Ceceþ seiþ þe kynge ; I suffre ȝou no lenger

Ȝe shulle sauȝtle ffor-sothe ; and serue me boþe

kysse hir quod þe kyng ; concience I hote

Nay by criste quod concience ; cungeye me raþer

but reson rede me þer-to ; raþer wolle I die

And I commaunde þe quod þe kyng ; to concience þan

Rape þe to ride ; and reson þou ffette

Commaunde him þat he come ; my conceill to here

For he shall {riyll} rewle my Rewme ; & rede me þe beste

Of mede & of mo oþer ; & what man shall hir wedde ;

Acounte with þe concience ; so me crist helpe

how þou lerneste þe peple ; þe lered & þe lewde

I am ffayn of þat fforward ; said þe ffreike þan

And riȝth to reson ; and rowneþ in his eere

and said as þe kyng bad ; & sithen toke his leue

I shall aray me to ride quod reson ; reste þe awhile

and callid catton his knaue ; curteys of speche

and also thome trewe tunge ; telle me no talis

Ne lesingis to lawe at ; ffor I loued hem neuer

And sette my sadell vppon suffre ; tyll I se my tyme

& lete werrok it well ; with witty wordis gerthes

And hang on hym þe heuy bridell ; to holde his heed lowe

And wille he wehee ; and wynche or he come þer

þan concience vppon his capell ; carieth fforþ ffast

and reson with him rith C ; rownynge to-gedris

whiche maistris mede ; makiþ on þis erthe

On waryn wisdam ; & witti his ffere

Folwed hem ffaste ; ffor þey haddyn to don

In þe cheker & in þe chauncerrie ; to be dischargid of þingis

And riden ffaste ffor reson ; shulde rede beste

For to saue hem ffor syluer ; ffrom shame & ffrom harmes

and concience knewe hem well ; þei loued coueytise

and bad reson ride ffast ; & recche of her neiþer

þey ar wyyly in her wordis and with mede þe dwellyn

Ther-as wraþe & wraglinge is ; þer wynnen þei siluere

and þer is loue & lewte þey wulle not come þer

Contricion et infelicitas in vijs eorum & cetera .

They ne gyuen nouȝt of god ; o gosse wynge

Non est tymor domini ante oculos eorum & cetera  .

For god woot þei wolde do more ; ffor a doseyne scheconys

Or as many Caponys ; or ffor a seem of Otis

þan ffor loue of oure lord ; or all his leue seintis

For-þi reson late hem ride ; þo riche be hem-selue

For concience knoweþ hem nouȝt ; ne Crist as I trowe

and þan reson rode ffaste ; þe rith hie gate

as concience him kenned ; tille he come to þe kyng

Curteysliche þe kyng þan ; come aȝeyn reson

and bitwynne him-self & his sone ; sette him on benche

and worden well wysily ; a grett while to-gedris

and þan Come pees in-to þe parlement ; & putteþ fforþe a bille

how wrong aȝeins his wille ; had his wyff taken

and how he ravisshed rose ; Reynoldus loue

And margrete of hir maydenhed ; maugry hir chekis

boþe my gees & my grys his geddelinges ffecchyn

I dar not ffor ffer of him ; ffyȝte ne chide .

