And how fele fernies are faren , & so few to comen

And of thy wild wantonnes , though thou yong were

To amenden it in thy myddle age , lest might the fayled

In thyne olde Elde that euil can suffer ,

Pouertye or penaunce or prayer bydde ,

Si non in prima vigilia , nec in secunda .

Amend the while thou may , thou hast ben warned oft

With poustees of pestilences , with pouerty & with angres

And with these bitter baleises , god beateth his dere children

Quem diligo castigo .

And Dauid in þe psalter saith , of such þat loueth Iesus

Virga tua et baculus tuus ipsa me consolata sunt .

Althoughe thou stryke with thy staffe or with sticke , or with yerde

It is but mirth , as for me to amend my soule ,

And þou medlist with makings & mightist go sai thi psalter

And bidden for hem that giue þat bread , for ther ar bokes inow

To tel me what dowel is , dobet , & dobest both

And prechers to preuen what it is of many apeyre friers

I se wel he sayd me soth , & somwhat me to excuse

Sayd Caton conforted me his sonne , þat clarke though he were

To solace him somtime , as I do whan I make .

Interpone tuis interdum gaudia curis .

And of holy men I hard quod I , how they otherwhyle ,

Pleyden , the perfitter to ben in many places ,

And if there were any wyght that would me tel

What were dowel & dobet , & dobest at the last

Would I neuer do werke , but wend to holy church ,

And ther bid my beades , but whan ech eat or slepe

Poule in his pistle quod he , preueth what is dowel

Fides spes charitas et maior horum . & cetera .

Fayeth hope and charitye , and all be good

And sauen men sondry tymes , & none so sone as charitye

For he doth wel withouten dout , þat doth as leuty techeth

That is if thou be man maryed , thy make thou loue

And lyueforth as lawe wyll , whyle you lyuen both

Ryght so if thou be religious , ren thou neuer further

To Rome ne Rochmador , but as thy rule teacheth .

And holde the vnder obedience , þat heigh way is to heuen

And if thou be maiden to mary , & might wel continue ,

Seke neuer no saint further , for thi soules health ,

For what made Lucifer to lese the hyghe heauen ,

Or Solomon hys sapience , or Sampson his strength ,

Iob the Iewe hys ioye , deare he it bought ,

Aristotle and other mo , Hypocrates and Uirgil ,

Alexander that all wan , elenglyche endeth

Catell and kinde wytte , was combrauuce / combrau[n]ce to hem all

Felice hyr fayrnes , fell hyr all to slaunder ,

And Rosamonde ryght so , rufully to beleue ,

The beauty of hyr body in badnes she dispended

Of many suche I may reade , of men and women

That wyse wordes wold shewe , & worch the contrary

Sunt homines nequam , bene de virtute loquentes .

And ryche reukes ryght so , gaderen and sparen ,

And tho men þat they moste haten , minister it at þe last

And for they suffren and se so many neady folkes

And loue hem not as our lorde byd , lesen hyr soules ,

Date et dabitur vobis .

And ryches ryght so , but if the rote be true ,

And grace is a grasse thereof , tho greuaunce to abate ,

And grace ne groweth not , but amonges lowe ,

Patience & pouertye , the place is there it groweth

And in lelly liuyng men , and in lyfe holye ,

And through þe gift of þe holy gost , as þe gospel telleth

Spiritus vbi vult spirat .

Cleargy and kind wyt commeth of sight & teachyng

As the boke bereth witnes to barnes that can reade .

Quod scimus loquimur , quod vidimus testamur .

Of quod scimus cometh Cleargy , and cunning of heuen

And of quod vidimus , cometh kind wyt , of sight of dyuerse puple

And grace is a gyfte of god , & great loue springeth

Knew neuer clark how it comth , ne kind wit þe waies

Nescit aliquis vnde venit , aut quo vadit .

