Hic incipit passus tercius .C
And thenne y kneled on my knes / & criede to heore of grace
And seyde mercy madame / for mary loue of heuene
Þat bar the blessed barn / þat bouht vs on rode
Kenne me by some craft / to knowe þe falce .
Loke vpon thi left half quod scheo / lo wer he standeþ
boþe falce and fauel / and fikel tonge lyere
And meny of here maneres / boþ men and wymmen
Y lokede on my lift half / as þe lady me tauhte
And sauh a wommon as hit were wondurliche clothed
Heo was purfyled with pelure / non purer In erthe
And coroned in a corone / þe kynge hath no betere
On alle heore fyue fyngres / richelich rynget
And þer-on rede rubyes / and other riche stones
Heore robe was richere / þan y red couthe
For to telle of heore a-tyre / no tyme haue y nowþe
Heore aray with heore rychesse / rauyschede myn herte
Was wyf scho were / and wat was heore name .
Leoue lady quod y tho / layn nat if ȝe knowen
Þat is Mede þe mayde quod scheo / hath noyed me ful ofte
And lowen vpon my lemmon / þat leaute is hoten
And lakkede hym to lordes / þat lawes han to kepe
In kynges cort in Comune cort / contraried my techyng
In the popes paleys scho is / pryuey as my-self
Ac sothenesse wold nat so / for scho is a bastard
On fauel was hure fader / þat hath a fykel tonge
And selde soth sayth / but if he souche gyle .
And mede is manerd aftur him / as me of kinde ca{p.}rpen .
Talis pater talis filius /
For schal neuere brere bere / beryus as a vyne
Ne on a croket kene thorne / kynde fyges wexe
Bonus arbor bonum fructum facit .
Y ouhte ben herror þan scho / i cam of a betere
Þe fader þat me forthe brouhte filius dei he hoteþ
Þat neuere ne lyed ne lawhed / in al his lif-tyme
¶ Y am his dere douhtur / duchesse of heuene
Wat man þat me louieþ / & my wille folowyth
Schal haue grace to god y-novhe / and a good ende
¶ And wat man louede mede / my lyf dare y wedde
He schal lese for hure loue / a lap of true charite
¶ Þat most helpuþ man to heuene / mede most letteþ
Y do hit vppon Dauid / the doumbe wol not lye
Dominus quis habitabit in tabernaculo tuo & cetera .
Dauid vndoþ hit hym-self / as þe doumbe sheweþ
Et super innocentem munera non accepit .
To-morowe worth mede y-maried / to a mansed wreche
To on fals faithles / of the feondes kynne
Fauel throw his flateryng speche / hath mede foul enchaunted
And alle is lieres ledyng / þat lady is thus wedded
Soffre and þow schalt seo / suche as beon appayed
Þat mede is thus y-maried / to-morow þow shalt aspie
Know him wel ȝif þow canst / and kepe þe from hem alle
Þat louyeth here lordschip / lasse owþur more
Lakke hem nat but let hem worthe / til leaute beo iustice .
And haue power to punyshe hem / þen put forth þy resoun
For y by-kenne þe crist quod scho / and his clene modur
Encombre neuere thy conciense / for couetyse of mede .
¶ Thus left me that lady / lygynge a-sclepe
And sawe {b}hou mede was maried / metynge as hit were
¶ And alle þe riche retenaunce / þat rotuþ hem on fals louynge
Were bode to the brydale / on bothe half þe contreye
Of mony maner men / þat were of medes kynne .
Of knytes of clerkes / of othere comune people
As sisours and somnours / schereues and here clerkes
¶ Budeles and baillyfs and brocours of chaffare
Vorogoers and vitallers / aduocates of þe arches
Y can nat rekene the rowte / þat ran a-boute mede .
¶ Ac symonie and Cyuile / and sisours of contreyes
Weren most pryueie with mede / of eny men me thowte
¶ Ac fauel was þe ferste / þat fet heore ouȝt of chaumbre
And as a brokour brouhte heore forth / to beo ioyned with fals .
¶ Wen symonie and syuile / sauh here botheres wille
Þay assented þer-to / at selueres preyere .
¶ Þenne help lyere forth / and seyde lo her a chartre
Þat gyle hath gyfe to Falsnesse / and graunted to mede
And preyoþ Cyuile hit to seo / and symonie to rede hit
¶ Þan Cymonie and Cyuile / stodon forth boþe
And vn-feold þe feffement / þat fals hadde maket
¶ Þenne seyde symonie / þat Cyuile hit herde
Alle þat louen and by-leuen / vp lykynge of mede
Þat folwen falsenesse / fauel and liere
And me and suche men / þat aftur mede waiton
leoueþ hit lelly / this worth here last medeT
Carta / Sciant presentes & futuri & cetera .
