[Sidenote: He made thee king,] He maid the king, he maid the gou{er}nour, He maid the ſo, and ſet in hie honour Of Realmys and of [diuerß] peplis ſere; Eft{er} his loue thow ſhuld them Reul {and} ſtere, 1344 And wnoppreſſit kep in to Iuſtice, The wykit men and pwnyce for ther wice. Yow dois no thing, bot al in the {con}trare, [Sidenote: and thou sufferest thy people to fare ill.] And ſuffrith al thi puple to forfare; 1348 Yow haith non Ey but one thyne awn delyt, Or quhat that pleſing ſhall thyne appetyt. In the defalt of law and of Iuſtice, Wndir thi hond is ſufferyt gret ſuppriß 1352 Of fadirleß, and modirleß alſo, And wedwis ek ſuſtenit mekill wo. [Sidenote: The poor are oppressed.] With gret myſchef oppreſſit ar the pure; And thow art cauß of al this hol Iniure, 1356 Whar-of that god a raknyng ſal craf At the, and a ſore Raknyng ſal hafe; For thyne eſtat is gewyne to Redreß Thar ned, and kep them to ry{ch}twyneß; 1360 And thar is non that ther complant{is} her{is}; The my{ch}ty folk, and ek the flattereris Ar cheif with the, and doith this oppreſſiou{n}; [Sidenote: If they complain, it is their confusion.] If thai complen, It is ther confuſſiou{n}e. 1364 And daniell ſaith that who doith to the pure, Or fad{er}leß, or modirleß, EnIure, Or to the puple, that ilke to god doth hee; And al this harme ſuſtenit Is throw the. 1368 Yow ſufferith them, oppreſſith {and} anoyith; So yow art cauß, throw the thei ar diſtroyth; Than, at thi my{ch}t, god ſo diſtroys yow. [Sidenote: What wilt thou do, when God destroys sinners off the visage of the earth?] What ſhal he do aȝane? quhat ſhal yow, 1372 When he diſtroys by vengance of his ſuerd The ſynar{is} fra the vysag{is} of the Erde? Than vtraly yow ſhall diſtroyt bee; And that Richt weill apper{is} now of thee, 1376 For yow allon byleft art ſolitere; [Sidenote: Solomon saith, ‘Wo to him who is left alone! He hath no help.’] And the wyß salamon can duclar, ‘Wo be to hyme that is byleft alone, He haith no help;’ so Is thi forton goñe; 1380 [Fol. 18.] For he is callit, w{i}t{h} quhom that god is no{ch}t, Allone; and ſo thi wykitneß haith wro{ch}t That god hyme-ſelf he is bycu{m}myn thi fo, [Sidenote: Thou hast lost thy people’s hearts,] Thi pupleis hart{is} haith thow tynt alſo; 1384 Thi wykitneß thus haith the maid alon, That of this erth thi fortone Is y-goñ. Yow mone thi lyf, yow mone thi vorſchip tyne, [Sidenote: and shalt come to death that hath no end.”] And eft to deth that neu{er} ſhal haf fyne.” 1388 [Headnote: ARTHUR ASKS ADVICE.]