And yet is cleargy to commend , and kinde wit bothe

And namly clergy for christis loue , þat of clergi is rote

For Moses witnesseth þat god wrote , þe puple to wish

In thold law as þe leter telleth , þat was þe law of Iues

That what woman were taken in auoutri , rich or pore

With stones men should strike hir , & stone hir to death ,

A woman as we finden was gilty of that death

And Christ of his curtesy through cleargy hir saued ,

And through caracts þat Christe wrought , the Iewes knew hem-self

Giltier as afore god , & greater in sinne ,

Than the woman þat there was , & went away for shame

The cleargy that there was , conforted the woman

Holy kyrk knoweth this , þat christs writing saued hir

So cleargy is confort to creatures that repenten

And to mansede men mischiefe at her ende ,

For bread of gods body myght not be without cleargy

The which bread is both boote to the rightful ,

And death and dampnation to hem that dye euill

And christis caracts confortid , & both culpable shewid

The woman that þe Iews brought , þat Iesus thought to saue .

Nolite iudicare , et non iudicabimini .

Right so gods body brethren , but it be worthely take

Damnith vs at þe dai of dome , as þe caracts did þe Iwis

Therfore I counsel the for christes sake , clergy þat thou loue

For kind wyt is of his kin , & nygh cosins both ,

To our Lord leue me , therfore loue hem I read ,

For both ben as myrrours , to amend our defautes ,

And leaders for lewde men , and for lettred both

Therfore lacke þou neuer logyke , law ne his customes ,

Ne countrepled clarkes I counsel the for euer ,

For as a man may not see , that misseth hys eyen ,

No more can no clarke , but if he caughte it fyrste by boks

Although men made bokes , god was þe master

And saint Spirite the samplare & sayd what men should wryte

Right so leadeth letture , lewde men to reason

And as a blinde man in battel beareth wepen to fight

And hath no happe with hys axe hys enemy to hytte

No more can a kind witted man , but clarkes him teach

Come for al his kinde wyt , to christendome & be saued

Whych is þe coffer of christes treasure , & clarks kepe þe kaies

To vnlock it at her liking , & to þe lewd puple ,

Gyue mercy for her misdedes , if men wyll it aske

Buxomly and benignely , and bydden it of grace .

Archa dei in the olde lawe , Leuites it kepten ,

Had neuer lewde man leue , to liggen hand on þat cheste ,

But he were priest or priestes sonne , patriarke or prophet

For Clargy is keper vnder Christ of heuen ,

Was there neuer knight , but Cleargy hym made

And kynde commeth of al kyndes syght ,

Of byrdes & of beasts , of tastes , of truth & of deceits

Lyuers aforne vs , vseden to make ,

Seldome that they sene her sonnes for to teach ,

And helden it an hyghe Science , her wyttes to know

And through her science sothly , was neuer no soule saued

Ne brought by her bokes to blysse , ne to ioye ,

For al her kind knowings , come but of diuerse sights

Patriarkes and prophetes , repreueden hir science

And sayd her words ne her counsell , was but foly

As to þe Cleargy of Christ , counted it but a trifle .

Sapientia huius mundi , stulticia apud deum .

For the hyghe holy gost , heauen shall to-cleaue ,

And loue shall lepen out after into thys low earth

And cleannes shall catche it , & clarkes shall it fynde

Pastores loquebantur ad inuicem .

He speakith nought ther of rych men , ne of right witty

And of lords þat were lewde men , but of þe hieste lettred oute

Ibant Magi ab oriente .

Yf any fryer were found ther , I giue you fiue shillings

Ne in no beggers cote , was that barne borne

But in burgeis place , in Bethleem the beste .

