Sesseth seide þe kyng y soffre ȝou no leyngre
ȝe saghtene for-sothe and serue me bothe
kusse hire quod þe kyng consience yhote / y hote
Nay by crist quod consience congeye me rathere
Bote reson rede me þer-til arst wol y dye
And Icomaunde / I comaunde quod þe kyng to consience þanne
Rape þe to ryden and reson þat þou facche
Comaunde him to come my counseil to here
For he schal rewle my rewme & rede me þe beste
Of mede þe maiden & what mon schal hire wedde
And counpte / counte with þe consience so me crist helpe
how bothe lered & lewed þou lerest þe peopleT
y am fayn of þat foreward saith þe freke þanne
And ryd rightT to reson & rowneth in his here
Saide him as þe kyng sent & seothe tok his leue
I schal araye me to ride quod reson reste þe awhile / a while
And kalled katon his knaue þat com at þe furste
Sat my sadel apon suffre til y seo my tyme
And lat warrok him wel with witful gurthes
hang on him þe heuy bridel to holde his hed lowe
And ȝet wol he weheen & wynch or we come þere
þan consience on his capel kaireth forth faste
And reson with him ryd redeliche nyghe
At on asent weoreT wisdam and witty his fere
Foleweden heom faste for þey haden to done
In þe chauncellery & þe chekere to beo descharged of thyng[es]
And riden faste for reson scholde reden heom þe beste
For to sauen heom-seolf fro schame & fro harmes
Bote consience com arst to courte by amyle / a myle
And romed forth with reson {:::::} right to þe kyng
Cortesly þe kyng þanne come vn-to reson
And by-twene him-seolf & his sone set him on benche
And wordeden agrete / a grete while wel wiselich to-gedre
þan com pees in-to parlement & put vp abille / a bille
how wrong aȝeyn his wille hadde his wif taken
And he rauyssched rose Reignaldes lemman
And margarete of hire maydenhod maugre hire chekes
Boþe my gees & my gryse his gadelynges feccheth
Idar / I dar not for fere of him fyghte no chide
he borewed of me bayard & broghte him neuer aȝeyn
Ny no ferthyng him foreT for noght þat y kouthe plede
He meynteneth his men to mordre myn owne
Forstalleth my feires & fyghteth in my chepynges
Brekith vp my berne dores & beoreth away my whete
And makith me bote ataile / a taile for ten quarters of otes
And ȝet he beteth me þerto & lyth by my maiden
I am not hardy for him vnnethe to loke
Wrong was afard þo & wisdam he soghte
To make with pans & profered him monye
And saide had Iloue / I loue of my lord þe kyng litel me roghte
þagh & his power pleyned heom euer
wisdom wan out þo & so dude wit alse
For þat wrongh hadde ywroght so wiked adede / a dede
And warneden wrong þo with suche awys / a wys tale
Who-so worches by wil woo wakeneth ofte
Isay / I say hit by þy-seolf þou schalt hit sone yfynde
Bote ȝef mede hit make þis mescheif is vppe
For boþe þy lif & þy land lyth in his grace
Wrong þan on wisdam weoped wel soreT
To helpe himT for of his handy dandy paied
þanne wisdom & wit wenten hom to-gedre
And nome mede with heom mercy to wynne
Pees putte forth his hed & his panne blody
With-oute gult god wot gat y þis skathe
Consience & þe kyng kneow wel þe sothe
And wisten wel þat wrong euer was aschrewe / a schrewe
Bote wisdam & wit weoren aboute faste
To ouercome þe kyng with katel ȝef þay myghte
The kyng swor by crist & by his coroune bothe
þat wrong for his werkes scholde muche wo soffre
And comaunded aconstable / a constable to kasten him in yrnes
he schal not þis seouen ȝeir seon his feet ones
God wot quod wisdam þat weore not þe beste
And he mendes mowe make let maynpris him haue
And beo borugh for his bale & buggen him bote
Amende þat he mys-dude & euer-more þe bettre
Witte acordeth þerwith & saide þe same
Bettre is þat bote bale adoun brynge
þan bale beo beten and bote neuer þe bettre
þan gan mede meoken hire & mercy by-soghte
And profered pes apresent / a present al of puyred golde
For ywol / y wol wage for wrong þat he wol so no more
Pees þan pitousely praied to þe kyng
To haue mercy of þat mon þat mysdeode ofte
For he hath waged me wel as wisdam him taghte
yfor-gyue / y for-gyue him þat gult with agood / a good wille
So þat ȝe assenten ykan / y kan say no more
For mede hath made my mendes ymay / y may no more as...
