IN a Somer sesoun ; whanne softe was þe SunneC

I schope me in schroudes ; as I a scheep were

In habyt as an heremyte ; vn-holy of werkis

wente wyde in þis world ; wondris to here

And on a may mornynge P ; on Maluerne hilles

Me be-ffelle a fferly ; of ffayre me be-thouȝt

I was wery ffor-wandrid ; and me / [wente] me to reste

Vndir a brode bank ; be a bornes syde

And as I lay and lened ; and lokede in þe waters

I slumbrede in a slepinge ; it sweyued so merie

Than gan I to meten ; a merveilous sweuene

þat I was in wyldernesse ; wiste I neuer where

as I be-helde in-to þe est ; on hie to þe Sunne

I Sauȝt a toure on a tofte ; reallecle y-makyd

A depe dale beneþe ; a dongioun {........}Ther-Inne

with depe dichis & derke ; and dredffull of Syȝth

A ffaire ffeld ffull of ffolk ; ffonde I þer bitwynne

Of alle manere of men ; þe mene and þe riche

worchinge & wandringe ; as þe world askith

Summe putte hem to þe plow ; pleyed ffull seeld

In settynge and Sowynge ; swonkyn ffull hard

And wonnien þat wastouris ; in gloteney distroyen

And Summe putten hem to pride ; apparayleden hem þer-after

In Contenaunce of cloþing ; Comen disgysyd

In preire and in pennaunce ; putten hem many

Al ffor loue of oure lord ; lyuende ffull streite

In hope ffor to haue ; heuene-riche blisse

as ancres & hermytis ; þat holden hem in her Sellis

And Coueyten not in cuntre ; to CarienT abouȝte

For no likerouse lyfflode ; her lykyng to plese

And Summe schosyn schaffare ; þei schosyn þe better

as it semeþ to oure Syȝt ; that swyche þryuen

And summe myrthis to make ; as mynstrallis kunnen

CAnd getten gold with her gle ; not Synnelez I leue

as Iapers & Iangeleris ; Iudas ChildrinC

That ffeynen hem ffantasies ; & ffoles hem makyn

And han her witte at her wille ; to werche if þei shulden

That poul prechiþ of hem ; I nyle not preue it here

Qui turpiloquium loquitur ; is lucifers knaue

bidders and beggers ; ffaste abouȝte ȝedyn

with her bely & her baggis; of bred ffull I-crammyd

Faydend ffor her ffode ; ffauȝten at nale

In glotonye god it woot ; gonne þei to beed

And risyn with rebauȝdie ; þe robers knaues

Sleep and sory slauȝthe ; Suen hem euere

Pylgrymes & palmers ; {..........}pleyȝteden hem to-gydirs

To seke Seint Iames ; and Seintis in rome

þey wenten fforth in her wey ; with many wyse talisC

And haddyn leue ffor to ley ; all her lyue after

I seye summe þat sayden ; þei haden Souȝt Seyntis

To yche a tale þat þei tolden ; her tunge was temperid to lie

More þan sey soth ; it semed be here speche

hermytes on an heep ; with hoked staues

Wenten to Walsingham ; & her wenchis after

Grette lobys & long ; þat loþe were to swynke

Clothed hem in Copis ; to be knowin ffrom oþer

and schopen hem hermytez ; here ese to haue

I ffonde þer ffreris ; alle ffoure ordris

C prechid þe pepill ; ffor profitte of hem-seluen

Glosed þe gospell ; as hem good lykid

For Coueitise of Copis ; constreued it as þei woldyn

Many of þese maister ffreris ; mowe cloþin hem at likyng

For her mony & marchandisis ; marchin to-gedris

For siþe Carite haþ be Chapman ; & chef to schryue lordis

Many fferlies han I-ffallen ; in a ffewe ȝeris

but holy Chirche and þei ; holde better to-gedris

The most myschef on erthe ; is montynge vp wel ffastC

There preched a pardoner ; as he a prest were

brouȝte fforth a bulle ; with busshopis Seelis

And said þat him-self myȝth ; assoylyn hem all

Of ffalsed of ffastinge ; and of vowes y-broken

lewde men leued him well ; and lykyd his wordis

Comyn vp knelynge ; to kyssyn his bullez

he touuchid hem with his breuet ; and blered her eien

And rauȝte with his ragman ; ryngis and brochis

þus þey ȝyuen here gold ; glotones to kepe

And louen swiche losellis ; þat lecchorie haunten

w{h}ere þe bischoppe y-blessid ; & worthe boþe his eeris

