Among lollares of londen · and lewede heremytes ·

For ich made of þo men · as reson me tauhte

For as ich cam by conscience wit reson ich mette

In an hote heruest · wenne ich hadde myn hele

And lymes to labore with · and louede wel fare

And no dede to do · bote drynke and to slepe

In hele and in vnite · on me aposede

Romynge in remembraunce · thus reson me aratede

Canstow seruen he seide · oþer syngen in a churche

Oþer coke for my cokers · oþer to þe cart picche

Mowe oþer mowen · oþer make bond to sheues

Repe oþer be a repereyue · and a-ryse erliche

Oþer haue an horne and be haywarde · and liggen oute a nyghtes

And kepe my corn in my croft · fro pykers and þeeues

Oþer shappe shon oþer cloþes · oþer shep oþer kyn kepe

Eggen oþer harwen · oþer swyn oþer gees dryue

Oþer eny kyns craft · þat to þe comune nudeþ

Hem þat bedreden be · by-lyue to fynde

Certes ich seyde · and so me god helpe

Ich am to waik to worche · with sykel oþer with sythe

And to long leyf me · lowe for to stoupe

To worchen as a workemanP · eny wyle to dure

Thenne hauest þow londes to lyue by · quath reson oþer lynage riche

That fynden þe þy fode · for an hydel man þow semest

A spendour þat spende mot · oþer a spille-tyme

Oþer beggest þy bylyue · a-boute ate menne hacches

Oþer faitest vp-on frydays · oþer feste dayes in churches

The wiche is lollarene lyf · þat lytel ys preysed

Þer ryghtfulnesse rewardeþ · ryght as men deserueþ

Reddit unicuique iuxta opera sua .

Oþer þow ert broke so may be · in body oþer in membre

Oþer ymaymed þorw som mys-hap · wer-by þow myȝt be excusede

Wanne ich ȝong was quath ich · meny ȝer hennes

My fader and my frendes · founden me to scole

Tyl ich wiste wyterliche · wat holy wryt menede

And wat is best for þe body · as þe bok telleþ

And sykerest for þe soule · by so ich wolle continue

And ȝut fond ich neuere in faith · sytthen my frendes deyden

Lyf þat me lyked · bote in þes longe clothes

Hyf ich by laboure sholde lyue · and lyflode deseruen

That labour þat ich lerned best · þer-whitLX lyue ich sholde

In eadem uocatione qua uocati estis .

And ich lyue in londene · and on londen bothe

The lomes þat ich laboure with · and lyflode deserue

ys pater noster and my prymer placebo and dirige .

And my sauter som tyme · and my seuene psalmes .

Thus ich synge for hure soules · of suche as me helpen

And þo þat fynden me my fode · vochen saf ich trowe

To be wolcome wanne ich come · oþer-wyle in a monthe

Now with hym and now with hure · and þus gate ich begge

With-oute bagge oþer botel · bote my wombe one

And also more-ouer · me þynkeþ syre reson

Men sholde constreyne · no clerke to knauene werkes

For by lawe of leuitici þat oure lord ordeynede

Clerkes þat aren crouned · of kynde vnderstondyng

Sholde noþer swynke ne swete · ne swere at enquestes

Ne fyghte in no vauntwarde · ne hus fo greue

Non reddas malum pro malo .

For it ben aires of heuene · and alle þat ben crounede

And in queer in churches · cristes owene mynestres

Dominus pars hereditatis mee . & alibi . Clemencia non constringit .

