University of Virginia Library

Passus secundus.

But moche now me merueilith and well may I in sothe,
Of ȝoure large leuerey to leodis abouȝte,
That ȝe so goodliche [g]af but if gile letted,
As hertis y-heedyd and hornyd of kynde,
So ryff as þey ronne ȝoure rewme þoru-oute,
That non at ȝoure nede ȝoure name wolde nempne
In fersnesse ne in foltheed but faste fle awayward;
And some stode astonyed and stared for drede,
For eye of þe egle þat oure helpe brouute.
And also in sothe þe seson was paste
For hertis yheedid so hy and so noble
To make ony myrthe for mowtynge þat nyghed.
That bawtid ȝoure bestis of here bolde chere;
Þey seuerid and sondrid for somere hem faylid,
And flowen in-to forest and feldis abouȝte,
All þe hoole herde þat helde so [to]-gedir;
But ȝet þey had hornes half ȝere after.
Now liste me to lerne ho me lere coude,
What kynnes conceyll þat þe kyng had,
Or meued him most to merke his liegis,
Or serue hem with signes þat swarmed so thikke
Þoru-oute his lond in lengþe and in brede,
Þat ho-so had hobblid þoru holtes and tounes,
Or y-passid þe patthis þer þe prynce dwellyd,
[Of] hertis or hyndis on hassellis brestis,
Or some lordis leuere þat þe lawe stried,
He shulde haue y-mette mo þan ynowe.
For þey acombrede þe contre and many curse seruid,
And carped to þe comounes with þe kyngys mouþe,
Or with þe lordis þer þey belefte were,
That no renke shulde rise reson to schewe.
Þey plucked þe plomayle from þe pore skynnes,
And schewed her signes for men shulde drede
To axe ony mendis for her mys-dedis.
Thus leuereȝ ouere-loked ȝoure liegis ichonne;
For þo þat had hertis on hie on her brestis,
For þe more partie I may well avowe,
Þey bare hem þe bolder for her gay broches,
And busshid with her brestis and bare adoun þe pouere
Liages þat loued ȝou þe lesse for her yuell dedis.
So, trouthe to telle as toune-men said,
For on þat ȝe merkyd ȝe myssed ten schore
Of homeliche hertis þat þe harme hente.
Thane was it foly in feith, as me thynketh,
To sette siluer in signes þat of nouȝt serued.
I not what ȝou eylid but if it ese were;
For frist at ȝoure anoyntynge alle were ȝoure owen,
Bothe hertis and hyndis and helde of non oþer;
No lede of ȝoure lond but as a liege aughte,
Ty[l] ȝe, of ȝoure dulnesse deseueraunce made
Þoru ȝoure side signes þat shente all þe browet,
And cast adoun þe crokk þe colys amyd.
Ȝit am I lewde and litill good schewe
To coueyte knowliche of kyngis wittis,
Or wilne to witte [what] was þe mevynge
That [ladde] ȝou to lykynge ȝoure liegis to merke,
Þat loued ȝou full lelly or leuereȝ beg[a]nne,
And as redy to ride or renne at ȝoure heste
As wyghte myghte wilne wonnynge vppon erthe,
Tyll leuereȝ hem lette and lordyns wrongis,
As ȝoure-self fonde well whane fortune ȝou [fayled].
For whan ȝe list to lene to ȝoure owen lymes,
Þey were so feble and feynte for fauȝte of ȝoure lawe,
And so [wankel] and wayke wexe in þe hammes
Þat þey had no myghte to amende ȝoure greues
Ne to bere byrthen ȝoure banere to helpe.
But it longith to no liegeman his lord to anoye
Noþer in werk ne in word but if his witt faile.
“No, redely,” quod Reson “þat reule I alowe:
Displese not þi demer in dede ne in wordis
But if þe liste for to lede þi lyf in dissese.
But ȝif God haue grauntyd þe grace for to knowe
Ony manere mysscheff þat myȝtte be amendyd,
Schewe þat to þi souereyne to schelde him from harmes;
For and he be blessid þe better þe betydyth
In tyme for to telle him for þi trewe herte.”
Now for to telle trouthe þus þan me thynketh,
That no manere meyntenour shulde merkis bere,
Ne haue lordis leuere þe lawe to apeire,
Neiþer bragger ne boster for no breme wordis.
But ho-so had kunnynge and conscience bothe
To stonde vnstombled and stronge in his wittis,
Lele in his leuynge leuyd be his owen,
Þat no manere mede shulde make him wrye,
For to trien a trouthe be-twynne two sidis,
And lette for no lordsche[p] þe lawe to susteyne
Whane þe pore pleyned þat put were to wrongis,
And I were of conceill by Crist þat me bouȝte,
He shuld haue a signe and sum-what be ȝere
For to kepe his contre in quiete and in reste.
This were a good grounde so me God helpe!
And a trewe tente to take and to ȝeue,
[For] ony lord of this londe þat leuereȝ vsith.
But how the gayes han y-gon God wotte þe sothe
Amonge myȝtffull men alle þese many ȝeris;
And whedir þe grou[n]de of [g]ifte were good oþer ille,
Trouthe haþe determyned þe tente to þe ende,
And reson hath rehersid þe resceyte of all.