Nay quod þe kyng so god ȝeue me blisse
Wrong wendeth not so away er y wite more
Lepe he so lightely þe losel laghen wolde he {l} londe
And efte beo þe balder to beten myne buxume
Als longe as I leue with leautees leue
Some radde reson to haue reuthe of þat schrewe
And concelyng þe kyng & concience bothe
þat mede moste beo meynpernor resoun they bysoghte
Red not quod reson no reouthe to haue
Til lordes and ladies louen alle trowthe
And peornels porfile beo put in perkyns pouche
Til children chere cheryschest beon chastised with ȝerdes
And harlotes holynes beo holden for an hyne
And clerkes & knyghtes beon corteise of heore mouthe
And haten to heren of any harlotries ȝelpyng
Til preostes heore prechyng preoue hit heom-seoluen
And do hit in {::::} dede to drawe vs to goode
Til seynt Iame beo ysoght þer I schal asigne
þat no mon go to Galys bote he go for euer
And alle rome renners for robbors of by-ȝonde
{Beore no signe of seoluer þat of kyng}
Beore no seoluer ouer see þat signe of kyng schewethT
Bote ȝef hit beo amarchaunt / a marchaunt or his man or messanger with lettres
Or prouysor or preost þat þe pope auaunseth
And ȝet quod reson y wol no reowthe haue
Whil mede hath þe maistrie to moten in þe halle
Bote y may schewe ensaumples as y seo othir
I sey hit for my-seolf and hit so weore
þat Iweore / I weore kyng wiþ acoroune / a coroune to kepen arewme / a rewme
Schulde neuer wrong in þis world þat y wite myghte
Beon vn-punyssched by power for peril of my soule
Neo my grace geten þorgh gifte so me god helpe
Neo for no mede haue mercy bote meokenes hit made
For multum bonum ・ þe mon mette with irremuneratum
Lat þy confessour sir kyng construe þe hit in englyssch
And ȝef þou worche hit in werk I wedde bothe myn eres
þat lawe schal beo alaborer / a laborer & lede on feild donge
And loue schal lede þy lond in leynthe & in brede
Clerkes þat weore confessours coupled to-gedre
For to construe þis clause & declyned faste
Bote þo reson among þeose renkes rehersed þeose wordes
And þer was mon in þe mote-halle more ny lasse
þat no huld resoun amaister / a maister & mede meochel wreche
Loue lat of hire light and lough hire to skorne
And saide hit with so loude steuene þat sothfastnes herde
Who-so wilneth hire to wif for weole or for worschipe
Bote ȝef he beo kokewold of kynde kutte of my nose
Waryn wisdom þo ny witty his fere
kouþen not karpen aword / a word to with-segge resoun
Bote stareden for studyeng and stoden al stonyed
The kyng acorded & kneow soth resones sawas
And rehersed þat reson hadde right-fullich schewed
Bote hit is wel hard by myn hed to bryng þis abowte
And alle my lege leodes to lede þus euene
Bote y reoule þus oure rewme rent owt my rybbes
ȝef þat hit beo þat buxsumnes beo of myn assent
Beo my counseil come of clerkes & eorles
Bote redeliche reson þou schalt notC ryden hennes
For as longe as me is lant the lyf leete þe ynulle / y nulle
y am redy quod reson to reste with ȝow euer
So consience beo of ȝoure counseil kepe y no bettre
y graunte wel quod þe kyng so me god helpe
Als longe as y libbe schal lyue we to-gedre
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consciens & reson {con:::} conselle