INC asomer / a somer seson · whan softe was the sonne

I schope me in schroudes · as I aschepe / a schepe were

In habit as an heremyt · vnholy of werkes

Went wide in this world · wondres to here

And on a may mornyng · on Maluerne hylles

Me bifel a ferli · of faire me thoughte ·

I was weri for-wandred · and went me to reste

vnder a brade bank · bi a bornes syde

And as I lay an lened · anLX loked in the wateres

I slombred in a sleping · it sweyuedT so meri

¶ Than gan I to meten · a meruellous sweyuene

That I was in a wildernesse · wist I neuere whare

And I bihelde in-to þe est · an heighe to þe sonne

I seigh a tour on a toft · rielicheT ymaked

A depe dale binethe · a dongeon ther-Inne ·

With depe dickis an derke · and dredful of sight

A fair felde ful of folk · fand I there bitwene

Of alle manere of men · the mene and the riche

Wirkyng and w{ȝ}andryng · as the world asketh

Som put himLX to the plowth · plaiden ful seldenT

In settyng an in sowyng swynken ful harde

An wonnen that wastours · with glotonye distroys

¶ An som putten hem to pride · apparailed hem ther-after

In countenance of clothing · comen disgised

¶ In praiers an in penaunce · putten hem manye

AlP for loue of oure lord · lyueden ful strayitte

In hope for to haue · heuenriche blisse

As ankirs and hermytes · that holden hem in hir selles

And coueyten nouȝt in contre · to walken aboute

For no likerous liflade · hir likam to plese

¶ An som chesen chaffare · thay cheuen the better

As it semys to oure sight · that swilke men thryueth

An som Murthes to make · as Mynstralles knaueth

An geten gold with hir glee · synneles I leue

As Iapers and Iangelers · Iudas children

Feyn hem fantasies · and foles thaym maketh

An han hir wit at wille · to wircke if thay schulde

That paule prechys of hem · I nyl nouȝt pruue it here

¶ Qui turpiloquium loquitur et cetera :N

¶ Bidders and beggers · faste aboute yede

With hir bely an hir bagges · of bred ful ycramned

Fatteden / Fa[i]teden for hir fode · foughten atte ale

In glotonye god it wot · gayt they to bedde

And risen with ribaldri · þo Roberdes knaues

Slepe an sory sleuthe sheweth thaym euere

¶ Pilgrymes and palmers · gedir hem togider

To seek seint Iames and seintes in Rome

Thay went forth inhir / in hir way · with many wise tales

And hadden leue to lee · al hir lif after

I seigh som that saiden · thai had ysouȝt seyntes

ThoLX hilk a tale þat thay tolde · thayr tonge was tempred to lee

Mare than to say soth · It semed by thair speche

¶ Heremytes on an hepe · with hokid staues

Went to walsyngham and thair wenches affter

Grete lobies an longe · that lathe were to swynke

Clathed thaym in capes · to ben knowen fram other

And schopen hem heremytes · hir ese to haue

¶ I fande ther freres · alle þe foure ordres

Preched the pepile · for profit of hem-seluen

Glosed the gospel · as thaym gode liked

For couetise of capes · construde it as they wolde

Many of thyse maistres frers · mowe clothen hem at likyng

For hir moneie an manchandises / ma[r]chandises · Marchen togiders

For sythin charite hath ben chapman · an chife to schriue lordesC

Many farlles han fallen · In a few yeres

B{o}ut holi chirche an hijLX · holde bettre togidires

Þe maste meschief on molde · is mounctyng wel faste

¶ Ther prechid a pardoner · as he a prest ware

Brouȝt forth a bulle · with bisschopes seles

An saiede that hym-self · Myȝte a-soyle thaym alle

Of falshede of fastynge · and of vowes ybroken

¶ Lewed men leued him wel · and liked hise wordes

Come vp knelyng · to kissen hise bulles

He bonched hem with his breuet · an blered hir eyen

And rauhte with his ragman · Rynges and broches

Thus thay geuen hir gold · glotones to kepe

And lenys swilke losels · that liccherie haunctys

Were the bisschop yblissed · and worth bothe hise eres

