University of Virginia Library

Sum tymë was, hyt were twey knyȝtys
Þat loued weyl at herë myȝtys;
A sykenes on þe toon gan falle,
he deydë sone, as we shul alle.
Þe touþer knyȝt seyd ofte, alas,
For hys felawe so sone dede was.
Fyl hyt so, þys lyuyng knyȝt,
yn hys bed he lay a nyght,
And was yn swyche a-wakyng
Þat he myȝt slepë for no þyng;
Þe mone shone yn hys chaumbre flore;
Þe knyȝt lay, and lokyd furþe.
At a wyndowe come yn a beme,
And yn þe shynyng he saghe a gleme
Ryght lyche þat knyȝt euery deyl
Þat sum tyme he loued ful weyl.
Þys knyȝt þoght ‘hyt ys fantome
Þat y se þus yn þe monë come.’
He was a-frayd with-outë fayle,
And, þat was no grete merueyle.
But þe knyȝt þat was dede
Cumfortyd hym sone, & seyde hys rede,
“Be nat adred, for hyt am y
Þat þou louedyst so specyaly.
Y was þy felaw, þy trewe frere,
For help y come to þe now here:
Þogh y be dede, þou darst nat drede,
Of helpe had y neuer er nede.
At nedë shul men proue here frendys,
And frendes loue oþer whyle wel endys.
help me now, y am yn wo,
Þat y may come þe sonner þerfro.”
Þe knyȝt, þat lay yn hys bed,
wax bolder, and lasse a-dred,
And seyd “felaw, for charyte,
what ys þy wo? shewe hyt me.”
Þan spake to hym þe dedë knyȝt,
“Þoght y had space a day & a nyȝt,
Alle þe penaunce ne coude y telle,
Þat y suffre yn a welle.
A peyne y suffre hard for þe nones,
For a cloþe þat y refte ones
Of a poure man with-outë ryȝt;
Alas þat euer y say þat syȝt;
Þat cloþe ys caste on me to peyne
As heuy as any mounteyne;
Hyl ne mounteyne, erþe ne stone,
Vndyr heuene so heuy ys none;
No so hote fyre ys yn no land
As hyt ys aboute me brennand.
Þarfore, felaw, y pray þe,
Þat þou haue on me pyte,
And, to pore men do noun ylle,
Ne aȝens holy chyrches wylle;
But al þe gode þat þou mayst, werche
To porë men and to holy chyrche.
Me were leuere deye an hundyr syþe
Þan suffre þys peyne þat noght may lyþe.”
Þan seyde þe knyȝt, & wepe ful sore,
“My swete felaw, telle me ȝyt more,
Ȝyf any þyng be so certeyne
Þat may delyuer þe of peyne.”
Þan seyd þe knyȝt, “y myȝt be clere
Þurgh þe sacrament of þe autere.”
Þe knyȝt nemnede prestes manyone;
Þan stode þe dedë, stylle as stone,
“wylt þou þan any of þese for þe syng,
Þe of peynë for to brynge?”
Þe dede meuede hys hede to & fro,
For he was payd of noun of þo.
wete ȝe forsoþe, boþe man and wyfe,
Þey were nat of clenë lyfe;
Of hem þe dede ȝaf noun answere,
he made no fors of here preyere.

Neþeles, þe seluyn messe
ys noþer þe wursë, ne þe lesse;
Þe sunne, hys feyrnes neuer he tynes,
Þogh hyt on þe muk hepe shynes,
But þe muk ys þe more stynkyngge
Þere þe sunne ys more shynyngge.
Ne more hyt ys lore, þe vertu
Of þe messe, but mannys pru.
Þogh þe prest be fals or frow,
Þe messe, ys euer gode ynow;
But þe preyere haþ no myȝt,
For hys lyfe ys nat clene dyȝt.

Þe knyȝt nemnede one at þe laste,
A gode man, and a ryȝt stedefaste:
“wylt þou þat he preye for þe?”
Þo seyde þe dede “wel were þan me
ȝyf he wuldë for me syngge,
he myȝt me of peynës bryngge.”
Þe knyȝt seyd truly, “truste to me,
Þat samë prest shal prey for þe;
And þat þy peyne mow be þe lasse,
Euery day shal he for þe synge a masse.”
“May y þan trust to þy sawe
Þat þou be now my trew felawe?”

“ȝe, as y am a trew knyȝt,
hyt shal be do, at my myȝt.”
“A tokene betwyxe þe and me,”
Þan seyd þe dedë, “shal þys be?”
he toke and grepe þe knyȝtys arme,
But he felt þer-of none harme;
Also he touched hys bare þe;
Þe bare bone myȝt men euer after se;
But sorë þerof felt he noght,
But for þe felyng, more on hym he þoght.
Þat mark saw alle men comunly,
But no man wyst redely why.
Þe dedë seyd “þou shalt leue here
No lenger but þys two ȝere.”
he tolde what day þat he shuld deye,
And seþyn he went forþe hys weye.

Þe knyȝt amended seþyn hym weyl,
And to þe dede was as trew as steyl;
For he dede as he hym hette,
Þe prest for hym song þat he hem hette.
Þys aperyng, yn my auys,
Auayled to boþe partys.
Seþyn toke þe knyȝt palmers wede,
And yn to þe holy londe he ȝede;
Ihesu cryst sepulcre he soght,
For þe synnys þat he had wroght;
And, at þe two ȝerës ȝende,
God almyghty for hym gan sende;
For þat day þat þe dede knyȝt seyde,
Þe touþer knyghte þat same day deyde.
Blessyd be god, of heuene kyng,
Þat sent hym þat yche tokenyng.

