Nay by crist quaþ conscience conge me rather

Bote reson rede me þer-to · raþer wol ich deye

And ich comaunde quaþ þe kynge · to conscience þenne

Rappe þe to ryde · and reson þat þow fecche

Comaunde hym þat he come · my consail to hure

For he shal rulye my reame · and rede me þe beste

Of mede and of oþer mo · and what man shal hure wedde

And a-counte with þe conscience so me crist helpe

How þow ledest my puple · lered and lewede

Ich am fayn of þat forwarde · in fayþ þo quaþ conscience

And rod forth to reson and rouned in hus ere

And seide hym as þe kyng saide · and suche tok hus leue

Ich shal a-raye me to ryde · quaþ reson rest þow a-wyle

And called caton hus knaue · corteys of speche

And also tomme trewe tonge · telle me none tales

Ne lesenges to lauhen of · for ich louede hit neuere

And sette my sadel vppon soffre til ich see my tyme

Let worrok hym wel · with a-vyse by-fore

for it hisLX þe wone of wil · to wynse and to kyke

Let peitrel hym and pole hym · wit peyntede wittes ·

Thenne conscience on hus capel · comsed to prykie

And reson with hym ryȝt · ronnyng to-geders

Wich* a maister mede was · a-mong poure and riche

Then waryn wysman · and wyle man his felawe

fayn were to folwen hem · and fast ryden after

To take red at reson þat recorde sholde

By-fore þe kyng and concience yf þei couthen pleyneN

On williman and wittiman and waryn wrynge lawe

Ac conscience knew hem wel · and carped to reson

Here comeþ quaþ conscience · þat couetyse seruen

Ryd forth syre reson and recche nat of here tales

For þer wratthe and wranglyng ys · ther þei wolle a-byde

Ac þer loue and leaute ys · hit lykeþ nat here hertes

Contricio & infelicitas in uiis eorum & uiam pacis non cogno-

Thei geueþ noȝt of good faith · god wot þe soþe

Thei wolde don for a dyner · oþer fore a dosene capones

More þan for oure lordes loue · oþer oure lady hus moder

Thanne reson rod forth · and tok reward of no man

And dude as conscience kenned til he þe kyng mette

Corteslich þe kyng þen · cam and grette reson

And by-twine hym and isLX sone · sette þo syre reson

And speken þo wise wordes · a long wile to-gederes

Thenne cam pees in-to parlement · and putte vp a bylle

How þat wrong wilffullich* · hadde hus wif for leyen

And how he rauysede rose þe riche wydewe by nyghte

And margarete of here maidenhod · as he mette hure late

Boþe my goos and my grys · and my gras he takeþ

Ich dar nouht for is felaweshepe · in faith* pees seide

Bere sikerlich* eny seluer · to seint gyles doune

He waiteþ ful wel · wanne ich* sulfere take

What wey ich wende · wel ȝerne he aspieþ

To robbe me and to ryfle me · yf ich* ryde softe

Ȝut he is bold for to borwe · and baldelich* he payeþ

He borwede of me bayarde · and browte hym neuere

Ne no ferþeng þer-fore · for nouht ich couthe plede

He menteyneþ hus men · to morthr{.}e myn hywes

And for-stalleþ myn faires · and fyghteþ in my chepynges

And breke vp my bernes dore · and bereþ away my wete

And takeþ me bote a taile · for ten quarters oþer twelue

Ȝut he manasceþ me and myne · and lyth by my mayde

Ich am nouht hardy for hym · owneþe to loke

The kyng knew þat he seide soþ · for conscience hym tolde

How wronge was a wickede man · and moche wo wrouhte

Tho was wrong a-fered · wysdome he by-souhte

On men of lawe wrong lokede · and largelich* hem profrede

And for to haue of here help · handy dandy payede

Had ich loue of þe lorde · litel wolde ich recche

Of pees and of hus power · thauh he pleynede euere

Thoruh wrong and hus werkes · þer was mede yknowe

For wysdome and wit þo · wenten to-gederes

And toke mede myd hem · Mercy to wynne

Ȝut pees putte forth* hus hefd · and hus panne blody

With-oute gult god wot · gat ich þys scaþe

Conscience knoweþ hit wel · and alle þe trewe comune

Ac wyles and wit · weren a-boute faste

To ouercome þe kynge · þow catel yf þei myghte

Þe kyng swor þo by crist · and by his corone bothe

That wrong for hus workus · sholde wo þolie

And comaundede a constable · to caste wrong in yrenes

Ther he ne sholde in seuen ȝere · see fet no hondes

God wot quaþ awis / a wis on · þat were nat þe beste

Yf he may a-mendes do · let meynpryse hym haue

And be borw of ysLX bale · and byggen hym bote

And a-mende þat ys mys-do · and euere more þe betere

Wit a-corded her with · and witnessede þe same

Betere ys þat bote · bale a-doun brynge

Than bale be bete · and bote neuere þe betere

Thanne gan mede muken here · and mercy by-souhte

And profrede pees apresent / a present · al of pure golde

Haue þus man of me quaþ hue · to amende þy scaþe

For ich wol wage for wrong · he wol do so no more

Pytouslich pees þo · preyede þe kyng

To haue mercy on þat man · þat meny tyme greuede hym ·

For he hath waged me wel · as wisdome hym tauhte

Mede hath mad m{...}yne · amendes · ich may no more asken

So alle myne claymes ben quyt · by so þe kynge asente

Nay by crist quath þe kynge · for consciences sake

Wrong goþ nat so away · ar ich wite more

