And seyde multi multa sciunt & se
ipsos nesciunt .
presens prime
And in a meroure þat
hiȝt myddelerd sche made me to beholde .
Sitthen sche seide to me here miȝtow
se wondres .C
And knowe þat þow coueytest & come
þer-to par-aunter .
¶ Þanne hadde fortune folwynge hire
to faire damoysoyles .
Concupiscencia carnis men called þe
elder mayde .
And coueytise of eyȝes Icalled was þat other .
Pruyde of parfit lyuynge pursued hem bothe .
And bad me for my contenance acounte clergie liȝte
.
¶ Concupiscencia carnis
colled me a-boute þe nekke .
And seyde þow art ȝonge and ȝeepe
& hast ȝeres I-nowe .
For to lyue longe and ladyes to louie .
And þis / And [in] þis myrour þow miȝt se murthes ful many .
Þat leden þe wel to likynge alle þi Iif-tyme
.
Þe secounde seyde þe same I schal sewe þi wille .
Til þow be a lorde and haue londe lete þe I nelle .
Þat I ne schal folewe þi felaschipe if
fortune it like .
He schal fynde me his frende quod fortune
þere-after .
Þe freke þat folweth my wille failed neuere
blisse .
¶ Þanne was þere on þat hiȝt
elde þat heuy was of chere .
Man quod he if I mete with þe by marie of
heuene .
Þow schalt fynde fortune þe faile at þi moste nede .
And concupiscencia
carnis clene þe forsake .
Bitterlich schaltow banne þanne both dayes
and niȝtes .
Coueitise of eye þat euere þow
hire knewe .
And pruyde of þiT parfit lyuynge
to muche peril þe brynge .
¶ Ȝee recche þe neuere quod
recchelesnesse stod forth in ragged cloþes .
Folewe forth þat fortune wole þow hast wel fer to elde
.
A man may stoupe tymes I-now
whan he schal tyne þe croune .
And deus disponit quod
he lat god do his wille .
If treuth wil witnesse it be wel do fortune to folwe .
Concupiscencia carnis ne coueytise of eyes .
Ne schal nouȝte greue þe graythlyT ne begile þe but þow wolt .
¶ Ȝee farewel fipp quod fauntelte and
forth gan me drawe .
¶ Allas eyȝe quod elde and holynesse
bothe .
¶ Coueytise of eyȝes cam ofter in my mende .
Þanne dowel or do-bet
amonges my dedes alle .
Coueytise of eyȝes conforted me ofte .
And seyde haue no consience how þow come to goed .
Go confesse þe to sum frere
and schewe hym þi synnes .
To here prioure prouincial
a pardoun for to haue .
And preyen for þe pol by pol if þow be pecunious .T
Pena
peculariaT non sufficit pro
spiritualibus delictis.
And þan was fortune my foo for alle hire
faire beheste .
And pouerte pursued me and putte me lowe .
And þo fonde I þe frere aferde and flitynge bothe
.
Aȝeynes oure furste forwarde for I
seide I nolde .
Be buried at here hous but at my parisch
cherche .
For I herd ones how conscience it tolde .
Þat þere a man were cristened
be kende he schulde be buried .
Or where he were
a parischene riȝt þere he schulde be grauen .
And for I seyde þus to freres a foel þei me helden .
And loued me þe lasse for my lele speche .
Ac ȝeet I cried on my confessour þat
held hym-self so kunn{ge}ynge .
Be my feyth frere quod I ȝe faren like
þis woweres .
Riȝt so bi þe rode rouȝte ȝe
neuere .
Where my body were buried by
so ȝe hadde my siluer
Ich haue muche merueyle of ȝow and so hath many
other .
Whi ȝoure couent coueyteth to confesse and to burie
.
Rather þan to baptize barnes þat ben catekumelynges
.
Baptizinge and buriynge
bothe beth ful nedful .
