[This poem entitled Conscience is printed in Hales and Furnivall's edition of the Percy folio MS. (vol. ii. p. 174), with a long preface by Mr. Furnivall, on the earnest side of Early English literature.
It will be seen from the foot-notes that Percy left many of his corrections unnoticed.]
As I walked of late by 'an' wood side,[747]
To God for to meditate was my entent;
Where under a hawthorne I suddenlye spyed[748]
A silly poore creature ragged and rent,
With bloody teares his face was besprent,[749] 5
His fleshe and his color consumed away,[749]
And his garments they were all mire, mucke, and clay.[750]
This made me muse, and much 'to' desire
To know what kind of man hee shold bee;
I stept to him straight, and did him require 10
His name and his secretts to shew unto mee.
His head he cast up, and wooful was hee,
My name, quoth he, is the cause of my care,
And makes me scorned, and left here so bare.
Then straightway he turn'd him, and pray'd 'me' sit downe,[751] 15
And I will, saithe he, declare my whole greefe;
My name is called Conscience:—wheratt he did frowne,
He pined to repeate it, and grinded his teethe,
'Thoughe now, silly wretche, I'm denyed all releef,'[752]
'Yet' while I was young, and tender of yeeres,[753] 20
I was entertained with kinges, and with peeres.
There was none in the court that lived in such fame,[754]
For with the kings councell 'I' sate in commission;[755]
Dukes, earles, and barrons esteem'd of my name;
And how that I liv'd there needs no repetition: 25
I was ever holden in honest condition,
For howsoever the lawes went in Westminster-hall,
When sentence was given, for me they wold call.