Loupe he so lyghtlich* a-wey · lauhen he wolde

And eft be þe boldere · to bete myne hywes

Bote reson haue reuthe of hym · he shal reste in stockes

As longe as ich lyue · for hus luther werkes

Somme radde reson þo · to haue reuthe on þat shrewe

And for to consail þe kyng · on conscience þei loked

Þat mede myghte be menepernour reson þei by-souhte

Red me nat quaþ reson no reuthe to haue

Til lordes and ladies · louen alle treuthe

And haten alle harlotrie · to huyren oþer to mouthen hit

And purneles porfil · be put in þe wuccheLXC

And children chersingT · be chasted with ȝerdes

And harlotes holynesse · be an hey ferye

Til klerken couetise · be cloth for þe poure

Here pelure and here palfrayes · poure menne lyflode

And religious out-ryders · reclused in here cloistres

And be as benit . hem bad domenik and fraunceis .

Tyl þat lerede men lyue · as þei lere and techen

And til þe kynges consayl · be al comune profit

Tyl bisshepes and bakers · brewers and taylours

For alle manere men · þat þei fyndeþ nedfol

Tyl seynt Iame be-souht · þer poure syke lyggen

In prisons and in poore cotes · for pilgrymages to rome

So þat non go to galys · bote it be for euere

And alle rome renners · for robbers in fraunce

Bere no suluer ouer see · þat kynges sy{minim}gne sheweþ

Neiþer graue ne vngraue · of gold ne of suluer

Vp forfeture of þe fee · ho-so fynt hym ouerwarde

Bote it be marchaunt oþer hus man · oþer messager with lettres

Prouisour oþer prest oþer penaunt for hus synnes

And ȝut quaþ reson by þe rode · ich shal no reuthe haue

Wyl mede hath þe maistrye · þer motyng his atte þe barre

Ac ich may seye ensamples · as ic see oþere

Ich seye it for my-selue · quath reson and hit so were

Þat ich were kyng with corone · to kepe eny reame

Shold neuere wronge in þis worlde · þat ich wite myghte

Be vnpunysshed in my power · for peril of my soule

Ne gete my grace þorw eny gyft · ne glosyng speche

Ne þorw {.}mede do mercy · by marye of heuene

For man nullum malum mette · with impunitum .

And bad þat nullum bonum bee irremuneratum .

Lete þy confessour syre kyng · construe þis in english*

And ȝif ȝe worten hit in werke · ich wedde boþe myn handes

That lawe shal be a laborer · and lede a-felde donge

And loue shal lede þy land · as þe luf lykeþ

Clerkus þat were confessours · couplede hem to-gederes

To construe this clause · kyndeliche wat hit menede

Mede in þat mote-halle þo · on men of lawe gan wynke

In sygne þat þei sholde · with som sotel spec{.}he

Reherce þo a-non ryght · þat myghte reson stope

And alle ryghtful recordeden · þat reson treuthe seyde

And kyndewit and conscience cortesliche þankede

Reson for hus ryghtspeche / ryght speche · riche and poure hym louede

And seiden we seth wel · syre reson by þy wordes

That meknesse worth mayster · ouer mede atte þe laste

Loue let lyght of mede and leaute ȝut lasse

And cryed vp-on conscience þe kynge hit myghte yhure

Who-so wylneþ hure to wyue · for welthe of hure goodes

Bote he be knowe for cokewold · kut of my nose

Mede mornede þo · and made heuy cheere

For þe comune cald hure · queynte comune hore

A sysour and a somner þo · softeliche forth* ȝeden

With mede þe mayde · out of þe mot-halle

A shereyues clerk cryede · a · capiatis mede .

Et saluo custodias . sed non cum carceratis .

The kynge to his consail tho · tok conscience and reson .

And myldeliche vp-on mede meny tyme lokede

And lourede vp-on men of lawe · and lightliche seide

Thorȝe ȝoure lawe ich leyue · ich lese menye escheytes

Mede and men of ȝoure craft · muche treuthe letteþ

Ac reson shal regne with ȝow · yf ich regne eny wyle

And deme ȝow by þys day · as ȝe haue deseruyde

Mede shal nat meynprise ȝow · by marye of heuene

Ich wolle haue leaute · for my lawe · let be al ȝoure ianglend

By leel men and lyf-holy · my lawe shal by demyd

Quath conscience to þe kynge · whith-outeLX comune help

Hit is ful hard by myn hefd · þer to hit to brynge

And alle ȝoure lege ledes · to lede þus euene

By hym þat rauhte on rode · quaþ reson to þe kynge

Bote ich rewely þus alle reames · reueþ me my syght

And brynge alle men to bowe · with-oute byter wonde

With-oute mercement oþer manslauht · amenden alle reames

Ich wolde hit were quaþ þe kyng · wel al a-boute

For-þy reson redelyche · þow shalt nat ryden hennes

Bote be my chyf chaunceler · in chekyr and in parlement

And conscience in alle my courtes · be as kynges Iustice

Ich a-sente seyde reson by so þy-self y huyre

Audi alteram partem · a-mong aldermen and comuners

And þat vnsittynge suffraunce · ne seele ȝoure pryueie letteres

Ne seynde supersedeas bote ich asente quath · reson

And ich dar legge my lyf · þat loue wol lene þat suluer

To wage thyne and help wynne · þat þow wilnest after

More þan al þy marchauns · oþer þy mytrede bisshopes

Oþer lumbardes of lukes · þat lyuen by loue as Iewes

The kyng* comaunded conscience tho · to congie alle hus officers

And receyuen þo þat reson louede · and ryȝt wit þat ich a-wakede