · I drede me shal abye

Bisschopes shal be blamed · for beggers sake

He is wars þan Iudas · þat gyues Iapers siluir

And biddes þe begger go for his broke clothes

¶ Proditor est prelatus cum Iuda qui patrimonium christi minus distri-

¶ he dos nought wel þat dos thus · ne dra{t}d nouȝt god almiȝti

Ne loues nouȝt · salamons sawes · þat sapience tauȝte

Initium sapiencie timor domini

¶ Dred god for loue &N þou doste wel · but nouȝt for vengeaunce and þou dost betC

thow dost best if þow withdrawe by day and by nyghtN

To spille any speche · or any space of tyme

Qui offendit in vno est in omnibus reus

¶ Lesyng of tyme treuthe woot þe sothe

Is mostN I-hated vp erþe of hem þat ben in heuene

And sithe to spille speche · þat spire is of grace

And goddes gleman a gedelyng · a goer to tauernesT

To alle trewe tidymen / tidy men · þat trauaille desiren.

Oure lord loues hem and lent · londe other stille

Grace to go to hem · and agon hire liflode

Inquirentes autem dominum non minuentur omni bono

¶ Trew wedded libbyng folk · in this world is dowel

For thay mote werche and wyue · and þe world susteyne

For of hir kynde þey come · þat confessours be nempned

kynges and knyȝtes kaisers and cherles

Maidenes and martirs out of a man come

Þe wif was made þe wey · for to helpe werche

And thus was wedlok I-wrouȝt · with a mene persone

First by þe faders wille · and þe frendes conseil

And sithen by assent of hem-selfN · as þey twa miȝte acorde

And thus was wedlok ywrouȝt · and god hym-self it made

In erþe þe heuene is · hym-self beres witnesse

¶ And fals folk feithles · theues and liers

Wastours and wrecches · oute of wedlokN I trowe

Conceyued be in Iuel tyme · as Caym was on EueT

Of swich synful shrewes · þe sauter makes mynde

Concepit in dolore & peperit iniquitatem &cetera.

And alle þat com of þat Caym · come to yuel ende

For god sent to semand / sem and · saide by þe angel

thyn issue in þyn issue · I wol þat þey be wedded

And nouȝt þy kynde with Caymes · ycoupled ne spoused

¶ Yet somme ayein þe sonde of oure lorde of heuen

Caymes kynde and his kynde · coupled togidires

Til god saide for wrathe · þat I maked man me a-thynkes

Penitet me fecisse hominem

¶ And somme to Noe anon and bad hym nou{t}ȝt lette

Swith go shape a shippe · of shides and bordes

thy-self and þy thre sones · and siþen youre wyues

Buske yow to þat bote · and bides ye þer-Inne

Til fourty dayes be fulfilled · þat flode haue ywasshen

Clene away þe cursed blood · þat caym has ymaked

Bestes þat now ben shul banne þe tyme

Þat euere þat cursed Caym come in þis erþe

Alle shul dye for hise dedes by dales and by hylles

And þe foules þat fleen · forth with other bestes

Except oonliche · of ech kynde a coupule

Þat in thy shyngled schippe · shul ben ysaued

¶ Here abouȝte þe barne · þe belsire giltes

Alid alle for hir forfaders · þey ferden þe werse

the gospel is here ayein · in o degre I fynde

Filius non portabit iniquitatem patris & pater non & cetera

¶ And I fynde if þe fader · be fals and a shrewe

Þat som-dele þe sone shal haue þe sire tacches

¶ Impe in an Ellerne andN if thyn appul be swete

Muche merueille me thynk · and more of a shrewe

that brynges forth any barne · but if he be þe same

And haue a sauour after þe sire · selde sestow other

Nunquam colligimus de spinis vuas nec de tribulis ficus

And thus þurȝ cursed Caym cam care vp-on erþe

And al for þey wrouȝte wedlok · ayeins goddes wille

For-thy haue thay maugre · þat so marien hir childerne

For somme as I se now · sothe for to telle

For coueitise of catel · vnkyndliche be wedded

And careful concepcioun · comes of swich mariages

As byfel of þe folk þat I before of tolde

For good sholde wedde good · þough hij no good hadde

For I am via & veritas sayes crist · I may auaunce alle

It is an vnkouþe couple by crist · as me thynke

To gyfue a yonge wenche to an olde fiebyle

Or wedden any widowe · for welþe of hir goodes

that neuere schal barne bere · but if it be in armes

Many a payer syne þo pestilence · han pliȝte hem togiders

the fruyt þat thay brynge forth aren foule wordes

In Ialousie Ioieles · and Ianglyng abedde

Haue thay no children but chydes · and choppyng hem bitwene

¶ And þouȝ þey do hem to dunmowe bot if þe deuel helpe

To folowe after þe flycche · fecche þey it neuere

And but þey baþe be forsworne · þat bacon þey tyne

¶ For-thy I conseille al cristene · coueite nouȝt be wedded

For coueitise of catel · ne of kynrede riche

And maidens and maidens · macche yow togiders

Widewes and widowers · werchys þe same

For no landes bot for loue loke ye be wedded

And þanne gete ye þe grace of god · and goode ynough to lyue withC

¶ And euery manere seculer · þat may nouȝt continue

Wisely go wedde and war hym fra synne

For liccherie in lokyng is lym-yerd of helle

Whiles þow art yonge and þy wepne kene

Wreke þe with wyuyng · if þow wolt ben excused

Cum sis vir fortis · ne des tua robora scortis ·

Scribitur in portis meretrix est Ianua mortis

¶ Whan ye haue wyued bees war and worches in tyme

Nouȝt as Adam and Eue whan Caym was engendirde

For vnite trewly · bitwene man and womman

Ne shulde no bourde on bedde be · but if þey were clene

Boþe of l{u}yf and of soule · and in perfit charite

that ilke derne dede · do no man ne scholde

But if þey leden þus hir lif · it likes god amyȝty

For he made wedlok fi{s}rst · and hym-self it saide ·

Bonum est vt vnusquisque vxorem suam habeat propter fornicacionem

And thay þat other-gates be geten · for gedelynges ben holden

As fals folk fondelynges · faitours and lyeres

vngracious to gete good · or loue of þe pepyle

Wandren and waste · what þe cacche mowe

Ayeins do-wel thay do yuel · and þe deuel serue

And after hir dede-day · soule dwelles with þe same

But god gyf hym grace here · hem-seluen to amende

dowel my frend is don · as þe lawe techees

To loue þy frend and þy foo · leue me þat is do-bet

To gynnen and to yemen boþe yonge and olde

To helen and to helpen · is do-best of alle

¶ And dowelN is to drede god · and do-bet is to suffre

And so comes do-best of bothe · and brynges adown þ / þ[e] mody

And þat is wikked wille · þat many werke shendeth

And dryue a-way dowel with dedliche syne