Peace beginneth. A2,r.
Peace. The puissant Prince and Innocent most pure,
Which humbly descended from the seat sempiternal,
Illumine his beams of grace to every creature;
To withstand the conflict of our enemies mortal;
The devil, the world, and the flesh, these three in special,
Which setteth division between the soul and the body;
In like wise envy setteth debate between party and party.
I speak for this cause: daily ye may see
How that, by envy and malice, many be destroyed;
Which, if they had lived in peace with patient humility,
Riches and prosperity with them had been employed.
For thereas is peace, no man is annoyed;
For by peace men grow to great richesse;
And by peace men live in great quietness.
I am named Peace, which Envy doth expel.
Envy with me shall never rest;
For Envy is one of the pains of hell.
When that he sojourneth within a man's breast,
Like the burning Phœnix in her own nest,
Though she can none other hurt, ne grieve,
Yet she doth not cease herself to mischieve
Envy. A, sir! here was a long predication:
Methought ye said, in your communication,
To every man peace was most behoved.
Peace. Forsooth! and so said I.
Envy. That shall be proved contrary, by and by;
For by peace much people are undone.
Peace. What people are tho[se]?
Envy. The armourer, the fletcher, and the bowyer,
Mariners, gunners, and the poor sowdyer;
Yea, and also many another artificer
Which I do not rehearse by name.