PASSUS II.

Passus secundus de visione, vt supra.

ET I courbed on my knees and cryed hir of grace,

YET

And seide, 'mercy, Madame for Marie loue of heuene, That bar þat blisful barne · þat bouzte vs on þe Rode, Kenne me bi somme crafte⚫ to knowe þe fals.'

'Loke vppon þi left half · and lo where he standeth, Bothe fals and fauel and here feres manye!'

I loked on my left half as þe lady me taughte, And was war of a womman⚫ wortheli yclothed, Purfiled with pelure þe finest vpon erthe,

Y-crounede with a corone · þe kyng hath non better.
Fetislich hir fyngres were fretted with golde wyre,
And pere-on red rubyes as red as any glede,

And diamantz of derrest pris and double manere safferes,
Orientales and ewages enuenymes to destroye.

Hire robe was ful riche⚫ of red scarlet engreyned, With ribanes of red golde·

Hire arraye me rauysshed

and of riche stones;

suche ricchesse saw I neuere ;

I had wondre what she was and whas wyf she were.

ΙΟ

15

'What is his womman,' quod I'so worthily atired?' 'That is Mede pe Mayde, quod she hath noyed me ful

oft,

And ylakked my lemman þat lewte is hoten,

And bilowen hire to lordes pat lawes han to kepe.

be popis paleys she is pryue as my-self,

20

t sothenesse wolde nouzt so for she is a bastarde.

25

For fals was hire fader þat hath a fykel tonge,
d neuere sothe seide. · sithen he come to erthe.
And Mede is manered after hym· rizte as kynde axeth;
Qualis fater, talis filius; bona arbor bonum fructum
facit.

uzte ben herre pan she I cam of a better.

Mi fader pe grete god is and grounde of alle graces,
god with-oute gynnynge · & I his gode douzter,
id hath zoue me mercy to marye with my-self;
id what man be merciful and lelly me loue,

hal be my lorde and I his leef · in þe heize heuene.
And what man taketh Mede · myne hed dar I legge,
hat he shal lese for hir loue a lappe of caritatis.

ow construeth dauid þe kynge of men þat taketh Mede, ad men of þis molde · þat meynteneth treuthe,

ad how ze shal saue 30w-self þe Sauter bereth witnesse, Domine, quis habitabit in tabernaculo tuo, &c.

And now worth þis Mede ymaried

schrewe,

o one fals fikel-tonge · a fendes bizete;

30

35

al to a mansed Ce

auel porw his faire speche hath pis folke enchaunted,
nd al is lyeres ledyng þat she is pus ywedded.
To-morwe worth ymade pe maydenes bruydale,
nd þere mizte pow wite, if pow wolt which þei ben alle.
hat longeth to þat lordeship pe lasse and þe more.
nowe hem þere if pow canst and kepe pi tonge,
ad lakke hem nouzt, but lat hem worth

40

45

til lewte be iustice, nd haue powere to punyschen hem; þanne put forth pi

resoun.

Now I bikenne pe criste,' quod she ⚫ and his clene moder, nd lat no conscience acombre þe for coueitise of Mede.' 50 Thus left me pat lady · liggyng aslepe,

C

And how Mede was ymaried · in meteles me pouzte;
Þat alle þe riche retenauns · þat regneth with þe false
Were boden to be bridale · on bothe two sydes,

Of alle maner of men · þe mene and þe riche.
To marie pis maydene was many man assembled,
As of kniztes and of clerkis · and other comune poeple,
As sysours and sompnours · Shireues and here clerkeş,
Bedelles and Bailliues · and brokoures of chaffare,

Forgoeres and vitaillers · and vokates of þe arches ;
I can nouzt rekene þe route · þat ran aboute mede.

Ac Symonye and cyuile and sisoures of courtes
Were moste pryue with Mede⚫ of any men, me þouzte.
Ac fauel was þe first · þat fette hire out of boure,

And as a brokour brouzte hir· to be with fals enioigned.
Whan Symonye and cyuile seiz here beire wille,
Thei assented for siluer · to sei as bothe wolde.
Thanne lepe lyer forth, and seidelo here! a chartre,
That gyle with his gret othes gaf hem togidere,'
And preide cyuile to se · and symonye to rede it.
Thanne Symonye and cyuile · stonden forth bothe,`
And vnfoldeth þe feffement · þat fals hath ymaked,
And pus bigynneth þes gomes to greden ful heiz
Sciant presentes & futuri, &c.