Wyten alle and witnessen / þat wonyen here on eorthe
Þat mede is maried more / for hure muchel richesse
Þan for holynesse or hendenesse / or for heye kunde
¶ Falsnesse is fayn of heore / for he wot here riche
¶ And fauel hath with fals speche / feffed hem by this lettre
¶ To beo princes of pruyde / and pouerte to despyse
¶ To baggebiton and to boston / and bere fals witnesse
¶ To scorne and to scolde / sclaundres to make
¶ Bothe vnboxom and bold / to brek þe ten hestes
Þe Eorldam of enuye / and Ire he hem graunteþ
With þe Castel of cheste / and chateryng ouȝt of resoun
Þe Countee of couetyse / he consenteþ to bothe
With vsure and auarice / and othere fals sleythes
In bargayns in brogages / with þe borgh of þufte
And al þe lordschipe of lecherie / in lengþe and in brede
As in werkes in wordes / in waytinge of yes .
In wedes in wuschingesP / and with ydul þowtes
Ther þat wil wolde / and werkmanschip failleþ
Gloteny he geueþ hem / and gret othes to-gedere
Al day to drynke / at diuerse tauernes
Þer to iangle and to iape / and guge here Emcristine
And fastingdayes to frete / by-fore non and drynke
With spicerye speke ydulnesse / in veyn speche and spene
And sewe forth such felawschip / til þei be fallon in slewþe
And awake with wanhop / and no wil to amende .
For he loueþ beo lost / wen he his lyf leteþ
¶ This lif to folwe falsenesse / and folk þat on him leoueþ
Aftur heore dethe a-dwellyng / day with-outen ende
In lucifers lordschip / as this lettre sc{l}hweþ
Wiþ al þa portenaunce of purgatorie / and þe peyne of helle
¶ In witnesse of this þing / wron was þe furste
¶ And peres þe pardoner / of paulynes queste
¶ Bette the budul / of banburies sokene
¶ Regnald þe Reue / and redynkynges monye
¶ Munde þe mulnereC / and mony mo other .
In the date of þe deuel / þis dede is asseled
By schit of sir symonie and Ciuiles leue
¶ Thenne teonede him theologie / wen he þis tale herde
And seyde to symonie / now sorow mote þow haue
Suche a weddyng to worche / þat wrath myht trewþe
And er this weddyng be wrouht / wo to al ȝore consail .
¶ For mede is moillere / amendes was here dame
Þauh fals were heore fadur / and fikeltonge heor syre
Amendes was hure dame / by trewe men lokynge
With-oute hure modur amendes / mede may nouȝt be wedded .
¶ For trewþe plyht hure trewþe / to wedde on of hure dowtres
And god grauntede hit were so / so þat no gyle were
¶ And thow hauest gyue hure as gyle tauȝhte / god gyf þe sorow
For cyuile and þi-selue / selde fulfulleth
Þat god wold were do / with som deseyte
¶ Y theologye þe tyxt knowe / and trewe dom witnesseþ
Þat Laurens þe leuite / liggyng on the gredyre
Loked vp to oure lord / and a-lhoud seyde
God of þi grace / heuene gates opene
For y man of þi mercy / mede haue deseruet .
¶ And sythe man may an hy / mede of god deserue
Hit semeþ fol sothely / riht so on eorthe
Þat mede may beo wedded / to no man but to trewthe
And thow astLX fefede hure with fals / fy on suche lawe
For thorgh lesynges ȝe lacchen / largelich mede /
Þat ȝe nymeþ and Notaries / to nauht bygunneþ brynge
Holychurche and charite / ȝe cheweþ and deuiorreþ
Ȝe schul a-bugge bothe / bot ȝeo amende þe sanner
¶ For wel ȝeo witeþ wernardes / as holy wryt telluþ
Þat fals is faithles / the feond is his syre
And as a bastard y-bore / byȝute was he neuere .
And mede is moillere / a mayden of gode
Scheo myhte cusse the kynge / as for his kynneswomman
¶ For-thy worcheþ by wisdom / and by wit al-so
And ledeþ heore to londoun / wer lawe may declare
If matrymonye may beo / of mede and of falshede
And þauh Iustises enioynen hem / thorh iurores othes
Ȝut beo war of þe weddyng / for witty is trewþe
And conciense is of his counseil / and knoweþ ȝow alle
And ȝif he fynde ȝow in defaute / with þe false holde
Hit schal sitte ȝoure sowles / ful soure atte last
¶ Herto assented Cyuile / ac symonie ne wolde
Til he hadde siluur for the seal / and signes of notaries
¶ Tho Fette fauel forth / floryns y-nowe
And bad gyle go gyue / gold al a-boute
Namelich to notaries / þat non of hem faille
And feffe falsnesse / wyth floreyns y-nowe
For he may mede amaistren / with his murie speche
¶ Tho this gold was gyuen / gret was þe þonkynge
Þat false and fauel hadde / for heore fayre ȝiftes
And comen fol corteysly / to conforte þe false
Þei seyde to him softely / cesse schul we neuere
Tyl mede beo thy wedded wyf / we wol nouht stente
¶ For we han mede amaistred / throw oure mury tonge
Þat scho graunteþ to go / with a god wille
To londoun and loke / ȝif lawe wol Iugge
To beo Maried for moneye / mede hath assented .
