Cok Crane and Davy Drydust, Luce Lyere and Letyce Lytyltrust, Miles the Myllere and Colle Crakecrust, Bothe Bette the Bakere, and Robyn Rede. And loke ȝe rynge wele in ȝour purs, ffor ellys ȝour cawse may spede the wurs, Thow that ȝe slynge Goddys curs Evyn at myn hede, ffast com away. Bothe Boutyng the Browstere, and Sybyly Slynge, Megge Merywedyr and Sabyn Sprynge, Tyffany Twynkelere, ffayle ffor nothynge, The courte xal be this day. _Hic intrabit pagentum de purgatione Mariæ et Joseph. Hic dicit primus detractor_, A! A! serys, God save ȝow alle, Here is a fayr pepyl in good ffay; Good seres, telle me what men me calle, I trowe ȝe kannot be this day; ȝitt I walke wide and many way, But ȝet ther I come I do no good, To reyse slawdyr is al my lay, Bakbytere is my brother of blood. Dede he ought come hedyr in al this day, Now wolde God that he were here! And be my trewthe, I dare wel say, That yf we tweyn togedyr apere, More slawndyr we to xal arere, Within an howre thorweouth this town, Than evyr ther was this thowsand ȝere, And ellys I shrewe ȝow bothe up and downe. Now be my trewthe I have a syght Evyn of my brother, lo! where he is: Welcom, dere brother, my trowthe I plyght, ȝowre jentyl mowth let me now kys. _Secundus detractor._ Gramercy, brother, so have I blys, I am ful glad we met this day. _Primus detractor._ Ryght so am I, brothyr, i-wys, Meche gladder than I kan say. But ȝitt, good brother, I ȝow pray, Telle alle these pepyl what is ȝour name; ffor yf thei knew it, my lyf I lay, They wole ȝow wurchep and speke gret fame. _Secundus detractor._ I am Bakbytere, that spyllyth alle game, Bothe kyd and knowyn in many a place. _Primus detractor._ Be my trowth I seyd the same, And ȝet sum seyden thou xulde have evyl grace. _Secundus detractor._ Herk, Reyse-sclaundyr, canst thou owth telle Of any newe thynge that wrought was late? _Primus detractor._ Within a shorte whyle a thynge befelle, I trowe thou wylt lawhȝ ryght wel therate, ffor be trowth, ryght mekyl hate, If it be wyst, therof wyl growe. _Secundus detractor._ If I may reyse therwith debate, I xal not spare the seyd to sowe. _Primus detractor._ Syr, in the tempyl a mayd ther was, Calde mayd Mary, the trewth to telle; Sche semyd so holy withinne that plas, Men seyd sche was ffedde with holy aungelle. Sche made a vow with man nevyr to melle, But to leve chast and clene virgine; How evyr it be her wombe doth swelle, And is as gret as thinne or myne. _Secundus detractor._ ȝa! that old shrewe Joseph, my trowth I plyght, Was so anameryd upon that mayd, That of hyr bewtyé, whan he had syght, He sesyd nat tylle had here asayd. _Primus detractor._ A! nay, nay, wel wers she hath hym payd, Sum fresche ȝonge galaunt she lovyth wel more, That his leggys to here hath leyd,