I Haue but one hole hatter quod haukyn / I am the lesse to blame

Though it be soyled & seld clene / I slepe therin on nightes

And also I haue an houswife / seruauntes and childerne

That wollen bymolen / yt many tymes / maugre my chekes

It hathe bene wasshed in lent / & out of lent bothe

With the sope of sikenes / that seketh wonder depe

And with the losse of goodes / {f} lothe for to offende

God or any good man / by aught that I might

And was shreuen of the preist / þat gaf me for my synnes

To penaunce pacience / and poore men to fede

All for couetise of my xpcristendome / in clennesse to kepe it

And coulde I neuer by Christe / kepe it clene an houre

That I ne soiled it with sight / or some ydell speche

Or through worde or worke / or will of myn hart

That I ne flobre it foule / from morowe tyll even

And I shall telle the quod Conscience / of contricion to make

That shall skore thy cote / from all manere fylthe

Dowell shall washe and wring it / through a wyse confessor

Dobet shall bowke and beat yt / as bright as skarlet

And engreyne it with good will / & goddes grace t'amende the

And sithen send the to Satisfaccion / for to sowe it after

Satisfactio dobest /

Shall neuer chist bemowle it / nor mothe After bight it

Neither fende nor false man / defoule it in thy Lyfe

Shall no herawde nor Harper / haue A fayerer garment

Then Haukyn the Actiue man / if þou do by my teaching

Nor no mynstrall be more worthe / Among poore and riche

Then Haukyns wyfe the wafrer / with his Actiua Vita /

And I shall purveye the paast quod pacience / though no plough erye

And floure to fede folk with / as best be for the soule

Though neuer grayne growed / nor grape vpon vyne

All that Liue and loke / liflode wolde I Fynde

And þat ynough that non faile / of any thing that they nede

We sholde not be to busye / aboute our Lyfelode

Then lawghed haukyn A litill / and lightlie gan swere

Who-so trust you by our lorde / I beleue not he be blessed

No quod Pacience paciently / and out of his poke pulled

Vitailes of great vertues / for all manere beastes

Saying Lo here Lyfelode ynoughe / if our beleue be true

For neuer Lent was Lyfe / but Lyfelode were shapen

Wherof , wherfor / or wherby to Lyue

Fyrst the wilde worme / Vnder wete erthe

Fishe to lyue in flood / and in the fier the cryket

The curlewe by kynde of the eyr / most clennest flesh of byrdes

Beastes by grasse and grayne / and by grene rootes

In menyng that all men / might the same

Lyue through true beleue / and loue as god witnessethe

And I loked what Lyfelode it was / þat paciense so preysed

And then was it A piece of the pater noster Fiat voluntas tua &[c]

