So that juftice out of the wey
With rightwifneffe is gone awey.
And thus to loke on every halve
Men fene the fore without falve,
Whiche al the worlde hath overtake.
Ther is no regne of alle out take,
For every climat hath his dele
After the torninge of the whele,
Which blinde fortune overthroweth,
Wherof the certain no man knoweth.
The heven wot what is to done.
But we that dwelle under the mone
Stonde in this worlde upon a were,
And namely but the
power
Of hem, that ben the worldes guides,
With good counfeil on alle fides
Be kept upright in fuche a wife,
That hate breke nought thaffife
Of love, whiche is all the chefe
To kepe a regne out of mischefe.
For alle refon wolde this,
That unto him, which the heved is,
The membres buxom shall bowe,
And he fhulde eke here trouth alowe With all his hert and make hem chere. Salomon. Omnia For good counfeil is good to here,
All though a man be wife him felve,
Yet is the wifdome more of twelve.
And if they stonden both in one,
To hope it were than anone,
That god his grace wolde fende
To make of thilke werre an ende,
Whiche every day now groweth newe.
And that is gretely for to rewe
In fpeciall for Cristes fake,
Which wolde his owne life forfake
Amonge the men to yeven pees.
But nowe men tellen netheles,
That love is fro the world departed,
So ftant the pees uneven parted
With hem that liven now a daies.
But for to loke at all affaies
To him, that wolde refon feche
After the comun worldes fpeche,
It is to wonder of thilke werre,
In which none wote who hath the werre.
For
every lond him felf deceiveth
And of difefe his parte receiveth,
And yet ne take men no kepe.
But thilke lorde, whiche al may kepe,
To whom no counfeil may be hid
Upon the world, whiche is betid,
Amende that, wherof men pleine
With trewe hertes and with pleine,
And reconcile love ayeine
As he, whiche is king fovereine
Of all the worldes governaunce,
And of his highe purveiance
Afferme pees bitwene the londes
And take here caufe into his hondes,
De ftatu cleri ut
dicunt fecundum
So that the world stande appefed
And his godhede also be plefed.
Quas coluit Mofes vetus, aut novus ipfe Joannes,
Hefternas leges vix colit ifta dies.
Sic prius Ecclefia bina virtute polita
Nunc magis inculta pallet utraque via.
Pacificam Petri vaginam mucro refumens
Horruit ad Christi verba cruoris iter.
Nunc tamen affiduo gladium de fanguine tinctum
Vibrat avaricia lege repente facra.
Sic lupus eft paftor, pater hoftis, mors miferator,
Prædoque largitor, pax et in orbe timor.
To thenke upon the daies olde
fpiritualia, vide. The life of clerkes to beholde
licet tempore Ro- Men fain, how that they were tho
berti Gibbonenfis,
qui nomen Cle
mentis fibi fortitus Enfample and reule of alle tho,
eft tunc Antipape. Which of wisdom the vertue foughten. Unto the god first they befoughten
As to the fubftaunce of here fcole,
That they ne fholden nought befole
Her witte upon none erthly werkes,
Whiche were ayein theftate of clerkes,
And that they mighten fle the vice,
Which Simon hath in his office,
Wherof he taketh the golde in honde.
For thilke time I understonde
The Lumbarde made non efchaunge
The bishopriches for to chaunge,
Ne yet a letter for to fende
For dignite ne for provende
Or cured or withoute cure,
The chirche keie in adventure
Of armes and of brigantaille
Stood no thing than upon bataille
To fight or for to make chefte
It thought hem thanne nought honeste.
But of fimplefce and pacience
They maden thanne no defence.
The courte of worldly regalie
To hem was thanne no bailie.
The vein honour was nought defired,
Which hath the proude herte fired.
Humilite was tho witholde
And pride was a vice holde.
Of holy chirche the largeffe
Yaf thanne and did great almeffe
To pouer men that hadden nede.
They were eke chaft in word and dede,
Wherof the people ensample toke.
Their luft was al upon the boke
Or for to preche or for to preie
To wiffe men the righte weie
Of fuch as ftode of trouth unlered.
Lo, thus was Peters barge ftered
Of hem that thilke time were.
And thus came first to mannes ere
The feith of Criste and alle good
Through hem, that thanne weren good
And fobre and chafte and large and wife.
And now men fain is other wife.
Simon the cause hath undertake,
The worldes fwerde on hond is take,
And that is wonder netheles,
Whan Crifte him self hath bode pees
And fet it in his testament.
How now that holy chirche is went
Of that here lawe pofitife
Hath fet to make werre and strife
For worldes good, which may nought last.
God wote the cause to the last
Of every right and wronge alfo.
But while the lawe is reuled fo
That clerkes to the werre entende,
I not how that they sholde amende
The woful worlde in other thinges
To make pees between the kinges
After the lawe of charite,
Which is the propre duete
Belongend unto the prefthode.
But as it thenketh to make manhode,
The heven is fer, the worlde is nigh,
And veingloire is eke to sligh,
Which covetife hath now witholde,
That they none other thing beholde,
But only that they mighten winne.
And thus the werres they beginne,
Wherof the holy chirche is taxed,
That in the point as it is axed
The disme goth to the bataile,
As though Crift mighte nought availe
To don hem right by other weie.
Into the fwerd the chirche keie
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