He borewed of me bayard ; he brouȝte him home neuerC

Ne no fferþinge ffor him ; ffor ouȝte þat I couude plede

he menteyneþ his men ; to Murþeren myn hewen

Forstalleþ my ffeires ; and ffytith in my schepinge

and brekeþ vp my berne doris ; & bereth away my whete

and takeþ me but a tayle ; ffor ten quartris of otys

and ȝite he bette me þer-to ; and lay be my mayde

I am not hardy ffor him ; vnneþe to loke

þe kyng knewe he said soþe ; ffor concience him tolde

þat wrong was a wyckyd schrewe ; & wrouȝte moche sorowe

wrong was afferde þan ; & wisdam he souȝte

To make pees with his pens ; & propherid him many

and said had I loue of my lord kyng ; litill wolde I recche

þouȝ pees & his power ; pleyned him euere

þoo wente wisdom ; and Sire watkyn þe witty

For þat wrong hadde I-wrouȝte ; so wickid a dede

and warned wrong þoo ; with swiche wyse tale

who-so werchiþ by my wylle ; wrathe makeþ ofte

I seye it by þi-self ; þou shalte it well ffynde

But mede it make ; þi myssheff is vppe

For boþe þi lyffe and þi lond ; lyth in his grace

þan wowed wrong ; wysdam ffull ȝerne

To make his pees with pens ; handy-dandi paied

wisdam & witte þan ; wenten to-gedris

and toke mede with hem ; mercy to wynne

Pees putt fforth his heed ; and his panne blody

with-ouȝtyn gylte god it woot ; gate I þis skaþe

Concience & þe Comune ; knowen þe soþe

and wisdam and witte ; weren aboute ffaste

To ouerecome þe kyng ; with catell if þei myȝten

The kyng swore bi crist ; and b{e}y his croune boþe

þat wrong ffor his werkis ; shulde wo þole

and commaunde P a Constable ; to caste him in Irnes

And late him not þis Seuene ȝere ; seen his ffeet ones

God wotte quod wisdam ; þat where not þe besteC

and he amendis mowe make ; late meyneprise him haue

and be boruȝ ffor his bale ; and biggen him bote

and so amende þat is myssedon ; & euere-more þe better

witte acordid þer-with ; and seide þe same

Better is þat botte ; bale doun brynge

Than bale be Ibete ; and bote neuer þe better

And þan gan mede to mengen P hir ; and mercy she besouȝte

and profered pees a present ; al of pure gold

haue þis man of me quod she ; to amende þi scaþe

For I wolle wage ffor wrong ; he woll do so nomore

Petously pees þanne ; preied to þe kyng

To haue mercy on þat man ; þat mysdede him so ofte

For he hath wagid me well ; as wisdam him tauȝte

And I ffor-gyue him þat gilte ; with a good wille

So þat þe kyng assente ; I can seye no better

For mede hath made me amendis ; I may no more aske

Nay quod þe kyng þo ; so me criste helpe

wronge wendiþ not so awey ; erst wulle I witte more

For lope he so lyȝtely ; lauȝwen he wolde

and efte þe balder be ; to bete myn hewen

But reson haue rewthe on him ; he shall reste in my stokkis

and þat as long as he lyueþ ; but lownesse him borwe

Summe men reddyn reson þo ; to haue rewth on þat schrewe

and ffor to conceile þe kynge ; & concience after

þat mede muste be maynpernoure ; reson þei besouȝten

Rede me not quod reson ; no rewthe to haue

Till lordis & ladies ; louen alle truewthe

and haten alle harelotrie ; to here it or to mowþen it

Tille pernelis purfile ; be put in hir hucche

And childrin scherishinge ; be schastisinge with ȝerdis

and harlottis holynesse ; be holde ffor vnhynde

Tyll clerkis coueytise be ; to cloþe þe pore & to ffede

And relegeous romers ; recordare in her cloystris

As seint benet hem bade ; bernard and ffraunceysC

And till prechouris prechingeP ; be proued on hem-selue

Tyll þe kyngis conceill ; be þe Comune proffiȝte

Tyll bischoppis bayardis ; be beggers chaumbris

her haukis & her houndis ; helpe to pore religious

