I will never from you, sir Perseverance; With you will I abide both day and night, Of mind never to be variable, And God's commandments to keep them right, In deed and word, and ever full stable. PERSEVERANCE. Then heaven thou shalt have without fable, But look that thou be steadfast, And let thy mind with good will last. IMAGINATION. Huff, huff, huff! who sent after me? I am Imagination, full of jollity, Lord, that my heart is light,[161] When shall I perish? I trow, never; By Christ, I reck not a feather: Even now I was dubbed a knight, Where at Tyburn of the collar, And of the stews I am made controller-- Of all the houses of lechery; There shall no man play doccy[162] there, At the Bell, Hartshorn, ne elsewhere, Without they have leave of me. But, sirs, wot ye why I am come hither? By our lady, to gather good company together: Saw ye not of my fellow Freewill? I am afraid lest he be searching on a hill; By God, then one of us is beguiled. What fellow is this that in this coat is filed? Cock's death, whom have we here? What, Freewill, mine own fere?[163] Art thou out of thy mind? FREEWILL. God grant the way to heaven that I may find; For I forsake thy company. IMAGINATION. God's arms, my company? and why? FREEWILL. For thou livest too sinfully. IMAGINATION. Alas, tell me how it is with thee. FREEWILL. Forsake thy sin for the love of me. IMAGINATION. Cock's heart, art thou waxed mad? FREEWILL. When I think on my sin, it makes me full sad. IMAGINATION. God's wounds, who gave thee that counsel? FREEWILL. Perseverance and Contemplation, I thee tell. IMAGINATION. A vengeance on them, I would they were in hell. FREEWILL. Amend, Imagination, and mercy cry. IMAGINATION. By God's sides, I had liever be hanged on high; Nay, that would I not do: I had liever die. By God's passion, and I had a long knife, I would bereave these two whoresons of their life: How, how? twenty pounds for a dagger! CONTEMPLATION. Peace, peace, good son, and speak softer, And amend, ere death draw his draught; For on thee he will steal full soft, He giveth never no man warning, And ever to thee he is coming: Therefore remember thee well. IMAGINATION. Ah, whoreson, if I were jailer of hell, I-wis, some sorrow should thou feel; For to the devil I would thee sell, Then should ye have many a sorry meal, I would never give you meat ne drink, Ye should fast, whoresons, till ye did stink, Even as a rotten dog; yea, by Saint Tyburn of Kent. PERSEVERANCE. Imagination, think what God did for thee; On Good Friday He hanged on a tree, And spent all His precious blood, A spear did rive His heart asunder, The gates He brake up with a clap of thunder, And Adam and Eve there delivered He. IMAGINATION. What devil! what is that to me? By God's fast, I was ten year in Newgate, And many more fellows with me sat, Yet he never came there to help me ne my company. CONTEMPLATION. Yes, he holp thee, or thou haddest not been here now.