Passus primus de visione ·
What this Montayne bemeneth and the merke dale
and the feld{e} full of folk y schall ȝow{e} fayre schewe
a louely lady of lere in lynnen y-clothed
cam doun fro a castel and {full} callede me full fayre
and seide sone slepest thu seest thu th{.}is peple
how{e} besy thei ben alle a-boute the mase
the moste party of th{.}is peple þat passeþ on this erthe
haue thei wurschipe in this world{e} thei wylne no bettre
of oþer heuene than here holde thei no tale
y was a-ferd{e} of her face thouȝ sche fayr were
and saide mercy madame what ys this to mene
and wolde that ȝe wrouȝten as his woord techeþ
for he ys fadur of feyþ{e} that formede ȝow{e} alle
bothe wyth fel and wyth face and ȝafe ȝowe fyue wyttes
for to wurschipe hym ther-wyth while that ȝe ben here
and therfore h{.}e hiȝte the erþe to helpe ȝow{e} echone
of wullen of lynnen of lyflode at nede
in mesurable manere to make ȝowe at ese
and comaundede of his curtasy in comune þre thynges
and rykne hem by resoun reherce ȝe hem after
that on ys vesture fro chele the to saue
and mete at{.} mele for mesese of thi-seluen
and drynke whan thu druyest ac do nat out of resoun
that thu wurche the wurce whan thu worke schuldest
for loo{.}t in his lyfdayes for lykyng of drynke
dide by his doughteres that the deuel well lykede
delytede hym in drynke as the deuyl wolde
and lechery hym lauȝte and lay by hem bothe
and all he wytte it the wyn that foule wykked dede
Inebriamus eum vino dormiamus-que cum eo ·
vt seruare possimus de patre nostro semen ·
¶ þorough wyn and thorough wommen there was loo{h}t encombred
and there he gat{e} in glotanye gerles that were cherles
forþi drede delytable drynke and thu schalt do the bettre
mesure ys medycyn al-{......}thow þu moche ȝerne ·
it is nat all good to the goste that the gut asketh
that ys the wrecchid world wolde the betraye
for the fend and thi flesch foloweth to-gydre
this and that s{.}leth thi soule and seyth it in {...}thi herte
and for thu schuldest bewar y wysse the þe beste
madame mercy quod y me lykeþ well ȝour wordes
¶ ac th{..}e money on this molde that men so faste holdeth
telle me to wham madame that tresour appendeþ
goo to the gospel quod sche that god seyde hym-sylue
þo þe peple hym apposed wyth apeny / a peny in the temple
wheþyr thei schulde ther-wyth wurschipe the kyng Cesar
and god asked of hem of wham spak the lettrure
and the ymage y-lyk that ther-ynne standeth
cesares thei seiden we seen hym wel echone
and que sunt dei deo or elles ȝe don ylleC
for ryȝtfull resoun schulde · rewele ȝowe alle
and kynde wytt be wardeyn ȝour welthe to kepe
and tutur of ȝour tresour and take it {nouȝt} ȝow{e} at nede
for husbondry and hy holdeth to-gyders
¶ thanne y freyned her fayre for hym that me made
that dongeoun in the dale that dredfull ys of syȝt
what may it be to mene madame y ȝowe by-seche
that ys the castell of care who-so cometh ther-ynne
may banne that he born{e} {borne} was · to body or to soule
ther-ynne wonyth a wyȝt that wrong ys y-hote
fadyr of falshede he founded it hem-selue
adam and Eue he egged to ylleT
that trysten on his tresour by-trayeth he hem {alle} sonest
¶ thanne hadde y wondur in my wytt what womman sche were
that suche wyse wordes of holy wrytt schewede
and y asked here in the heyȝe name er sche thennys ȝede
what sche were wyt{....}erly · that wyssed me so fayre
holy cherche y am quod sche thu auȝtest me to knowe
and thu broughtyst me borwes my byddyng to full-fulle
and to loue me lely the while thi lyf endureth
¶ than y cowryd on my knes and cryȝede her of grace
and prayed her pytously to praye for my synnys
and all-so kenne me kyndely on cryst to beleue
that y myȝt werchen his wylle that wrouȝt me to man
teche me to no tresour but telle me thys ylke
howe y may saue {..}my soule that seynt art{e} y-holden
whan all tresourys arn tried quod sche · Trewthe ys the beste
y do it on deus carytas to demen the sothe
yt ys all-so derwurthi a drury as dere god hym-seluen
{...?...?...}and doiþ þe werkes þerwiþ and wylneþ noman ylle
{...?...?...}he is a god by þe gospell · a ground and on lofte
{...?...?...}and ylyk to owr lord · by seynt lukes woordys
{...?...?...}þe clerkes þat knowen þys · schulden kenne it abowte
{...?...?...}for crysten and vncristen · cleymen it echone
{...?...?...}kynges and knygthes · schulden kepen it by resoun
{...?...?...}ryden and rappen doun · in rewmes abowte
{...?...?...}and taken transgressours · and tyen hem faste
{...?...?...}tyl trewþe had termynyd · her trespas to þe ende
{...?...?...}& þat is þe professioun apertly · þat appendiþ to knyȝtes
and nat to fasten a fryday in fyue score wynter
but holden wyth hym and wyth here that wolden alle trewthe
and neuer leuen hem forto loue ne for lakkyng of syluer
for dauid in his dayes thus dubbede his knyȝtes
and dide hem swere on his swerd · to serue treuthe euere
and who-so passede that poynt was apostota / apost[a]ta in the ordre
¶ but cryst kyngene kyng knyȝtede ten
cherubyn and seraphyn suche seuene and othere
and ȝaf hem myȝt in his mageste the meryer hem thought
