INcipit passus tercius .
And þanne ich knelede on my knees · and cryede to hure of grace
And seide mercy madame · for marye loue of heuene
Þat bar þat blessede barn · þat boughte vs on þe rode
Kenne me by som craft · to knowe þe false
Loke vpon þy lyft half quath hue · lo war he standiþ
Boþe fals and fauel · and fykel tonge lyere
And menye of hure maners · boþe men and wommen
Ich lokid on my lyft half · as þe lady me tauhte
And sauh a wommon as yt were · wonderlich riche cloþed
He was purfild wit peloure · non purer in erthe
And coronede in a corone · þe kynge hath no betere
On alle hure fyue fyngres · rycheliche y-rynged
And þer-on rede rubies · and oþer riche stones
Hure robe was ryccher · þan ich rede couthe
For to telle of hure atyre · no tyme haue ich nouth
Hure arays wit hure rychesse · rauesshede myn herte
Was wyf hue were · and what was hure name
Luue lady quaþ ich þo · layn nat yf ȝe knowen
Þat ys mede þe mayde quaþ hue · þat hath noyed me ofte
And lowen up-on my lemmen · þat leaute ys hoten
And lackyd hym to lordes · þat lawes han to kepe
In kynges court & in comune court · contrarieþ my techynge
In þe popes paleys hue is · pryuy as my-selue
Ac soþnesse wold noȝt so · for hue is a bastarde
On fauel was hure fader · þat hath a fykel tonge
An seilde soth seith · bote he souche gyle N
And mede ys manered after hym · as men of kynden karpen
Talis pater talis filius .
For shal neuere brere bere · beries as a vyne
No on croked kene þorne · kynde fygys wexe
Bona arbor bonum fructum facit .
Ich ouhte be herrer þan hue · ich kam of kynde betere
The fader þat me forth brouhte filius dei he hoteþ
Þat neuere lyede ne lauhwede · in al hus lyf-tyme
Ich am hus dure douheter · duchesse of heuene
What man þat me louyeþ · and my wille folweþ
Shal haue grace to good ynow · and a good ende
And wat man þat loueþ mede · my lyf ich dar wedde
He shal luse for hure loue · a lappe of trywe charite
That most helpeþ men to heuene · mede most letteþ
Ich do hit vpon dauid . þe dommbe wol noȝt lye
Domine quis habitabit in tabernaculo tuo . et cetera
Dauid vn-doþ hit hym-self · as þe dumbe sheweþ
Et super innocentem munera non accepit .
To-morwe worth mede wedded to amansed / a mansed wrecche
To on fals faithles · of þe feendes kynne
And al is lyers ledyng* · þat lady is þus ywedded
Soffre now and þow shalt see · suche as ben apaiede
Þat mede ys þus ymaryed · to-morwe þow shalt aspie
Know hym wel yf þow kanst · and kep þe fro hem alle
Þat louyeþ hure lordsheps · lasse oþer þe more
Lacke hem noȜt bote lete hem worthe · tyl leaute be Iustice
And haue power for to punyshe hem · þen put forþ þy reson
For ich by-kenne þe crist quaþ hue · and hus clene moder
Encombre neuere þy conscience · for couetyse of mede
Thus left me þat lady · lyggynge a-slepe
And ich sauh how mede was maried · metyng as it were
And al þe riche retynaunce · þat roteþ hem on fals lyuynge
Were bede to þat brudale · on boþe half þe contreie
Of many maner men · þat were of medes kunne
Of knyȝtes of clerkes · of oþer comune puple
As sysours and somners · shereyues and here clerkes
Budels and bailifs · and brokours of chaffare
Vorgheours and vytailers · and vokettus of arches
Ich kan noȝt rekenye þe route · þat ran a-boute mede .
Ac symonye and ciuile · anLX sisours of contreis
Were most pryuye wit mede of eny men of þe route
Ac fauel was þe ferste · þat fette hure of chambre
And as abrocour / a brocour broghte hure · forth to be ioynid wit fals
Wanne symonye and cyuyle · sauh here boþeres wil
Thay assented þer-to · at seluers praiere
Thenne leep liere forþ · and seide lo here a chartre
That gyle hath gyue to falsnesse · and graunted to mede
And preyþ cyuyle it to see · and symonye it to rede
Þanne symonye and cyuyle · stod forth boþe
And vnfeeld þat feffement · þat fals hadde makede
Þanne sayde symonye · þat cyuyl it herde
Alle þat louen & bylyuen · vp lykyng of mede
Leueþ hit leelly · thys worth hure laste mede
Þat folwen falsnesse · fauel and lyere
And me and shiche men · þat after mede wayten
cCarta . Sciant presentes et futuri . et cetera .