his Seel shuld not be sent ; to disceyue þe peple

And it is not beT þe bischope ; þat þe boy prechiþ

For the parishe preste & þe pardoner ; parten þe siluer

þat þe pore paraile of þe parishe ; shulde haue if þei ne were

Parsonnez and parishe prestis ; pleyned hem to þe bischope

þat her parishez were pore ; Sithe þe pestelens tyme

To haue a lycens & leue ; at london to dwelle

And syng þer ffor Symonye ; ffor Siluer is swete

Bischopis and bacheleris ; boþe maistres & doctouris

þat han Cure vndir Crist ; and Crownes in tokene

And signe þat þei shulden ; schryven her parisheneris

Prechen and pray ffor hem ; and þe pore ffede

liggen at london ; in lenten and ellis

Summe seruen þe kyng ; and his siluer tellen

In cheker and in Chauncerie ; Calengen his dettis

Of wardis of wardemotis ; of weyues of stryues / str[e]yues

And summe seruen as seriauntis ; lordis and ladies

And in stede of stiwardis ; Sytten and demen

her messe & her matynys ; and many of her ouris

ar don vndeuouteliche P ; dred is at þe last

leste Crist in consistorie ; Curse ffull many

I parceyued of þe power ; þat petir had to kepe

To bynde & to vnbynde ; as þe book telleþ

how he it self T with loue ; as oure lord hyȝte

Among ffoure vertuez ; þe beste of alle wertues

þat Cardenalis ben cleped ; and closyng ȝatis

Ther Crist is in kyngdom ; to close and to schitte

And to openet to hem ; and heuene blisse schewe

And of þe Cardenals at court ; þat Cauȝten of þat name

And power presumed in hem ; a pope to make

To haue þat power þat petir had ; Impugne it I nyle

For in loue and letterure ; þe eleccioun bilongiþ

For-þi I can & I can not ; of Court speke more

þann Cam þer a kyng ; knyȝhod him ladde

Myȝth of þe Comunes ; made him to regne

And þann Came kynd witte ; and Clerkis he made

For Conceile þe kyng ; and þe Comune saue

The kyng & knyȝthod ; and clergie bothe

Casten þat þe Comune ; shulden hem-self ffynden

The Comune contreued ; of kynde witte Crafftis

And ffor proffitte of alle þe pepill ; plowmen ordeyned

To tillie and trauaile ; as trewe lyffe asketh

The kyng and þe Comune ; and kynde witte þe thred

schope lawe leute iche man ; to knowe his owen

Thann loked vp a lunatik ; a lene þing with-all

And knelinge to þe kyng ; clerigialy he sayd

Criste kepe þe Sir kyng ; and þi kyng-riche

And lene þe to lede þi lond ; so leute þe louye

And ffor þi riteffull rewling ; be rewardid in heuene

And sithen in þe eyr on hiȝe ; an aungell on heuene

loued to speke in latyn ; ffor lewde men ne Couuden

Iangle ne Iugge ; þat Iustice hem shulde

but sufre and seruen ; ffor-þi said þe angell

Cum rex cum princeps ; neutrum fortasse deinceps

O qui iura regis ; Christi specialia regis

Hoc quod agas mesius; iustus es . esto pius

Nudum ius a te ; vestiri vult pietate

Qualia vis metere ; talia grana Sere

Si ius nudatur ; nudo de iure metatur

Si Seritur pietas ; de pietate metas

þan greued him a goliardeis ; a glotoun of wordis

And to the aungell on hiȝ ; answeride after

Cum rex a regere ; dicatur nomen habere

Nomen habet Sine re ; nisi studet iura tenere

Thann gan alle þe Comunes ; Crie in vers of latyn

To þe kyngis Counceill ; construe who-so wolde

Precepta regis ; sunt nobis vincula legis

with þat ran þer a rouuteP ; of ratones at ones

and smale myce with hem ; mo þan a þouusand

And Comen to a counceyll ; ffor her Comune proffitt

For a catt of a court ; Cam whan him liked

And ouere-leepe hem lyȝtely ; and lauȝte hem at his wille

And pleyed with hem perelousliche ; & possed hem abouȝte

For douȝte of diuerese dedis ; we durre not well loke

And if we grucchen of his gamez ; he wulle greue vs alle

Cracche us and clawe us ; and in his clochis holde

That us lotheþ þe lyffe ; or he lete us passe

Myȝtten we with ony witte ; his wille with-stonde

we myȝthen be lordis alofte ; {o}andT leuen at oure ese