Þenne was fauel fayn / and falsnesse blithe
And leten somne al segges / in eche syde a-boute
And bed hem alle to beon boun / beggeres and other
To wende with hem to westminstre / his weddyng to honoure
Ac hakeneys nad thei none / but hakeneys to huyre
¶ Þenne can gyle borow hors / at mony gret maystres
And schop þat a schereue / schold bere Mede
And softely in saumbre / fram sise to sise
Fals and fauel schold / fecche forth sysours
And ryde on hem and on reues / riht fast by Mede
Symonie and Ciuiyle / seydoun and sworoun
Þat preostes and prouisours / scholde prelates seruen
And y my-self Ciuyle / and symonie my felowe
Wol riden vpon Rectours / and richemen deuotors
And Notaries on persones / that parmuten ofte
And on poere prouisours / and on apeles in the arches
Somenours and suthdenes / þat Supersedeas taketh
On hem that louyeth lecherie / lepuþ vp and rideþ
On executours and suchemen / suche men / cometh softelich aftur
At let cope comiss{.}arie / oure cart schal he drawe
And feche forth oure vitales / of fornicatours
Makeþ of lyere a langecart / lange cart / to lede al thus other .
As fobbes and faitours / þat on here fet rennen
¶ Þenne fals and fauel / rydon forth to-gederes
And mede in þe middes / and alle thus men aftur
Y naue no tome to telle / þat tayl þatte hem folowed
Of mony maner men / for medes sake sent aftur
Ac gyle was for-goere / to gyen alle þe poeple
For to wisse hem the way / and with mede a-byde .
¶ Sothnesse seih hem alle / and sayde but lytul .
And prykede forth on pacience / and passede hem alle
And cam to þe kyngescort / kynges cort / to concience he tolde
And conciense to the kyng / carpede hit aftur
¶ Now by crist quod þe kyng / and y cache P mythte
Fals othur fauel / or here felow liere
Y wold be wreke on þat wreches / and on here werkes alle
And do hem honge by the hals / and alle þat hem meynteynoþ
Schal neuere mon on this mold / maynprise þe lest
And rith as þe lawe loketh / let falle on hem alle
¶ He comaunded a conestable / þat cam atte furst
Go attache þat tyrauns / for eny tresour y hote
¶ Let fetere fast falsnesse / for eny kynnes ȝiftes
¶ And gurde of gyles hed / let him go no wyddere
¶ An bryng mede to me / maugree hem alle .
And ȝif ȝe cache lyere / Plet him nouht aschape
Er he beo put on pillori / for eny preyer y hote
¶ Drede stod atte þe dore / and al þat deoneT herde
Wat þe kynges wil was / and withliche he wente
And bad falsnesse to fleo / and his freres alle
¶ Falsnesse for fere / fleith to the freres /
¶ And gyle dud him to gon / agast for to deye
Ac Marchauns mette with him / and made him a-byde
And schutten him in here schoppes / to schewen here ware
And parayled him like here prentys / þe poeple to seruen
¶ Lithliche liere / lepe a-wey þennes
Lorkynge throw lanes / to-logged of menye
He nas nauhware wel-come / for his mony tales
Ouer al hy-hontedLX ouȝt / and y-hot trosse
Tyl pardoners hadden pyte / and polled him to house
They wosche him and wiped him / and wond him in cloþes
And sent him an sonedays / with seales to churches
And gaf pardon for pans / pounde-mel a-bowte
¶ Þenne lorells leches / lettres þey sendon
Þat liare schold wone with hem / waterus to loke
¶ Spicers to him speke / to aspie here ware
For he can on here craft / and knoweth mony gomes
¶ Ac Ministralles and messagers / Mette wiþ liare one
Witheold hym half ȝer / and elleue dayes .
¶ Ac Freres throw fair speche / fetten him þennes
For knowyng of comeres / thei coped him as a frere
Ac he hath leue to lepon ouȝt / as oft as him likuþ
And is welcome wen he cometh / and woneþ with hem ofte
¶ Symonie and Cyuile / senton to Rome /
And put hem throw apeles / in the popes grace
¶ Ac Concience to the kyng / accusede hem bothe
And seyde sir kyng by crist / bute clerkes amende
Thei kynedam þrow here couetyse / wol ouȝt of kynde wende
And holychurche throw hem / worth harmed for euere
¶ Al fleddon for fere / and flowen in-to heornes
Saue Mede þe mayde / no mo durst a-byde
Ac trewly to telle / scho tremblede for fere
And bothe wrang and wept / wan scho was attached .
Explicit passus tercius
frendsT
L
y y
And notariesC