Wetyn alle and witnesen · þat wonen here on erthe
Þat mede . ys y-maried more · for hure mechel richesse
Þan for holynesse oþer hendenesse · oþer for hye kynde
Falsnesse hisLX fayne of hure · for he wot hure riche
And fauel hath with fals speche · feffed hem by þis lettere
To be prynces of prude · and pouerte to dispice
To bagbyten and to bosten · and bere fals whitnesse
To scornie and to scolde · sclaundres to make
Boþ vnbuxom and bold · to breke þe ten hestes
The erldom of enuye · and yre he hym graunteþ
With þe castel of cheste · and chatering out of reson
The countee of couetise · he consenteþ to boþe
With vserye and Auerice · and oþer false sleithes
In bargeyn{e}s and in brocages · with þe borghe of þufþe
And al þe lordshep of lecherye · in lengþe and in Brede
As in workes and in wordes · waitenges of eyes
In wedes and wisshenges · and with ydel þouhtes
Þer þat wil wolde · and werkmanshup faileþ
Glotenye he geueþ hym · and grete oþes to-gederes
Al day to drynke · at dyuerse tauernes
Ther to Iangly and to Iape · and Iuge her emcristine
With spicerie spek ydelnesse · In veen speche and spene
And suwye forþ swych felaushep · tyl þei ben fallen in slewþe
And a-wake with wanhope · and no wil to amende
For he leyueþ be ylost wen he hus lyf leteþ
This lif to folwie falsnesse · and folk þat on hym lyueþ
After hure deþ dwelling · day with-outen ende
In luciferes lordshup · as þys lettere sheweþ ·
With al þe portinaunce of purgatorye · and þe payne of helle
In witnesse of þis þyng · wrong was þe ferste
And Peres þe pard{u}oner · of paulynes queste
Bette þe budele · of banneburies sokne
Reynald þe reue · and þe Redyngkynges menye
Munde þe mylnere · and meny mo oþere
In þe date of þe deuel · þis dede ys a-selede
By syght of syre symonye · and cyuyles leue
Thanne tuemede / tue[n]ede hym theologye · wenne he þys tale herde
And seyde to syre symonye · now sorwe þow mote haue
Such* a weddyng to worche · þat wrathe myghte treuhþe
And er þis weddyng be wroughte · wo to al ȝoure consail
For mede is moillere · amendes was here dame
Þouh fals were hure fader · and fykel tonge hure syre
Amendes was hure dame · by trewe men lokyng*
With-oute hure moder amendes mede . may noght be wedded
For treuth plyghte hure treuthe · to wedde on of hure douhteres
And god grauntede it were so · so þat no gyle were
And þow hast ygeue hure as gyle taughte · god ȝyue þe sorwe
For cyuyl and þy-selue · selde fulfilleth*
Þat god wolde were ydo · with-oute som deceite
Ich theologie þe tixt knowe · and trewe dome wytnesseþ
Þat Laurens þe leuite · lyggynge on þe gredire
Loked vp to oure lorde · and a-loud seide
God of þy grace · heuene gates opene
For ich man of þy mercy mede haue deserued
And sythþe man may an hey mede of god deserue
Hit semeþ fulsothly · ryght so on erthe
That mede may be wedded · to no man bote to treuthe
And þow hast feffyd hure · with fals · fy on suche lawe
For þorw lesynges ȝe lauhte · largeliche mede .
Þat ȝe nemeþ & notaries · to nauht by-gynneþ brynge
Holy churche and charite · ȝe cheweþ and deuoureþ
Ȝe shulle a-bygge boþe · bote ȝe a-mende þe sonnere
For wel ȝe wyten wernardes · as holy wryt telleþ
Þat fals ys faithles · þe fend ys hus syre
And as a bastard ybore · byȝute was he neuere
And mede ys moillere · amaiden / a maiden of goode
Hue myghte cusse þe kyng · as for hus kynswomman
For-þy worcheþ by wisdome · and by witte also
And ledeþ hure to londen · wer lawe may declare
Yf matrimonie may be · of mede and of falshede
And þow Iustice en-ioynen hem · þorgh Iurers oþes
Ȝut be-war of þe wedyng · for wytty is treuthe
And conscience is of hus consail · and knoweth ȝow alle
And yf he fynde ȝow indefaute / in defaute · with þe falseholde
Hit shal sitte ȝoure soules · ful soure at þe laste
Her to a-sentyd cyuyle · ac symonie ne wolde
Tho fette fauel forþ · floreynes y-nowe
And bad gyle go gyue · gold al a-boute
Nameliche to notaries · þat non of hem faille
And feffe falsnesse · wit floreynes ynowe
For he may mede amaistren with hus myry speche
Tho þis gold was gyuen · gret was þe þonkynge
That fals and fauel hadde · for here faire ȝyftes
And comen ful courteislich* · to conforte þe false
Thei seide to hym softeliche · cesse shulle we neuere
Til mede be þy wedded wyf · we wolle nouht stynte
For we han mede a-maistrid þorw oure myrye tonge
Þat hue graunteþ to go · with a good wille
To londen and loke · yf lawe wol Iuge
To be maried for monye mede . hath a-sented
Than was fauel fayne · and falsnesse blyþe
And leten sompne alle segges · In eche syde a-boute
And bed hem alle ben boun · beggeres and oþere
To wenden with hem to westemynstre · hus weddyng to honoure
Ac hakeneyes hadde þei none · bote hakeneyes to hyre
Thenne gan gyle borwe hors · at meny grete maistres
And shope þat a shereyue · sholde bere mede .