and ouer his mene meyne made hem archaungels
tauȝte hem by the trinyte trewthe to knowe
to be buxum at his byddyng he bad hem nought elles
¶ lucifer wyth legyouns lernede it in heuene
but for he brak buxumnesse his blys gan he tyne
and fel fro the felaschipe in-to a fendes lyknesse
In-to a deep derk helle to dwelle there for-euere
and mo þousandes wyth hym than man kouthe numbre
lopen out wyth lucyfer in loythlyche forme
for thei leueden vp-on hym that lyȝede hem in this manere
Ponam pedem in aquilone & similis ero altissimo ·
and alle that {......}hopede it myȝt be so noon heuene myȝt hem{.} holde
{...}but f{.}yllen out in fendys lyknesse nyne dayes to-gyders
tyl god of his goodnes gan hem stable and stynte
and gart the heuene to ste{...}ke and stonde in quyete
¶ Whan these wykked wenten out in wondyrwyse thei fullen ·
summe in eyr summe in erthe and summe in helle depe
ac lucifer lyth lowest there of hem alle
for pryde that he put out his peyne hath noon ende
and all that wurche wyth wrong wenden thei schulle
after her deth-day thider and dwellen wyth that scherewe
ac tho that werken wel as holy wrytt telleþ
and enden as y ere seide in trewthe that ys the beste
ma{n}y be syker that her soulys schull wende to heuene
there trewthe sytt in trinyte and troneþ hem alle
forþy y seye as y seide ere by syȝt of thes textes
whan alle tresours arn tryed trewthe ys the beste
lereþ on this lewed men for lettrud men it knoweth
that trewthe ys tresour the tryest vp-on erthe
¶ ȝit haue y no kynde knowyng ȝyt kenne me bettre
by what crafte in my cors it comseþ and where
thu dotede daffe quod sche full dull are thi wyttes
Heu michi qui sterilem duxi vitam iuuenilem ·
¶ it ys a kynde knowyng quod sche that kenneth in thyn herte
for to louen thi lord lerne thanne thi-selue
no dedly synne to do deyȝe though thu schuldest
this y trowe be trewthe who kan teche the bettre
for trewthe telleth that loue ys tryacle of heuene
may no synne be on hym sene that vseth that spice
and alle his werkes he wrouȝt wyth loue as hym luste
and lerned it moyses for the leuest thyng & most lyk to heuene
and all-so the plente of pees most precyous of vertues
for heuene myȝt nat holden it it was so heuy of hym-selue
tyl it hadde of the erthe eten his fulle
¶ and whan it hadde of this food flesch & blood taken
was neuer lef{e} vpon lynde lyȝtere ther-after
and portatyf and peysandT as the poynt of a nedyll
that myȝt no armure it lette ne noon hyȝe walles
¶ for this is loue ledere of the lordes folk of heuene
and a mene as the meyr{.} ys bytwene the kyng and þe comene
ryȝt so ys loue a ledere and the lawe schapeth
and for to knowen it kyndely it comseth by myȝt
and in the herte there ys the {... }hed · and the heyȝe w{.}elle
for in kynde knowyng {} in herte there {.} myȝt bygynneth
and that falleth to the fadur that formede vs alle
lokede on vs wyth loue and leet his sone deye
mekely for our mysdedes to amende vs alle
and ȝit wolde he hem no wo that wrouȝten hym that peyne
but mekely wyth mouthe mercy he bysoughte
to haue pyte on that peple that pynyd hym to dethe
¶ here myȝt thu see ensamples in hym-sylfe one
that he was myghtfull and meke and mercy gan graunte
to hem that hungen hym an hye and his herte thirl{dde}ed
¶ forþi y rede ȝow{e} ryche men haueth rewthe on the pore
though ȝe ben myȝtfull to mote beth meke in ȝour werkes
for the same mesure that ȝe meten a-mysse oþer elles
ȝe schullen be weye ther-wyth whan ȝe wende hennes
Eadem mensura qua mensi fueritis remecietur vobis ·
¶ for thow{e} ȝe be trewe of ȝour tounge and trewely wynne
and all-so chast as {y..}achild / a child{..} that in cherche wepyth
but if ȝe louen lely and lene the pouere
suche gode as god ȝowe sent goodlyche departeth
ȝe ne haue nomore meryt in masse ne in ourys
than malkyn of her maydenhode that no man desyreth
for Iames the gentyl{e} Iugede in his bokes
and all-so dede as a dore-tree but if the dedys folowe
Fides sine operibus mortua est ·
forþy chastyte wyth-outen charyte worþ cheyned in helle
it ys all-so lewede as a laumpe that no lyȝt ys ynne
¶ many chapeleynes arn chaste ac charyte ys aweye
arne no men aueroushere {.} than they whan they ben auamsed / aua[un]sed
vnkynde to her kyn and to alle crystene
schewen her charyte and chiden aftyr more
suche chastyte wyth-outen charite wurth cheyned in helle
¶ many curatours kepen hem clene of here bodyes
and arn encombred wyth couetyse þey can nat put it away
so harde hath auaryce haspede hem to-gyders
and that ys no trewthe of the trinyte but trecherye of helle
and lernyng to lewed men the lattere for to dele
forþy thes wordes ben wryten in the holy gospel ·
date and dabitur vobis for y dele ȝow{e} alle
and that ys the lo{...?...?...}k of loue · and leteþ owt my grace ·
to conforte the carefull acombred wyth synne
¶ loue ys leche of lyf{e } · and next our lord hym-selue
and all-so the grete gate that gooth into heuene
whan alle tresours arn tryed trewthe ys the beste
¶ now{e} haue y tolde the what trewþe ys þat no tresor ys betre