University of Virginia Library

“Seseth, seseth,” sayde the kynge, “Y soffre yow no lengur:
Ye schal sawtene for sothe ant serue me bothe.
Kysse here,” quad the kyng, “Conscience, Y hote!”
“Nay, by Cryst,” quad Conscience, “congeye me arre!
But Resoun radde me thertyl, rather wyll Y deye.”
“Ant Y comawnde,” quad the kyng to Consciencie thenne,
“Rape the to ryde ant Resoun that thow feche.
Comawnde hym that he come my consayl to here,
For he schal rewle my rewme, rede me the beste
Of Mede ant mo othur ant wat man schal here wedde,
Ant kounte wyth the, Conscyence, so me Cryst helpe,
How thow lerest the peple, lered ant lewed.”
“Y am fayn of þat forward,” seyth the freke thenne,
And ryt ryght to Resoun ant rowneth in ys here;
Seyde hym as the kying sente ant senes tok ys leue.
“I schal araye me to ryde,” quad Resoun, “reste the the wil.”
Ant cald Tomme Trewe-tonge-telle-me-no-talus-
Ne-lesyngus-to-lawȝe-of-for-Y-loued-hit-nere.
“Sette my sadel vp on Suffre-tyl-Y-se-my-tyme,
Ant lat warryoke Wyl wyth stronge wytty gurthus.
Honge on hym the heuye brydel to holde ys heued lowe,
For yut wyl he make mony a wehe ar we be there.”
Thenne Conscyence on ys kapel kayres forth faste,
Ant Resoun ryt forth wyth hym ryght to the kyng.
Ac on Wareyn Wysdom ant Wytty ys fere
Folwed hem faste, for they haued to done
In the cheker ant in chaunserye, to be descharged of thyngus;
And ryden faste, for Resoun schold rede hem the beste
For to sauen hemsylf fro schame ant fro harmes.
Ac Conscyence com arst to court by a myle
Ant romed forth wyth Resoun ryght to the kyng.
Corteyslyche the [kyng tho] com aye Resoun,
Ant bytwene hymsylf ant ys sone sette hym a benche,
Ant worden ful wysly a gret wyle togyderes.
Thenne com Pes in the parlement ant potte vp a bille,
How Wronge ayeyne ys wylle haued ys wyf take,
Ant how a rauessched Rose, Reynaldus loue,
Ant Margrete of here maydenhod maugre here checus:
“Bothe my ges ant my grys ys gadelynges fecheth;
Y dar nat for fere of hym fyghte ne chyde.
A borwed of me bayard ant broughte ayeyn nere,
Ne no ferthyng therefore, for hought Y cowthe plede.
A meynteyneth ys men to morthre myn hewes;
Forstalleth my fayres, fyghteth in my chepyng,
Brekth vp my bernus dore, berth awey my wete,
Taketh me but a tayle for ten quarter otes,
Ant yut a bat me thereto, lyth be my mayde.
Y nam nat hardy for hym vnnethe to loke.”
The kyng knewe he seyde sothe, for Conscyence hym tolde,
Ant Sothenesse swor hit was sothe that he tolde.
Ant thenne was Wronge wo ant Wysdom a sought
To make ys pays wyth ys pans ant profred hym monye,
Ant seyde, “Haued Y loue of my lord, lytel wold Y rech
Thow Pes ant ys pouer pleynen hem euere.”
Wysdom wan tho ant so dede Wyt alse,
For that Wrong haued ywrought so wyked a dede,
Ant warned Wrong tho wyth such a wys tale:
“Ho so wyrcheth be wyl, wrathe maketh ofte.
Y seg by thysylf, thow schalt hyt sone fynde:
But yf Mede hit make, thy meschef ys vppe;
Bothe thy lyf ant thy londus lyth in ys grace.”
Wrong thenne on Wysdom weped faste
To helpe hym for his [OMITTED]ant handi-dandy payed.
Thenne Wysdom and Wyt wenten togyderes
An nomen Mede myd hem mercy to wynne.
Pes potte forth ys heued an his panne blody:
“Wythouten gult, God wot, gat Y this scathe.”
Conscience ant the kyng knewe wel the sothe
Ant wysten wel that Wrong was a schrewe euere.
Ac Wysdom ant Wyt were aboute faste
To ouercome the kyng thorw catel yf they myghte.
The kyng swor by Cryst ant by ys crowne bothe
That Wrong for ys wercus schold wo tholye,
Ant comawnded a constable to caste hym in yrenes:
“A schal nat this vij yer yse ys fete ones.”
“God wot,” quad Wysdom, “that were nat the beste.
Ant he amendes mowe make, lat meynprise hym haue
Ant be borw for ys bale, beggen hym mercy;
Amende that a mysdede, ant eueremore the bettre.”