Softliche in saumbury · fram syse to syse
Fals and fauel sholde · fecche forth sisours
And ride on hem & on reues · ryght faste by mede .
Symonye anLX cyuyle · seiden and sworen ·
That prestes and prouisours · sholde prelates seruen
And ich my-self cyuyle · and symonye my felawe
Wollen ryden vp-on rectours · and riche men deuoutours
And notories {.}and persons · þat permuten ofte
And on poure prouysors · & on a-peles on þe arches
Somenours and southdenes · þat supersedeas . takeþ
On hem þat louyeþ lecherie · lepeþ vp and rydeþ
On executores and suche men · comeþ softliche after
And let cople þe comissarie · oure cart shal he drawe
And fecche forth oure vitailes · of fornicators
Makeþ of lyer a lang cart · to lede alle þes oþere
As fobbes and faitours · þat on hure fet rennen ·
Thanne fals and fauel · ryden forth to-gederes
And mede in þe myddes · and alle þuse men after
Ich haue no tome to telle · þe tail þat hem folweþ
Of many manere men · for medes sake {.} seut after
Ac gile was forgoere · to gyen al þe puple
For to wisse hem þe weye · and with mede a-byde
Sothnesse seih hem alle · and seide bote a lytel
And priked forth on pacience · anLX passede hem alle
And cam to þe kynges court · to conscience he tolde
And conscience to þe kyng** · carped it after
Now by cryst quath þe kyng** · and ich cacche myghte
Fals oþer fauel · oþer here felawe lyere
Ich wolde be wreke on þo wrecches · and on here werkus alle
And do hem hongy by þe hals and alle þat hem maynteneþ
Shal neuere man on þis molde · maynpryse þe leste
And ryght as þe lawe lokeþ · let falle on hem alle
He comaundyd a constable · þat cam at þe furste
Go atache þo tyrauns · for eny tresour ich hote
Let feterye fast falsnesse · for eny kynnes ȝiftes
And gurd of gyles hefd · and lete hym go no wyddere
And brynge mede . to me · maugre hem alle
And if ȝe lacche lyere · let hym nat a-skapie
Er he be put on pullery · for eny preior ich hote
Drede stod at þe dore · and al þat duene herde
What þe kynges wil was · and whyghtlyche he wente
And bad falsnesse to flee · and hus feren alle
Falsnesse for fere · flegh to þe freres
And gyle dud hym to gon · agast for to deye
Ac marchauns metten with hym and made hym abyde
And shutten hym in here shoppes · to shewen here ware
And parailed hym lyke here prentys · þe puple to seruen
Lyghtliche lyere · lep a-way þo fro þennes
Lorkynge þorw lanes · to-logged of menye
He was nawer wolcome · for hus meny tales
Ouer-al honted out · and yhote trosse
Til pardoners hadden pitte · and pollede hym to house
Thei woshe hym and wypede hym · and wonde hym in cloutes
And sente hym in sonnedayes · with seeles to churches
And ȝaf hym pardon of pans · pound-meel a-boute
Thanne lourede leches · and letters þei senten
Þat lyer shold wony with hem waters to loke
And spicers to hem speke · to aspie here ware
For he can on here crafte · and knoweþ meny gommes
Ac mynstrales and messagers · mette with lyere one
And with-helde hym half aȝere / a ȝere · and elleue dayes
Ac Freres þorw fayre speche · fetten hym þennes
For knowynge of comers · þei copyde hym as a Frere
Ac he hath leue to lepen out · as ofte as hym lykeþ
And ys wolcome wanne he comeþ · and woneþ with hem ofte
Symonye and cyuyle · senten to rome
And putte hem þorw apeles · in þe popes grace
Ac conscience to þe kyng** · a-cusede hem boþe
And seide syre kyng by cryst · bote clerkus a-mende
Thi kyngdom þorw here couetyse · wol out of kynde weynde
And holy churche þorw hem · worth harmed for euere
Alle fledden for fere · and flowen in-to hernes
Saue mede þat mayde · no mo dorste a-byde
Ac tryweliche to telle · hue tremblede for fere
And boþe wrang** and wepte · wanne hue was a-tachede
Hic explicit passus . iijus
significant mark?
·???