Cam doun fro þat castel · and calde me by name

And seide wille slepest þow · syxt þow þis puple

How busy þai ben · a-boute þe mase

The most partie of þe puple · þat passeþ on þis erthe

Haued thei worship in þis worlde · þei willen no betere

Of oþer heuene þan here · þei · holden no tale

Ich was aferd of hure face · thauh hue faire were

And saide mercy ma dame · wat may þys be to mene

The tour vp on toft quaþ hue · treuthe ys þer-ynne

And wolde þat ȝe wrouhte · as hus word techeþ

For he is fader of faith · and formour of alle

To be faith-ful to hym · he ȝaue ȝow fyue wittes

For to worshepen hym þer-with · wile ȝe lyuen here

Werfore he het þe elemens · to helpe ȝow alle tymes

And brynge forth ȝoure bylyue · boþe lynnen and wollen

And in mesure þouh hit muche were · to make ȝow at ese

He comaundid of his cortesye · in comun{o(?)}e þre þynges

Aren non nudful bote þo þre · nempnen hem ich þenke

And rekene hem by rewe · reherce hem wer þe lykeþ

Ther ferst of þo ys* fode · an vesture þe secounde

And drynke þat do þe good · ac drynk nat oute of tyme

Lo loth in hus lyue · þorw Lecherouse drenke

Wikkydlich wroghte · a{n}nd wratthede god al·myghty

In hus dronknesse a day · hus douhtres he dighte

And lay by hem boþe · as þe bok telleþ ·

In hus glotenie by-gat · þat wereren / weren churles

And al he wited þe wyne · hus wikked dede

Iebriamus / I[n]ebriamus eum uino et dormiamus cum eo ut seruare possimus de patre nostro semen .