Hit by-comeþ for clerkus · crist for to seruen

And knaues vncrouned · to cart and to worche

For shold no clerk be crouned · bote yf he ycome were

Of franklens and free men · and of folke yweddede

Bondmen and bastardes · and beggers children

Thuse by-longeþ to labour · and lordes children sholde seruen

Bothe god and good men · as here degree askeþ

Some to synge masses · oþer sitten and wryte

Rede and receyue þat reson ouhte spende

And sith bondemenne barnes · han be mad Bisshopes

And barnes bastardes · han ben Archidekenes

And sopers and here sones · for seluer han be knyghtes

And lordene sones here laborers · and leid here rentes to wedde

For þe ryght of þere reame · ryden a-ȝens oure enemys

In confort of þe comune · and þe kynges worshep

And monkes and moniales · þat mendinauns sholden fynde

Han mad here kyn knyghtes · and knyghtfees / knyght fees purchase

Popes and patrones · poure gentil blod refuseþ

And taken symondes sone · seyntewarie to kepe

Lyf-holynesse and loue · han ben longe hennes

And wole til hit be wered out · or oþerwise ychaunged

For-þy rebuke me ryght nouht reson ich ȝow praye

For in my conscience ich knowe · what crist wolde þat ich wrouhte

Preyers of parfyt man · and penaunce discret

Ys þe leueste labour · þat oure lord pleseþ ·

Non de solo ich seide · for soþe uiuit homo .

Nec in pane & pabulo þe pater noster witnesseþ

Fiat uoluntas tuas · fynt ous alle þynges

Quath conscience by crist · ich can nat see this lyeþ

Ac it semeth nouht parfytnesse · in cytees for to begge

Bote he be obedienter · to pryour oþer to mynstre

That ys soth ich seide · and so ich by-knowe

That ich haue tynt tyme · and tyme mysspended

And ȝut ich hope as he · þat ofte haueþ chaffarede

Þat ay hath lost and lost · and at þe latiste hym happed

He bouhte suche a bargayn · he was þe bet euere

And sette hus lost at alef / a lef · at þe laste ende

Suche a wynnynge hym warth · þorw wyrdes of hus grace

Simile est regnum celorum thesauro abscondito in agro & cetera .

Mulier que inuenit dragmam . et cetera .

So hope ich to haue of hym · þat hisLX al-myghty

A gobet of hus grace · and bygynne a tyme

Þat alle tymes of my tyme · to profit shal turne

Ich rede þe quath reson þo · rape þe to bygynne

Þe lyf þat ys lowable · and leel to þe soule

Ȝe and continue quath conscience · and to þe churche ich wente

And to þe churche gan ich go · god to honourie

By-for þe crois on my knees · knocked ich my brest

Sykinge for my sennes · seggynge my pater noster .

Wepyng and wailinge · tyl ich was a-slepe

Thenne mete me moche more · þan ich by-fore tolde

Of þe mater þat ich mete fyrst · on maluerne hulles

Ich sauh þe feld ful of folk · fram ende to þe oþer

And reson reuested · ryȝt as a pope

And conscience his crocer · by-fore þe kynge stande

Reson reuerentliche · by-for al þe reame

Prechede and prouede · þat þuse pestilences

Was for pure synne · to punyshe þe puple

And þe south-west wynd · on saterday at eue

Was pertelich for prude · and for no poynt elles

Piries and plomtrees · were poffed to þe erthe

In ensample to syggen ous · we sholde do þe betere

Beches and brode okes · weren blowe to þe grounde

And turned vpward here tayl · in tokenynge of drede

That dedlich* synne er domys-day · shal for-do ous alle

Of þis mater ich myghte · momely wel longe

Ac ich shal seye as ich seih · slepynge as it were

How reson radde al þe reame · ryght for to lyuen ·

He bad wastours go worche · and wynne here sustinaunce

Þorw som trewe trauail · and no tyme spille

He preide purnele · here porfil to leue

And kepe hit in here cofre · for catell at hure nude

He tauhte Thomme stoue · to take two staues

And fecche felice home · fram wyuen pyne

He warnede watte · hus wif was to blame

For hure hefd was worth half mark · and hus hod nat a grote

He bad bette go kutte · a bowh oþer tweye

And bete beton þer-myd · bote he wolde worche

He charged chapmen · to chasten here children

And lete no wynnynge for-wene hem · þe wile þei ben ȝonge

For ho-so spareþ þe spring* spilleþ hus children

And so wrot þe wise · to wisen hus alle

Qui parcit uirge  odit filium .