Now may ȝe se, by þys tale,
Þat þeftë breweþ mochë bale.
Certys þefte ryȝt wykked ys
whan þe dede bereþ wytnes,
Namly, pore men for to pele
Or robbe or bete with-outë skyle.
Þeftë wyl hys mayster shende,
And hym fordo wyþ-outyn ende.

Ȝyf þou be a serïaunt,
And takë more þan þy cunnaunt,
Custummablychë, mete or drynk—
Þoht for noght hyt be þe þyng—
y redë þat þou þer-of lete,
For many smale makeþ a grete.
holy chyrche callyþ hyt þefte,
wyþ-outë skylle, for hyt ys refte.

Ȝyf þou euer reysyddyst custome,
Þou mayst be sykyr of hard dome.
But ȝyf þat þou mayst hyt felle,
hyt ys robbery, gostly to telle.
Ȝyf hyt so betyde þat hyt lasteþ ay,
Þy medë shal be welaway.
Ȝyf þou amende hyt nat yn þy lyue,
what prest may þe þer-of shryue?
Now telle we forþe, þat ȝe may lere,
how þeftë comþ yn queynt manere:—

Ȝyf þou euer þy werke withdrowe,
Or dedyst hyt nat weyl to prowe,
Tyde or tyme þat þou shuldest werche,
‘Þou art a þefe,’ seyþ holy cherche.
Ȝyf þou do custummablyche swych lak,
To begyle þy mayster be-hynde hys bak,
Þou mayst nat excuse þe with rous,

[_]

proud wordys

And sey, ‘al þe worlde so dous.’
Þe worldë may nat sauë þe:
Shryue þy defaute, and late þe world be.

Ȝyf þe be leyde a borde to wedde,
Or a cloþe to bak or bedde,
Ȝyf þou hyt vse aȝens hys wylle,
holy cherche seyþ þat þou dost ylle,
And warneþ þe þerof ȝyt efte,
Þat hyt ys boþe okyr and þefte.
Okur hyt ys, for þe outrage
To take þy catel, and haue auauntage;
And for þefte, he may þe greue
To vse hys þyng aȝens hys leue;
And ȝyf hyt be so þat þus ys gone,
Charyte ne cristyndome ys þer none.
Þyn euencristyn þou owyst to lene,
Ȝyf þou mayst spare hyt, þat y mene.

Also, ȝyf a þyng be þe lent
And þou wyþ-outë hys asent
lene furþer þat þyng to were,
For þefte to hym þou shalt answere.
Þou wost weyl, þou dost nat ryȝt;
Þat a-noþer hyt useþ, hyt ys þy plyȝt.

Ȝyf þou haue a þyng yn ferme
To a certeyn day of terme,
And ȝyf þou ouer þat terme day
Trauelyst hyt aȝens hys pay,
Þou hast synned yn a spece,
yn þeftë þou art come a grece.

Now wyl y speke of okerers,
Þat þefys ben yn sum maners.
To whom þat vsery ys lefe,
Gost[e]ly, he ys a þefe.

Ȝyf þou of any okerere
wyþ wrong hys þyng awey dest bere,
Þoghe he be no cristyn man,
Þefte vnto þy self þou wan;
Þou ne owyst nat of hys to haue
with wrong, ȝyf þou þy self wylt saue.

Also, ȝyf þou haue founde a þyng,
And makyst þerfore none askyng
At cherche ne at þe market an hy,
But forhelest hyt pryuyly
So þat þe þyng with þe dwelle,
hyt ys þefte, þys clerkys telle.

Ȝyf þou withdrawest a mannys ryȝt
Styllyche, þat hyt be nat yn syght,
Þogh a man parseyue hyt noght,
Þou stelyst hyt, and þefte hast wroght.

Ȝyf þou wyþholdest a mannys seruyse
For euyl herte or fals queyntyse,
Or withdrawest any manere pay,
And ledyst hym furþe fro day to day,
But ȝyf hyt be with grete resun,
Of þeftë þou art enchesun.
For þe gospel commaundeþ ryȝt
‘holde nat hys seruyse ouer nyght;’
whan þe man haþ do hys dede,
God wol þat he haue hys mede.

what sey men of þes fals husbandys
Þat ere aweye falsly mennys landys;
Of a land, þurgh and þurgh,
Takyn and eryn awey a furgh?
Þat ys boþe thefte and robberye,
And hyt ful derë shal he a-bye.
Of swychë, fewe men hem amende,
For þey beyn þe deuylys frende.

Tauuarsyns and vserers,
Þys are, Lucyfer, þy peres;
For þey are alle þe deuyl betaght
Þat okeryn falsly þe worldes aght.

[_]

gode

Okyr ys also, ȝyf þou hyt haunte,
To lenë þyng to certeyn cunnaunt;
Also, to bye a þyng byfore,
halfe vn-to þe sellers lore;
For ȝyf þe byer may weyl lene
Þat þyng with-outë losse or tene,
he ys holde to helpe hym with-alle,
Or holy cherche seyþ, þat he hyt stalle.

Okeryng ys on many manere,
Mo þan y kan telle now here.
But wete ȝe weyl, swyche gode shal go
As hyt come, with sorowe and wo;
For some haue so grete cumbrement
Þat þey may make no testament;
For holy cherche neuer vndyrstode
To haue of okerer[ë]s gode.