Ac muche more meritorie me þinketh it is to baptize .
For a baptized man may as meystres telleth .
Sola contricio &cetera
.
¶ Ac a barne with-outen bapteme
may nouȝt so be ysaued .
Nisi quis renatus fuerit
loke ȝe lettred men whetur I
lye or do nouȝt
¶ Ȝif I durst quod I amonges men þis
meteles auowe .
¶ Ȝe be peter and be poule quod he and
takeT hem bothe to witnesse .
Non oderis fratres secrete in corde tuo
sed publice argue illos.
¶ Þei wol aleggen al-so
quod I and by þe gospel preuen .
Nolite iudicare quemquam
&cetera .
Falsnesse ne faytrie for sum-what þe apostle seide .
Non oderis fratrem . and
in þe sauter al-so
seyth dauid þe prophete .
Existimasti inique quod ero
tui similis . et c.
It is licitum for
lewedmen / lewed men to segge þe sothe .
If hem liketh and lest vch a lawe it graunteth .
It falleth nauȝt for þat folke noneT tales to telle .
Þouȝ þe tale were trewe and it touched synne .
And reeden it in rethorike to a-raten dedly synne .
Ac be neuer-more þe
furste þe defaute to blame .
Þouȝ þow se euel sey it nauȝt furste be sori
it nere amendit .
No þinge þat is priue
publiche þow it neuere .
Neither for loue lakkeT it nouȝt ne lakke
it for enuye .
Parum lauda vitupera
parcius.
Þe lasse as I leue loueyen it þey wolde .
¶ Þis was hire teme and
hire tixte I toke ful gode hede .
Multi to a mangerie and to þe mete were sompned .
And whanne þe poeple was plener come þe
porter vnpynned þe ȝate .
¶ Al for tene of hire tixst tremeled myn
herte.
And in a were gan I wex and with my-selue to despute .
Whether I were chose or nouȝt chose on holy cherche
I þouȝte .
Þat vnderfonge me at þe fonte for oen of godes chosene
.
¶ For crist cleped vs alle come if we wolde .C
Sarasines and sismatices and so he dede þe Iewes .
O vos omnes scicientesT venite
&cetera .
And bad hem souke for synne saueT at his breste .
And drinke bote for bale brouke it ho-so miȝte .
¶ Þanne may alle cristene come quod I and
clayme þere entre .
Qui crediderit et baptizatus fuerit
&cetera .
For þouȝ a cristen man coueyted his cristendom to
receyue .T
Riȝtfulliche to reneye no reson it wolde .
¶ For may no cherle chartre make ne his catel selle
.
Ac reson schal rekne with hym and rebuken hym at þe laste .T
And consience a-counte with hyma-counte & casten hym in a-rerage .
Mercy for his misdedes with mouth or with
herte .
¶ Þat is soth seyde scripture may no
synne lette
Misericordia eius super
omnia opera eius.
¶ Ye baw for bokes quod on was broken
oute of helle .
Hiȝte troianus had ben a trewe kniȝt toke
witnesse at a pope .C
How he was dede and dampned to dwelle in pyne .
For an vncristene creature clerkes witen þe sothe .
Þat alle þe clergie vnder criste T miȝte me cracche fro helle
.
¶ Gregori wist þis wel and wilned to my soule .
And after þat he wepte and wilned me were
graunted .
Grace with-outen eny bede biddynge his bone was
vnderfonge .
Brouȝt me fro bitter peyne þere no
byddynge miȝte .
Þat was an vncristene creature as clerkes
fyndeth in bokes .
Was þat sarasyn saued as seynt gregori bereth witnesse
.
Wel auȝt þe lordes þat lawes kepe þis lessoun to haue in
mynde .
And on troianus treuth to thenke and do
treuthe to þe poeple .
¶ Þis matir is merke for mani of ȝow ac men of holy chercheT
Þe legende sanctorum
ȝow lereth more larger þan I ȝow telle .