Thorgh wyn and þorw wommen · þer was loth · encombred

For þy dred dilitable drynke · boþe day and nyȝtes

Mesure is a medecyne · þauh þou muche wylne

Al is noȝt good to þe gost · þat þe gout askeþ

Ne liflode to þe licame · þat leof is to þe saule

Lyef noȝt þy licame · for alyere / a lyere hym techeth

Þat is þ{e(?)}ysT wrecchede worlde · þat wolde þe bygyle

For þe fend and þy flesch · folwen to-gederes

And þat seyþ þe saule · and setth hit the in herte

And wisseþ þe to be ware · and what wolde þe deceyuye

A · ma·dameP mercy quaþ ich · me lykeþ wel ȝoure wordes

Ac þe moneye of þis molde · þat men so faste kepeþ

Telle ȝe me now to wham · þat tresour by-longeþ

Go to þe gospel quaþ hue · and see what god sayde

Wanne þe puple a-posed hym · of a peny in þe temple

And god askede of hem · whasLX was þe coygne

Cesares þei seiden · sothliche we knowen

Reddite cesari . seide god · þat to cesar . by-falleþ

Et que sunt dei deo . oþer ellys ȝe don ille

For ryhtfulliche reson · sholde ruele ȝow alle

And kynde wit be wardeyn · ȝoure welþe to kepe

And tutour of ȝowre tresoure · and take ȝow atte nede

For hosboundrie and he · holdeþ to-gederes

Ich fraynede hure faire þo · for hym þat hure made

The dupe dale and durke · vn-semely to see to

What may hit by-mene · madame ich by-seche

That is þe castel of care · who-so comeþ þer-ynne

May banne þat he bore was · in body and in soule

Ther-ynne wonyeþ a wyȝt · þat wrong is his name

Fader of falshede · fond hit furst of alle

Adam and Eue · he egede to don ille

Consailde cayme · to cullen hus broþer

Iudas he by-raped · þorgh Iewene seluer

An afterward he heng hym · hye on an ellerne

He ys a lett{...}are of loue · and lyeth alle tymes

Þat tryst in erthely tresour · be by-traieþ sonnest

To en-combrye men with couetyse · that his husLX kynde

Thanne hadde ich wonder in my wit · w{a}hat womman hue were

Þat suche wyse wordes · of holy wryȝt shewede

And hanslede hure on þe heie name · er hue þennys wente

What hue were whiterly · þat wissede me so and tauhte

Holychurche ich am quaþ hue · þow oghtest me knawe

Ich vnder-feng þe formest · and fre man þe made

Þow broghtest me borwes · my byddyng to fulfille

To lyue on me and louye me · al þy lyue-tyme

Thanne knelede ich on my knees · criede hure grace

And preiede hure pytosly to preie · for me to amende

Also to kenne me kyndelich · on crist to by-lyue

And teche me to no tresour · bote telle me þys ilke

How ich may sauy my saule · þat seynt ert yholde

QwenneLG alle tresours ben · tried qua{t}þ hue · treuþe is þe beste

Ich do hit on Deus caritas to deme þe soþe

Hit is as derworthe a druwery · as dere god hem-selue

For he is trywe of hus tonge · and of hus two handes

And doþ þe werkes þer-with · and wilneþ no man ille

He is a god by þe gospel · and graunty may hele

And like oure lorde also · by seynt lukys wordes

Clerkus þat knowen þys · shoulde kennen hit a-boute

For cristene and vncrestine · cleymen it echone

Kynges and knyȝtes · shoulde kepen hit by reson

Ryden and rappe a-doune · In reames a-boute

And to take trespassours · and tyen hem faste

Til trewþe hadde ytermenyde · here trespas to þe ende

And holde with hym and with hure · þat han triwe action

And for no lordayne loue · leue þe trewe partye

Trewely to take · and treweliche to fyȝete

Ys þe profession and þe poureT ordre · þat apendeþ to knyȝtes

Wo-so passeþ that poynt · ys aposteta of knyȝt-hod

For þei shoulde nat faste · ne for-bere sherte

Bote feithfullich defende · and fyȝte for truthe

And neuere leue for loue · In hope to lacche seluer

Dauid by hus daies · dobbede knyȝtes

And dude hem swerye in here swerde · to serue truthe euere

Wanne god by-gan heuene · in þat grete blysse

He made knyȝtes in hus court · creatures tene

Cherubin and seraphin suche seuene another

Lucifer . louelokest þo · ac lytel wile it laste

He was an archangel of heuene · on of godes knyȝtes

He and oþer with hym · þat hulde nouȝt with treuthe

Lopen out in loþliche forme · for hus false wille

He hadde lust to be lyke · hus lord god almyghty

Ponam pedem meum in aquilone & ero similis altissimo ·

Lord why wolde he þo · þulke wrechede lucifer .

Lepen on a-lofte · in þe north syde

To sitten in þe sonne side · þer þe day roweþ

Ne were it for norþerne men · a-non ich wolde telle

Ac ich wolle lacke no lyf · quaþ þat lady sotthly

Hit is sykerer by southe · þer þe sonne regneth

Þan in þe north by meny notes · no man loyue / lo[uy]eT oþer

For þider as þe fend flegh · hus fote for to sette

Ther he failede and fuel · and hus felawes alle

And helle is þer he ys · and he þer ybounde

Euene contrarie sitteþ criste · clerkus knowen þe soþhe

Dixit dominus domino meo sede a dextris meis .

Ac of þis matere · no more meue ich nelle

He was in þe halyday · after heten wayten

Þey care noȝt þauh it be cold · knaues wen þei worchen

In wonderwyse holy wryt · tellith how þei fullen

Somme in erþe somme in aier · somme in helle dupe

Ac lucifer lowest · lith of hem alle

For prude þat hym pokede · hus peyne hath no ende

Alle þat worchen þat wikkede ys · wenden þei shulle

After hure deþ day · and dwelle þer wrong ys

And alle þat han wel y-wroght · wenden þey shulle

Estwarde to heuene · euere to abyde

Ther treuthe is þe trone · þat trinite ynne sitteþ

Lere it þus lewede men · for lettrede hit knoweþ

That treuthe & trewe loue · ys no tresour bettere

Ich haue no kynde knowyng quaþ ich · ȝe mote kenne me bettere

By wat wey hit wexith · and wonder out of my menyng*

Thow dotede daffe quaþ hue · dolle aren þy wittes

Ich lyue þow lornedist to lyte · latyn in þy ȝowethe

Heu michi quod sterilem duxi uitam iuuenilem .

