Þat I shal swynke, and swete, and sowe for vs bothe, And oþer laboures do for þi loue al my lyf tyme, In couenaunt þat þow kepe Holi Kirke and myselue Fro wastoures and fro wykked men þat þis worlde struyeth; And go hunte hardiliche to hares and to foxes, 30 To bores and to brockes þat breketh adown myne hegges, And go affaite þe faucones wilde foules to kille, For suche cometh to my croft, and croppeth my whete.' Curteislich þe knyȝte þanne comsed þise wordes: 'By my power, Pieres,' quod he, 'I pliȝte þe my treuthe 35 To fulfille þis forward, þowȝ I fiȝte sholde; Als longe as I lyue, I shal þe mayntene.' 'Ȝe, and ȝit a poynt,' quod Pieres, 'I preye ȝow of more; Loke ȝe tene no tenaunt, but Treuthe wil assent. And þowgh ȝe mowe amercy hem, late Mercy be taxoure, 40 And Mekenesse þi mayster, maugré Medes chekes; And þowgh pore men profre ȝow presentis and ȝiftis, Nym it nauȝte, an auenture ȝe mowe it nauȝte deserue; For þow shalt ȝelde it aȝein at one ȝeres ende In a ful perillous place, Purgatorie it hatte. 45 And mysbede nouȝte þi bondemen, þe better may þow spede; Þowgh he be þyn vnderlynge here, wel may happe in heuene Þat he worth worthier sette and with more blisse: _Amice, ascende superius_. For in charnel atte chirche cherles ben yuel to knowe, 50 Or a kniȝte fram a knaue þere,—knowe þis in þin herte. And þat þow be trewe of þi tonge, and tales þat þow hatie, But if þei ben of wisdome or of witte, þi werkmen to chaste. Holde with none harlotes, ne here nouȝte her tales, And nameliche atte mete suche men eschue, 55 For it ben þe deueles disoures, I do þe to vnderstande.' 'I assente, bi Seynt Iame!' seyde þe kniȝte þanne, 'Forto worche bi þi wordes þe while my lyf dureth.' 'And I shal apparaille me,' quod Perkyn, 'in pilgrimes wise, And wende with ȝow I wil til we fynde Treuthe, 60 And cast on me my clothes, yclouted and hole, My cokeres and my coffes, for colde of my nailles, And hange myn hoper at myn hals, in stede of a scrippe, A busshel of bredcorne brynge me þerinne, For I wil sowe it myself; and sitthenes wil I wende 65 To pylgrymage, as palmers don, pardoun forto haue. Ac whoso helpeth me to erie or sowen here, ar I wende, Shal haue leue, bi owre Lorde, to lese here in heruest, And make hem mery þeremydde, maugré whoso bigruccheth it. And alkyn crafty men, þat konne lyuen in treuthe, 70 I shal fynden hem fode, þat feithfulliche libbeth.'... (Dame 'Worche-whan-tyme-is' Pieres wyf hiȝte; His douȝter hiȝte 'Do-riȝte-so- or-þi-dame-shal-þe-bete';