And sitthe he preide prelates · and prestes to-geders

That hij precheþ to þe puple · prouen hit hem-selue

Lyue ȝe as ȝe lereþ ousP · we shulleþ leyue ȝow þe bettere

And sitthe radde religion · here ruele to holde

Leste þe kyng and hus consail · ȝoure comunes a-peyere

And be stywardes of ȝoure stedes · til ȝe be stuede betere

Gregorie þe grete clerk* · gart write in bokes

The ruele of alle religious · ryghtful and obedient

Right as fisshes in flod · wenne hem faileþ water

Deyen for dreuthe · wenne þei dryen liggen

Ryght so religion · roteþ and sterueth*

Þat out of couent and cloistre · coueyteþ to dwelle

For yf heuene be on þys erthe · oþer eny eyse for saule

Hit is in a cloistre oþer in scole · by meny skyles ich fynde

For in a cloistre comeþ no man · to chide ne to fighte

In scole ys loue and lownesse · and lokynge to lerne

Ac meny day men telleþ · boþe monkes and chanonns

Han ride out of a-ray · here ruele vuel holde

And priked a-boute on palfrais · fro places in-to maners

An hepe of houndes at hus ers · as he a lord were

And bit hus knaue knele · þat shal hus coppe holde

He lokeþ al loureng · and lorden hym calleþ

Lytel hadde lordes a-do · to ȝeue londe fro here aires

To religion þat han no reuthe · þauh hit ryne in here auters

In places þer þei persons beþ · by hem-self at ese

Of þe poure han þei no pyte · þat hisLX here poure charite

Ȝe leten ȝow alle as lordes · ȝoure londe lyth to brode

Ac ȝut shal come a kyng* · and confesse ȝow alle

And bete ȝow as þe byble telleþ · for brekyng* of ȝoure reule

And amende ȝow monkes · moniales and chanons

And putte ȝow to ȝoure penaunce ad pristinum statum ire .

And barons and here barnes · blame ȝow and reproue

Hii in curribus & hi in equis  ipsi obligati sunt & ceciderunt .

Freres in here fretour · shulle fynde þat tyme

Bred with-oute beggynge · to lyue by euere after

And costantyn shal be here cook and couerer of here churche

For þe abbot of engelonde · and þe abbesse ys nece

Shullen haue a knok on here crounes · and in-curable þe wonde

Contriuit dominus baculum impiorum  uirgam dominancium plaga insanabili .

Ac er þat kyng come · as cronycles me tolde

Clerkus and holychurche · shal be cloþed newe

And sitthe he consailed þe kyng · hus comune to louye

For þe comune ys þe kynges tresour conscience wot wel

And al-so quath reson · ich rede ȝow riche

And comuners to a-corden · in alle kynne treuthe

Let no kynne consail · ne couetyse ȝow departe

Þat on wit and on wil · alle ȝoure wardes kepe

Lo in heuene an hy · was an holy comune

Til lucifer þe lyere · leyued þat hym-selue

Were wittyour and worthiour · þan he þat was hus maister

Hold ȝow in vnite · and ȝeN þat hoþerLX wolde

Ys cause of alle combraunce · to confounde a reame

And sitthen he preide þe pope · haue pyte of holychurche

And no grace to graunte · til good loue were

Among alle kynne kynges · ouere cristene puple

Comaunde þat alle confessours · þat eny kynge shryueþ

Enioynye hem pees for here penaunce · and perpetuel forȝeuenesse

Of alle manere actiouns · and eche man loue oþer

And ȝe þat secheþ seint Iame and seyntes of rome

Seicheþ seint treuthe in sauacion of ȝoure saules

Qui cum patre & filio þat faire hem by-falle

Þat suweþ my sarmon · and þus endeþ reson .