The kyng & his knyghtis to þe kirke wenten
To here matyns & masse & to mete after
þat I no hadde sleped sadder and y-seyen more
ysat / y sat softely doun and saide my byleue
And so ybabled / y babled on my {bokes} beodes þey broghte me onslepe / on slepe
þanne saw y mychel more þan I fore-telle
For ysaw / y saw þe feld ful of folk þat y byfore of tolde
And consience with acros / a cros come for the prechynge
And preyed þeo people haue pite on heom-seoluen
Bote he proued þat þe pestilence was for heore synne
And the southwesternewynd / southwesterne wynd at satteresday at euene
was apertely for pruyde & for no poynt elles
Piryes & plomtrees were poffet to þe eorthe
In ensaumple seggesT þat ȝe scholde do þe bettre
Beches & brode okes weore blowe to þe grounde
And torned vppeward þe tayl in tokenyng of drede
þat dedly synne ar domesday schal for-don heom alle
Of þis mater y myghte muche mamele & longe
Bote Ischal / I schal sayn as I sygh so me god helpe
how consience with acros / a cros kraftyliche kan prechen
he bad wastour go worche what he best couthe
And wynne þat he wasted wiþ some maner werke
And praied peornel hire proude porfile to leue
And kepe hit in hire coffre for catel at nede
Thomas he taughte to take toughe staues
And facchen felice hom fro wymmen pyne
he warned {war} watte witerly his wife was to wite
þat hire hed was of hygher pris þan feol for hire stateT
For hit passed apound / a pound þe pletes weore so monye
And his {hy}hood hyghely yholde hit worth agrote / a grote
he charged chapmen to chastisen heore children
Lat no wonnyng for-wanyen heom whil they beon ȝonge
he praied prelates & preostes putten heom to-gedre
And preche þe people & preoue hit heom-seoluen
And libbeth as ȝe leren vs we woln loue ȝou þe bettre
And sithe he radde religioun heore reoule to holdeC
And ȝe þat sechen seynt Iame and seyntes at rome
sechith seynt treouthe for he may ȝou sauen alle
Qui cum &cetera filio faire mote ȝe falle
Than ran repentaunce & reherced his teme
And made wil to weopen water with his eyghnen
Peornel proudherte plat hire to {:::} þe eorthe
And lay longe or heo loked & oure lordT mercy cried
And by-hyghte to him þat vs alle maked with his myght
he wolde vnsowen heore schorte & sette þer an here
For to affeyten heore flesch þat fresch was to synne
schal neuer hyghe heorte me hente bote holde me lowe
And suffre to beo myssaide & so dude y neuer
Bote now wol I meoke me & mercy by-seche
Of þat I haue had enuye in my heorte
þe lechoure saide alas & on oure lady gradde
To make mercy of his misdede by-tweone god and his soule
with þat he scholde þe setteresday seuen ȝeir þer-after
Drynke bote wiþ þe doge & dyne bote ones
Enuye with heuy heorte asked after schryfte
And clothed in akaury-maury / a kaury-maury coude y hit not discrye
Akirtel / A kirtel & acourtepy / a courtepy aknyf / a knyf by his syde
Of afrere / a frere frocke weoren his fore-sleues
As a{:::le} leek longe leyen in the hote sonne
So loked he with lene chekes lourynge foule
his body was y-bolned for wrathe þat he bot his lippes
And wrothly he wrong his fuste to wreken him he thogh[te]
with werkes or wordes when he sawe his tyme
Of leosardes or of lobbes venym hath me laghte T
And walweth in my wombe & worcheth me wrathe
Suche wynd in my wombe waxeth ar y dyne
Ihaue / I haue aneygheboure / a neygheboure nygh me I haue nuyed him ofte
And blamed him by-hynde his bak to brynge him into defa[me]
To apeire him by my power I haue pursued feole sithes
And eke bylowen him to lordes to don him leose seoluer
when I mette him in market þat I so muche hated
y halsed him so hendeliche so I his freonde weore
he is doghtier þan I y dar none harm him done
