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366
FOURE DOUGHTERS
1
[L]ystyns all gret and smale:I shall ȝow tell a lytell tale
Þat cordyng is in speche.
Dauid þe kyng witnes will ber,
In a vers in þe sawter,
And seys als I ȝow teche.
2
Mersy and Verite togyder me[t],And eyther other wiþ loue gret,
In erth among men.
And also Iustis and Pees,
[Þei] kyssed togyder wiþouten les,
Wiþ ioy and mykyll wyn.
3
[[OMITTED]] let frendes, it was a kyng,Þat heuen and erth and all thyng
Had in hys power;
Angel and man and ilk best
Durst none be ageyn hys hest,
Nouther far no ner.
4
Þat ilk kyng had a sonÞat had and has wiþ hym hys won;
Both þei ar also one.
Þe son was called hys wysdame,
For all fro hys councell it came
Al þat he schuld done.
5
Þat hy kyng of gret honoureHad also doughturs foure;
Full wyd þan ar þei kyd.
Þe eldest doughter heyght Mercy,
Þe tother Verite, þat standes hyr by,
And Iustis heyght þe third.
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6
Þe ferth doughter heyght Pees.Be þis foure wiþoutyn les
Governd was hys land,
For no land mey be at hys right
Keped wiþoutyn þis foure I plyght,
Als I vnderstand.
7
Þis kyng had wiþ hym a manÞat he mykell avaunce gan,
And made hym of gret myght,
And he betaught hym a gret land
Tyll haue and holde in hys hand,
To be hys trewe knyght.
8
Þis kyng thoght for to provenIf his seruaunt wold hym loven,
And seyd tyll hym full sone:
“Now I haue þe b[r]oght aboue,
Do swylk a dede for my loue
Þat lyght is for to done.”
9
“And if þou kepe þis byddyng,I schall þe make a rych kyng,
Iwys abouen all other,
Þe and all þine ofspryng,
To be wiþ me in all thyng
And loue þ[e] als my brother.”
10
“And if þou breke þis comaundment,Þou schalt thoroght ryght iuggement
Dey for þi dede;
Þou and all þine ofspryng
Wiþoutyn ende haue ȝour duellyng
In strong prison to mede.”
11
Als tyte þe seruaunt for gret prydeLeft hys comaundment þat tyde,
And for hym wold noght don,
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And all hys ofspryng þat of hym comen,
And cast þem in herd prison,
12
Am[on]g þeir enmys fo[r] to duell,For þei wer lefe hym to quell,
Full wykked þei ar kyd.
Þat on turmentour hym slowgh,
Þat other hys flessh and bonys knogh,
And straungled hym þe third.
13
Þe ferth gan hym swalough ine.Þus he was pyned and hys kynne
Ay wiþoutyn ende,
For he þat comaundment so sone brak,
Was none a gode worde for hym spak
Tyll hys lord þe kyng.
14
Þe kynges doughter þat hyght Mercy,Of þis seruaunt scho gan to spy,
In prison how he was.
Sche saw what pyne he tholed and wo;
Hir clothes sche rafe, hir her also,
And seyd: “Allas, allas!”
15
“Þat euer schuld any man seIn þis payne and wo be
For any maner dede!”
To hir fadir is sche lopen,
To haue mercy is hir hopen
Of þat man in nede.
16
“Fadir,” sche seyde, “þi doughter am I,Of þi substaunce, and heyght Mercy,
And merciable art þou.
And if þou be noght mercyable,
Þan wer it noght bot a fable
To be þi doughter nowe.”
17
“And if I, Mercy, þi doughter be,Þan owe þou to haue mercy and pite
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Ne schall I blynne nyght ne day
Þat I ne schall for hym wepen ay
Till þat þou mercy haue.”
18
Þat oþer doughter VeriteSeyd: “Fadir, wiþoutyn me
Schuld þou do ryght noght,
Ne owe þou noght till her Mercy
Bot if Verite be hir by
In dede, worde, and thoght.”
19
“Sothnes, þi doughter I am,And soth it is þat þat man
Ageyn þe wrought in dede,
Whan he brak þi byddyng
Of þat ilk litill thyng
Þat þou hym forbede.”
20
“How schuld þou haue on hym mercyÞat dyd þe þat vyleny?
Wele þou wote þe soth,
And Sothnes, þi doughter am I.
How myght þou þan serue Mercy
For to pay vs both?”
21
Whiles þei strofe on þis wyse,Come þe third doughter Iustise
And seyde þis ilk word:
“And I am þi doughter Iustis,
Wiþoutyn me schuld none assys
Be holden in þi cour[t].”
22
“Ryghtwys of þe I am forth broght;Wiþoutyn Ryghtwys schuld þou do noght
Bot it wer in present.
Son he did þat þou hym forbed,
And was demed to haue þe ded;
He ow to haue his iuggement.”
23
“Ryght it is þat he haweÞat hym was iugged wiþ right and lawe
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Bot if þou do skill and right,
[[OMITTED]]e to þi doughter has þou no myght
Þat am þi rightwysnes.”
24
“Soth it was he dyd foly,Right it is þat he it aby
Thoroght þat dede to dy.
If Mercy myght hir askyng haue,
Þem þat sche wild go to saue,
Full fo men schuld aby.”
25
“No man schuld stand aw for þe,Ageyns þi byddyng for to be,
Nouþer in word ne dede.
Þei schuld to mykill troist þeron
Þat Mercy schuld þem saue ilkon;
Of no thyng schuld þei drede.”
26
Þe ferth doughter hyght Pesse;Among þem myght sche haue no cesse,
Awey ned hir bud fle,
For þer contak is and strife
And þer metyng is all riffe,
Þer mey Pese noght be.
27
So long wrought þe kyng of myght,Be Sothnes and als be Right,
Vengeaunce for to tak,
Þat all þis werld was fordone,
Saue viij soules all a[l]one,
For þat seruaunt sake.
28
Þat was Noe and his sones threAnd þeir wyfes; no more meyne
On lyfe wer no mo.
And euer Mercy besought þe kyng
For þat seruaunt and his ofspryng
To bryng þem of þeir wo.
29
Þan come Pese þidir ageyneTo hyr fadir and gane to seyne:
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Forth be my sisters in erth went
To make þer all þeir iuggement
Wiþoutyn councell of me.”
30
“Nouþer Verite ne IustisNo schuld wirk on no wys
Ought wiþoutyn my rede,
For all þei schuld do þeir meystry.
Pese in lande Right schuld gy,
For þerto wer all nede.”
31
“Bot Pese mey be for no thyngBot if Mercy haue hir askyng
Of þat man þat is lorne.
Fadir, fro þe I will noght gone
Till my sisters be all at one
And stand me beforne.”
32
Sone þe son come þidir þanTo his fadir and spake for man:
“Fadir, lysten to me:
Both þou and I, one we be
In power and in dignite,
And þe wisdome am I of þe.”
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