His seel schulde nouth be sent · to deceyue the peple

And it is nauth by the bisschop · that the both preches

For the parisshe prest and the pardoner · parten þe siluer

That the poraille of the parisshe · schulde haue if þey nere

¶ Persones an parisse prestes · pleyned hem to þe bischope

That hir parisse ware pore · sith pestilence tyme

ThoLX haue a license an a leue · atte London to dwelle

And syngen ther for symonye · for siluir is swete

¶ Bisschopes and bachelers bothe maisters and docturs

That han cure vnder crist · and crowng / crown[yn]g in tokene

And signe þat þei schulde schryuen · hir parochiens

Prechen and prey for hem · and the pore fede

Liggand in london In lenten and elles.

Som seruen the king and his siluer telles

In Cheker and in chauncerie · chalenge hise dettes

Of wardes and wardemotesT weyues and streyues

¶ And som seruen as seruantz · Lordes an ladies

And in stede of stiwardes · sitten and demen.

Thayr messe and hir matyns · an many of hir houres

Aren done vndewoutliche · drede is at the laste

Lest crist in consistorie · a-curse ful manye

I persayued of the power · that petir had to kepe

To bynde and to vnbynde · as the book telles

How he it left with loue · as oure lord hightT

That Cardinales ben called · and closyng yates

ther crist is in kyngdom · to close and to schutte

And to open it to hem · and heuene blisse schewe

And of þe cardinals atte Court · þat cauȝt of þat name

And power presumed in hem · a pope to make

To haue that power þat petir hadde · Inpugnen I nylle

For in loue and lectrure · the eleccion bilonges

For-thy I kan and kan nauth · of Court speke more

¶ Thane come ther a kyng knyghthode hym ladde

M{u}yght of the comunes made hym to regne

And than come kynde wit · and clerkes he made

For to counsel the kyng . and the comune saue

¶ The kyng and knygthode · and clergie bothe

Casten that the comune · schulde hem-self fynde

¶ The comune controued · of kynde wit craftes

And for profit of alle the pepile · plowman ordeyned

To tilie and trauaille · as trew lif askys

The kyng an the comune · kynde wit the thridde

Schope lawe an leaute · hilk man to knowe his owne

¶ Thanne loked vp a lunatik a lene thyng with-alle

And knelyng to the kyng . clergealy he sayde

Crist kepe the sire kyng . and thy kyngriche

And leue þe lede thy londe · so leute the louye

And for thy rightful rewlyng · be rewarded in heuene

¶ And sithen in the aer an heigh · an angel of heuene

Lowed to speke in latyn · for lewed men ne koude

Iangle ne Iugge · that Iustifie hem schulde

But suffren an seruen · for-þy seide þe angel

Sum rex sum princeps neutrum fortasse deinceps

O quiiura / qui iura regis christi specialia Regis

Hoc quod agas melius · iustus es esto pius

Nudum ius a te vestiri vult pietate

Qualia vis metere talia grana sere

Siius / Si ius nudatur nudo de iure metatur

Si seritur pietas de pietate metas

¶ Than greued hym a goliardeys · a gloton of wordes

And to þe angel an heigh · answered after

Cum rex a regere dicatur nomen habere

Nomen habet sine re nisi studet iura tenere

¶ And thane gan alle the comune · crye in vers of latyn

ThoLX þe kynges counsel · construe wo-so wolde

Precepta Regis sunt nobis vincula legis.

¶ With that rane there a route · of ratones atones / at ones

An smale mys with hem · Mo than a thousand

And come to a conseil · for hir comune profit

For a cat of a Court · cam wan hym liked.

An ouer-lepe hem lightliche · an lauȝte hem at his wille

And playde with hem perilousliche · and possed hem aboute

For doute of diuerse dredes · we dare nouthe loke

An if we gruche of hise gamen · He wile greue vs alle

Cracche vs or clow vs · an in his cluches holde

That vs lothes the lif · or he lete vs passe

Myght we with any wit · his wit with-stonde

We myghte be lordes a-loft · and leuenLX at oure ese.

