Of erþe & eyr it is maad  medelid to-gyderes

Wiþ wynde & wiþ water  wittiliT enioyned

Kynde haþ closid þer-Inne  craftili wiþ-alle

A lemman þat he loueþ  lyke to hym-selue

Anima sche hatte  ac envye hir hatiþ

A proude priker of fraunce  princeps huius mundi

And wolde wynne hir awey  wiþ wyles and he myȝte

Ac kynde knowiþ þis wel  & kepiþ hir þe better

And haþ doon hir wiþ sire do-wel  duke of þis marches

Do-bette is hir damysel  sire do-welis douȝter

To serue þis lady lelly  boþe late & raþe

Do-best is aboue boþe  a bisschopps pere

Þat he bit mote be doon  he ruliþ hem alle

Anima þat lady  is lad bi his leryng

Ac þe cunstable of þat castel  þat kepiþ al þe wacche

Is a wise knyȝt wiþ-al  sire Inwitt he hatte

And haþ fyue fayre sones  bi his first wijf

Sire . se wel . & seye wel  & here wel þe hende

Sire . wirche wel . wiþ þin hand  a wiȝt man of strenkþe

And . sire godfrey . go wel  grete lordis for-soþe

Þeise fyue been set  to saue þis lady anima

Til kynde come or sende  to sauen hir for euere

¶ What þing is kynde quod I  canst þou me telle

Kynde quod witt is a creature  of alkyns þingys

Fadir & formour of al  þat euere was maked

And þat is þe greet god  þat gynnyng hadde neuere

Lord of lijf & of liȝt  of lisse & of peyne

Aungelis & al þing  arn at his wille

Ac man is hym moost lijke  of mark & of schaft

For þoruȝ þe woord þat he spake  wexen forþ beestis

And made man likkest  to hym-selue oone

And eue of his ribbe-boon  wiþ-outen any mene

For he was synguler hym-self  & seyde faciamus

As who seyþ . more mut þertoT  þan my word oone

My myȝt mut helpe now  wiþ my speche

Riȝt as a lord schulde make lettres  & hym lakkede parchemyn

Þouȝ he kouþe write neuere so wel  if he hadde no penne

Þe lettresT for al þe lordschip  I leue were neuere ymaked

And so it semeþ bi hym  as þe book telleþ

Þere he seyþ . dixit & facta sunt

He muste wirche wiþ his word  & his witt schewe

And in þis manere was man maad  þoruȝ myȝt of god almyȝti

Wiþ his word & werkmanschip  & wiþ lijf to laste

And þus god gaf hym a goost  of þe godheed of heuene

And of his greet grace  grauntede hym blysse

And þat is lijf þat ay schal laste  to alle lynages after

And þat is þe castel þat kynde made  caro it hatte

And þatT is as myche to mene  as man wiþ a soule

And þat he wrouȝte wiþ werk  & wiþ word boþe

Þoruȝ myȝt of þe mageste  man was ymaked

Inwitt & alle wittis  closed been þer-Inne

For loue of þe lady anima  þat lijf is ynempned

Ouer-al in mannys body  he walkiþ & wandriþ

Ac in þe herte is hir home  & hir moost rest

Ac inwitt is in þe hed  & to þe herte he lokiþ

What anima is leef &T looþ  he latte hir at his wille

For after þe grace of god  þe grettest is inwitt

Mich woo worþ þat man  þat mysruliþ his inwitt

And þat been glotouns glubbers  her god is her wombe

For þei seruen sathan  her soulis schal he haue

Þat lyuen synful lijf heer  her soule is like þe deuelisT

And alle þat lyuen good lijf  arn like to god almyȝti

Allas þat drynk schal fordo  þat god dere abouȝte

And dooþ god forsaken hem  þat he schope to his liknesse

{Foules}foolesT þat fauten Inwitt  I fynde þat holi chirche 

Schulde fynde hem þat hem fauteþ  & fadirles children

And wydwes þat han not wher-wiþ  to wynne {hem} hem her fode