A raton of renoun ; moste renable of tunge

Seyd ffor a souereyne help ; to him-seluen

I haue Seyn segges quod he ; in þe Cete of london

beren byes ffull briȝth ; abouȝten her neckis

And Summe colers of Crafti werkis ; vncoupled þei wenden

Boþe in wa{y}reyn and in waste ; where hem leffeeT likith

And oþer-while þai arn ellis-where ; as I here telle

where þer a belle on her breste ; be Ihesu as me þinkith

Men myȝte witten where þei wenten ; and away renne

And rith so quod þe raton ; reson me sheweth

To bye a belle of brasse ; or of briȝth siluer

And knytte on a koler ; ffor oure Comune proffit

And hange it on þe Cattis hals ; þan here we mowne

where he ritte or resteth ; or renneth to pley

And if him liste ffor to laike ; þan loke we mowne

And peren in his presens ; þe while hym pleye likith

And if him wratheþ be war ; & his wey esshewe

Al þis rouuteP of ratonis ; to þis reson assentid

And þoo þe belle was y-bouȝte ; and on þe bie hangid

þer ne was raton in alle þe rouȝte ; ffor alle þe rewme of ffraunce

That duste haue bounde þe belle ; abouȝte þe Cattis necke

Ne hangid it abouȝte þe cattis hals ; alle Englond to wynne

And helden hem vnhardy ; and her Conceill ffeble

And letten her laboure lost ; and her long stodie

A mouse þat moche good couthe ; as me þouȝte

Stroke fforth sterlyT ; and stode bi-fforn hem alle

And to þe ratonys ; rehersid þese wordis

Thouȝ we kylled þe cat ; ȝet shuld þer come anoþer

To cache us and alle oure kynde ; þouȝ we cropen vndir benchis

For-þi I conceill alle þe Comune ; to late þe cat worthe

And be we neuer so bolde ; þe belle him to shewe

For I herde my sir seyne ; is vij / seuene ȝere passid

Ther þe cat is a keton ; þe court is ffull elengeaylynge

That wittenessiþ holy writte ; who-so wolle it rede

Ve terre ; vbi puer est rex & cetera

For may no renke þer rest haue ; ffor ratonis be nyȝth

The while he catcheth konnyngez ; he coueytiþ not oure Careyne

but ffedeth him with venyson ; deffame we him neuer

CFor better is a litill losse ; þan a long Sorowe

The mase amongis us alle ; þouȝ we mysse a schrewe

For many mannys malte ; we myse wolde distroie

And also þe rouute of ratonys ; rende mennys cloþis

Nere þat cat of þe court ; þat can ȝou ouere-lepe

For hadde ȝe rattis ȝoure wille ; ȝe couȝde not rewle ȝoure-seluen

I sey ffor me quod þe mous ; I se so mekill after

Schalle neuer þe cat ne keton ; by my conceyll be greued

Ne carpinge P of þis Coler ; þat Costed me neuer

And þouȝ it had Coste me Catell ; bi-knowe it I nolde

But suffre as him-self wold ; to do as him likith

Couplid & vncouplid ; to cacche what þei mowen

For-þi iche a wyse man ; I warne witte well owne

what þese metellis be-ment ; ȝe men þat ben merie

Deuyne ȝe ffor I ne dar ; by dere god in heuene

Ȝett houede þer an hundrid ; in hooves of silke

Serjauntes P it semed ; þat seruedyn at þe barre

pleded ffor penyez & poundes þe lawe

And not ffor þe loue ; of oure lord on-lose here lippis onys

þou myȝtest better mete þe my{ȝ}ste ; on maluerne hillez

þan gette a mumme of her mouþ ; but mony be schewed

barouns and burgeys ; and bonde-men also

I seie in þis asemble ; as ȝe shulle here after

baxters and brewers ; and bocheris many

wullen websters ; and weuers of lynnen

Taylouris and tynkers ; and tollers in markettis

Masouns and mynours ; and many oþer Craftis

Of alle-kyn leuynge ; laboreris . lopen fforþ after

As dikers and deluers ; þat don her dedis ille

And dryuen fforth þe long day ; with dieu vous saue dame Emme

kokis and her knaues ; Cried hote pyes hote

good gees & greysse ; go we dyne go we

Tauerneris vn-tille hem ; tolden þe same

whyȝte wyn of oseye ; & reed wyn of gascoyne

of þe ryne & of þe rochell ; þe roste to deffie

Alle this sawe I slepinge ; and Seuene Sythez more