¶ So had they connyng lyghly to depart
¶ From Vertu his feld and they seyng this
¶ By comyn assent hyred them a carte
¶ And made hem be caryed toward Vyce Iwys.
¶ Fro thens forth to serue hym this wold not mys
¶ For loth they were to be maysterles
¶ In stede of the better the worse there they ches
¶ But forth to relese al the remenaunt
¶ Of pety capteins that wyth Vertu were
¶ Moderate dyet and wysdom auenant
¶ Euen weyght and mesure ware of contagyous gere
¶ Loth to offend and louyng ay to lere
¶ Worshyp and profyte with myrth in maner
¶ Thyse pety capteyns wyth Vertu were in fere
¶ Comons hem folowed a grete multitude
¶ But in came pyson to that other syde
¶ I trow there was not brefely to conclude.
¶ The .x. man that batayl to abyde.
¶ Yet neuertheles I shal not from you hyde.
¶ what maner people they were & of what secte
¶ As nere as my wyt therto wyll me derect.
¶ There were noble and famous doctours.
¶ Example yeuers of lyuyng gracyous.
¶ Perpetuel prestes and dyscrete confessours.
¶ Of holy scrypture declarers fructuous.
¶ Rebukers of syn & myscheues odyous.
¶ Fysshers of soules & louers of clennes.
¶ Dyspysers of veyn and worldly rychesse.
¶ Peasyble prelatys Iustycyal gouernours.
¶ Founders of chyrches wyth mercyfull peres.
¶ Reformers of wrong of her progenytours
¶ On peynfull pore pyteous compassyoners
¶ well menyng marchauntes with trew artefecers
¶ Vyrgyns pure and also Innocentes
¶ Hooly matrones with chast contynence
¶ Pylgrymes & palmers with trew laborers
¶ Holy heremytes goddys solycytours
¶ Monesteryal monkes & well dysposed freres
¶ Chanons and nonnes feyth professoures
¶ Of worldly people trew coniugatours.
¶ Louers of Cryst Confounders of yll.
¶ And all that to godward yeue her good wyll
¶ Mayntenours of ryghte verey penytentes.
¶ Dystroyers of errour causers of vnyte.
¶ Trew actyf lyuers that set her ententis
¶ The dedis to performe of mercy and pyte
¶ Contemplatyf people that desyre to be.
¶ Salytary seruauntis vnto god alone.
¶ Rather then to habound in rychesses echone.
¶ Thyse wyth many mo than I reherce can
¶ were come thyder redy that batayl to abyde.
¶ And take such part as fyl to Vertu than
¶ Vyce to ouerco[m]e they hoped for al his pride
¶ Al though he had more people on his syde
¶ For the men that Vertu had were ful sure.
¶ To trust on at nede & connyng in armure
¶ Macrocosme was the name of the feld
¶ where this grete batayll was set for to be
¶ In the myddys therof stode consyence & beheld
¶ whyche of hem shold be brought to captyuyte
¶ Of that noble tryumph Iuge wold he be
¶ Synderesys sate hym wythin closed as a park
¶ with his table in his honde her dedys to marke.
¶ To come in to the feld were hygh wayes .v.
¶ Fre to both partyes large brode and wyde
¶ Vertu wold not tari but highed hym thyder bliue
¶ Lest he were by vyce deceyued at that tyde
¶ Long out of the feld loth was he to abyde
¶ In auenture that he out of it were kept.
For than wold he haue thought he hade to long slept
