1156NOBELYTE. It petyeth my hart to se the controvercye

1157That now a dayes reygnethe betwyn the Kyng and the clargy.

1158All Cantorbery monks are now the realme exyled,

1159The prysts and bysshopps contymeally revyled,

1160The Cystean monkes are in soche perplexyte

1161That owt of Englond they reken all to flee.

1162I lament the chaunce, as I wold God shuld me save.

1163SEDWSYON. Yt is gracyously sayd; Godes blyssyng myght ye have.

1164Blyssyd is that man that wyll graunte or condyssend

1165To helpe relygyon, or Holy Churche defend.

1166NOBELYTE. For ther mayntenance I have gevyn londes full fayer;

1167I have dysheryted many a laufull ayer.

1168SEDWSYON. Well, yt is yowr owne good: God shall reward yow for ytt,

1169And in hevyn full hyghe for soch good workes shall ye sytt.

1170NOBELYTE. Yowr habyte showyth ye to be a man of relygeon.

1171SEDWSYON. I am no worse, sur: my name is Good Perfectyon.

1172NOBELYTE. I am the more glad to be aquented with ye.

1173SEDWSYON. Ye show yowr selfe here lyke a noble man, as ye be.

1174I perseyve ryght well yowr name ys Nobelyte.

1175NOBELYTE. Yowr servont and umfrey; of trewthe, father, I am he.

1176SEDWSYON. From Innocent, the pope, I am cum from Rome evyn now.

1177A thowsand tymes I wene he commendyth hym unto yow,

1178And sent yow clene remyssyon to take the Chyrches parte.

1179NOBELYTE. I thanke his holynes, I shall do yt with all my harte.

1180Yf ye wold take paynes for heryng my confessyon,

1181I wold owt of hand resayve this cleane remyssyon.

1182SEDWSYON. Mary, with all my hart I wyll be full glad to do ytt.

1183NOBELYTE. Put on yowr stolle then, and I pray yow in Godes name sytt.

1185NOBELYTE. Benedicite.

1186SEDWSYON. Dmns: In nomine Domini Pape amen. Say forth yowr mynd in Godes name.

1187NOBELYTE. I have synnyd a gaynst God, I knowlege my selfe to blame.

1188In the vij dedly synnys I have offendyd sore:

1189Godes ten commandyments I have brokyn ever more:

1190My v boddyly wytes I have ongodly kepte:

1191The workes of charyte in maner I have owt slepte.

1192SEDWSYON. I trust ye beleve as Holy Chyrch doth teache ye,

1193And from the new lernyng ye are wyllyng for to fle.

1194NOBELYTE. From the new lernyng, mary, God of hevyn save me!

1195I never lovyd yt of a chyld, so mote I the.

1196SEDWSYON. Ye can say yowr crede, and yowr laten Ave Mary?

1197NOBELYTE. Yea, and dyrge also, with sevyn psalmes and letteny.

1198SEDWSYON. Do ye not beleve in purgatory and holy bred?

1199NOBELYTE. Yes, and that good prayers shall stand my soule in stede.

1200SEDWSYON. Well than, good enowgh; I warant my soulle for yowr.

1201NOBELYTE. Than execute on me the holy fatheres power.

1202SEDWSYON. Naye, whyll I have yow here underneth benedicite,

1203In the popes behalfe I must move other thynges to ye.

1204NOBELYTE. In the name of God, saye here what ye wyll to me.

1205SEDWSYON. Ye know that Kyng Johan ys a very wycked man,

1206And to Holy Chyrch a contynuall adversary.

1207The pope wyllyth yow to do the best ye canne

1208To his subduyng for his cruell tyranny;

1209And for that purpose this privylege gracyously

1210Of clene remyssyon he hath sent yow this tyme,

1211Clene to relesse yow of all yowr synne and cryme.

1212NOBELYTE. Yt is clene agenst the nature of Nobelyte

1213To subdew his kyng with owt Godes autoryte;

1214For his princely estate and power ys of God.

1215I wold gladly do ytt, but I fere his ryghtfull rode.

1216SEDWSYON. Godes holy vycare gave me his whole autoryte.

1217Loo, yt is here, man; beleve yt, I beseche the,

1218Or elles thow wylte faulle in danger of damnacyon.

1219NOBELYTE. Than I submyt me to the chyrches reformacyon.

1220SEDWSYON. I assoyle the here from the kynges obedyence

1221By the auctoryte of the popys magnifycence.

1222Auctoritate Roma in pontyficis ego absolve te.

1223From all possessyons gevyn to the spiritualte,

1224In nomine Domini Pape, amen.

1225Kepe all thynges secrett, I pray yow hartely.

1227NOBELYTE. Yes, that I wyll, sur, and cum agayne hether shortly.

1229THE CLARGY. Ys not yowr fatherhod Archbysshope of Canterbery?

1230SEDWSYON. I am Stevyn Langton. Why make ye here inquyry?

1232[Both]. 1233Ye are ryght welcum to this same regyon trewly.

1234SEDWSYON. Stond up, I pray yow: I trow, thu art the Clargy.

1235THE CLARGY. I am the same, sur, and this is Cyvyle Order.

