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{}CPassus quartus de visione petri plowman . vt supra  .
SessethP seyde þe kyng  I suffre ȝow no lengere .
Ȝe schal sauȝtne for-sothe  and serue me bothe .
Kysse hire quatz þe kyng  consience I hote .
{}[] Nay by crist quatz consience  congeye me for euere .
But reson rede me þere-to  rather wil I deye .
And I comande þe quod þe kyng  to consience þenne  .
Rape þe to ride  and resoun þow fecche .
Comaunde hym þat he come  my conseille to here  .
For he schal reule my reume  and rede me þe beste .T
And acounte with þe consience  so me crist helpe .
How þow lernest þe poeple  lered and lewede .T
{}[] I am fayn of þat forward  seyde þe freke þanne .
And ritt riȝt to resoun  and rounneth in his ere .
And seyde as þe kyng bad  and sithes tok his leue .
I schal araie me to ride quatz resoun  reste þe a while .
And called caton his knaue  curteyse of speche .
And al-so thomme trewe tonge  telle me no tales .
Ne lesyng to lawe of  for I louede hem neuere .
And sette my sadel vppeT suffre  til I se my tyme .
And let warrok it wel  with witti wordes gerthes .
And hange on hym þe heuy bridel  to heldeT his hede lowe
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For he wil make wehe  tweyeT ere he be þere .
C Þanne consience vppon his capel  cayreth forth faste
And resoun with hym rit  rounynge togyderes  .
Whiche maystries on eerth  mede þe mayde makethT
{}[] On waryn wisdome  and witty his fere  .
Folwed hem faste  T haued to done .
In þe chekerT atte þe chauncerie  to be descharged of thinges .
And riden fast for resoun  schulde rede hem þe beste .
For to saue hem fro siluerT  fram schame and fram harmes .
And consience knewe hem wel  þei louede coueytise .
And badT ride faste  and recche of here nother .
Þere arn wiles in here wordes  and with mede þei dwelleth  .
Þere-as wrathe and wranglyng is  þere wynne þei siluer .
{}[] T Þere is loue and lewte  þei wole nouȝte come þere .
Contricio & infelicitas in vijs eorum . &cetera .
Þei ne gyueth nouȝt of god  on gose wynge .
Non est timor dei ante oculos eorum .
For wote god þei wold do more  for a doseyne chikenes .
Or as many capounes  or for a sem of otes .
Þanne for loue of oure lorde  or alle hys leue seyntes .
For-thiT late hem ride  þo riche be hem-selue .
For consience knoweth hem nouȝt  ne crist as I trowe  .
And þanne resoun roed fast  þe riȝt hye gate  .
As consience hym kennede  til þei come to þe kynge .
{}[] Curteiselich þe kynge þanne  come aȝeyne resoun .P
And bytwene hym-self and his sone  sette hym on benche .
And wordeddun wel wyseliche  a grete whyle to-gyderes .
And þanne come pees  in-to parlement  and putte forth a bille .
How wronge aȝeynes his wille  haued his wif taken .
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And how he rauesched rose  raynaldes loue .
And margarete of hire maydenhode  mawgre hire chekes .
Bothe my gees and my gris  his gedelynges feccheth .
I dar nauȝt for fere of hym  fiȝt ne chide .
He borwed of me bayard  and brouȝt itT home neuere .
Ne no ferthyng þere-fore  for nauȝt I couthe plede .
He meynteneth his men  to murther myn heuuesT  .
He forstallethT my feyres  and fiȝteth in my chepynge .
And breketh vppe my bernesdore / bernes dore  and bereth a-wey my whete .
And taketh me but a tayle  for ten quarteres of otes .
And ȝet he bet me þereto  and lyth by my mayde .
I am nauȝt hardy for hym  vnnethe to loke .
Þe kynge knewe he seyde sothe  For consience hym tolde .
Þat wronge was a wikked lusteT  and muche sorwe wrouȝte .T
{}[] Wronge was aferd þanne  and wysdom he souȝte .
To make pees with his pans  and profered hym manye .