Ac þus lele loue and lyuynge in treuthe .
Pulte oute of pyne a paynym of rome .
I-blessed be treuthe þat so brak helle ȝates .
And saued þe sarasyn fram sathanas and his power
Þere no clergie ne couthe ne
kunnynge of lawes .
Loue and leute is a lele science
For þat is þe boke blessede of blisse and of ioyeT .
God wrouȝt it and wrot hit with his on fynger .
And toke it moyses vpon þe mount alle men to lere
¶ Lawe with-oute loue
quod troianus leye þere a bene .
Or any science vnder sonne þe seuen artz and alle .
But þei ben lerned for oure lordes loue
Ilost is alle þe tyme .
For no cause to cacche seluer
þer-by ne to be cald a mayster .
But alle for loue of oure lorde & þe
bet to loue þe poeple
For seynt Iohan seyde it and soth aren
his wordes .
Qui non diligit manet in morte
—
ho-so loueth nauȝte leue me he
lyueth in deth-deyinge .
And þat alle maner men enemys and frendes .
Louen her eyther other and lene hem as here-selue .
And souereyneliche pore poeple and here
enemys after .
For hem þat haten vs is oure merite to louye
And pore poeple to plese here preyeres may vs helpe
.
In a pore mannes apparaile pursueth vs
euere .
And loketh on vs in here likenesse and þat with louely
chere
To knowen vs be oure kende herte and
castynge of oure eyes .
Whe / Whe[ther] we loue þe lordes here by-for
oure lorde of blisse .
¶ And exiteth vs by þe euauangelie
þat whan we maken festes .
We schulde nouȝte clepe oure kyn
þerto ne none kyne riche .
Cum facitis conuiuia nolite inuitare amicos
.
Ac calleth þe careful þere-to
þe croked and þe pore .
For ȝoure frendes wolen fede ȝow
and fonden ȝow to quite .
¶ Ac for þe pore I schal paie and
puire wel quiten here trauail .C
Þat ȝiueth hem mete or mone and loueth hem for my sake .
¶ Almiȝty god hath made riche men if he wolde .T
For alle ar we cristes creatures and of his coferes riche .
AsT
bretheren as of o blode as wel beggeres as erles .
And blody brethern we by-come
þere of one body ywonne .
As quasi modo geniti and
gentil men vchone .
No beggere ne boy amonges vs but if it
synne made .
Qui facit peccatum seruus
est peccati .
Mennes sones menC called vs echone .
Of adames issue and eue ay til god man deyede .
And after his resurrexioun redemptor was his name .
And we his brethern þoruȝ hym Ibouȝte bothe
riche and pore
And of þat vche man may forbere amende
þere it nedeth .
And eueri man helpe oþer hereT for hennes schulle we alle .
Alter alterius onera portate .
And be we nauȝt vnkende of oure catel
ne of oure
kunnyge / kunny[n]ge noþer .
For noet no man how neyȝ it is to be Inome fro
bothe .
For-þi lakke no lif oþer
þouȝ he more latyn knowe .
Ne vndernyme nauȝt foule for is noen with-oute defaute .
For what-euer
clerkes carpe of cristendom or elles .
Criste to a comune woman seyde in comune at a feste
.
Þat fides sua schulde sauen
hire and saluen hire of alle synnes .
¶ Þanne is bileue a lele helpe abue / ab[o]ue logike or lawe .
Of logike ne of lawe in legenda
sanctorum .
For it is ouer-longe ar logike
ani lesson assoyle .
And lawe is lothe to louie but if he lacche seluer
Bothe logyke and lawe þat loueth nauȝt for toT lye .
¶ I conseile alle cristene cleue nauȝt
þere-on to sore
For somme wordes I fynde write were of feithes
techynge .
Þat saued synful men as seynt Iohan
bereth witnesse .