Sed non erat ei locus in diuersio , et pauper non habet di

To pastours and to poets , appeared the angell

And bade hem go to Bethleem gods birth to honour

And songen a song of solace , Gloria in excelsis deo ,

Clarkes knewe it well , & commen with her presentes

And dyd homage honorably , to him þat was almighty

Why I haue told al thys , I toke full good hede ,

Howe thou contriuedest Cleargy with crabbed wordes

How þat lewde men lyghtlucker , than lettred were saued

Than clarkes or kinde witted men of christen puple ,

And tho saydest soth of some , & se in what maner ,

Take two stronge men , in Temes cast hem ,

And both naked as a nedle , ther non sikerer than other

The one hath cunnynge , and can swymme and dyue ,

Thother is lewd of þat laboure , lerned neuer to swym

Which trowest þou of those two , in Temese is most in dred

He þat neuer diued , ne nought can of swymmyng

Or the swymmer that is safe , be so him-self lyke ,

There hys felow flete forth , as the flowd liketh

And is in dread to drench , that neuer dyd swymme ?

That swymme can not I sayd , it semeth to my wyts

Ryght so quod the reuke , Reason sheweth

That he that knoweth cleargy can soner aryse

Out of sinne and he be safe , thoughe he sinne oft ,

If him liketh and lyst , than any lewde lellye

For if the clarke be cunnyng , he knoweth what is sinne

And how contricion without confession , conforteth mi soule

As thou seest in the psalter , in psalmes one or twaine

How contrition is commendid , for it catcheth away sinne

Beati quorum remisse sunt iniquitates et quorum tecta sunt . & cetera .

And this conforteth ech a clark , & couereth him from wanhope

In which floode þe fend fondeth a man hardest ,

There the lewde lieth still , & loketh after lent ,

And repenteth not before shrift , & than can he litle tell ,

And as his lores man lerneth him , beleueth & troweth

And that is after person & parishe priest , & paraduenture

Uncunnyng to lerne lewd men , as Luke bereth witnes

Dum cecus , ducit cecum . &cetera

Wo was him marked , that wade must with the lewde

Well may the barne blysse , that him to boke set

That liuing after letture , saueth him both life & soule

Dominus pars hereditatis mee . is a mery versicle ,

That hath taken from Tiburne .xx. / twenty stronge theues .

Ther leud theuis ben lollid vp , loke how thei be sauid

The thef þat had gods grace on goodfridai as þou spake

Was for he knew Christ on þe cros , & knowlegid his sinne

And grace asked of god , & he is euer redy ,

That buxomlyche byddeth it , & ben in wyl to amend hem

And thoughe þat thefe had heuen he had no hye blisse ,

As saynt Iohn & other saintes , þat deserued had better

Right as if a man giue me meat , & set me amid þe flore

I haue meat more then inough , & not so much worship

As thei þat sit at side tables , or with souereignis of þe hal

But sit as a begger bordles , by my-selfe on þe ground

So it fareth bi þat felon , that on good friday was saued

He sytteth neither with saint Iohn , Simon ne Iude ,

Ne with maydens , ne with martyrs , confessours ne widows

But by him-selfe as a soleyn , and serued on earth

For he that is once a thefe , is euermore in daunger

And as lawe lyketh to lyue or dye .

De peccato propitiato noli esse sine metu .

And for to seruen a saynt , and such a thefe togithers ,

It were nether reason ne right , to reward hem both ilike

And as Troianus þe tru knight , dwelt not so dep in hel

But our lord had him lightli out , so leue I þe thif be in heuen

For he is in þe lowist heuen , if our beleue is true ,

And well loselleche he lolleth there by þe lawe of holy church

Qui reddit vnicuique iuxta opera sua .

And why þat one thefe on þe crosse , creant gan him yeld

Rather than þe other thefe , though þou woldest oppose

All the clarkes vnder Christ , ne could þe skil assoile .

Quare placuit ? quia voluit .

