"At Londone, I leve, Liketh wel my wafres; And louren whan thei lakken hem. It is noght long y-passed, There was a careful commune, Whan no cart com to towne With breed fro Stratforde; Tho gonnen beggeris wepe, And werkmen were agast a lite; This wole be thought longe. 8570 In the date of oure Drighte, In a drye Aprille, A thousand and thre hundred Twies twenty and ten, My wafres there were gesene Whan Chichestre was maire." I took good kepe, by Crist! And Conscience bothe, Of Haukyn the actif man, And how he was y-clothed. 8580 He hadde a cote of Cristendom, As holy kirke bileveth; Ac it was moled in many places With manye sondry plottes; {263} Of pride here a plot, And there a plot of unbuxome speche, Of scornyng and of scoffyng, And of unskilful berynge, As in apparaill and in porte Proud amonges the peple, 8590 Oother wise than he hym hath With herte or sighte shewynge, Hym willyng that alle men wende He were that he is noght. For-why he bosteth and braggeth With manye bolde othes, And inobedient to ben undernome Of any lif lyvynge; And noon so singuler by hymself, Ne so pomp holy, 8600 Y-habited as an heremyte, An ordre by hymselve, Religion saunz rule Or resonable obedience, Lakkynge lettrede men And lewed men bothe In likynge of lele lif, And a liere in soule, With inwit and with outwit Ymagynen and studie, 8610 As best for his body be To have a badde name, And entremetten hym over al Ther he hath noght to doone, Willynge that men wende His wit were the beste. And if he gyveth ought to povere gomes, Telle what he deleth, {264} Povere of possession in purs And in cofre bothe. 8620 And as a lyoun on to loke, And lordlich of speche, Boldest of beggeris, A bostere that noght hath, In towne and in tavernes Tales to telle, And segge thyng that he nevere seigh, And for sothe sweren it, Of dedes that he nevere dide Demen and bosten 8630 And of werkes that he wel dide Witnesse, and siggen-- "Lo! if ye leve me noght, Or that I lye wenen, Asketh at hym or at hym, And he yow kan telle What I suffrede and seigh And som tymes hadde, And what I kouthe and knew, And what kyn I com of." 8640 Al he wolde that men wiste Of werkes and of wordes Which myghte plese the peple, And preisen hymselve. _Si hominibus placerem, Christi servus non essem. Et alibi: Nemo potest duobus dominis servire._ "By Crist!" quod Conscience tho, "Thi beste cote, Haukyn, 8650 Hath manye moles and spottes, It moste ben y-wasshe." {265}