Madde men & maydenes  þat helples weren

Alle þeise lakken Inwitt  & lore bihoueþ

Of þisC matere I myȝte  make a longe tale

And fynde fele witnesse  amongys þe foure doctouris

And þat I lye not of þat I lere þee  luke bereþ witnesse

¶ Godfadir & godmodir  þat seen her god-children 

At mysese & meschef  & mowen hem amende

Schul haue penaunce in purgatorie  but if þei hem helpe

For more bilongeþ to þe litil barn  er he þe lawe knowe

Þan nempnyng of a name  & he neuere þe wyser

¶ Schulde no cristen creature  crye at þe ȝate

Ne fayle payn ne potage & prelatis  diden as þei schulden

A Iu wolde not seen a Iu  go iangelyng for defaute

For alle þe mebles on þis moold  & he amende it myȝte

Allas þat a cristen creature  schal be so vnkynde to an-oþer

Siþen Iues þat we Iuggen  Iudas felawis

Eyþer of hem helpeþ oþer  of þat þat hym nediþ

Why nylenT we cristen of cristis  good . be as kynde

As Iues þat been oure lorismen  schame to vs alle

Þe comune for her vnkyndenesse  I drede me schul abye

Bisschopis schul be blamed  for beggers sake

He is wers þan Iudas  þat ȝyueþ iapers syluer

And biddiþ þe begger goo  for hise broken cloþes

He dooþ not wel þat dooþ þus  ne drat not god almyȝti

Ne loueþ not salomons sawes  þat sapience tauȝte

Drede god for loue & þou doost wel  but not for veniaunce

Þou doost best if þou wiþdrawe  bi day & bi nyȝt 

To spille any speche  or any space of tyme

Leesyng of tyme  truþe woot þe soþe

Is moost hatid vp-on erþe  of hem þat been in heuene

And siþþe to spille speche  þat spire is of grace

And goddis gleman  & a game of heuene

Wolde neuere þe feiþful fadir  his fiþele were vntempred

Ne his gleman a gedelyng  a goer to tauernes

To alle trewe tydymen  þat trauayle desiren

Oure lord loueþT & lent  loude eiþer stille 

Grace to goo to hem  & a-goon her lijflode

Trewe weddid libbynge folk  in þis werld is do-wel

For þei mustenT wirche & wynne  & þe werld susteyne

For of her kynde þei {camen}came  þat confessouris been nempned

Kyngys & knyȝtis  kayseris & cherlis

Maydenes & martiris  out of a man come

Þe wijf was maad þe weye  for to helpe worche

And þus was wedlok ywrouȝt  wiþ a mene persoone

First bi þe faderis wille  & þe frendis counceyl

And siþþe bi assent of hem-selue  as þei two myȝten a-corde

And þus was wedlok ywrouȝt  & god hymself it made

In erþe þe heuene is  hym-self was þe witnesse

Ac false folk feiþles  þeues & lyeris

Wastouris & wrecches  out of wedlok I trowe 

Conceyued been in yuele tyme  as caym was of eue

Of swiche synful schrewes  þe sauter makiþ mynde

And alle þat come of þat caym  come to yuele eende

For god sente to sem  & seyde bi an aungel

Þin issu in þin issu  I wole þat þei be ioynedT

And not þi kynde wiþ caymes  ycouplid ne spousid

Ȝit summe aȝensC þe soonde  of oure saueour of heuene

Kaymes kynde & his kynde  ycoupledeT to-gyderis

Til god wraþþede wiþ her werkis  & swich a word seyde

Þat I makede man  now me it aþinkiþ

And come to noe anoon  & bade hym not lette

Swiþe go schape a schip  of schidis & of boordis

Þi-self & þi þre sones  & siþþen ȝoure wyues

Buske ȝow to þat boot  & bideþ ȝe þer-Inne

Til fourty dayes be fulfillid  þat flood haue ywasschen 

Clene awey þe cursid blood  þat caym haþ ymaked

Beestis þat now been  schul banne þe tyme