And so I saye by the that sekest after the weyes

And resonest reason a rebukinge as it were ,

And of flowers in the frithe , and of fayre hewis

Wherof they catche her colours , so cleare & so bright

And willest of birds & beasts , & hir breding to know

Why some be a lowe & some a loft , thy likin it were

And of þe stones & of the sterres , þou studiest as I leue

Howe euery beaste and byrde , hath sobrenne wittes ,

Cleargy ne kinde wytte , ne knewe neuer the cause

And kind knoweth the cause him-selfe , no creature els

He is the Pies patron , and put it in hir eare

That there the thornes is thickest , to builde & brede

And kind kenneth the Pecoke , to canken in such a kinde

And kenned Adam to knowe his priuy membres

And taught him and Eue , to hyll hem with leaues

Lewed men many times masters they apposen ,

Why Adam ne hilled not first his mouth þat eat þe apple

Rather than his likam alowe , lewde after thus clarkes

Kynd knoweth why he did so , & no clarkes els

And of byrdes and of beastes , men by olde time

Ensamples token and termes , as tellen the poets

And that the fayrest foule , foulest engendreth ,

And feblest fowle of flight is , þat flyeth or swymmeth ,

And þe Pecock & the pehen , proud rich men they betoken

For the Pecock & men pursue him , he may not fly hygh

For the traylyng of hys tayle , ouertake is he sone ,

And hys fleshe is fowle fleshe , and his fete both

And vnlouely of leden , and layeth for to heare ,

Ryght so the ryche , if he hys ryches kepe ,

And deleth it not til his deths day , þe taile of al sorow

Right as þe pens in þe pecock paineth him in his flight

So is possession payne of pence , and of nobles

To all hem that it holdeth , tyl her taile be plucked

And though the rych repent than , and byrue þe tyme

That euer he gathered so great , & gaue therof so lytle

Thoughe he cry to Christ than , with keene wyll I leue ,

His leden be in our lords eare , lyke a pies chattering

And whan his carion shal come , in caue to be buried

I leue it flowme full fowle , the folde all about

And al þe other there it lyeth , enuenimed through hys

By þe posete is vnderstande , as I haue lerned in Auinet

Executors , false frendes , that fulfyll not hys wyll

That was written & thei witnes , to werk al þat it wold

And thus þe poet preueth þat the pecock for his fethers is reuerenced

Ryght so the rych by reson of hys goods

The larke þat is a lesse fowle , is more louely of ledene

And wyll away of winge swyfter than the pecocke ,

And of fleshe by fell folde , fatter and sweter

To lowe lyuynge men is resembled the larke

Arystotle the great clarke , suche tales he tayleth

Thus he likeneth in hys logyke , the lest fowle out ,

And whether he be safe or not , the soth wot no clergie

Ne of Sortes ne of Solomon , no scripture can tel

And god is so good I hope , þat sith he gaue hem wits

To wissen vs waies therwith , that wissen vs to be saued

And the better for her bokes , to bydden we ben holden

That god of hys grace , gyue hyr soules reste

For lettred men were lewde men yet , ne were lore of her bokes

All these clarkes quod I tho , þat on Christ leuen

Seithen in her sermons , þat nether saracines ne Iewes

Ne creture of Christis likenes , worth salf vnchristenid

Contra quod imaginatyue tho , & comsed for to loure

And sayd Saluabitur vix iustus in die iudicii .

Ergo saluabitur , quod he , and sayde no more laten ,

Troianus was a true knighte , & toke neuer christendome

And he is safe saith þe boke , & his soule in heuen

For there is fullyng of fout , & fulling in blud sheding

And through fyre is fullyng , that is , firme beleue

Aduenit ignis diuinus non comburens sed illuminans . & cetera .

And truth þat trespaced neuer , ne transuersed against his law

But liuith as þat techith , & leuith ther be no beter

And if ther were he wold amend , and in such wyl dye

Ne would neuer true god , but truthe were alowed

And wher it worth or it worth not , belife of it is gret

And an hope hanging therin , to haue mede for his truth

For Deus dicitur quasi dans vitam eternam suis hoc est fidelibus

Et alibi , si ambulauero in medio vmbre mortis ,

The glose graunteth apon þat verse , a gret mede to truth

And wyt & wisdome quod þe wight , was somtime treasure

To kepe with a commune , ne cattell was hold better

And much mirthe & manhode , & right with that he vanished