Now, Richard the redeless[136] . reweth[137] on you-self
That lawelesse leddyn youre lyf . and youre peple bothe;[138]
Ffor thoru the wyles and wronge . and wast in your tyme,
Ye were lyghtlich y-lyfte . ffrom that you leef thoughte,[139]
And ffrom youre willffull werkis: youre will was channgid,
And rafte was youre riott . and rest,[140] ffor youre daiez
Weren wikkid thoru youre cursid counceill . youre karis[141] weren newed,
And coueitise hath crasid[142] . youre croune ffor euere!
Radix omnium malorum cupiditas.[143]
Of alegeaunce now lerneth . a lesson other tweyne,
Wher-by it standith . and stablithe moste—
By drede, or by dyntis[144] . or domes untrewe,[145]
Or by creaunce of coyne . ffor castes of gile,[146]
By pillynge[147] of youre peple . youre prynces to plese;
Or that youre wylle were wroughte . though wisdom it nolde;
Or be tallage of youre townes . without ony werre,
By rewthles routus[148] . that ryffled euere,
By preysinge of polaxis[149] . that no pete hadde,
Or be dette ffor thi dees . deme as thou ffyndist;
Or be ledinge of lawe . with loue well ytemprid,[150]
Ffor legiaunce without loue . litill thinge availith.
But graceles gostis[151] . gylours[152] of hem-self,
That neuere had harnesse . ne hayle-schouris,[153]
But walwed in her willis[154] . ffor-weyned[155] in here youthe,
They sawe no manere sizth . saff solas and ese,[156]
And cowde no mysse amende . whan mysscheff was vp,
But sorwed ffor her lustus . of lordschipe they hadde,[157]
And neuere ffor her trespas[158] . oo tere wolde they lete![159]
Passus II.[160]
But moche now me merueilith[161] . and well may I in sothe,
Of youre large leuerey[162] . to leodis[163] aboute,
That ye so goodliche gaf[164] . but if gile letted,[165]
As hertis y-heedyd[166] . and hornyd of kynde,[167]
So ryff[168] as they ronne . youre rewme[169] thoru-oute
That non at youre nede[170] . youre name wolde nempne,[171]
In ffersnesse ne in ffoltheed,[172] . but ffaste ffle away-ward,
And some stode astonyed[173] . and stared ffor drede,
Ffor eye of the egle[174] . that oure helpe broughte.
Now liste[175] me to lerne . ho[176] me lere[177] coude,
What kynnes conceyll[178] . that the kyng had,
Or meued him most . to merke his liegis,[179]
Or serue hem with signes[180] . that swarmed so thikke,
Thoru-oute his lond . in lengthe and in brede,
That ho so had hobblid . thoru holtes and tounes,
Or y-passid the patthis . ther the prynce dwellyd,
Of hertis or hyndis . on hassellis brestis,
Or some lordis leveré . that the lawe stried,
He should have ymette . mo than ynowe,[181]
Ffor they accombrede[182] the contré . and many curse seruid,[183]
And carped[184] to the Comounes . with the kyngys mouthe,
Or with the lordis . ther they belefte[185] were
That no renke[186] shulde rise . reson to schewe;
They plucked the plomayle[187] . ffrom the pore skynnes,
And schewed her signes[188] . ffor men shulde drede,
To axe ony mendis . ffor her mys-dedis.[189]