Passus quartus de visione vt prius
ȝe shal saughtne forsoþe & serue me bothe
kisse hire quod þe king conscience y hote
Nay by crist quod conscience congeye me rathir
But resoun rede me þertil · rathir wolde y dye
and y comaunde quod þe kyng to conscience thenne
Rape þe to ride & resoun þat þow seche
Comaunde him þat he come my counsel to here
For he shal rule my reme & rede me þe beste
Of mede & of mo oþere & what man shal hire wedde
and acounte wiþ þe conscience so me crist helpe
how þou ledest my peple lered & lewed
y am fayn of þat foreward · yn faiþ þo quod conscience
and roed forth to resoun · & rovned in his ere
and saide him as þe kyng saide · & þenne he toek his leue
y shal araye me to ride quod resoun · reste þe while
and calde Catoun his knaue curteys of speche
and also Tomme true tonge telle me no tales
Ne lesinges to laugh of · for y loued hit neuere
and sette my sadel vpon suffre til y se my tyme
and lat warrok him weel · wiþ a-vise þe bifore
For hit is þe wone of wille to wense & to kike
For-þi lat peiterele wil & pole him with peyntid wittes
¶ Thenne conscience on his capel comsed to prike
which a maister mede was amonges pore & riche
¶ Oen waryn wisman & wyly man his felawe
Fayn wern to folowe hem & faste ridon after
To take reed of resoun þat recorde sholde
Byfore þe kyng & conscience yf þe comvne pleyne
Oen wyly man & witty man & wareyn wringe-lawe
ac conscience knew hem wel & carped to resoun
here comeþ quod conscience þat coueitise seruon
Ride forþ sire resoun & recch of here talesT
For þere is wrathe & wranglyng · þere woln þey abyde
ac þere is loue & lewte hit liketh here hertesT
þey gyue not of goed faiþ woet god þe soþe
For þey wolde do for a dyner · outhir a dozene capouns
More þen for oure lordes loue · oþer our lady godes moder
þenne resoun roed forth · & rewardidT of no man
Bud / But dide as conscience him kenned · til he þe kyng mette
Curteislich þe kyng þenne cam & grette resoun
and bytwene him-selue & his sone · sette þo sire resoun
and spoken wise wordes along / a long while to-giders
¶ And þenne cam pees in-to þe parlement · & put vp abille / a bille
how wrong wilfully hadde his wif forleyn
and how he rauyshed rose þe riche wedowe by nyght
and Margrete of hire maydonhoed · as he mette hir late
Boþe my gees & my gris & my gras he takeþ
I dar not for his felawshipe yn faiþ pees saide
Bere sikerlich any suluer to saynt gyles downe
and he waiteþ ful wel when y suluer take
what weye y wende ful ȝerne he aspieth
To robbe me or to ruyfle me · yf y ride softe
Ȝut is he bold forto borowe ac baddelich he paieth
For he borowed of me bayard · he brought him hom neuere
Ne no ferthing þerfore for nougtP y cowde plete
he meynteneþ his men to murthere myne hewes
and forstalleþ myne feyres · & fighteþ yn myn chepinges
and brekeþ vp my bernes dores · & bereþ awey myn whete
and takeþ me but atayle / a tayle for ten quarter otes
and ȝut he manaseþ me & myne & he lith by my mayde
I am not hardy for him vnneþe to loke
¶ þe kyng knew he saide soþ for conscience him tolde
how wrong was a wicked man & myche wo wroughte
þo was wrong aferd & wisdom he soughte
and forto haue here help handy dandy paied
hadde y loue of þe lord litel wolde y recche
Of pees & his power · þough he pleyne euere
þorgh wrong & his werkes þere was mede knowe
For wisdom & wit þo wenton to-giders
and token mede with hem mercy to wynne
ȝut pees putte forth his heued & his panne blody
wiþ-outon gilt god woet was gyuon me þis scaþe
Conscience knoweþ hit wel & al þe comune trewe
Ac wiles & wit wern aboute faste
To ouircome þe kyng þorgh catelle yf þei myghte
¶ þe kyng swor by crist & by his croune boþe
þat wrong for his werkes sholde wel tholie
and comaundid a Constable to caste wrong in yrenes
þere he sholdeT in seuen ȝeer see hise feet ne hondes
God woet quod a wys oen þat were not þe beste
yf he amendes may do · lat maynpris him haue
and be borogh for his bale & buggen him bote
and amende þat is mysdo · & euermore þe bettere
¶ wit acordid þerwiþ · & witnessed þe same
Bettere ys þat bote bale adown bringe
þen bale be y-bete & bote neuere þe bettere
and profred pees apresent / a present al of puyr gold
haue þis man of me quod she · to amende þi scathe
For y wol wage for wrong · he wol do so no more
Pytouslich pees þo preyede þe kyng
To haue mercy on þat man · þat many tymes him greued
For he haþ waged me wel as wisdom him taughte
and mede haþ maed my mendes y may no more askon
So alle myn claymes ben quyt · by so þe kyng assente
¶ Nay by crist quod þe kyng · for conscience sake
wrong goþ not so away · ar y wite more
Lepte he so lightlich laughen he wolde
and oft þe baldere to be to bete myne hewes
But resoun haue ruthe on him he shal reste in myn stockes
as longe as y lyue for his lither werkes