Haue haukyn quod pacience / & eate this when thou art hungrye

Or when thou Art acolde / or clyngest for drie

Shuld neuer gyues the greue / nor great Lordes wrath

Prison nor peyne for Pacientes vincunt

Incase / In case thou be sobre / of sight and of tong

In eating and handlyng / and in all thy fyve wittes

Nedest thou neuer care for corne / nor clothe Lynen or wollen

Nor for drinke no deathe drede / but die as god Likethe

Or through Hungar or hete / at his will be it

For if thou lyuest After his lawes / the shorter Lyfe the better

Si quis amat xpmcristum , mundum non diligit istum /

For through his breath bestes grewe and went abrode

Ergo through his breathe / may man and beaste Lyue

As holy writt witnesseth / when men saye their graces

NIt is founde that fourtie winter / folk Lyued without tilling

And out of the flynt sprang the flood / þat men & beastes dronke

And in Elies tyme / Heauen was vp closed

That no rayn did reyne / thus men rede in bookes

That many wynters men Lyved / and no mete tilled

Seven slept saith the booke / seaven hundred yeres

And Lived without Lyuelode / at / a[nd] at the last Awaked

And if men Lived as mesure wolde / shulde neuer be defaute

Among xpcristian men / if Christes worde be true

But vnkyndnes maketh Caristiam / Among xpcristen people

And ouerplenty maketh pride / Among poore and riche

Therfor measure is so much worthe / it cannot be to dere

For the mischef and the mischaunce / Among men of Sodome

Grewe through plentie of food / and of pure slouthe

for they measured not themself / of þat they ete and dronke

They did deadlie synne / that the divell Liked

So Vengeaunce fell vpon them / for their vile synnes

They sonke into helle / the Cities eueryone

Therfor measure we vs well / & make our feyth our Sheltrom

And through feythe commeth contricion / Conscience wot well

Which dryueth awaie deadlie synne / & causeth it to be veniall

And though A man might not speake / Contricion may him saue

And bring his soule to blisse / incase / in case that feyth be witnesse

That whille he Lyved he beleuid / in the lore of holy churche

Ergo Contricion , feythe and conscience , is kyndly dowell

And Surgions for deadlie synnes / when shrift of mouth faileth

But shrifte of mouthe more worth is / if man be alike contrite

For shrifte of mouthe sleith synne / be it neuer so deadly

Per confessionem to A preist / peccata occiduntur

There Contricion dothe but dryue them doune / into veniall synne

As dauid saithe in the psalter Et quorum tecta sunt peccata

But satisfaccion sekethe out the rote / And bothe sleith and voydethe

And as it had neuer be / it bringeth deadly synne to nought

That it neuer efte is sene nor sore / but semeth a wounde healed

Where dwelleth Charitie quod Haukyn / I wist neuer in my Lyfe

Man that with him spake / as wide as I haue walked

That perfite truthe and poore hart is / And pacience of tung

There is Charitie the chief chamberer / for god himself

Whether pacient pouertie quod Haukyn / be more pleasant to our dright

Then Richesse rightfully wonne / And resonablie dispended

Yea quis est ille quod pacience / quicke laudabimus eum

Though men rede of riches / euen to the worldes ende

I wist neuer man being riche / þat when he reken sholde

When he drewe to his death daie / that he ne dred him sore

And þat at the rekennyng / in Arrerage felle / rather then out of dett

There the poore dare plede / And proue by pure reason

To haue allowaunce of his lorde / by the lawe he claymeth it

Ioye that neuer ioye had / of rightfull Iudge he aske it

And saith Lo byrdes and beastes / that no blisse knowe

And wylde wormes in woodes / through wynters þou them grevest

And makist them well ny meke / and myld for defaute

And after thou sendest them sommer / Which is their souereyne Ioye

And blisse to all that bene / Bothe wylde and tame

Then may Beggers as Beastes / after boote wayte

That all their Lyfe haue Lyued / in Langour and defaute

But god sent them sumtyme / some manere ioye