And seyde hadde I loue ofT þe kynge  lytel wolde I recche .
Þeiȝ pees and his powere  pleyned hem euere .
Þo wanT wysdom  and sire waryn þe witty .
For þat wronge hadde I-wrouȝte  so wikked a dede .
And warned wronge þo  with swyche a wise tale .
Hoo-so wercheth by wille  wreth maketh ofte .
I sey it by thi-self  þow schalt it wel fynde .
But if mede it make  þi meschief is vppe .C
For bothe þi lif and þi londe  lith in his grace .
{}[] Þanne wowede wronge  wisdom ful ȝerne .
To make his pees with his pans  handi-dandi payed .
Wisdom and wit þanne  wenten to-gyderes
And token mede myde hem  mercy to wynne .
[] Pees putte forth his hed  and his panne blody .
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With-oute gult god it wote  gatt I þis skathe .
Consience and þe commune  knowen þe sothe  .
Ac wisdom and witt  were aboute faste .
To ouercome þe kynge  with catel if þei myȝte .
{}[] Þe kyng swore by crist  and by his crowne bothe .
Þat wronge for his werkes  schuld wo thole .
And comanded a conestable  to casten hym in yrenes .
And lat hym nauȝte þis seuen ȝeere  seen his feet ones .
God wote quatz wisdom  þat were nauȝt þe best .
And he amendes mowe make  lat meynprise hym haue .
And be boruȝ for his bale  and buggen hym bote .
And so amende þat is mysdo  and euere beT þe bettere .
{}[] Witt acorded þere-with  and seyde þe same .
ÞatT bettere is þat bote  bale adoun brynge .
Þanne bale be I-bete  and bote neuere þe bettere .
And þanne gan mede to mekenT hire  and mercy heLX bysouȝte .
And profered pees a present  alle of pure golde .
Haue þis man of me quatz sche  to amende þi scathe .
For I wil wage for wronge  he wil do so na more .
{}[]C Pytousliche pees þanne  preyed to þe kynge .
To haue mercy on þat man  þat mysdede hym so ofte .
For he hath waged me wel  as wisdom hym tauȝte .
And I forgyue hym þat gult  with a goed wille .
So þat þe kyng assente  I can sey no bettere  .
For mede hath made mynT amendes  I may namore axe .
Nay quatz þe kyng þo  so me godT helpe .
Wronge wendeth nauȝt so awey  arst wil I wyte more  .
For loupe he so liȝtly  leyȝhen he wolde .
And efte þe bolder be  to beten myn hewes .
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But reson haue reuthe on hym  he schal rest in my stokkes  .
And þat as longe as he lyueth  but lowenesse hy / hy[m] borwe .
Summe men radde reson þo  to haue reuth on þat schrewe .
And for to consayle þe kyng  and consience after .
Þat mede moste be meynpernoure  reson þei besouȝte .
{}[] Rede me nauȝt quod reson  no reuth to haue  
Til lordes and ladyes  louyen alle treuthe .
And haten alle harlotrie  to heren it or to mouthe it .
Til peronelles purfil  be putte in hire hucche .
And childerne chirissynge  be chastyng with ȝerdes .
And harlotes holynesse  be holden for nauȝte .T
Til clerkene coueytise  be to clothe þe pore and to fede .
And religiouse romares  recordare in here cloystres .
As seynt benet hem bad  bernard and Franceys .
And til prechoures prechynge  be proued on hem-selue .
Til þe kynges conseylle  be þe commune profit
Til bisshopes bayardes  ben beggereT chaumbres .
Here haukes and here houndes  help to pouere religiouses .T
And til seynt Iames be souȝt  þere I schal assygne .
Þat no man go to galys  but if he goo for euere .
And alle rome renneres  for robberes of by-ȝende .
Bere no siluer ouer see  þat signe of kyng scheweth .
Nother graue ne vn-graue  gold nother seluer .
Vppon forfeture of þat fee  ho-so fynt hym at douere .
But if it be marchant or his man  or messagere with lettres .