Eadem mensura qua mensi fueritis reme{c}stietur vobis .
For-þi lerne we þe lawe of loue
as oure lorde tauȝte .
And as seynt gregorie seyde for mannes soule helth .
Melius est scrutari scelera nostra
quam naturas rerum.
¶ Why I meue þis matire is moste for þe pore .
For in here liknesse oure lorde of / of[t] hath be I-knowe .
Witnesse in þe pasqe woke whan he ȝede to emaus
.
Cleophas ne knewe hym nauȝte þat he criste were
.
For his pore paraile and pilgrimes wedes . —
Til he blissed and brak þe brede þat þei eten .
So be his werkes þei wisten þat he was
ihesus .
Ac be clothynge þei knewe hym nouȝte
ne be carpynge of tonge .
Þat we schulde be lowe and loueliche of speche .
And apparailen vs nauȝt ouer proudly for pilgrimes
are we alle .
And in þe paraileT of a pore man and
pilgrimes liknesse .
Many tyme god hath ben ymette amonges nedy poeple .
Þere neuere segge
hym seyȝ in secte of þe riche .
¶ Seint Iohan and other seyntes weren
seyn in pore cloþinge.
And as pore pilgrimes preyude menT goedes .
AT was a puir pore mayden
and to a pore man Iweddede .
¶ Martha on marie maudeleyne and huge pleynt sche made
.
And to oure saueoure selue
seyde þis wordes .
Domine non est tibi cure
&cetera .T
And hasteliche god answered and eitheres wille folwede
.
Bothe Marthes and maries as matheu bereth
witnesse .
Ac pouerte god putte by-fore
and preysed it þe bettere .
Maria optimam partem elegit —
T
And alle þe wyse þat euere were by
auȝt I can aspie .
Preisen pouerte for best lyf if pacience it wolde .T
And bothe bettere and blisseder by many
folde þan richesse .
Alle-þouȝ it be soure to suffre þere cometh swete after
.
As on a walnote with-oute
is a bitter barke .
And after þat bitter barke be þe schelle
aweye
Is a kernel of conforte kende to restore .
So is after pouerte or penaunce
pacientliche ytake .
MakethT
a man to haue mynde in god and a grete wille .
To wepe and to wel bidde where-of wexeth mercy .
Of which crist is a kernel to conforte þe soule .
And lasse he dredeth deth and in derke to be robbed .
Þan he þat is riȝt riche reson bereth witnesse
Pauper ego ludo dum tu diues meditaris
Diuicias nec paupertates &cetera
.
Wiser þanne salomon was bereth witnesse and tauȝte
.
Þat parfit pouert was no possession to haue .
And lif most likynge to god as luk bereth
witnesse .
Si vis pefectus / pe[r]fectus esse vade et vende &cetera .
And is to mene to men þat onT
molde lyuen
ho-so wil be puir parfit
mote possession forsake .
Or selle it as seith þe boke and þe seluer dele .
To beggeres þat gon and begge & bidden goed for
goddes loue .
¶ For fayled neuer man mete þat
miȝtful god serueth .
As dauid seith in þe sauter to swich þat ben in wille
.
To serue god godeliche ne greueth hem no penaunce .
Nichil difficileT volenti
&cetera .
Inquirentes autem dominum non munuentur / m[i]nuentur omni bono.
For masses ne for matynes nouȝt here
mete of vsureres .
Ne noyther kertel ne cote þeiȝ þei for colde schuld
deye
Iudica me deus et discerne causam meam
.
Spera in deo speketh of prestes þat han
no spendynge siluer
Þat if þei trauaile treweliche and tristen in god
almiȝti
Hem schulde lak no lyuelode neyther wolen ne lynnen
.
And þe title þat ȝeT take ordres by telleth ȝe ben auaunsed
.
Þan nedeth ȝow nouȝt to take seluer
for masses þat ȝe syngeth .