and tille seynt Iames be souȝte ; þer I shall asigne

þat no man go to galis ; but if he go ffor euere

and alle rome-renners ; ffor robbers of biȝonde

bere no syluer ouere see ; þat signe of kyng shewith

Neiþer grauen ne vngrauen ; gold neþer siluer

Vppon fforfeture of þat ffee ; who-so ffynde him at douere

But if he be marchand or his man ; or messager with lettris

prouysoure or preste ; or penaunte ffor his synnes

and ȝit quod reson be þe rode ; I shall no rewthe haue

while mede haþe þe maistrie ; in þis mote-halle

and I may schewe ensaunplis ; as I see oþer-while

I seie it be my-self quod he ; & it so where

That I were kyng with croun ; to kepe a rewme

shuld neuer wrong in þis {.....}world ; þat I witte myȝte

ben vnpunyshid P in my powere ; ffor perell of my soule

Ne gete my grace ffor ȝiftis ; so me god saue

Ne ffor no mede haue mercy ; but mekenesse it make

For nullum malum {bonum} þe man ; mette with impunitum

and bad nullum bonum be irremuneratum

late ȝoure conffessoure Sir kyng ; construe þis englosid

and if ȝe werken it in werk ; I wedde boþe myn eris

That lawe shall be a laborere ; and lede affelde dunge

and loue shall lede þi lond ; as þe leef likith

Clerkis þat were confessouris ; cowpled hem to-gedris

alle to construe þis clause ; ffor þe kyngis proffite

and not ffor comforte of þe Comune ; ne ffor þe kyngis soule

For I seȝ mede in þe mote-halle ; on men of lawe wynkyn

and þei lawȝwinge lopen to here ; & many lefte reson

{Wa} Warn wisdam ; wynked vppon mede

And said madame I am ȝoure man ; what so my mouþ Iangleþ

I ffalle in ffloreyns quod ffreke ; and ffayle speche ofteC

alle ryȝtffull recorden ; þat reson truþe tolde

and witt acordyd þer-with ; and commaundid his wordis

and þe most peple in þe halle ; and many of þe grette

lete mekenesse a maister ; & mede a mansid schrewe

Loue lete of hir lyȝth ; and lewte ȝit lesse

and seid it so hie ; þat all þe halle it herde

who-so wilneþ hir to wyffe ; ffor welþe of hir goodis

but he be knowen ffor a cokwold ; cutte of my nose

Mede morned þo ; and made heuy chere

For þe moste comune of þat courte ; callid hir an hore

And a sisoure & a sumpnoure ; sued hir ffaste

and {.} a schireues clerk ; beschrewed alle þe rouȝte

For ofte haue I quod he ; holpen ȝou at þe barre

and ȝit ȝeue ȝe me neuer ; þe worthe of a russhe

þe kyng called concience ; and afterward reson

and recordid þat reson ; had riȝtffulliche schewed

and modiliche vppon mede ; with myȝte þe kyng loked

and gan wax wroth with lawe ; ffor mede al-moste had shente it

And sayd þoruȝ ȝoure lawe as I leue ; I lese many chetis

Mede ouere-maistrieþ lawe ; & moche truþe lettiþ

and reson shall rekene with ȝou ; if I regne ony while

and deme ȝou on a day ; as ȝe han diserued

Mede shall not meynprise ȝou ; be þe marie of heuene

I wolle haue lewte in lawe ; & late be ȝoure Ianglynge

and as most wittenesse wolle ; wronge shall be demed

Quod concience to þe kyng ; but þe Comune wolle assente

It is ffull hard be myn hed ; her-to . to bringe it

alle ȝoure lege lordis ; to lede þus euene

By him þat rauȝte on þe rode ; quod reson to þe kyng

But if I rewle þus ȝoure Rewme ; rende ouȝt my guttis

If ȝe biddyn buxumnesse ; be of myn assent

and I assent quod þe kyng ; bi seint marie my lady

Be my conceill comen ; of clerkis & of erlis

and redili reson ; þou shalt not ride ffro me

For as long as I leue ; lete þe I nylle

I am aredy quod reson ; to reste with ȝou euere

So concience be of ȝoure conceill ; I kepe no better

And I graunte quod þe kyng ; godis fforbode it ffaile

as longe as oure lijf lasteþ ; leue we to-gedris