fol. 1rfol. 1r
[Passus secundus de visione Petri Plowman . vt supra]
To on fals fikel ofT tonge  a fendes byȝete .
Fauel þoruȝ his faire speche  hath þis folke enchaunted  .
And alle is lyeres ledynge  þat sche is þus ywedded
To-morwe worth ymad{.}  þe maydenes bruydale .
And þere miȝt þow wite if þow wilt  whiche þei ben alle  .
Þat longeth to þat lordschippe  þe lasse and þe more .
Knowe hem þere if þow canst  and kepen þi tonge .T
And lak hem nauȝt but late hem worth  til lewte be iustic[e]
And haue poer to puneschen hem  þanne putt forth thy r[eson]
Now I bekenne þe crist quod heLX  and his clene moder .
And atLX no consience acombre þe  for coueytise of mede  .
Þus left me þat lady  lyggynge a-slepe .
And how mede was ymaried  in meteles me thouȝthe .
Þat alle þe riche retenawans  þat regneth with þe false .
Weren bedeT to þisT bridale  on bothe to sydes .C
Of alle maner of men  þe mene and þe riche .
To marie þis mayde  was many man ensembledT .
As of kniȝtes and of clerkes  and other comoune poeple .
As sysoures and sompnoures  scheryues and {.}here clerke[s]
Bedeles and bayliues  and brokoures of chafare .
Forgoeres and vitayleres  and vocates of þe arches  
I can nouȝt rekene þe route  þat ran a-boute mede .
Ac symonye and cyuile  and sysoures of courtes .
Were moste priue with mede  of any men þouȝte .T
Ac fauel was þe furste  þat fette hire oute of boure .
And as a brokoure brouȝt hire  to be with fals enioyned .
Whanne symonye and cyuile  seiȝ here bethereT wille .
AndT assented for seluer  to seggenT as bothe wolde .
Þanne leup lyere forth  and seyde lo here a chartre .
fol. 1vfol. 1v
[Þ]at gyle with his grete othes  gaf hem to-gyderes .
[A]nd preyede cyuile to se  and symony to rede it  .
[¶ Þ]anne symony and cyuile  stondethT forth bothe .
[A]nd vnfoldeth þe feffement  þat fals hath y-maked .
[A]nd þus bygyneth þis gomes  atT greden ful hiȝe  .
[S]ciant presentesT &cetera .
[¶ W]yteth and witnesseth  þat wonyeth vppon þis eerthe .
[Þ]at mede is I-maried  more for hire godes .
[Þ]an for any vertu or fairenesse  or any fre kende .
[F]alsenesse is fayne of hire  for he wote hire riche .
[A]nd fauel with his fikel speche  feffeth by þis chartre .
[T]o be princes in pruyde  and pouerte to despise  .
[T]o bagbiten and to bosten  and bere fals witnesse .
[T]o scorne and to scolde  and s{.}clander to make .
[B]old and vnbuxumT  to breke þe ten hestes .
[¶ A]nd þe eerldam of enuye  and wrathe to-gyderes .
[Wi]th þe chastelett of gestesT  and chaterynge out of tyme .T
[Þe] contee of coueytise  and alle þe costes aboute .
[Þa]t is vsure and auarice  alle I hem graunte  .
[In] bargeynes and in brokages  with alle þe borghe of thefte .
[¶ An]d alle þe lordeschippe of lecherie  in lenthe and in brede .
[As] in werkes and in wordes  and waytynges with eiȝes .
[In] wedyngesT and in wischynges  and with ydel þouȝtes .
[Þe]re as wille wolde  and werkmanschipe fayleth  .
[¶ Gl]otonye he gaf hem eeke  and grete othes to-gydere .
[An]d alle day to drynke  at dyuerse tauernes  .
[An]d þere to iangle and to iape  and iuge here euencristene .
[An]d withT fastyng-dawes to frete  ar ful tyme were .
[An]d þan to sitten and soupen  til slepe hem assaile .
[An]d bredun as aT burgh swyne  and bedden hym esely .
[Til] slewth and slepe  slyken his sydes .
fol. 2rfol. 2r
And þanne wanhope to a-wake hym so  with no wille t[o amende]
For he leueth be yloste  þis is hisT laste ende .
And þei to haue and to holde  and here heyres after .