For he þat toke ȝoure title schulde take ȝow ȝoure wages .
Or þe bishope þat blesseth ȝow if þat
ȝe ben worthi .
¶ For made neuer kinge no
kniȝt but he hadde catel to spende .
As byfel for a kniȝt or fonde hym for his strengthe
.
It is a kareful kniȝt and of a caytif kynges
makynge .
Þe same I segge for-sothe
bi alle swiche prestes .
Þat han noither cunnynge ne kyn but a crowne one
.
And a title a tale of nouȝt to his liflode at mischef
He hath more bileue as I leue to lacchen þoruȝ his crowne
.
Cure þan for kunnynge or knowen for clene
of beringe .
I haue wonder and whi and wherefor þe
bischope .C
Maketh suche prestes þat lewed men
bytraien .C
¶ A chartre is chalengeable by-fore a chief iustice .
If fals latin be in þat lettre þe lawe it impugneth
.
Or peinted par-entrelinarie parcelles ouerskypped .
Þe gome þat gloseth so chartres for a goky is holden
.
¶ So is it a goky bi god þat in his gospel faileth
Or in masse or in matynes maketh any defaute .
Qui offendit in vno in
omnibus
&cetera .T
And al-so in þe sauter
seith dauid to ouerskipperes .
Psallite deo nostro psallite
quoniam rex terre deus israel
psallite sapienter .
Þe bisshope schal be blamed be-fore god as I leue .
Þat crowneth suche goddes kniȝtes
þat kunneth nauȝt sapienter .
Synge ne psalmes rede ne segge a masse of þe daye .C
For her eyther is endited and þat of ignorancia .C
Non excusat episcopos nec ydiotes
prestes .
Þe wiche I preyse þere pacience is more
parfit þanne ricchesse .C
¶ Ac muche more in metynge þus
with me gan on dispute .
And slepinge I seye al þis and sithen cam
kende .
And nempned me be my name and bad me nymen hede .
And on a mounteyn þat mydelerde hiȝt
as me þo þouȝte .
I was fette forth by ensaumples to knowe .
Þoruȝ ech a creature and kende my
creatour to louye .
I seiȝ þe sonne and þe see and þe sond after
And where þat briddes and bestes by
here make þei ȝeden .
Wilde wormes andT wodes and wonderful
foules .
With flekked federes and of fele coloures
Man and his make I miȝte se botheT .
Pouerte and plente bothe pees and
werre.
Blisse and bale bothe I seiȝ at ones.
And how men token mede and mercy
refused.
¶ Reson I seiȝ sothely schewenT alle bestes .
In etynge in drinkynge
& in engendringe of kende .
As whan þei hadde ride in rotey time anon
riȝt þere-after .
Males drowen hem to males a-morewenynges by hem-selue .
Þe / Þe[r] ne was kow ne kou-kende þat
conceyued hadde .
Þat wolde belwen after boles ne bore after sowe .
Bothe hors and houndes and alle other
bestes .
Medled nauȝt with here makes þat
with fole were .
¶ Briddes I behelde þat in busches made nestes .
Hadde nere weyeLX wit to worche þe leste .
I hadde wonder at wham and where þe pie lerned .
If any masoun made a molde þere-to muche wonder it were .
Hudden and heleden here egges ful derne
In mareys and mores for men schulde hem
nouȝt fynde .
And hudden here egges whan þei
þere-fro wenten .
For fere of other foules and for wilde bestes .
And somme briddes at þe bille þoruȝ
brethynge conseyued .
Muche merueyled me what mayster þei hadde
.
And who tauȝt hem on trees to tymbre so hye .
¶ And sitthen I loked vp-on þe se
and so forth vpon þe sterres .
Many selcouthes I seye beth nauȝt to segge nouthe
.
And how amonge þe grene gras greuȝ
so many hewes .
And somme soure and some swete
selcouth me þouȝte .
¶ Ac þat moste meued me and my moed chaunged .
