Incipit passus secundusC
ANd as y wente by þe way / when y was þus a-waked
Heuy chered y ȝeode / and elyng in herte
For y ne wuste wher to ete / ne in what place
And neyhed ny þe non / and what Neode y mette
Þat a-fronted me foule / and faitour me calde
coust þou not he sayd excuse þe / as dude þe kyng and oþere
Þat þow toke to lyue by / to sustinaunce and cloþes
As by techyng and tellyng of spiritus temp{o}erancie
And þat þou nome no more / þan neode þe ta[uhte]
Neode hath non lawe / and neuure schal falle in dette
For þre þinges þat he takeþ / his lyf for to saue
Þat is mete . wan men hym werneþ / for he no money weldeþ
And wot þat non wol be his borgh / noþur haþ wed to legge
And he cacche in þat cas / and come þer-to by scleyþe .
Sothliche he synneþ not / þat so wynneþ his fode
¶ And þauh he come so to a-cloþe / and can no betere cheuyssaunce
Neode nymeþ hym a-non / vndur his maynpryse
And ȝeueþ hym lost for to lape / þe lawe of kynde wolde
Þat he dronke of eche a dysch / er he deyde for þurste
¶ So neode hath gret neode / may nyme as for his owne
With-oute consail of concience or cardinal vertues
So þat he sewe and saue spiritus temp{o}erancie
¶ For is non vertue by feor / to spiritus temp{o}erancie /
Nothur spiritus iustie ne spiritus fortitudinis /
And bete men ouur bittere / and som body to luyte
And greue men grettour / þan good faith wolde
¶ And spiritus Iusticie / schal iugen wol he nul he
Aftur þe kynges consail / and þe comune like
¶ And spiritus prudencie in mony poynt schal faile
Of þat he weneþ wolde falle / if his wit ne were
¶ Wenynge is non wysdom / ne wys ymaginacioun
Homo proponit / deus disponit god gouerneþ alle
Goode vertues . next hym is Neode / for an-non he meokeþ
And is a louh as a lombe / for lackynge of þat hym neodeþ
¶ For Neode makeþ neody / for nede louh herted /
Filosophres forsoken welthe / for þei wolde beo neody
And wonedoun wel elyngliche / and wolden nat beo riche
¶ And god of his grete ioye / gosteliche he lefte
And cam and toke man-kynde / and by-cam fol neody
He was so neody saith þe bok / in mony sondry places
Þat he seyde in his sorow / on þe selue rode
Bothe fox and foul may / fleo to hole and creope
And þe fiche hath fynnes / to flete wiþ to reste
Þeer Neode hath y-nome me so / þat y mot neode a-byde
And soffre sorowes soure / þat schal to ioye turne
Syth he þat wrouht al þe worlde / was wylfulyche neody
Neuere non so neody / ne non so poure deyde
¶ When neode hadde vndurnome me thus / a-non y fel a-slepe
And mette folle merueylousliche / þat in mannes forme
Antecrist cam þenne / and al þe crop of treuthe
Torned hit tyd vp-sedoun / and ouur-tulte þe rote
And made fals to sprynge and sprede / & spede menne neodes
In eche contrey þer he cam / he cutte a-wey treuthe
And gert Gyle growe þer / as he a god were
¶ Freres folowede þat feond / for he ȝaf hem copes
And religioun receyuede hym / and rongon here belles
Al þe couent þo cam / to welcome þat tyraunt
And al his as wel as him / saue onliche foles
¶ Þe wuche foles weren / gladdere to deye
Þan lyue lengur sithe leaute / was so rebuked
And a fals feond Antecrist ouur al folc regnede
That were mylde men and holy / þat no meschief dreddoun
defyeden al falsenesse / and folk þat hit vsede /
And what kynge conforted hem / knowyng here gyle
Þei corsede and here consail / were hit clerk or lewed .
Antecryst thus sone hadde / hondredes at his baner
And pruyde bar þat baner / boldeliche a-boute
With a lord þat lyueþ / aftur lykynge of his body
And cam a-ȝeins concience þat kepere was and gyour
Ouer kynde cristene / and cardinals vertues
¶ Y consaile concience þo / comeþ wiþ me ȝe foles
In-to vnite holychurche / and hald we vs there
And cry we to kynde / þat he come and defende
Ous foles fro þe feondes lymes / for peres loue þe plouhman
And crye we on al þe comune / þat þei come to vnite
Kynde herd þo concience / and come out of þe planetes
And sent forthe his foreyours / feueres and fluxes
Kouhes and cardiacles / craumpes and toþe eches
Reeomes and radegoundes / and roynose skabbes
Bules and boches / and brennynge a-guwes
Frenesies and foule vueles / these foragers of kynde
Hadden pryked and preyed / polles of people
Largeliche a legyon / lees þe lyf sone /C
[w]as allmost noon.
taketh.
beates me to bytterly.
dwelt
[...]e
[dre]amed.
[cau]sed
[...] dealing
vs.
fight
[fo]regoers
heavy . carefull
counterfeator.
blame fortC
suretie. pledge.
gyle, iniust meanes.
shift.
suretiship.
soom too mooch, and soom too li[ttle]
will he, or will he not.
pleasing of the peple .
maketh meke.
carefull. pensif.
Non habet vbi caput suum
reclinet
reclinet
turned.
vnlearned.
gyder. defender.
took
vseth or usyethT
to layC
too lyttle
kouhes
kou-hes and
kouN