¶ A Raton of renoun · Most renable of tonge

Saide for a souereyne · helpe to hym-selue

I haue seyn segthis / seg[g]es quod he · In the Cite of londoun

Weren belies ful bright · aboute hir nekkes

And som colers of crafti werk · vncoupled thay wenden.

Bothe in wareyne and in waste · ware hem leue liketh

And other-while thay aren elles-where · as I here telle

Were ther a belle on hir bighes · by Iesu as me thynke

Men myghte wite where thay went · and awey renne

& righte so quod that raton · reson me schewes

ThoLX bigge a belle of bras · or of brighte siluer

And knytten on a coler · for oure comune profit.

And hangen it vp-on the cattes hals · than here we mowen

Wher he ryt or rest · or renneth to playe

And if hym list for to laike · þanne loke we mowen.

And peer in his presence · ther while hym playe likeþ.

And if hym wrattheth be ywar · and his way schonye

¶ Alle this route of ratons · to this reson thay assented.

And thoLX the belle was yboughte · and on þe beiȝe hanged

ther ne was raton in al the route · for al the reem of Fraunce

that dorste haue ybonden the belle · aboute þe cattes nekke

Ne hangen it aboute þe cattes hals · al Englond to wynne

And helden hem vnhardy · an hir consel fieble.

And leten hir labour lost · and al hir longe studye

¶ A Mous that muche good · couthe as me thoghte

Stroke forth sternely · and stood biforn hem alle

And to þe route of ratons · reherced this wordes

Though we kulled the catte · yet schulde ther come another

To cracchy vs an al oure kynde · thowe we crepe vnder benches

For-thi I conselle al the comune · to late þe catte worthe

And be we neuere so bolde · the belle hym to scheweT

For I herde my sire say · hisLX seuene ȝher I-passed

ther the catte is a kyton · the Court is ful elynge

That witnesse holy writ · who-so wile it rede

Ve terre vbi puer Rex est & cetera

¶ For may no renke ther reste haue · for ratons by nyghte

the wile he catches conynges · he couettes nought oure caroyne

But fedes hym al with veneson · defame we hym neuere

For better is a litil losse · than a longe sorwe

For many mannes malt we mys · wolde destroye

And also the route of ratones / at ones · rende mennes clothes

Ner th{at} / th[e] catte of that court · that kan yow ouer-lepe

For hadde ye rattes yowre wille · ye kouþe nouȝt reule youre-selue

I say for me quod þe mous · I se so mykel after

Shal neuere þe catte ne þe kytton · by my conseil be greued

Ne carpyng of this coler · þat cost me neuere

And thouge it had cost me catel · be-knowe it I nolde

But suffren as hym-self wolde · to do as hym likeþ

Coupled and vncoupled · to catche wat þey mowe

For-thi ilke a wise wighte I warne · wite wel his owne

¶ What this metels bymeneth · þe / ye men þat beþ merie

Deuyne ye for I ne dare · by dere gode in heuene

¶ Yet houed ther an hondred in howues of silke

Sergans as it semed · þat seruede atte barre

Pleteden for penyes · and poundes þe lawe

And nought for loue of oure lord · vnlouse hir lippes ones

Thow myghte bettere · Mete the myste on Maluerne hylles

Than gete a Momme of hir mouthe · but moneye were schewed

¶ Barons an burgeis and bondemen als

I seigh in this assemble · as ye schal here after

Baxsters an brewesters · an bochers manye

Wolnewebsters / Wolne websters · an weuers of lynen

Taillours an tynkers · an tollers in Markettes

Masons and Mynours · and Many other craftes

Of alkyn libyng labores / labor[er]es · lopen forth some

As dikers and deluers · that does hir dedes ille

And dryue forth the longe day with deu vous saue dame EmmeC

Cokes and hir knaues · crieden hote pies hote

Goode gris an gees · gowe / go we dyne gowe / go we

¶ Thauerners vntil hem · tolde the same

White wyne of Oseie · an rede wyn of Gascoigne

Of þe Ryne an of the Pochel / [R]ochel · the rost to diffye

Al this sawe I slepyng · and seuene sithes more