Þat euere þat cursid caym  come on þis erþe

Alle schul dye for hise dedis  bi dales & bi hilles

And þe foules þat flyen  forþ wiþ oþere beestis

Except onelich of ich  a kynde & a coupleT

Þat in þi schyngled schip  schul been ysaued

Heer bouȝte þe barn  þe bele-sires gyltes

And al for her forfadris  þei ferden þe wers

Þe gospel is her-aȝeyn  in o degre I fynde

Ac I fynde if þe fadir  be fals & a schrewe

Þat sumdel þe sone  schal haue þe sires tacches

Impe on an ellerne . & if  þin appil be swete

Miche merueyle me þinkiþ  & more of a schrewe

Þat bryngeþ forþ any barn  but if he be þe same

And haue a sauour after þe sire  selden seest þou oþer

And þus þoruȝ cursid caym  cam care vp-on erþe

And al for þei wrouȝten wedlok  aȝens goddis wille

For-þi . haue þei maugre  þat so marien her children

For summe as I see now  soþe for to telle

For coueytise of catel  vnkyndelich been weddid

Ac careful concepcioun  comeþ of swiche mariages

As bifel of þe folk  þat I bifore of . tolde

For goode schulden wedde good  þouȝ þei no good hadde

I am via & veritas T I may auaunce alle

It is an vncomeli couple  bi crist as me þinkiþ

To ȝyue a ȝonge wenche  to an olde feble

Or wedden any wydowe  for welþe of hir goodis

Þat neuere schal barn bere  but if it be in armes

Many a peyre siþ þe pestilence  han pliȝt hem to-gyderis

Þe fruyt þat þei bryngen forþ  arn foule wordis

In ielousye ioyles  & ianglyng on bedde

Haue þei no children but chest  & choppyng hem bitwene

And þouȝ þei do hem to donmowe  but if þe deuel helpe

To folewen after þe flicche  fecche þei it neuere

And but þei boþe be forsworen  þat bacoun þei tynenT

For-þi I counceyle alle cristen  coueyte not be weddid

For coueytise of catel  ne of kynred riche

Ac maydenes & maydenes  macche ȝow to-gyderis

Widowes & widowers  wircheþ þe same

For no londes but for loue  loke ȝe be weddid

And þanne getenT ȝe þe grace of god  & good ynow to lyue wiþ

And euery manere seculer  þat may not contene

Wiseli go wedde  & war hym fro synne

For leccherie in lokyng  is lyme-ȝerd of helle

Whiles þou art ȝong  & þi wepen kene

WerkeT þee wiþ wyuyng  if þou wilt been excusid

Whanne ȝe han wyued . beþ war  & wircheþ in tyme

Not as adam & eue  whanne caym was engendrid

For in vntyme truli  bitwene man & womman

Ne schulde no bourde on bedde be  but if þei boþe werenT clene

Boþe of lijf & of soule  & in parfiȝt charite

Þat ilke derne dede do  no man ne schulde

AcT if þei leden þus her lijf  it likeþ god almyȝti

For he made wedlok first  & hym-self it seyde

And þei þat oþer-gates been geten  for gedelynges been holden

As fals folk fondelynges  faytouris & lyeris

Vngracious to gete good  or loue of þe peple

Wandren & wasten  what þei cacche mowen

Aȝens do-wel þei doon yuele  & þe deuel seruen

And after her deþ-day  schul dwelle wiþ þe same

But god gyue hem grace heer  hem-self to amende

Do-wel my freend . is to do  as þe lawe techiþ

To loue þi freend & þi foo  leue me . þat is do-bette

To ȝyuen & to ȝemen  boþe ȝonge & olde

To helen & to helpen  is . do-best . of alle

And . do-wel . is to drede god  & . do-bette . is to suffre

And so comeþ . do-best . of boþe  & bryngeþ adoun þe mody

And þat is wickid wille  þat many werk schendiþ

And dryueþ awey . do-wel  þoruȝ dedly synne