Þat reson rewarded and rewled alle bestes .
Saue man and his make many tymesT and ofte .
No reson hem folwed and þanne y rebuked .
Reson . and riȝt til hym seluen I seyde .
I haue wonder of þe quod I þat witty art
holde .
¶ And reson arated me and seyde recche þe
nevere .
Whi I suffre or nauȝt suffre þi-self hast nauȝt to done .
Amende þow it if þow miȝt for my tyme is to abide
.
Suffrance is a souereyne vertue and a
swift veniance
Ho suffreth more þan god quod he no gome
as I leue .
He miȝt amende in a minut while alle
þat mis-stondeth .
Ac he suffreth for somme mannes goed and
so is oure bettere .
Propter deum subiecti estote
omni creature
Frenche men and fre men affeyteth þus her childerne
.
Vele / [B]ele vertue est soffrance mal dire est pety
veniance
Bien dire et bien soffrer fait lui soffrant a bien venir
For-þi I rede quod reson rewle
þi tonge bettere .
And ar þow lakke my lyf loke if þow be to preyse .
For is no creature vnder criste can formen hym-seluen .
And if a man miȝte make hym-self goed
to þe poeple .
Vch a lif wold be lakles leue þow non other .
Ne þow schalt fynde but fewe fayne for to here .
Of here defautes foule by-for hem rehersed .
¶ Þe wise and þe witty wrot þus in þe bible .
De re quiete / que te non molestat noliteT certare .
For be a man faire or foule it falleth nauȝt for to
lakke .
Þe schappe ne þe schafte þat god schope hym-selue .
For alle þat he wrouȝtT was wel ydo as holy writ
witnesseth .
Et vidit deus cuncta que
fecerat et erant valde bona .
Alle to murth with man þat most wo tholieth .
In fondynge of þe flesche and of þe fende
bothe .
For man was made of swich a matere he may
nouȝt wel astert .
¶ Þo cauȝt I colour anon and comsed
to ben a-schamed .
And awaked þere-with wo was me þanne .
Þat I in meteles ne miȝte more hauen I-knowe .
And þanne seyde I to my-selue
& chidde þat tyme .
Now I wot what dowel is quod I by
dere god as me þenketh .
¶ And as I cast vp my eyes on loked on me and asked
.
To se muche and suffre more certes quod I
is dowel .
¶ Haddest þow suffred he seyde slepynge
þo þow were .
For resoun walde haue rehersed þe
riȝt as clergie seyde .
Ac for þin entremetynge
here art þow for-sake .
Philosophus esses si tacuisses .
Adam þe whiles T he spake nauȝte hadde paradis at wille
.
Ac whan he mameled aboute mete &
entremeted to knowe .
Þe wisdom and þe wit of god he was put fram þe blisse T .
And riȝt so ferde reson be þe þow with rude speche
.
¶ Pruide now and
presumpcion per-auenture wol þe apele .
For lat a dronken daffe in a dike falle
Lat hym ligge loke nauȝt on hym til hym list to
rise .
Of clergie ne of his conseil he counteth nouȝt a
rusche .
Ac whan nede nymeth hym vp for doute lest he
sterue .
And schame schrapeth his clothes and his schynes
wascheth .
Þanne wote þe dronken daffe where-fore he is to blame .
Whi ȝe wisse me þus quod I was for I
rebuked resoun .
¶ Certes quod I þat is soth and schope hym for to waken / wa[l]ken .
And I aros vp riȝt with þat and folewed hym after
.
And preied hym of his curteysie to telle me his name
.
presens
dauid
dauid
x
your for me elin
Bower
Rondull wylly
Bower
Rondull wylly
And In a were gan I wex
.
☜
hijus
h ijus
in
vestitum miletentio
to punysh m
To ponyshe me
in shrift
in shrift
Nota
Nota in
Episcopos
h iiijus
\ þeC