Witeth and witnesseth⚫ þat wonieth vpon þis erthe,
Pat Mede is y-maried · more for here goodis,
Pan for ani vertue or fairenesse or any free kyndę.
Falsenesse is faine of hire · for he wote hire riche;
And fauel with his fikel speche · feffeth bi þis chartre
To be prynces in pryde and pouerte to dispise,

To bakbite, and to bosten and bere fals witnesse,
To scorne and to scolde⚫ and sclaundere to make,
Vnboxome and bolde to breke pe ten hestes;-

And pe Erldome of enuye and Wratthe togideres,

Strife

pe chastelet of chest and chateryng-oute-of-resoun, counte of coueitise and alle pe costes aboute,

That is, vsure and auarice alle I hem graunte,

bargaines and in brokages with al þe borghe of theft.'

'Glotonye he gaf hem eke · and grete othes togydere, nd alday to drynke · at dyuerse tauernes,

85

there to iangle and to iape· and iugge here euenecristene,

ad in fastyng-dayes to frete ar ful tyme were.

panne to sitten and soupen til slepe hem assaille;

sleuth and slepe · slyken his sides;

95

sip

nd panne wanhope to awake hym so with no wille to amende,

Despur

And pei to haue and to holde and here eyres after, wellyng with pe deuel and dampned be for eure,

100

al þe purtenaunces of purgatorie in-to pe pyne of helle. yng for pis pinge at one 3eres ende,

re soules to Sathan to suffre with hym peynes,

i with him to wonye with wo whil god is in heuene.'

105

In witnesse of which þing wronge was be first, re

Ed Pieres pe pardonere of paulynes doctrine, te pe bedel of Bokyngham-shire,

nalde pe Reue · of Rotland sokene, Ende pe Mellere · and many moo other. pe date of pe deuil is dede I assele,

iste of Sire Simonye· and cyuyles leue.'

Penne tened hym theologye whan he pis tale herde,
Ll seide to cyuile now sorwe mot þow haue,

6

ch weddynges to worche to wratthe with treuthe; dar þis weddyng be wrouzte wo pe bityde!

110

115

For Mede is moylere⚫ of amendes engendred, fuis And god graunteth to gyf· Mede to treuthe,

And how hast gyuen hire to a gyloure now god gyf

sorwe !

Thi tixt telleth þe nouzt so treuthe wote pe sothe,
For dignus est operarius • his hyre to haue,

And pow hast fest hire to fals⚫ fy on þi lawe!

Symonye and pi-self

For al by lesynges pow lyuest and lecherouse werkes,
schenden holicherche,
noyeth pe peple,

Pe notaries and zee

3e shul abiggen it bothe⚫ bi god þat me made!
Wel ze witen, wernardes · but if 30wre witte faille,
That fals is faithlees and fikel in his werkes,

And was a bastarde y-bore · of belsabubbes kynne.
And Mede is moylere a mayden of gode,

And myzte kisse þe kynge for cosyn, an she wolde.
For-pi worcheth bi wisdome and bi witt also,

And ledeth hire to londoun · pere lawe is yshewed,
If any lawe wil loke pei ligge togederes.

And pouz Iustices iugge hir to be ioigned with fals,
3et beth war of weddyng for witty is truthe,

vchon

And if he fynde 30w in defaute and with pe fals holde,

It shal bisitte 30wre soules ful soure atte laste!'

Here-to assenteth cyuile ac symonye ne wolde,
Tyl he had siluer for his seruise · and also þe notaries.
Thanne fette fauel forth floreynes ynowe,

And namelich to pe notaries þat hem none ne faille,
And feffe false-witnes with floreines ynowe;

For he may mede amaistrye and maken at my wille.'

Tho pis golde was gyue grete was pe ponkynge

To fals and to fauel⚫ for her faire ziftes,

I