Þer as he hevened azt happez, and hygt hem her

medez.

24

Me mynez on one amonge oper, as Mabew recordez,
Þat þus of clannesse unclosez a ful cler speche:
Þe hapel clene of his hert hapenez ful fayre,

For he schal loke on oure Lorde wyth a bone chere;

28

As so saytz, to þat sygt seche schal he never
Þat any unclannesse hatz on, auwhere abowte;
For he þat flemus uch fylþe fer fro his hert
May not byde pat bur[n]e þat hit his body nezen.
Forby hy3 not to heven in haterez totorne,
Ne in þe harlatez hod and handez unwaschen.
For what urply hapel þat hyz honor haldez
Wolde lyke if a ladde com lyþerly attyred,
When he were sette solempnely in a sete ryche,
Abof dukez on dece, wyth dayntys served-
Þen þe harlot wyth haste helded to be table
Wyth rent cokrez at þe kne, and his clutte traschez,
And his tabarde totorne, and his totez oute,
Oþer ani on of alle þyse, he schulde be halden utter,
With mony blame, ful bygge a boffet, peraunter,
Hurled to be halle-dore and harde peroute schowved,
And be forboden þat borze to bowe þider never,
On payne of enprysonment and puttyng in stokkez;
And þus schal he be schent for his schrowde feble,
Þaz never in talle ne in tuch he trespas more.
And if unwelcum he were to a wor[d]lych prynce,

32

36

[61b]

40

44

48

26 clannesse, the scribe has corrected the first s from 3.- 28 MS., M. bone; Sch, ?lovly.-30 M. anwhere (MS. might be either n or u; M. note aywhere(?); Fi. awhere, B. anwhere: abowte, the last three letters are blurred and barely legible, like the last few letters of most of ll. 26-36.—32 M. burne; M.2 is mistaken in noting that MS. looks like burre, since the fourth letter resembles rather the top of a y.. 34 MS. harlate3, though second a blurred; M. harlote3. —38 MS. duke3; M. dukes. — 40 MS. traschez; M. trasches.-49 MS., M. worþlych; M.2 note worldlych(?).

'For my boles and my borez arn bayted and slayne, And my fedde foulez fatted wyth sclazt,

3et hym is þe hyze Kyng harder in [heven],
As Mapew melez in his masse of þat man ryche,
Þat made pe mukel mangerye to marie his here dere,
And sende his sonde pen to say þat þay samne schulde,
And in comly quoyntis to com to his feste.

52

My polyle þat is penne-fed and partrykez bope,
Wyth scheldez of wylde swyn, swanez and cronez—
Al is ropeled and rosted ry3t to be sete;
Comez cof to my corte, er hit colde worpe.'

56

бо

When pay knewen his cal þat þider com schulde,
Alle excused hem by be skyly he scape by mozt.
On hade bozt hym a borz, he sayde, by hys trawbe,
'Now t[ur]ne I peder als tyd, þe toun to byholde.'
Anoper nayed also, and nurned pis cawse:
'I haf gerned and zat 3okkez of oxen,

And for my hyzez hem bozt; to bowe haf I mester,
To see hem pulle in þe plow aproche me byhovez.'
'And I haf wedded a wyf,' so wer hym þe þryd,
'Excuse me at þe cort, I may not com pere.'
Þus pay droz hem adrez wyth daunger uch one,
Þat non passed to be pla[c]e, paz he prayed were.
Thenne be ludych lorde lyked ful ille,

And hade dedayn of þat dede; ful dry3ly he carpez.
He saytz: 'Now for her owne sorge þay forsaken
habbez,

More to wyte is her wrange pen any wylle gentyl.
Þenne gotz forth, my gomez, to be grete streetez,
And forsettez on uche a syde pe cete aboute;
Þe wayferande frekez, on fote and on hors,

64

68

72

[62a]

76

50 MS., M. in her euen; M2 note her-in(?); so Fi.—54 B. to-com. 57 MS. partrykez; M. partrykes. — 62 MS., M. he; Fi. þay. -64 MS. tne; M. t[ur]ne. - 69 MS., M. sower; M. note swer(?); Fi. (p. 47) so werp; B. so werned.—72 MS. plate, as M. notes.

Bobe burnez and burdez, be better and be wers,

Lapez hem alle luflyly to lenge at my fest,

And bryngez hem blyply to borze as barounez bay

were,

So þat my palays plat ful be py3t al aboute;
Þise oper wrechez iwysse worby nozt wern.'
Þen þay cayred and com þat þe cost waked,
Brozten bachlerez hem wyth þat þay by bonkez

metten,

Swyerez þat swyftly swyed on blonkez,

80

84

And also fele upon fote, of fre and of bonde.
When pay com to be corte, keppte wern þay fayre,
Sty3tled wyth be stewarde, stad in be halle,
Ful manerly wyth marchal mad for to sitte,
As he watz dere of degre dressed his seete.