¶ Somme men raddon resoun þo to haue ruþe vpon þat shrewe
and forto counsele þe kyng on consciense þei loked
þat mede might be maynpernour · Mede þey bisoughte
Rede me not quod resoun no ruthe to haue
Til lordes & laidyes louen alle truþe
and haton alle harlotrie to heron oþer to mouthen hit
and til purnele purfile be put in hire whiche
and childron chersing be chastised wiþ ȝerdes
Cand harlotes holynesse · be an hy ferie
Til clerkene coueitise be cloth for þe pore
and her pelure & her palfrayes pore men liflode
and religious out-riders be reclused in her cloistres
and be as benet hem bad domnyk & Fraunceys
Ctil þat lered men lyue as þey lere & teche
and til þe kynges counsel be al comune profit
and til bisshopes be Bakers brewers & tailloures
and til seynt Iames be sought · þere þe pore sik liggen
yn prisounes & in pore cotes · be pilgrimes to Rome
So þat noen go to gales but yf he go for euere
and alle Rome renneres · for ruyfleres in Fraunce
To bere no suluer ouer see þat signe of kyng sheweþ
Noþer ygraue ne vngraue of gold or of suluer
vppe forfaiture of fe · who fyndeþ hem ouerward
But he be marchaunt or his man or messangere with lettres
Prouysour or prest · oþer penaunt for his synnes
and quod resoun by þe rode y shal haue no rutheT
whiles mede haþ þe maistrie · þere moting ys at þe barres
ac y may seyn ensaumples · as y see oþere
y say not by my-self quod resoun · and hit so were
þat y were kyng wiþ crowne to kepe my reume
shold neuere wrong in þis world þat y wite myghte
Be vnpunyshed yn my power for perel of my soule
Ne gete my grace þorgh any gifte ne glosing speche
Ne þorgh Mede do mercy by mari of heueneC
¶ For nullum malum · man mette wiþ impunitum
and bad nullum bonum be irremuneratum
Lat þi confessour sire kyng construe þis en english
and if ȝe worche hit in werk y wedde boþ mynhandes / myn handes
and loue shal lede þi land · as þe leef liketh
Clerkes coupled hem to-giders to construe þis cause
kyndelich what hit menethT
¶ Med yn þe moet-halle þo on men of lawe gan wynke
yn syngeLX þat þey sholde wiþ sum sotil speche
Reherce þe anoen-right · þat mighte resoun stoppe
ac alle rightful recordid · þat resoun truthe saide
and kynde wit & conscience curteislich þanked
Resoun for his rightful speche · riche & pore him louede
and saidon we seen wel · sire resoun by thiseT wordes
þat mekenes worþ maister ouer mede at þe laste
Loue leet of mede þo light · & loueT ȝut lasse
and cried to conscience þe kyng myght hit here
But he be knowe for kokewold kit of my nose
Mede mornede þo & made an heuy chere
a sysour & a somnour þo softlich forþ ȝede
wiþ mede þe mayde þo out of þe moet-halle
A shirreues clerk cried · a capias Mede & saluo custodiasT
CSed non cum carceratis
þe kyng to counsel þo toek conscience & resoun
and modily vpon mede many tyme loked
and lowred vpon men of lawe & lightlich saide
þorgh ȝour lawe as y leue y lese many chetes
Mede & men of ȝour craft myche truthe lettiþ
ac resoun shal rikene wiþ ȝou yf y regne any while
and deme ȝou by this day as ȝe han deserued
Mede shal not maynprise by marie of heuene
and by lele & lif-holy my lawe shal be demed
¶ Quod conscience to þe kyng with-oute þe comune helpe
hit is ful hard by myn heued herto to bringe hit
and alle ȝour lege ledes · to lede þus euene
By him þat Raught vp þe rode quod resoun to þe king
But yf ȝe rule þus alle rewmes reueth me myP sight
and bringe alle men to bowe wiþ-owton bitter wounde
wiþ-outon mercyment or manslaughtere amende alle reumes
¶ y wolde hit were quod þe kyng wel al aboute
For-þi resoun redily þow shalt not ridon hennes
But be my chef chaunceler yn cheker & in parlement
And conscience yn alle my Courtes be a kynges Iustice
y assente saide resoun by so ȝou self here
audiatis alteram partem among aldermen & comuneres
and þat vnsittynge suffraunce ne sele ȝour priue lettres
Ne no supersedeas sende · but y assente quod resoun
and y dar legge my lif þat loue wol lene þe suluer
To wage þine & helpe wynne · þat þou wilnest after
More þen alle þine marchauntes · or þine mytrid bisshopes
Or lumbardes of lukes · þat lyuen by lone as iewes
þe king comaundid conscience þo to congeye alle hise officeres
and resceyue þo þat resoun loued · & right with þat y waked
Num-quam
in Anglia
but in the
lande of
conqueste
in Anglia
but in the
lande of
conqueste
nota
nota
loue and
good lyff
to be the
lawe
good lyff
to be the
lawe
bishopes
must be backers
bruers and
tailors
must be backers
bruers and
tailors
lawe shall not rul
nota . —
but fauoure by med
nota . —
but fauoure by med
CThe abuse of lawe , shall cause it
to falle
to falle
nota
warres
& SwordeC
& SwordeC
nota / { Thus farr of prophises yet to come all the reste followinge are past sauing the fall of þe lawe and Bishopps nowe at hande . } Scriptus 1603