Nay bi crist quod concience  cungeye me raþer

But resoun rede me þerto  raþer wole I dye

And I comaunde þee quod þe kyng  to concience þanne

Rape þee to ride  & Resoun þou fecche

Comaunde hym þat he come  my counceyl to here

For he schal reule my rewme  & rede me þe beste

Of Mede & of moo oþere  & what man schal hir wedde

And acounte wiþ þee concience  so me crist helpe

How þou lernest þe peple  þe lered & þe lewid

¶ I am fayn of þat forward  seyde þe freke þanne

And rit ryȝt to resoun  & rowneþ in his ere

And seyde as þe kyng bade  & siþen toke his leue

I schal araye me to ride . quod Resoun  reste þee a whyle

And callede catoun his knaue  curteys of speche

And also tomme trewe tunge  telle me no tales

Ne lesyngysT to lauȝhe atT  for I louede hem neuere

And sette my sadel vp-on suffre  til I see my tyme

And lete werroke it wel  wiþ witty wordis gerþes

And hange on hym þe heuy bridel  to holde his hed lowe

For he {................}wole make we-he  twyes or he be þere

Þanne concience vp-on his caple  cayreþ forþ faste

And resoun wiþ hym rit  rownynge to-gyderes

Whiche maystries Mede  makiþ on þis erþe

Oon waryn wisdam  & witti his fere

FolewedenT hem faste  for þei hadden to done

In þe checker & in þe chauncerie  to be discharged of þingys

And riden fast for resoun  schulde redeT þe beste

For to saue hem for syluer  from schame & from harmes

And concience knewe hem wel  þei loueden coueytise

And bade Resoun ride fast  & recche of her neiþer

Þei arn wyliT in her wordis  & wiþ Mede þei dwellen

Þer as wraþþe & wranglyng is  þere wynnenT þei syluer

¶ Ac þer is loue & lewte  þei wolenT not come þere

Þei ne gyuen not of god  oon goos weenge

For woot god . þei woldenT do more  for a doseyn chykenes

Or as many capouns  or for a seem of otis

Þan for loue of oure lord  or alle hise leue seyntis

For-þi Resoun . latte hem ride  þoo riche bi hem-seluen

For concience knowiþ hem not  ne crist as I trowe

And þanne Resoun rode faste  þe riȝt hye gate

As concience hym kennede  til heT come to þe kyng

¶ Curteyslich þe kyng þanne  come aȝeyn resoun

And bitwene hym-self & his sone  sette hym on benche

And wordeden wel wiseli  a greet whyle to-gyderes

And þanne come pees in-to parlement  & puttedeT forþ a bille

How wrong aȝens his wille  hadde his wijf taken

And how he rauyschede rose  reynoldis loue

And margarete of hir maydenhood  maugrey hir chekis

Boþe my gees & my grijs  hise gadelynges fecchen

I dar not for feer of hym  fiȝte ne chide

He borwede of me bayard  he brouȝte hym hoom neuere

Ne no ferþing for hymT  for ouȝt þatT I coude plede

He maynteneþ hise men  to murþere myne huen

Forstalleþ my feyres  & fiȝtiþ in my chepyng

And brekiþ vp my berne dores  & bereþ awey my whete

And takeþ me but o tayle  for ten quarters of otis

And ȝit he bet me þerto  & lijþ bi my mayde

I am not hardy for hym  vnneþe to loke

¶ Þe kyng knewe . he seyde soþ  for concience hym tolde

Þat wrong was a wickid lift  & wrouȝte myche sorwe

¶ Wrong was a-feerd þanne  & wisdam he souȝte

To make pees wiþ hise pens  & proferede hym manye

And seyde hadde I loue of my lord þe kyng  litil wolde I recche

Þouȝ pees & his power  pleynede hym euere

Þoo wente wisdam & sire  waryn þe witty

For þat wrong hadde I-wrouȝt  so wickede a dede

And warnede wrong þoo  wiþ swich a wise tale

Who-so worcheþ bi myT wille  wraþþe makiþ ofte

I seye it bi þi-self  þou schalt it wel fynde

But if Mede it make  þi mescheef is vppe

For boþe þi lijf & þi loond  lijþ in his grace

¶ Þanne wowede wrong  wisdam ful ȝerne

To make his pees wiþ hise pens  handi-dandi payed

Wisdam & witt þanne  wenten to-gyderes

And toke Mede myd hem  mercy to wynne

Pees put forþ his hed  & his panne blody

Wiþ-outen gylt . god it woot  gate I þis skaþe

Concience & þe comune  knowen þe soþe

Ac wisdam & witt  weren aboute faste

To ouercome þe kyng  wiþ catel if þei myȝten

Þe kynge swore bi crist  & bi his crowne boþe

Þat wrong for hise werkis  schulde woo þolie

And comaundede a cunstable  to caste hym in Irnes

And latte hym not þis seuene ȝer  seen hise feet ones

¶ God woot quod wisdam  þat were not þe beste

And he amendis mowe make  latte maynprise hym haue

And be boruȝ for his bale  & biggen hym bote

And so amende þat is mys-doon  & euere-more þe better

¶ Witt acordede þer-wiþ  & sey{n}de þe same

Better is þat bote  bale adoun brynge

Þan bale be Ibete  & bote neuere þe better

¶ And þanne gan Mede to mengen hir  & mercy sche besouȝte

And proferede pees a present  al of pure gold

Haue þis man of me quod sche  to amende þi scaþe

For I wole wage for wrong  he wole do so no more

¶ Pitousli pees þanne  preyede to þe kyng

To haue mercy ofT þat man  þat mysdide hym so ofte

For he haþ waged me wel  as wisdam hym tauȝte