Wyt acordede therewyth ant seyde the same:
“Beture ys that bote bale adown brynge
Then bale be ybete ant bote nere the bettre.”
Thenne gan Mede to meke here ant mercy a bysowte,
Ant profred Pes a present alle of puyre gold
Ant seyde, “Haue thys of me to amendy thy scath,
For Y wyl wage for Wrong a wyl do so no more.”
Pyteuselyche Pees thenne preyed the kynge
To haue mercy on that [man that] mysdede hym ofte:
“For he hath wageth me wyl, as Wysdom hym taughte;
Y forgyue hym that gult wyth a god wylle.
So that ye assente, Y can sey no more,
For Me[de] hath made my mendus, Y may no more aske.”

“Nay,” quad the kynge tho, “so God yf me blysse,
Wrong wendet nat so away ar Y wyte more.
Lope he so lyghtly awey, lawen a wolde
Ant hef the balder to be to bete myn hewes.
But Resoun haue rewthe on hym, he schal reste hym in my stokus
As longe as Y leue, but the more loue hit make.”
Summe raden Resoun to haue rewthe on the screwe
Ant to consayle the kyng for Conscienses sake
That mede moste be meynpernor, Resoun they besowȝte.
“Rede me nat,” quad Resoun, “no rewȝthe to haue
Tyl lordus ant ladyes louyen in trewthe,
Ant Pernele purfil be potte in here wyche;
Tyl childurne chersyng ben chasted wyth yerdus,
Ant harlotes holynesse yholde for an hyne;
Tyl clerkus ant knytus be corteys of here mowthe
Ant h[et]yn harlotrye, to here yt or to mowth hit;
Tyl prestes here prechyng proue hit on hemsylf
Ant do hit in dede to drawen vs to gode;
Tyl seynt James be sought there Y schal asyngne,
That no man go to Galys but yf [he] go for euere,
Ant alle Rome rennares for robberes of byyende
To bere no syluer ouer se that sygne of kynge scheweth,
Nayther grotus ne gold ygraue wyth kyngus croune,
Vp forfeture of that fe, ho so fynt hym at Douere,
But yf [yt] be machaunt or ys man or messager wyth letres
Or preste or prouysor that the pope auaunseth.
Thenne schal Y knele to the kyng ant cryen hym of grace
For Wrongus wercus ant wrathe in hope that he amende:
In no manere ellus, nat for ‘no’ manes bysechyng.”
Waren Wysdom ant Wytty ys fere
Cowthe nat warpe a word tho to wythsegge Resoun,
But stoden stylle as stuty hors that dolleth.
Conscience ant the kyng acorded to Resoun
Ant seyden that Resoun ryghtfullyche haued schewed;
“Ac ys hit ful hard, by myn heued, herto to brynge hit,
Alle my lege ledus to lede hem thus euene.”
“By hym that rawȝte on the rode,” quad Resoun to the kyng,
But yf thow rewle thus [thy] rewme, Resoun schal nere.”
“Thow schalt rewle my rewme, Resoun, ant ryde by my syde.”
“Nay, redyly,” quad Resoun, “þ[ou] schalt no ryght schewe
Wyle Mede hat the maystrye to mote in thys halle.
Ac Y schal schewe ensamples as Y se othur:
Ac Y sey for mysylf, ant hit so byfelle
That Y were kinge wyth crowne to kepen a rewme,
Scholde nere Wrong in thys world, that Y wyte myȝte,
Be vnspensched in my pouer for peryl of my sowle,
Ne gete my grace thorw gyft, so me God helpe;
Ne for no mede haue mercy, but mekenesse hit maked.
For [n]ullum malum the man mette erit inpunitum
Ant nullum bonum the bolde be irremuneratum.
Lat thy confessor, syre kyng, kenne the thys [on] Englis,
Ant yf ye wyrcheth in dede, Y wedde myn eyes
That lawe schal be a laborer ant lede a feld donge
Ant Loue schal lede the as the lef lycuht.”
Clerkus that were confessores coupled hem togyderes,
For to construe thys clause declined faste.
Ac to Resoun among tho r[e]nkus haued yrehersed this wordus,
There nas man in the mote, more ne lasse,
That ne held Mekenesse a mayster ant Mede a muche wrech,
Ant sworen be seynt Rycher a schent the rewme.
Loue let of here lyȝte, lawghed here to scorne,
Ant seyde so lowde that Sothenese hit herde,
“Ho so wylneth here to wyue for welth of here godes,
But he be cokewold ykald, kutte of my nose!”
Conscyence, Cryst wot, knewe wel the sothe.
The kyng ant Resoun aryse ant reykes in to chaumbre
Ant busked to boure; Y beheld hem no lengur.