A dwellynge with þe deuel  and dampned be foLX euere  .
With alle þe {.}purtenaunces of purgatorie  in-to þe pyne of hel[le]
Ȝelding for þis thinge  at one ȝeres ende .
Here soules to sathan  andT suffre with hym peynes .
And with hym to wonyen in wo  while god is in heuene .
In wytnesse of þisT þing  wronge was þe furste .
And peres þe pardonere  of paulynes doctrine .
Bette þe bedel of bokyngham-schire .
Reynald þe reue  of rokelond sokene .
Munde þe mellere  and many mo othere .
In date of þe deuel  þis dede I asele .
By siȝt of sire symonye  atT cyueyles leue  .
Þenne tenethT hym teologye  whan he þis tale yherde .
And seyde to cyuile  now sorwe mote þow haue .
Swiche weddynges to wurche  to wrathe with trewth[e]
And ar þis weddyng be y-wroȝt  wo the be-tyde .
For mede is moylere  of amendes engendreth .T
And god granteth to gyue  mede to trewthe .
And þow hast gyue hire to a gyloure  now god gyue þe [sorwe]
Þe tixit / tixt telleth þe nouȝt so  trewthe wote þe sothe .
For dignus est operarius  hys huyre to haue .
And þow hast fast hire to fals  fy on þi lawe .
For alle by lesynges þow lyuest  and lechores werkes
Symonye and þi-selue  schenden holy cherche .
Þe notaries and ȝee  nuyȝetT þe poeple .
Ȝe schulle a-byggen it bothe  by god þat me made .
Wel ȝe wyten wernardes  but if ȝoure witt fayle .
Þat fals is faithles  and falsT in his werkes .
fol. 2vfol. 2v
And asT a bastarde ybore  of belsabubbes kynne .
And mede is moylere  a mayden of goode .
And miȝte kysse þe kyng  for cosyn and heLX wolde .
[] For-thi wercheth by wysdom  and by witt al-so .
And ledeth hire to londoun  þere lawe is yschewed .
If any lawe wil loke  þei ligge to-gyderes .
[] And þouȝ iustices iuge hire  to be ioyned with fals .
[Ȝ]ut beth war of þeT weddynge  for witty is trewthe .
And consience is of his conseyle  and knoweth ȝow echeone .
And if he fynde ȝow in defaute  and with þe fals holde  .
[I]t schal be-sitte ȝoure soules  ful soure atte laste .
[¶ H]ereto assenteth cyuile  ac symonye ne wolde  .
[T]il he hadde siluer for thisT seruise  and al-so þe notaries .
[¶ Þ]anne fette fauel forth  floreyns ynowe .
[A]nd bad gyle to gyue  gold al aboute .
[A]nd nameliche to þe notaries  þat hem non ne fayle .
[An]d feffe fals witnesse  with floreyns ynowe  .
[Fo]r heT may mede a-maystrie  and maken at my wille .
[¶ Þo] þis gold was Igyue  grete was þe thonkynge .
[To] fals and to fauel  for here faire ȝiftes  .
[An]d comen to conforte  fram care þe fals .
[An]d seyden certes sire  sese schul we neuere .
[Til] mede be þi wedded wyf  þorȝ wittes of vs alle .
[For] we haue mede amaysterud  thorȝT oure merie speche .
[Þa]t heo graunteth gooT  with a good wille .
[To] londoun to loke  if þatT lawe walde iuge .T
[Ȝo]w ioyntly  in ioye for euere .
[¶ Þa]nne was falsenesse fayne  and fauel as blythe .
[An]d leten sompne alle þeT segges  in schires aboute .
[And] bad hem alle be bown  beggeres and otheres .T
fol. 3rfol. 3r
To wenden with hymT to westmenstre  to witnesse þeT dede .
Ac þanne cared þei for caplus  to cayren hem þidur .
And fauel fette forth þenne  folus Inowe .
And sette mede vppeT a schyriue  I-schoud alle newe .C
And fals satt on a sysoure  þat softlyche trotted .
And fauel on a flaterere  fetysliche atyred .
Þo hauedT notaries none  anuyed þei were .
For symonye and cyuile  schulden on here feet gange .
Ac þanne swore symonie  and cyuile bothe .
Þat sompnoures schulde be sadeled  and serue hem vchone .
And lat apparayle þeT prouisoures  in palfreyes wyse .