1236SEDWSYON. Yf a man myght axe yow, what make yow in this border?

1237THE CLARGY. I herd tell yester daye ye were cum in to the land:

1238I thowght for to se yow sum newes to understand.

1239SEDWSYON. In fayth thow art welcum: ys Cyvyll Order thy frynd?

1240THE CLARGY. He is a good man, and beryth the Chyrch good mynd.

1241CYVYLL ORDER. Ryght sory I am of the great controvarsy

1242Betwyn hym and the kyng, yf I myght yt remedy.

1243SEDWSYON. Well, Cyvyll Order, for thy good wyll gramercy:

1244That mater wyll be of an other facyon shortly.

1245Fyrst to begyne with, we shall interdyte the lond.

1246CYVYLL ORDER. Mary, God forbyde we shuld be in soche bond.

1247But who shall do yt, I pray yow hartyly?

1248SEDWSYON. Pandulphus and I: we have yt in owr legacy.

1249He went to the kyng for that cawse yester daye,

1250And I wyll folow so fast as ever I maye.

1251Lo, here ys the bull of myn auctoryte.

1252THE CLARGY. I pray God to save the popes holy maieste.

1253SEDWSYON. Sytt downe on yowr kneys, and ye shall have absolucion

1254A pena et culpa, with a thowsand dayes of pardon.

1255Here ys fyrst a bone of the blyssyd trynyte,

1256A dram of the tord of swete seynt Barnabe.

1257Here ys a fedder of good seynt Myhelles wyng,

1258A toth of seynt Twyde, a pece of Davyds harpe stryng,

1259The good blood of Haylys, and owr blyssyd ladys mylke;

1260A lowse of seynt Frauncis in this same crymsen sylke.

1261A scabbe of seynt Job, a nayle of Adams too,

1262A maggot of Moyses, with a fart of saynt Fandigo.

1263Here is a fygge leafe and a grape of Noes vyneyearde,

1264A bede of saynt Blythe, with the bracelet of a berewarde.

1265The devyll that was hatcht in maistre Johan Shornes bote,

1266That the tree of Jesse did plucke up by the roote.

1267Here ys the lachett of swett seynt Thomas shewe,

1268A rybbe of seynt Rabart, with the huckyll bone of a Jewe.

1269Here ys a joynt of Darvell Gathyron,

1270Besydes other bonys and relyckes many one.

1271In nomine Domini Pape, amen.

1272Aryse now lyke men, and stande uppon yowr fete,

1273For here ye have caught an holy and a blyssyd hete.

1274Ye are now as clene as that day ye were borne,

1275And lyke to have increase of chylderne, catell, and corne.

1276CYVYLL ORDER. Chyldryn he can have non, for he ys not of that loade.

1277SEDWSYON. Tushe, thowgh he hath non at home, he may have sume abroade.

1278Now, Clargy, my frynd, this must thow do for the pope,

1279And for Holy Chyrch: thow must mennys conscyence grope,

1280And as thow felyst them so cause them for to wurke:

1281Leat them show Kyng Johan no more faver than a Turke.

1282Every wher sture them to make an insurreccyon.

1283THE CLARGY. All that shall I do, and to provoke them more

1284This interdyccyon I wyll lament very sore

1285In all my prechyngs, and saye throwgh his occasyon

1286All we are under the danger of dampnacyon.

1287And this wyll move peple to helpe to put hym downe,

1288Or elles compell hym to geve up septur and crowne.

1289Yea, and that wyll make those kynges that shall succede

1290Of the Holy Chyrche to stond evermore in drede.

1291And by sydes all this, the chyrch dores I wyll up scale,

1292And closse up the bells that they ryng never a pele:

1293I wyll spere up the chalyce, crysmatory, crosse and all,

1294That masse they shall have non, baptym nor beryall,

1295And thys I know well wyll make the peple madde.

1296SEDWSYON. Mary, that yt wyll; soche sauce he never had.

1297And what wylte thow do for Holy Chyrche, Cyvyll Order?

1298CYVYLL ORDER. For the clargyes sake I wyll in every border

1299Provoke the gret men to take the commonys parte.

1300With cautyllys of the lawe I wyll so tyckle ther hart,

1301They shall thynke all good that they shall passe upon,

1302And so shall we cum to ower full intent anon;

1303For yf the Church thryve than do we lawers thryve,

1304And yf they decay ower welth ys not alyve.

1305Therfore we must helpe yowr state masters to uphold,

1306Or elles owr profyttes wyll cache a wynter colde.

1307I never knew lawer whych had ony crafty lernyng

1308That ever escapte yow with owt a plentyows levyng,

1309Therfore we may not leve Holy Chyrchys quarell,

1310But ever helpe yt, for ther fall ys owr parell.

1311SEDWSYON. Gods blyssyng have ye: this gere than wyll worke I trust.

1312CYVYLL ORDER. Or elles sum of us are lyke to lye in the dust.

1313SEDWSYON. Let us all avoyde: be the messe, the Kyng cummyth here.

1314THE CLARGY. I wold hyde my selfe for a tyme yf I wyst where.

1315CYVYLL ORDER. Gow we hence apace, for I have spyed a corner.