Hit is a kynde knowyng* · þat kenneþ in þyn herte

For to louye þy lord · luuest {.}of alle

And deye raþere · þan to do eny dedlich* synne

Melius est mori . quam male uiuere .

And þis ich trowe be treuthe · w{.}ho-so can teche þe betere

Loke þow soffrie hym to say · and so þow myght lerne

For treuthe telleþ þat loue · ys tryacle for synne

And most souereyne salue · for saule and for body

Loue is þe plonte of pees · and most preciouse of vertues

For heuene holde hit ne myȝte · so heuy hit semede

Til hit hadde on erthe · ȝoten hym-selue

Was neuere vp-on lynde · lef lygheter þer-after

As wanne hit hadde of þe flod · flesch and blod ytake

Tho was it portatyf and pershaunt · as þe poynt of anelde / a nelde

May non Armure hit lette · noþer hye walles

For-þy is loue ledere · of oure lordes folke in heuene

And mene as þe meyere is · by-twyne þe kyng & þe comune

Ryȝt so is loue aledere / a ledere · and þe lawe shappeþ

Vp man for hus mysdedes · þe mercement he taxeþ

And for to knowe it kyndeliche · hit comseþ by myghte

In þe herte þer is þe hefd · and þe hye welle

Of kynde knowyng in herte · þer comseþ amyghte / a myghte

That falleþ in-to þe Fader · þat formede ous alle

On ous he lokyde with loue · and let hus sone deye

{...}MeeklicheN for oure mysdedes · to a-mendynT ous alle

And ȝut wolde he hem no wo · þat wroght hym al þat tenne

Bote myldeliche with mouthe · mercy he by-souhte

To haue pyte on þat puple · {...?...}þat paynede hym to deþe

Her myȝt þow see ensample · In hym-self one

That he was myghtful & meukLG punctus; and mercy gan graunte

To hym þat henge hym hye · and hus herte þorlede

For-þy ich rede ȝow ryche · haue reuthe of þe poure

Þauh ȝe be myghty to mote · beeþ meuk in ȝoure workes

Þe same mesure þat ȝe meteþ · amys oþer ellys

Ȝe shulleþ be weyen þer-with · wanne ȝe wenden hennes

Eadem mensura qua mensi fueritis remicietur nobis

Thauh ȝe be trywe of ȝoure tonge . and triwelich* wynne

And be as chast as a chyld · þat noþer chit ne fyghteþ

Bote yf loue leelliche · and lene to þe poure

Of such good as god sent · goodliche parte

Ȝe haue no more meryt · in masse ne in houres

Than malkyn of {..}hure maidenhod · wam no ma / ma[n] desireþ

For Iamys þe gentel · suggeþ in his bokes

Þat feith with-oute fet · ys febelere þan nouht

And ded as a dore nayle · bote yf þe dede folwe

Fides sine operibus mortua est .

Chastite with-oute charite · worth cheynid in helle

Hit isP as lewede as a lampe · þat no lyght ys ynne

Meny chapelayns aren chast · ac charite hem faileþ

Aren none hardur ne hongryour · þan men of holy churche

Auerouse & veueleLX willed · wanne thei ben auaunsed

And vnkynde to hure kyn · and to alle crystine

Thei chewen here charite · and chiden after more

And encombred with couetyse · þei conne nat out crepe

So harde hath aueryce · hasped hem to-gedderes

And þat ys no treuthe of þe trinite bote trecherie and synne

And luþer ensample leyf me · to þe lewede puple

For chees aren wordes · wryten in þe euangelye

Date et dabitur uobis .

And þat is þe lok of loue · þat vnloseþ grace

Þat confortetth alle cristine · encombred with synne

So loue ys lech* of lyue · and lysse of alle pyne

And þe graffe of grace · an grayþost to heuene

For-þy ich may say as ich seide · by syght of þe tixt

Wenne alle tresours ben tryed · treuth ys þe best

Loue it quaþ þe lady · lette may ich no lengere

To lere þe wat loue ys · and leue at hue lauhte