Eyther here or elliswhere / Kynde wolde it neuer

For euill chaunce was he wrought / that neuer was in Ioye

Aungelles that in Helle nowe be / had Ioye sometyme

And diues in deyntes Lyued / and in douce vie

Right so reason {swet} shewethe / that the men that were riche

And their makes also / Lyued their Lyfe in myrthe

But god is of A wonder will / By that kynde wit shewethe

To gyue many man his mercymony / ere he it hath deserued

Euen so deleth god with some riche / ruthe me it thinkethe

For they haue their hyre here / And heauen as it were

And great Liking to Lyue / without Labour of bodie

And when he dyethe be disalowed / as dauid saith in the psalter

Dormierunt et nichil invenerunt /

And in another place also / Velud somnum surgentium domine

Allas that richesse shall reaue / and robbe mannes soule

From the loue of the lorde / at his laste ende

Servauntes that haue their hyre afore / Are euermore nedye

And selden diethe he out of dett / þat dyneth or he deserue it

And till he haue done his devoyr / And his daies iourney

For whan A workeman hathe wrought / then men may se þe sothe

What he is worthy for his worke / and what he hathe deserued

And not to take before / for feare of disalowing

So I saie by you riche / it semeth not þat ye shulde

Haue heauen in this Lyfe / and heauen herafter

Like as seruaunt taketh his salarie before / & then wolde cleyme more after

As he that non hadd / But onely at the laste

Yt maynot / may not be ye riche men / onlesse Mathue on god Lyethe

De delicijs ad delicias , difficile est transire /

But ye riche haue ruthe / And rewarde well the poore

And Lyue as Lawe teacheth / Do rightly to them all

Christ then of his curtesy shall confort you at the last

And rewarde you with double richesse / þat rufull hartes haue

And as a seruaunt that had / his hire ere he beganne

And when he hath done his devoir / well / his Maister doth him oþer bountie

And gyue him A cote aboue his couenaunt / euen so Christ geuith heauen

Bothe to riche and pouer / that rufullie dothe

And all þat do their devoir well / haue double hire for theyr travaile

Forgyuenesse here of synnes / and heaue{s}ne blisse After

But {is} it is but selden sene / as by Holie Sayntes bookes

That god rewarded double rest / to Any riche man

For much myrth is Among riche / as in meat and clothes

And much myrthe in May is / Among wylde beastes

And so forthe while Sommer Last / their solace endurethe

But beggers aboute mydsomer / breadlesse they suppe

And yet is wynter for them worse / for wetshode they go

Sore Ahungred and Athurst / and foule rebuked

And Arated of riche men / that ruthe is to here

Nowe lorde send them Sommer / and some maner ioye

Heauen at ther hence going / that here haue such defaute

For all myghtest þou haue made / non poorer then other

And like wittie and wise / if the well had liked

And haue ruthe of thise riche men / þat rewarde not thy prisoners

Of the good that thou them gyuest / ingrati be many

But god of thy goodnesse / gyue them grace t'amende

For may no derth be them dere / drought nor wete them greue

Nor neither hete nor haile / haue they their helthe

Of that which they desyre / want they not here

But pouer people thy prisoners / Lorde in the put of mischef

Confort those creatures / that much care suffre

Through derthe through drought / all their daies here

Wo in Wynter tymes / for wanting of clothes

And in Somer tyme selde / suppe to the full

Confort thy carefull / Christ in thy richesse

For how þou confortest all creatures / Clerkes bere witnes

Conuertimini ad me et salui eritis /

Thus in genereP of gentries / IhuIesu Christe saide

To robbers and reveris / to riche and to poore

Thou taughtest them in the Trinitie / to take Baptyme

And be clene through þat cristenyng / of all manere synnes

And if we fylle through folie / to any synne After

Confession and knowleging / and craving thy mercy

Shuld Amende vs as ofte / as man wolde desyre

But if the Pope wolde plede / here agayne and punyshe vs in concie[nce]

