C

PASSUS IV.

Passus quartus de visione, vt supra.

ESSETH,' seith þe kynge I suffre 30w no lengere

Je shal sauztne for sothe and serue me bothe.

Kisse hir,' quod þe kynge · conscience, I hote.'

'Nay, bi criste,' quod conscience. congeye me for euer But resoun rede me þer-to · rather wil I deye!'

'And I comaunde pe,' quod pe Kynge to conscience þann Rape pe to ride · and resoun þow fecche; Comaunde hym þat he come my conseille to here. For he shal reule my rewme and rede me þe beste, And acounte with þe, conscience so me cryst helpe, How pow lernest þe peple pe lered and pe lewede.'

'I am fayne of þat forwarde' · seyde þe freke þanne, And ritt rizte to resoun· and rowneth in his ere, And seide as pe kynge badde· and sithen toke his leue. 'I shal arraye me to ride,' quod resoun

while '

And called catoun his knaue · curteise of speche,
And also tomme trewe-tonge-tell-me-no-tales-

Ne-lesyng-to-lawze-of- for-I-loued-hem-neuere

'reste þe

And sette my sadel vppon suffre- til-I-se-my-tyme, And lete warrok it wel with witty-wordes gerthes,

And hange on hym þe heuy brydel to holde his hed lowe, For he wil make wehe tweye er he be there.'

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nd resoun with hymrit

rownynge togideres, along

Whiche maistries Mede maketh on pis erthe.

One waryn wisdom And witty his fere

olwed hem faste · for þei haued to done

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pe cheker and at pe chauncerie to be discharged of pinges;

And riden fast, for resoun· shulde rede hem þe beste,

relieved

For to saue hem, for siluer · fro shame and fram harmes. 30
And conscience knewe hem wel þei loued coueitise,

And bad resoun ride faste · and recche of her noither,
Pere aren wiles in here wordes and with Mede pei dwelleth;
There as wratthe and wranglyng is þere wynne pei siluer;
Ac pere is loue and lewte pei wil nouzte come þere;
Contricio & infelicitas in vijs eorum, &c.

Dei ne gyueth nouzte of god one gose wynge,

Non est timor dei ante oculos eorum.

For, wot god, þei wolde do more for a dozeine chickenes,
Or as many capones or for a seem of otes,

Pan for loue of owre lorde

For-pi, resoun, lete hem ride

For conscience knoweth hem

or alle hise leue seyntes.

po riche, bi hem-seluen,

nouzte ne cryst, as I trowe.'

And panne resoun rode faste pe rizte heize gate,

As conscience hym kenned til þei come to pe kynge.
Curteisliche þe kynge þanne · come azein resoun,

35

And bitwene hym-self and his sone sette hym on benche, 45
And wordeden wel wyseli⚫ a gret while togideres.

And panne come pees in-to parlement and put forth a
bille,

How wronge azeines his wille · had his wyf taken.

'Bothe my gees & my grys his gadelynges feccheth ;

I dar nouzte for fere of hym fyzte ne chyde.

He borwed of me bayard he brouzte hym home neure.

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Ne no ferthynge per-fore for nauzte I couthe plede.

Forstalleth my feyres and fizteth in my chepynge,
And breketh vp my bernes dore

in site

and bereth aweye r

whete,

And taketh me but a taile

And yet he bet me per-to

I nam nouzte hardy for hym⚫ vneth to loke.'
The kynge knewe he seide sothe for conscience hy
tolde,

Pat wronge was a wikked luft · and wrouzte moche sorwe.
Wronge was afered þanne · and wisdome he souzte

To make pees with his pens and profered hym manye,
And seide, ‘had I loue of my lorde pe kynge · litel wolde
recche,

Theize pees and his powere⚫ pleyned hym eure !'
Po wan wisdome • and sire waryn þe witty,
For þat wronge had ywrouzte so wikked a dede,
And warned wronge po with such a wyse tale;
'Who-so worcheth bi wille · wratthe maketh ofte;
I seye it bi pi-self þow shalt it wel fynde.