Ȝit I trowe ȝoure entente at þe frist tyme
Was, as I wene, ȝif I well thenke in multitude of peple,
That ȝe were þe more myȝtier for þe many signes
Þat ȝe and ȝoure seruauntis abouȝte so thikke sowid;
And þat þey were more tristi and trewer þan oþer
To loue ȝou for þe leuere þat legaunce stroied;
Or ellis for a skylle þat skathed ȝoure-self,
Þat comounes of contre [in] costis abouȝte
Sholde knowe be hir quentise þat þe kyng loued hem
For her priuy prynte passinge anoþer.
Ȝif þat was ȝoure purpos it passith my wittis
To deme discrecion of ȝoure well-doynge.
Þus were ȝe disceyued þoru ȝoure duble hertis,
Þat neuere weren to truste so God saue my soule!
But had þe good greehonde be not agreued,
But cherischid as a cheffeteyne and cheff of ȝoure lese,
Ȝe hadde had hertis ynowe at ȝoure wille to go and to ride.
And also in serteyne þe soþe for to telle,
I wondir not hyly þouȝ heed-dere [you] failid;
For litill on ȝoure lyf þe list for to rewe
On rascaile þat rorid with ribbis so lene,
For fauȝte of her fode þat flateris stelen,
And euere with here wylis & wast ofte þey hem anoyed,
Þat pouerte hem prickid full preuyliche to pleyne,
But where, þey ne wyste ne ho it wolde amende.
Þus ȝe derid hem vnduly with droppis of anger,
And stonyed hem with stormes þat stynted neuere,
But plucked and pulled hem anon to þe skynnes,
Þat þe fresinge frost freted to here hertis.
So whanne ȝoure hauntelere-dere where all ytakyn,
Was non of þe rasskayle aredy full growe
To bere ony breme heed as a best aughte,
So wyntris wedir hem wessh with þe snowis,
With many derke mystis þat maddid her eyne.
For well mowe ȝe wyttyn & so mowe we all,
Þat harde is þe somer þer sonne schyneth neuere.
Ȝe fostrid and fodid a fewe of þe best,
And leyde on hem lordschipe a leyne vppon oþer,
And bereued þe raskall þat rith wolde þei hadde,
And knewe not þe caris ne cursis þat walkyd;
But mesure is a meri mene þouȝ men moche yerne:
Þus [rend] be þe rotus ȝoure raskall endurid,
Tyll þe blessid bredd brodid his wyngis
To couere hem from colde as his kynde wolde.
Rith as þe hous-hennes vppon londe hacchen
And cherichen her chekonys fro chele of þe wynter,
Ryth so þe hende egle þe [heyere] of hem all,
Hasteth him in heruest to houyn his bryddis,
And besieth him besely to breden hem feedrin,
Tyll her fre fedris be fulliche y-pynned,
Þat þey haue wynge at her wyll to wonne vppon hille;
For venym on þe valeye hadde foule with hem fare,
Tyll trouthe þe triacle telde somme her sothes.
Thus baterid þis bred on busshes abouȝte,
And gaderid gomes on grene þer as þey walkyd,
þat all þe schroff and schroup sondrid from oþer.
He mellid so þe matall with þe hand-[melle]
That [þey] lost lemes þe leuest þat þey had.
Thus foulyd þis faukyn on fyldis abouȝte,
And cauȝte of þe kuyttis a cartffull at ones,
That rentis and robis with raveyn euere lauȝte.
Ȝit was not þe fawcon full fed at his likynge,
For it cam him not of kynde kytes to loue.
Than bated he boldeliche as a brid wolde,
To plewme on his pray þe pol fro þe nekk;
But þe blernyed boynard þat his bagg stall,
Where purraile-is pulter was pynnyd full ofte,
Made þe fawcon to floter and flussh for anger
That þe boy [nadd] be bounde þat þe bagge kepte.
But sone þer-after in a schorte tyme,
As fortune folwith ech fode till his ende,
This lorell þat [ladde] þis loby awey
Ouere frithe and forde for his fals dedis,
Lyghte on þe lordschepe þat to þe brid longid,
And was felliche ylauȝte and luggid full ylle,
And brouȝte to þe brydd and his blames rehersid
Preuyly at þe parlement amonge all þe peple.
Thus hawkyd þis egle and houed aboue,
Þat, as God wolde þat gouerneth all þingis,
Ther nas kyte ne krowe þat kareyne hantid,
Þat he ne with his lynage ne louyd full sone.
For wher-so þey ferde be fryth or be wones,
Was non of hem all þat him hide myȝth,
But cam with him a reclayme fro costis abouȝte,
And fell with her fetheris flat vppon þe erthe,
As madde of her mynde and mercy be-souȝte.
Þey myȝte not aschonne þe sorowe þey had serued,
So lymed leues were leyde all abouȝte,
And panteris preuyliche pight vppon þe grounde,
With grennes of good heere þat God him-self made,
Þat where-so þey walkid þey waltrid dounwardis;
And euere houed þe egle on hie on þe skyes,
And kenned clerliche as his kynde axith,
Alle þe preuy poyntis þat þe pies wrouȝth.