And pleyde wip hem perilouslych⚫ and possed hem abo
'For doute of dyuerse dredes we dar nouzte wel loke;
And if we grucche of his gamen he wil greue vs alle,
Cracche vs, or clowe vs and in his cloches holde,
That vs lotheth þe lyf

or he lete vs passe.

We myzte be lordes aloft and lyuen at owre ese.'

A raton of renon · most renable of tonge, ' Seide for a souereygne · help to hym-selue ;

'I haue ysein segges,' quod he 'in þe cité of london

Beren bizes ful brizte · abouten here nekkes,

And some colers of crafty werk; vncoupled pei wenden
Bope in wareine & in waste where hem leue lyketh; i
And otherwhile þei aren elles-where • as I here telle.
Were pere a belle on here beiz bi Iesu, as me thynketh,
Men myzte wite where þei went · and awei renne!
And rizt so,' quod þat ratoun · 'reson me sheweth,
To bugge a belle of brasse or of brizte syluer,

And knitten on a colere · for owre comune profit,

And hangen it vp-on þe cattes hals þanne here we mow Where he ritt or rest or renneth to playe.

And if him wrattheth, be ywar and his weye shònye.' Alle þis route of ratones to pis reson þei assented. Ac po pe belle was ybouzt · and on þe beize hanged,

Pere ne was ratoun in alle þe route for alle pe rewme Fraunce,

Pat dorst haue ybounden þe belle aboute pe cattis nekke Ne hangen it aboute pe cattes hals al Engelonde to wynn And helden hem vnhardy and here conseille feble,

troke forth sternly and stode biforn hem alle,

nd to pe route of ratones reherced pese wordes;

Thouz we culled pe catte zut sholde per come another, 185 o cracchy vs and al owre kynde pouz we crope vnder benches.

for-pi I conseille alle pe comune to lat pe catte wörthe,

ind be we neuer so bolde pe belle hym to shewe;

for I herde my sire seyn is seuene zere ypassed, lere pe catte is a kitoun · pe courte is ful elyng; Dat witnisseth holiwrite who-so wil it rede,

Ve terre vbi puer rex est, &c.

For may no renke þere rest haue · for ratones bi nyzte;

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pe while he cacchep conynges he coueiteth nouzt owre

caroyne,

But fet hym al with venesoun⚫ defame we hym neuere.

For many mannus malt · we mys wolde destruye,
And also ze route of ratones rende mennes clothes,

Nere pat cat of þat courte · þat can 30w ouerlepe;

For had ze rattes 30wre wille 3e couthe nouzt reule 30wre

selue.

I

sey for me,' quod pe mous

'I se so mykel after,

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Shal neuer þe cat ne þe kitouż bi my conseille be greued, Ne carpyng of þis coler þat costed me neure.

And pouz it had coste me catel biknowen it I nolde,

But suffre as hym-self wolde to do as hym liketh,

Coupled & vncoupled to cacche what thei mowe.

For-pi vche a wise wizte I warne wite wel his owne.'

What pis meteles bemeneth · ze men þat be merye,

Deuine 3e, for I ne dar · bi dere god in heuene!

3it houed pere an hondreth in houues of selke, Seriauntz it semed· þat serueden atte barre,

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Plededen for penyes and poundes pe lawe,

And nouzt for loue of owre lorde · vnlese here lippes onis. Pow myztest better mete pe myste⚫ on maluerne hulles, Pan gete a momme of here mouthe

shewed.

but money were

Barones an burgeis⚫ and bonde-men als
I seiz in pis assemble, as ze shul here after.
Baxsteres & brewesteres and bocheres manye,
Wollewebsteres and weueres of lynnen,

Taillours and tynkeres & tolleres in marketes,
Masons and mynours and many other craftes.
Of alkin libbyng laboreres lopen forth somme,
As dykers & delueres · þat doth here dedes ille,

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And dryuen forth þe longe day with 'Dieu vous saue, Dame Emme!'

Cokes and here knaues crieden, 'hote pies, hote!

Gode gris and gees gowe dyne, gowe!'

Tauerners vn-til hem tolde pe same,

'White wyn of Oseye and red wyn of Gascoigne,

Of þe Ryne and of þe Rochel • pe roste to defye.'— l

Al pis seiz I slepyng and seuene sythes more.

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PASSUS I.

Passus Primus de visione.

WHAT this montaigne bymeneth and pe merke dale,

WHAT

And þe felde ful of folke · I shal 30w faire schewe. mukap ut

A loueli ladi of lere in lynnen yclothed,

Come down fram a castel⚫ and called me faire,

And seide, Sone, slepestow sestow pis poeple,
How bisi þei ben · abouten pe mase?

Pe moste partie of þis poeple · þat passeth on pis erthe,
Haue þei worschip in þis worlde⚫ þei wilne no better;

Of other heuene þan here · holde pei no tale.'

I was aferd of her face peiz she faire were, And seide, 'mercy, Madame what is þis to mene?' 'pe toure vp þe toft,' quod she 'treuthe is pere-Inne,

And wolde þat ze wrouzte as his worde techeth;

For he is fader of feith fourmed 30w alle,

Bothe with fel and with face and 3af 30w fyue wittis

5

unt

IO

Forto worschip hym per-with pe while pat ze ben here.

And perfore he hyzte pe erthe · to help 30w vchone

Of wollen, of lynnen · of lyflode at nede,

In mesurable manere to make 30w at ese;

And comaunded of his

15

curteisye in comune pree pinges; and nempne hem I thinke, And rekne hem bi resoun⚫ reherce pow hem after.

Arne none nedful but po

That one is vesture from chele pe to saue, cid
And mete atte mele for myseise of þi-selue,

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And drynke whan pow dryest ac do nouzt out of resoun, That bow worth þe werse whan þow worche shuldest.

For-pi drede delitable drynke · and pow shalt do þe bettere Mesure is medcyne pouz pow moche zerne.

It is nauzt al gode to be goste · þat þe gutte axeþ,
Ne liflode to pi likam · þat leef is to þi sõule.
Leue not pi likam⚫ for a lyer him techeth,
wolde pe bitraye.

That is pe wrecched worlde

For pe fende and þi flesch · folweth þe to-gidere,

This and pat sueth þi sõule and seith it in pin herte;
And for pow sholdest ben ywar. I wisse pe pe beste.'

'Madame, mercy,' quod I'me liketh wel 30wre wordes, Ac pe moneye of þis molde⚫ þat men so faste holdeth, Telle me to whom, Madame pat tresore appendeth?'

'Go to pe gospel,' quod she 'pat god seide hym-seluen, Tho pe poeple hym apposed · wip a peny in þe temple, Whether pei shulde per-with worschip þe kyng Sesar. And god axed of hem of whome spake pe lettre, And þe ymage ilyke · þat þere-inne stondeth? "Cesaris," pei seide we sen hym wel vchone." "Reddite cesari," quod god "pat cesari bifalleth. Et que sunt dei, deo or elles ze done ille."

For riztful reson⚫ shulde rewle 3ow alle,

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And tutour of 3oure tresore and take it 30w at nede;
For housbonderye & hij · holden togideres.'

Panne I frained hir faire for hym þat hir made,

'That dongeoun in þe dale • þat dredful is of sizte, What may it be to mene • ma-dame, I 30w biseche?'

'pat is pe castel of care who so cometh perinne May banne þat he borne was to body or to soule.

Perinne wonieth a wizte þat wronge is yhote,

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