But if Mede it make pi myschief is vppe,

For bothe pi lyf and þi londe lyth in his grace.'
Thanne wowed wronge· wisdome ful zerne,

To make his pees with his pens · handi-dandi payed.
Wisdome and witte panne
And toke Mede myd hem

wenten togideres,

mercy to winne.
and his panne blody;
it wote gat I þis skape,

Pees put forp his hed
'Wyth-outen gilte, god
Conscience and þe comune

Ac wisdom and witt

knowen pe sothe.'

were about faste

8

pe kynge swore, bi crist and bi his crowne bothe,

yrens,

it wronge for his werkis sholde wo polye, u, nd comaunded a constable to casten hym in And late hym nouzte pis seuene zere seen his feet ones.' 'God wot,' quod wysdom 'pat were nauzte be beste; nd he amendes mowe make late meynprise hym haue; nd be borwgh for his bale and biggen hym bote,

85

nd so amende þat is mysdo⚫ and euermore pe bettere.' 90 Witt acorded þer-with and seide þe same:

Bettere is þat bote · bale adoun brynge,

lan bale be ybette & bote neuere þe bettere.'

And þanne gan Mede to mengen here and mercy she bisought,

And profred pees a present al of pure golde:

prayed to be kynge

Haue pis, man, of me,' quod she 'to amende pi skape,
For I wil wage for wronge he wil do so namore.'
Pitously pees panne
To haue mercy on þat
For he hath waged me wel
And I forgyue hym þat gilte

man

95

So þat þe kynge assent; I can seye no bettere;

For Mede hath made me amendes I may namore axe.'

'Nay,' quod pe Kynge poso me cryst helpe!

Wronge wendeth nouzte so awaye arst wil I wite more; 105 For loupe he so liztly laughen he wolde,

And efte þe balder be⚫ to bete myne hewen;

But resoun haue reuthe on hym he shal rest in my stokkes,
And þat as longe as he lyueth
Somme men redde Resoun po
schrewe,

And for to conseille pe kynge and conscience after,
That Mede moste be meynpernour · resoun þei bisouzte.

'Rede me nouzte,' quod resoun

IIO

And haten al harlotrye to heren it, or to mouthen it;

Tyl pernelles purfil be put in here hucche;

And childryn cherissyng · be chastyng with 3erdes ;
And harlotes holynesse · be holden for an hyne; &#
Til clerken coueitise be to clothe þe pore and to fede,
And religious romares recordare in here cloistres,

As seynt Benet hem bad · Bernarde and Fraunceys;
And til prechoures prechyng be preued on hem-seluen ;
Tyl þe kynges conseille be pe comune profyte;

I

I

Here haukes and her houndes helpe to pore Religious; 12
And til seynt Iames be souzte · þere I shal assigne,
That no man go to Galis but if he go for euere ;
And alle Rome-renneres for robberes of byzonde
Bere no siluer ouer see⚫ þat signe of kynge sheweb,
Noyther graue ne vngraue · golde noither siluer,

13

Vppon forfeture of þat fee · who-so fynt hym at Douere,
But if it be marchaunt or his man or messagere with letteres
Prouysoure or prest⚫ or penaunt for his synnes.

And 3et,' quod resoun, 'bi þe Rode. I shal no reuthe haue While Mede hath þe maistrye · in þis moot-halle.

Ac I may shewe ensaumples · as I se other-while; sey it by my-self,' quod he 'and it so were

I

That I were kynge with crowne to kepen a Rewme,
Shulde neuere wronge in þis worlde þat I wite myzte,
Ben vnpunisshed in my powere⚫ for peril of my soule!
Ne gete my grace for giftes so me god saue!

Ne for no Mede haue mercy • but mekenesse it make.
For nullum malum þe man mette with inpunitum,
And badde nullum bonum · be irremuneratum.

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140

Late 30wre confessoure, sire Kynge construe þis vnglosed;

And if ze worken it in werke I wedde myne eres,

зе