Syre symonie hym-selue  schal sitten vppon here bakke[s]
Denes and southdenes  drawe ȝow to-gyderes .
Erchedeknes and deknesT  officiales and alle ȝoure regestreres
Lat sadle hem with siluer  oure synne to suffre .
As deuoutrieT and deuoses  and derne vsure .
To bere byschoppes aboute  a-brode in visitynge .
Paulines priues  for pleyntes in þe consistorye
Schule serue my-selue  þat cyuile is nempned .
And carte-sadele þe comyssary  oure carte schal he lede
And fecche vs vitailes  at fornicatores .
And makeþ of lyare a lange karte  to leden alle þes oth[ere]
As fobberesT and faytoures  þat on here feet rennen .
And þus fals and fauel  fareth forth to-gyderes .
And mede in þe myddes  and alle þese men after .
I haue no tome to telle  þe taile þat hem folweth .
Of many maner man  þat on þis molde libbeth .
Ac gyle was forgoere  and gyede hem alle  .
fol. 3vfol. 3v
Sothnesse seiȝ hem wel  and seyde bute a litel .
And prikede his palefrey  and passed hem alle .
And com to þe kynges courte  and consience it tolde .
And consience to þe kynge  carpud it after .
[] Now by crist quod þe kynge  and I cacche miȝte .
Fals other fauel  otherT any of his feres  .
I wolde be wroke of þoo wrecches  þat wurcheth so ille  .
And do hem hange by þe hals  and alle þat hem maynteneth  .
Schal neuere man of molde  meyntprise þe leste .
But riȝt as þe lawe wil loke  lat falle on hem alle  .
[¶ A]nd comanded a constable  þat com atte þe furste .
[G]ooT atache þo tirantes  for eny thyng I hote  .
[A]nd fetreth fast falsnesse  for eny kynnes ȝiftes .
[A]nd gerdeth of gyles heued  and lete hym goo no furthere .
[A]nd ȝif ȝe lacchethT lyere  lat hym nouȝt asckapen .
[A]r he be put on þe pillerie  for eny preyere I hote .
[A]nd brengeth mede to me  maugre hem alle .
[¶ D]rede atte dore stode  and þe dome herde .
[A]nd how þe kynge demedeT  constables and seriantz .
[F]alsnesse and his felaschipe  to fetturen and to bynden .
[Þa]nne drede wente wiȝtlyche  and warnede þe fals .
[An]d bad hym flee for fere  and his felawes alle  .
[¶ Fa]lsenesse for fere þanne  fleiȝtT to þe freres .
[An]d gyle doth hym to go  agast for to deye .
[Ac] marchantz mette with hym  and made hym abyde  .
[An]d by-schetten hym in here schoppe  to schewen here ware .
[An]d apparayled hym as a prentise  þe poeple to serue .
[¶ Liȝ]tliche lyere  leep awey þenne 
[Lur]kynge þorȝ lanes  to-lugged of many .
[He] was nawere welcome . for his many tales .
[Ou]er al I-howted  and I-hote trusse .
fol. 4rfol. 4r
Til pardoneres haued pite  and pulled hym into house .
Þei weschen hym and wyped hym  and wonden hym in cloth[es]T
And sent hym with seales  on sonedayes to cherches .
And gaf pardon fore pans  pound-mel aboute .
Þanne lowrede leches  and lettres þei sente .
Þat he schulde wonye with hem  watres to loke .
Spiceres speken toT hym  to spien here ware .
For he couthe onT here craft  and knew many gummes .
Ac minestrales and mesageres  metten with hym ones .
And helden hym half aT ȝere  and elleuene dayes .
Freres with fayre speche  Fetten hym þennes .
And for knowyng of comeres  coped hym as a frere .
Ac he hath leue to lepe out  as ofte as hym liketh .
And is welcome whan he wille  and wonyeth with hem o[fte]
Alle fledden for fere  and flowen into hyrnes .
Saue mede þe mayde  no manT durste abyde .
Ac trewly to telle  heo tremeled for fere .
And al-soT wepte and wrongheo wasT a-thachud  .
John naylleC
Robart Bente you shalbe with vs at
Budworthe and there to Testyfy
youre knowlegh in a materC
M M Butte   N N
Nell           XXXCX
God from SamC
T     omthC