And I forgyue hym    þat gylt  wiþ a good wille

So þat þe kyng assente  I kan seye no better

For mede haþ maad me amendis  I may no more aske

Nay quod þe kyng þoo  so me crist helpe

Wrong wendiþ not so awey  erst wole I wite more

For lope he soT liȝtli  lauȝwhen he wolde

And efte þe balder be  to bete myne huen

But Resoun haue ruþe on hym  he schal reste in my stokkis

And þat as longe as he lyueþ  but lownesse hym borwe

Summe men radden Resoun þoo  to haue ruþe on þat schrewe

And for to counceyle þe kyng  & concience after

Þat Mede muste be maynpernour  Resoun þei besouȝtenT

Rede me not quod Resoun  no ruþe to haue

Til lordis & ladyes  louen alle truþe

And haten al harlotrie  to here it or to mouþen it

Til pernelis purfyle  be put in hir hucche

And children cherischyng  be chastysyng wiþ ȝerdis

And harlottes holynesse  be holden for vnheendeT

Til clerken coueytise be  to cloþe þe pore & to fede

And religious romers  recordare in her cloystres

As seynt benet hem bade  bernard & fraunceys

And til prechouris prechyng  be preued on hem-seluen

Til þe kyngys counceyl  be þe comune profiȝt

Til bischoppis bayardes  be beggers chaumbres

Her haukis & her houndes  helpe to pore religious

And til seynt Iames be souȝt  þere I schal a-sygne

Þat no man goo to galis  but if he go for euere

And alle rome renners  for robbers of biȝonde

Bere no syluer ouer sehe  þat signe of kyng schewiþ

Neiþer grauen ne vngrauen  gold neiþer siluer

Vp-on forfeture of þat fee  who-so fynt hym at Douere

But if he be marchaund or his man  or messager wiþ letteris

Prouysour or preest  or penaunt for hise synnes

And ȝit quod resoun bi þe rode  I schal no ruþe haue

Whyle Mede haþ þe maystrie  in þis moot-halle

Ac I may schewe ensaumples  as I see oþer-whyle

I seye it bi my-self quod he  & it so were

Þat I were kyng {were} wiþ corown  to kepen a rewme

Schulde neuere wrong in þis world  þat I wite myȝteC

Be vnpunyschid in my power  for perel of my soule

Ne gete my grace for gyftis  so me god saue

Ne for no Mede haue me{u}rcy  but mekenesse it make

For nullum malum þe man  mette wiþ impunitum

And bade nullum bonum . be irremuneratum

Latte ȝoure confessour sir kyng  construe þis vnglosid

And if ȝe worken it in werk  I wedde boþeT myne eris

Þat lawe schal been a laborer  & lede a-feeld dunge

And loue schal lede þi lond  as þee leef likiþ

¶ Clerkis þat weren confessouris  coupleden hem to-gyderes

Alle to construe þis clause  for þe kyngys profiȝt

Ac not for counfort of þe comune  ne for þe kyngys soule

For I syȝ Mede in þe moot-halle  on men of lawe wynken

And þei lawȝhynge lopen to hir  & lafte resoun . manye

Waryn wisdam  wynkede vp-on Mede

And seyde . ma-dame . I am ȝoure man  what so my mouþ iangleþ

I falle in floreyns quod þat freke  & fayle speche ofte

Alle riȝtful recordedenT  þat resoun truþe tolde

And witt acordede þer-wiþ  & commendede hise wordis

And þe moost peple in þe halle  & many of þe grete

TLeten mekenesse a mayster  & Mede a mansedLX schrewe

Loue lete of hir liȝt  & lewte ȝit lasse

And seyde it so hye  þat al þe halle it herde

Who-so wilneþ hir to wijf  for welþe of hir goodis

But he be knowen for a cokwold  cutte of my nose

¶ Mede mornede þoo  & made heuy chere

For þe moost comune of þat court  callede hir an hore

Ac a sisour & a sumpnour  sueden hir faste

And a schirreues clerk  beschrewede al þe route

For ofte haue I quod he  holpen ȝow at þe barre

And ȝit ȝyueT ȝe me neuere  þe worþe of a rische

Þe kyng callede concience  & afterward resoun

And recordede þat Resoun  hadde riȝtfullich schewed

And modilich vp-on Mede  wiþ myȝt þe kyng lokede

And gan waxe wroþ wiþ lawe  for Mede almost hadde schent it

And seyde . þoruȝ ȝoure lawe as I leue  I lese many chetis

Mede ouer-maystrieþ lawe  & myche truþe letteþ

Ac Resoun schal reckene wiþ ȝow  if I regne any whyle

And deme ȝow {on a}bi þisT day  as ȝe han deserued

Mede schal not meynprise ȝow  bi þe marie of heuene

I wole haue lewte in lawe  & lete be ȝoure Ianglyng

And as moostT witnessen wel  wrong schal be demed

¶ Quod concience to þe kyng  but þe comune wole assente

It is ful hard bi myn hed  her-to . to brynge it

Alle ȝoure lege lordis  to lede þus euene

¶ Bi hym þat rauȝte on þe rode  quod Resoun to þe kyng

But if I rule þus ȝoure rewme  rende out my guttis

If ȝe bidden buxumnesse  be of myn assent

And I assente quod þe kyng  bi seynt marie my lady

Be my counceyl comen  of clerkis & of erles

Ac redili Resoun  þow schalt not ride fro me

For as longe as I lyue  lete þee I nylle

I am a-redy quod Resoun  to reste wiþ ȝow euere

So concience be of oure counceyl  I kepe no bettere

¶ And I graunte quod þe kyng  goddis forbod it fayle

As longe as oure lijf lasteþ  lyue we to-gyderes