Prouisoure or preest  or penaunt for his synnes .C
{}[]C And ȝet quod resoun be þe rode  I schal no reuthe haue .
While mede hath þe maystrie  in þis moot halle .
Ac I may schewe ensaumples  as I se othere otherwhile / otherwhile .
I sey it be my-selue quod he  and it so were .
Þat I were kyng with crowne  to kepen a rewme .
Schuld neuere wrong in þis world  þat I witt miȝte 
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Ben vnpunesched in my powere  for peril of my soule .
Ne gete my grace þoruȝT gyftes  so me god saue .
Ne for no mede haue mercy  but mekenesse it made .
{}[] For nullum malum þe man  mette with inpunitum .
And bad nullum bonum  be irremuneratum .
Lat ȝoure confessoure sire kyng  construe þis vn-glosed .
And ȝif ȝe werkyn it in werke  I wedde myn eres  .
Þat lawe schal ben a laborere  and lede afelde donge .C
And loue schal lede þi londe  as þe leef lyketh .
{}[] Clerkes þat were confessores  couplede hem to-gyderes .
Alle to construe þis clause  and for þe kynges profit .
Ac nauȝt for conforte of þe commune  ne for þe kynges soule .
For I seyȝ mede in þe moot halle  on men of lawe wynken  .
And þei lawhynge lope to hire  and left reson manye .
{}[] Waryn wysdom  wynkede vppon mede  .
And seyde madame I am ȝoure man what-so my mouth iangle .
I falle in floreyns quod þeT freke  and faile speche ofte .
Alle riȝtful recordede  þat resounP trewthe tolde .
And witt acordede þere-with  and comended his wordes .
And þe most poeple in þisT halle  and many of þe grete .
And leten mekenesse a maystere  and mede a mansed schrewe .
{}[] Loue loue / Loue lett of hire lyȝte  and leute welT lasse .
And seyde it so hye  þat alle þe halle it herde .
Ho-so wilneth hire to wyue  for welth of hire godes .
But he be knowe for a kokewolde  bitteT of my nose .
Mede morned þo  and made heuy chere .
For þe most commune of þat courte  called hire an hore .
Ac a sysoure and a sompnoure  sued hire faste .
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And a schirreuesclerke / schirreues clerke  by-schrewed alle þe route .
For ofte haue I quod he  I-hulpe ȝow atte barre .
And ȝet ȝeue ȝe me neuere  þe worth of a rusche .
Þe kyng called consience  and afterwardes resoun  .
And recordede þat resoun  hadde riȝtfulliche yschewed .
And modiliche vppon mede miȝteþat kyng loke .T
And gan wax wroth with lawe  for mede almost had schent it  .
{}[] And seyde þurȝ ȝoure lawe as I leue  I lese many chetes .
Mede ouer-maystrieth lawe  and muche treuthe letteth .
Ac resoun schal rekne with ȝow  ȝif I regne any while .
And deme ȝow be þis daye  as ȝe haue deseruede  .
Mede schal nouȝt meynprise ȝow  be þe marie of heuene .
I wil haue lewte in lawe  and let be al ȝoure iangelynge .
And as alleT folke witnesseth  wronge schal be ydemed .
quatz consience to þe kynge  but þe commune wil assente .
It is ful hard be my hed  herto to brynge it .
Alle ȝoureT leedes  to lede þus euene .
{}[] By hym þat rauȝte on þe rode  quod resoun to þe kynge .
But if I rewle þus ȝoure rewme  rend oute my guttes  .
If ȝe bydden buxumnesse  be of myn assente .
And I assente quatzT þe kyng  by seint marie my lady .
Be my conseille I-come  of clerkes and of erles .
{}[] Ac redily resoun  þow schalte nouȝt ride fro me .CC
For as longe as I lyue  leet þe Inelle / I nelle .
I am aredy quod resoun  to rest with ȝow euere .
So consience be of oure conseil  I kepe no bettere .
And I graunt quod þe kyng  godesforbode / godes forbode heT faile .
As longe as oure lif lastT  leue we to-gyderes .
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