when Icome / I come to þe kirke & kneole to þe rode
y pray for þe people as þe preost techethT
þan crie I on my kneoes þat crist ȝef hom sorwe
y by-holde by-holde / by-holde by-hynde me on aneowe / a neowe kote haue
þanne wyssche yhit / y hit weore myn & al þe web after
Of his leosyng ylaghwe / y laghwe hit lightenes myn heorte
Bote of his wynnyng y weope & weyle þe while
Ideme / I deme men þey don eouel & ȝet do y worse
y wolde vche wyȝe weore my knaue in þis world wony[ng]
And whad þat hath more þan I he angereth myn heorte
Thus y lyue loueles lyk aleother / a leother dogge
þat al my breste bolneth for bittre of my galle
Ny no diapendion dryue hit fro myn heorte
ȝus redely quod repentaunce & radde him to gode
And saide sorwe for synne saueth ofte wel manye
I am sory quod enuye y am bote seilden othir
And maketh me so mad þat I no may me venge
þanne come couetise y can him noght discryue
Bote hongurliche & lowe sir heruy he loketh
And eken as alethren / a lethren pors lolleden bothe his chekes
In a torn tabard of twenty wynter age
Bote he hadde beo schod with forstnaile schrap al abowete
I haue quod þat kaityf couetouse beo I knowe hit now here
For some tyme y serued to symond atte nokke
And was his prentise plight his profite to loke
And furste I leorned to lyen alef / a lef or tweye
wickedly to weyen was my furste lesson
To wynchestre & to woborne I went to þe faire
with many maner marchandise þat my maister myd medled
No had þe grace of gyle gon among my ware
hit had vn-sold beon þis seouen ȝeir so me god saue
þan drogh I me among {d} drapers my donet to lere
To drawe þe listes along on teyntre we hit tileden
Among þe riche raynes I rendred þe same lesson
And broched with apak / a pak nelde & platted heom to-gedres
Putte heom in apressour / a pressour & peyned heom þer-ynne
Til ten ȝardes or twolue tolden oute þrettene
more þan myn owne deode when y weye trewthe
y boghte hire barlich heo brewed hit to seolle
Peny ale & pylewile ofte heo poured to-gedres
For laborers & litel folk þat lyued by heom-seoluen
þe beste in my bedchaumber lay by þe benche
And who-so drong þer-of boght hit þer-after
Agalon / A galon for agrote / a grote god wot no lasse
when hit come in coppemal þat crafte my wif vseth
Rose þe regratour whose rykeneth right was hire nam
heo hath holden hoxtre wel elleoue wynter
Bot Iswere / I swere now to þe þat synne schal y leue
And neuer wickedlich weye no wicked chaffare make
Bote wenden to walsyngham & my wif alse
And bid þe Rode of Bromholm brynge me oute of synne
Now by gille glotoun for to go to schrifte
And kaireth him to chircheward his schrift for to schewe
And beton þe bribester bad him god morwen
And eke asked of him whideward he wolde
To holy chirche quod he for to here amasse / a masse
And seothen beo schryuen wol y & synnen no more
I haue good ale quod heo to glotoun with good heorte ass[aie]
ya glotoun gossipe quod heo I am not al boute
For I wot in my wit what þy wombe wilnethT
þanne goth glotoun yn & grete othes after
And kytte þe sowester þat sat softe on hire benche
Watte þe weuer and his wyf bothe
Tomme þe tynkere & tweyne of his knawes
hykke þe hakeneyman þat coude wel heue þe coppe
Clarice of kockeslane þat klatre can faste
Dawe þer was & dolfyn & adoseyn / a doseyn othir
Aroper / A roper & aredyng-kyng / a redyng-kyng & Rose þe disscher
Of vp-holders an hepe erly by þe morwen
Clement þe kobler caste of his cloke
And at þe neowe faire nempned hit to seolle
hikke þe ostiler hitte his hod sone after
And bad Bette þe bocher beon on his by-halue
þer weore chapmen chosen þat chaffare to preysen
Of him þat þe cloke had & þat heom thoghte skilleT
þo risen vp in rape & rowneden to-gedresT
Til robyn þe roper was Irad to rise
