Men sholde constreyne No clerke to knavene werkes. For by law of Livitici, That oure Lord ordeynede, Clerkes that aren crowned Of kynde understondyng, Sholde nother swynke ne swete, Ne swere at enquestes, Ne fyghte in no vauntwarde, Ne hus fo greve. _Nou reddas malum pro malo._ For it ben aires of hevene, And alle that ben crounede And in queer in churches, Cristes owene mynestres. _Dominus pars hæreditatis meæ Et alibi, Clementia non constringit._ Hit bycometh for clerkus Crist for to serven; And knaves uncrounede To cart and to worche. For shold no clerk be crouned, Bote yf he y-come were Of franklens and freemen And of folke y-weddede. Bondmen and bastardes, And beggers children, Thuse bylongeth to labour. And lordes children sholde serven, Bothe God and good men, As here degree asketh; Some to synge masses, Others sitten and wryte, Rede and receyve That Reson oughte spende. And sith bondemenne barnes Han be made bisshopes, And barnes bastardes Han ben archidekenes; And sopers and here sones For selver han be knyghtes, And lordene sones here laboreres, And leid here rentes to wedden For the ryght of the reame, Ryden ayens oure enemys, In consort of the comune And the kynges worshep. And monkes and moniales. That mendinauns sholden fynde, Han mad here kyn knyghtes, And knyght fees purchase. Popes and patrones Povre gentil blod refuseth, And taken Symondes sonne Seyntewarie to kepe. Lyf-holynesse and love Han ben longe hennes, And wole, til hit be wered out, Or otherwise y-chaunged. For-thy rebuke me ryht nouht, Reson, ich yow praye; For in my conscience ich knowe What Crist wolde that ich wroughte. Preyers of perfyt man, And penaunce discret, Is the levest labour That oure Lord pleseth. _Non de solo_, ich seyde, For sothe _vivit homo, Nec in pane et pabulo_, The paternoster witnesseth. _Fiat voluntas tua_ Fynt ous alle thynges.' Quath Conscience, 'By Crist! Ich can nat see this lyeth. Ac it semeth nouht perfitnesse In cyties for to begge, Bote he be obediencer To pryour other to mynstre.' 'That ys soth,' ich seide, 'And so ich by-knowe That ich have tynt tyme, And tyme mys-spended. And yut ich hope, as he That ofte haveth chaffarede, That ay hath lost and lost, And at the latest hym happeth He bouhte suche a bargayn He was the bet evere, And sette hus lost at a lef At the laste ende; Suche a wynnynge hym warth Thorw wyrdes of his grace. _Simile est regnum coelorum thesauro abscondito in agro, etc._ _Mulier quæ inveniet dragmam, etc._ So hope ich to have of hym That his almyghty A gobet of hus grace, And bygynne a tyme That alle tymes of my tyme To profit shal turne.' 'Ich rede the,' quath Reson tho, 'Rathe the to bygynne The lyf that ys lowable And leel to the soule.' 'Ye, and continue,' quath Conscience.