88

Þenne seggez to be soverayn sayden þerafter: 'Lo! lorde, wyth yor leve, at yor lege heste,

92

And at þi banne we haf brozt, as þou beden habbez,

Mony renischche renkez, and get is roum more.'

96

Sayde pe lorde to po ledez, 'Laytez zet ferre,
Ferre out in be felde, and fechez mo gestez,
Waytez gorstez and grevez, if ani gomez lyggez,
What-kyn folk so þer fare, fechez hem hider;
Be pay fers, be þay feble, forlotez none,
Be pay hol, be þay halt, be þay on-yzed,

And þaz pay ben bope blynde and balterande
cruppelez,

Þat my hous may holly by halkez by fylled.

For, certez, þyse ilk renkez þat me renayed habbe
And denounced me nogt now at þis tyme,

Schul never sitte in my sale my soper to fele,

ΙΟΟ

104

Ne suppe on sope of my seue, þaz þay swelt schulde.' 108

86 metten, n corrected by scribe from 3.- IOI MS., M. forlotez; M. note forletez (?).-104 may, scribe apparently first wrote ia and corrected to m: MS. halke3; M. halkes: MS., M. by; Fi. be. 108 MS., M.1 þaz þaz; M.2 þaz.

Thenne þe sergauntez, at þat sawe, swengen peroute, And diden þe dede þat [is] demed, as he devised hade, And wyth peple of alle plytez þe palays þay fyllen― Hit weren not alle on wyvez sunez, wonen wyth on fader.

Wheper pay wern worby oper wers, wel wern pay stowed,

Ay be best byfore and brygtest atyred,

[62b]

II2

Þe derrest at þe hyze dese þat dubbed wer fayrest;
And syþen on lenpe bilooghe ledez inogh,
And ay a segge soerly semed by her wedez.

So with marschal at her mete mensked þay were;
Clene men in compaynye forknowen wern lyte,
And get þe symplest in þat sale watz served to be fulle,
Bope with menske and wyth mete and mynstrasy

noble,

116

120

And alle pe laykez þat a lorde azt in londe schewe.
And þay bigonne to be glad þat god drink haden,
And uch mon wyth his mach made hym at ese.

124

II. THE PUNISHMENT OF THE MAN IN FOUL CLOTHES

Now inmyddez þe mete pe mayster hym biþozt, Þat he wolde se þe semble þat samned was pere, And rehayte rekenly be riche and þe poveren,

And cherisch hem alle wyth his cher, and chaufen

her joye.

Þen he bowez fro his bour into be brode halle,
And to be best on þe bench, and bede hym be myry,
Solased hem wyth semblaunt and syled fyrre,

128

110 MS. þat demed; M. þat [is]; Fi. þat [he]. 116 bilooghe, see Introd., p. x, n. 2.—117 MS., M. soerly; M. note soberly (?); E. serly.—119 compaynye, scribe corrected second y from i. — 127 MS. povener, i. e. scribe put curl for -er over wrong letter; cf. Gaw. 124, sylvener for sylveren.

Tron fro table to table and talkede ay myrpe.

132

Bot as he ferked over þe flor, he fande wyth his узе

Hit watz not for a halyday honestly arayed—
A pral þryzt in þe prong unpryvandely cloped,
Ne no festival frok, bot fyled with werkkez;
Þe gome watz ungarnyst wyth god men to dele.
And gremed þerwyth be grete lord, and greve hym

he pozt.

'Say me, frende,' quod pe freke wyth a felle chere,
'Hou wan pou into pis won in wedez so fowle?
Þe abyt þat þou hatz upon, no halyday hit menskez;
Þou, burne, for no brydale art busked in wedez!
How watz pou hardy pis hous for þyn unhap [to]

neze,

136

140

In on so ratted a robe and rent at þe sydez?
Þow art a gome ungoderly in þat goun febele;
Þou praysed me and my place ful pover and ful
[g]nede,

144

[63a]

Þat watz so prest to aproche my presens hereinne.
Hopez pou I be a harlot þi erigaut to prayse?'
Þat oper burne watz abayst of his brope wordez,
And hurkelez doun with his hede, pe urpe he biholdez;
He watz so scoumfit of his scylle, lest he skape hent,
Þat he ne wyst on worde what he warp schulde.
Þen þe lorde wonder loude laled and cryed,
And talkez to his tormenttorez: 'Takez hym,' he
biddez,

148

152

'Byndez byhynde, at his bak, boþe two his handez, And felle fetterez to his fete festenez bylyve;

156

Stik hym stifly in stokez, and stekez hym þerafter
Depe in my doungoun þer doel ever dwellez,
Greving and gretyng and gryspyng harde

143 to supplied by M.-146 MS. nede; M. [g]nede. - 148 M. erigant.