He shulde take the Acquitance as quick / & do the queed shewe it

Pateat &c per passionem domini /

And put of so the powke / and proue vs vnder borowe

But the parchemyn of the patent / must be of pouertie

And of pure pacience / and perfite beleue

Of pompe and of pryde / the parchemyn decourrethe

And principally of all people / but they be pouer of hart

Ellis is all in veyne / all that euer we wright

Pater nosters and penaunce / and pilgrymage to Rome

But our spenses and spending / spring of a true will

Elles is all our Labour lost / Lo how men wright

I fenestres at the friers / if false be the grounde

Therfor xpcristen shulde be in commone riche / non couetouse by him-self

For seven synnes that therbe / there be / assaile vs euer

The feind folowe them all / and fondeth them to helpe

But with richesse þat Ribawd / he rathest men begyle

For there as richesse regneth / reuerence folowethe

And that is pleasant to pride / in pouer and in riche

And the riche is reuerenced / by reason of his richesse

And the pore is put behynde / and parauenture can more

Of wit and of wisdome / that farre awaie is better

Then riches or roialtie / and rather herde in heauen

For the riche hathe muche to reken / and ofte him that walk

The hyghe way to heauen / richesse dothe lett

There the pouer preasseth before the riche / with a pack at his back

Batauntly as beggers do / and boldlie he crauethe

For his pouertie and pacience / A perpetuall blisse

And pride in richesse regneth / rather then in pouertie

Erst in the maister then the man / some mansion he hathe

But in pouertie there pacience is / pride hathe no might

Nor non of the vij / seuen synnes / sytt there may long

Nor haue poureP in pouertie / if pacience it folowe

For the poore is aye prest / to please the riche

And buxome at his bydding / for his broke loues

And buxomnesse and boost / are euermore at warre

And either hateth other / in all manere workes

Yf wrathe wrestle with the pouer / he hathe the worst ende

And if they bothe pleyne / the pouer is but feble

And if he chide or chatter / he spedeth the worse

And if Couetise cach the pouer / they may not come togithers

And by the necke namely / non may take other

For men knowe well / that couetise is of kene will

And hathe handes and Armes / of a long length

And pouertie is but a petit thing / and commeth not to his nauyll

And gentill play was it neuer / betwene the long & the short

And though Auarice wold angre þe pouer / he hathe but Litill myght

For pouertie hathe but pookes / to put in his goodes

There Auarice hathe Almaries / & yren bounde coffres

And whether be lighter to breake / and least boost maketh

A beggers bagg / or An yren bounde Cofre

Lechery loueth him not / for he geuith but Litill syluer

Nor dothe him not dyne delicately / nor drinke wyne ofte

A strawe for the stewes / it stode not I trowe

Had they nothing but of pouer men / their houses stode vntyled

And though Sleuthe sewe pouertie / and serue not god to paye

Myschief is his maister / and maketh him to thinke

That god is his greatest helpe / And noman / no man ellis

And he his seruaunte as he seith / and of his sute bothe

And whether he be or be not / he beareth the signe of pouertie

And in that sect our saviour / saued all mankynde

Therfor all pouer þat pacient be / may clayme and aske

After their endyng here / heauens riche blisse

Much Hardier may he aske it / then he þat here had his will

In lond and in lordshippe / and Liking of bodie

And for goddes loue leaue all / and Lyue as a begger

And as A maide for mannes loue / hir mother forsakethe

hir father and all hir frendes / and folowe hir make

Much more is to loue / of him that such one taketh

Then A mayde is / that is maried through brocage

As by assent of sundrie persones / and syluer to boote

More for couetise of goodes / then kynde loue of bothe

So it fareth by euery persone / that possession forsakethe

And put him to be pacient / and pouertie weddeth

The which is kyn to god himself / and so to his sayntes

Haue god my trouth quod Haukyn / ye preyse fast pouertie

What is pouertie with pacience / quod he properlie to mene

Paupertas / quod pacience / est odibile bonum /

I cannot construe all this quod Haukin / ye must telle it in englishe

In englysh quod Pacience / it is very harde to expounne

TPouertie is the fyrst poynt / that Pride most hatethe

Then is it good by right / all that contrarieth pride

Even as Contricion is A confortable thing / Conscience wot well

And A sorowe of him-self / & A solace to the soule

So pouertie properlie / penaunce and Ioye

Ys to the bodie / pure spirituall helthe

And Contricion confort / and Cura animarum

Selde sytt pouertie / the truthe to declare

TFor A{s}T Iustice to iudge men / nor mynister vnder kynges

Selden is any pouertie put / to punyshe any people

Ergo pouertie and pouer men / performeth the commandementes

Nolite iudicare quemquam the thyrde /

Selde is any pouer made riche / but of rightfull heritage

He wynneth not with false weightes / nor with vnsealed measures

Nor boroweth of his neighboures / but that he entendeth to paye

Possessio sine calumpnia /

The fourth is a fortune / that florisheth the soule

With sobyrnesse from all synne / and also yet more

It affaiteth the fleshe / from folies full many

A collaterall confort / Christes oune gifte

Donum dei /

The fyfte is mother of helthe / A frende at all assayes

And for the Londe euer A leche / A lemman of all clennesse

Sanitatis mater /

The sext is A path of peace / yea through the Paas of Aultoun

Pouertie might passe / without perill of robbyng

For wheras pouertie passethe / peace foloweth after

And euer the lesse that he beareth / the hardyer he is of hart

Therfor saith Seneca Paupertas est absque solicitudine semita

And an hardie man of hart / Among an heape of theues

The seventh is well of wisdome / and fewe wordes sheweth

Therfor Lordes allowe him Litill / nor Listeneth to his reason

For he tempereth his tong to truthewarde / & no treasure couetethe

Sapientie temperatrix /

The eight is a true Labour / and lothe to take more

Then he may well deserue / in Somer or in wynter

And if he bye and selle / he putteth non to losse / if he charitie may wynne

The nynthe is swete to the soule / no sugar sweter

For pacience is sustinaunce / for pouertie himself

And sobrenesse swete drinke / and good Leche in siknesse

Thus Learned me A letterd man / for our Lordes loue of heauen

Saynt Augustine A blissed Lyfe / without busynesse ledd

For body and for soule / absque sollicitudine felicitas /

Now god that all good gyueth / graunte his soule rest

That this first wrot to teche men / what pouertie was to mene

Allas quod Haukyn the Actyue man {/}thenT / that after my xpcristendome

I ne had be dead and buried / for dowels sake

So hard it is quod Haukyn / to lyue and to do synne

Synne suethe vs euer quod he / and sory gan wexe

And wept water with his eyes / & wailed the tyme

That euer he did dede / that dere god displeased

TOr maistrie ouer any man / more then of himself

I were not worthy knoweth god quod Haukyn / to were any clothes

Nor neither shert nor shoes / saue for shame only

To couer my bodie quod he / and cried mercy fast

And wept and wailed / and therwith I awaked