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thane clement til hyme dressit his ene,
& thocht before he had hyme sene.
& gret disputacione cane ma
bath clement & his brethyre twa,
as sancte petyre, þare master, bad,
agane þat ald, with resone sad
& argument mad rycht playne,
þat pwruiance was al certane.
& quhene of eld fore reuerence
þai callit hyme fadir, in defence
of argument þat he cane ma,
til his brethyre sad aquila:
“quhat nedis ws fadir hym to cal,
sene in mawndement we haf al
one þis erde fadir to cal nane.”
ȝet þane hyme-self sad, ore he fane:
“fadir, tak it nocht dysesfully,
þat my brethyre blamyt haf I,
fore þat þai fadir callit þe;
fore in contrare bydyng haf we
In erd ony fadir to call.”
þat stud a-bowt, þane lucht al,
& sa dyd petyre & þat auld,
þat aquila nedly wit wald
quhy þai lucht. & clement in hy
sad: “þare-of þu has na ferly;
fore nemand fadir þu did It
quhare-of wthyre þu has wyt.”
þane answert til hyme aquila:
“forsuth, I ne wat gyf I did swa.”
quhene þai dysput had lang quhil
of powruiance, þat ald can smyle
& sad: “pourwiance I cuth trew,
gyf ne ware myn inwit now
lettis me to grant þare-til.
& quhy? ȝe here [sal], gyf ȝe wil;
fore of my-self & [of] my wyf,
þat I haf lowyt as my lyfe,
þe gettyne kene I wondir wele,
& it þat gottine [is], ilke-dele
as talȝet is mon be but were:
as ȝe þe suthfastnes may here.
fore thru þe playnyt þat regnyt þan
hyre worthit be ane Il wemane.
fore-þi excusyt haf I
hyre of þat wordyt be nedly.
fore quhene hyre fadyre can hir get,
In sic wyse war þe planetis set—
mars with wenus in þe myd,
& þe mone, as þane be-tyd,
In heldyne was of martis house,
& in þe bowndis of saturnus;
& of þe planetis sic mellynge
In þe tyme of engendryng
gerris weman do adultery,
& by þare serwandis fore to ly,
& in pylgrimag to pass þe se,
& quyle in watyre drownyt be.
& of my wyf þis case þane fel,
þat cane hyre with hyre serwandis mel,
& schame with parel eftyre dred.
þare-fore of þe land scho fled,
& peryst syne in to þe se.
fore, as my bruthyre tald to me,
scho wald haf hym gert with hir play,
bot þat fore he sad hyre nay,
hyre awne serwand scho tuk in hy,
fore to slak hyre gret foly.
& schow was nocht to blame sere, þo
genesis þat gert hyre do.”
& ȝet of hyre, þat he sa lowyt,
he tald a dreme, quhou scho controvit
& gat fra hyme leyf to pase
with hyr barnis til Athenas,
& peryst syne in-to þe se,
& how þat eftyre folowit he.