And nempned him for noun-piere þat no debate aros
hicke þeo hostiler þanne hadde þe cloke
In couenaunt þat clement scholde fulle þe coppe
And haue hicke hod hostiler & holde him yserued
And grete sir glotoun with agalon / a galon ale
þer was laghyng & louryng & let go þe coppe
Bargayns & beuerages by-gonnen to arise
And seten so til euesong & songon wel murie
Til glotoun þorgh þe golet let glide to galons & a gille
And with þat he blew þe rounde rewet at his ruggebones eynde
þat alle þat herde þat horn heold heore nose after
And wissched þat hit had beon waxed with a wisp of firses
he had no streynthe to stondon ar he his staf hadde
And þanne can he gon god wot þe sothe
hiderward & þedirward auaunt & arereT
As whos laide lynes to lacche alle foules
When he drogh to þe dore þen dymmed his eyghnen
he stomblod on þe þrosschald & threw to þe eorthe
þat with al þe woo of þis world his wif & his wenche
Beren him to his bed &broghten / & broghten him þer-ynne
And after al his sorfet an accesse he hadde
þat he slepte settresday & sonday til sonne ȝede to softe
þan waked he of his wynkyng & wiped his eygnen
þe furste word þat he spak was wher is þe bolle
þan his wif at his word wratthede soreT
And blamed him þat he wolde ay beon so bold to synnen
And for to leden suche lif þat leosed wel monyeT
And made heom haue heore home in helle for euerT
And by-gan to grede grymly & gret deol to make
For his luther lif þat he so longe lyued hadde
And avowed wel faste for hongor or for thirste
Schal neuer fisch on friday defye in my wombe
Ar abstinence myn aunte haue ȝeuen me leue
And ȝet yhaue / y haue hated hire al my lif tyme
Slouthe for sorwe feol doun y-swowe
Til vigilate þe veile fet water at his eyghnen
And flat hit on his face & faste on him cried
And saide war þe for wanhope he wol þe bytraye
I am sory of my synnes say to þy-seoluen
And þy-seolf on þy brest & bid him of grace
For is þer no gult here so gret þat his godnes is more
þan sat slouthe vp & signed him faste
And made a vowe to-fore god for his foule slouthe
Schal no sondeday beo þis seouen ȝeir bot seknes hit make
þat I no schal dighte me ar day & do me to þe chirche
And here masse & matyns als I amonk / a monk were
Schal none ale after mete holden me þennes
Til Ihaue / I haue euensong herd Ihote / I hote to þe rode
And ȝet wol Iȝelden / I ȝelden aȝeyn ȝef Iso / I so muche haue
Al þat Iwickedly / I wickedly wan seothe I wit hadde
And þagh my liflode lacke leue I no wol
þat vche mon schal haue his or I hennes wende
And with þe resydewe & þe remenant by þe rode of chester
Robard þe robbour on reddite he loked
Bote for þer was not wher-with he weopte wel sore
Bote ȝet þe synful schrewe saide to him-seoluen
Crist þat on caluarie apon þe cros dyedest
þo dismas my brother by-soghte þe of grace
And þou hadest mercy on þat mon for memento sake
þy wil worth apon me as I haue wel deserued
To haue helle for euer ȝef þat hope no weore
So reowe on þis Robart þat red non no haueth
No neuer wene to wynne wiþ crafte þat he knowe
Bote for þy muchel mercy mytigacioun I by-seche
And dampne me not on domesday for I dude so ille
Bote what by-feol of þis feoloun I kan not faire schewe
wel I wot he weopte faste water with his eyghnen
And knoweleched his gult to crist ȝet efte-sones
þat penitencia his pyk scholde polessche neowe
And lepe with him ouer lond al his lif tyme
For he had leye by latro lucifers aunte
Athousand / A thousand þo thryngen to-gedres
Weopyng & weylyng for heore wicked dedes
kryeden vpward to crist & to his leoue modur
To haue grace to gon with agood / a good willeT
To seche seynt treouthe god leue þat þey so mote
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preche to :::::: dede