MAN

¶ Oh lord of lords / my lord God immortuall To the be honour / and joy ever to endure whose heavenly empyreshall never be final But world without end / remain stable and sure whom heaven and hell / and earthly creature with one assent / and all with one accord Honoureth / praiseth / and knowledgeth for their lord ¶ To the mine head / I humbly incline Thanking thy grace / that First hast ordained me To be as a syly creature of thine and after that / of thy great bownte Thou hast me set / in sovereign degree and given me the profettys / of every earthly thing aswell of frutys / as of beasts living and that that is / also most precious thou hast me enspyred / with heavenly wisdom whereby I may / do worhys meruaylouse In every place / where soever I come Of eke perfection / thy grace hath sent me some So that I know / that creature no where Of whose virtue / I am not partner ¶ I have as hath / eke other element among other in this world / a come being with herbs and trees / continual noryshement that is suffysant / to natural living with sensual beasts / I have a manner of knowing whereby I should / in good thyngꝭ delight and flee the contrary / of mine appetite ¶ And over all this / thou hast given me virtue Surmounting all other / in high perfection That is understanding / whereby I may auew And well discern / what is tobe done yet for all that / have I from election Do what I will / be that evil or well And am put in the hand / of mine own counsel ¶ and in this point / I am half angelyke Unto thy heavenly spyrytys / almost equal albeit in some part / I be to them unlike For they be ordained / to endure perpetual and I wretched body / shall have my funeral When that pleases / thy grace so to provide Man is not ordained / always here to abide ¶ Wherefore unto thy sovereign and high estate Most heavenly prince / I make mine orison Sith that hath pleased / thy noble grace algate That I unworthy / of so great renown In this world / shall have possession thou gyve me grace / my self to enure as may me profit / and be to thy pleasure ¶ Be that so in gods name / I pray you go we hens ¶ you I would be glad / that every thing Be done even / after your devising ¶ of this courtesy nde as yet, but be you sure I sh self / endeavour bysyly to do that may be / to your pleasure And for the season / that I shall her endure I shall / and to my power maintain That unto you in any wise do partayne ¶ By my faith / even as you say It liketh me not right well With innocency long to dwell therefore according to your counsel I will not after this day with his company my self affere As me wet as that were a grey frere I suppose there is no man here what soever he be That could in in his mind be content all ways to be called and innocent Wherefore that is mine intent to do as you advise me ¶ Nothing at all to my w ting But our lord have you in his kypyng And send you well to speed ¶ I wot well I shall. Surely you be bound To the world / that hath given you so great continued ̄ mendacy ¶ your counsel you good / do as you think best I commit all such thing / to your discretion ¶ I shall do my true / bysynes at the lest To bring all things / to good conclusion ¶ Abide affection / you made no mention Who should await / and gyve attendance I must have more seruauntys / what so ever chance Even the last man / that was in my thought ¶ What is he. ¶ Sir you be welcome to this place ¶ Now sir what have you to say to me ¶ Praise whom praise they. ¶ Nay you ar worth thy weight of gold Me thenketh me to you Much behold I pray you what is your name ¶ Now worship I pray you me tell your wisdom and also counsel you can advertise me passing well In things that I have to do ¶ Mine honesty. Wherefore let see I pray you show me why ¶ Now certain thanked be heaven king I have a right quick understanding If you show me any thing I can soon perceive that But I was forbid by reason On mine own fantasy to ron Or to take any presumption Of mine own wit ¶ Certain nature advised me to follow reason what time that she Put me First in authority that I stand in now ¶ urshyp for gods sake grieve you no ¶ Whom mean you Reason ¶ What is he a wise man ¶ And so does he without saynyng for hyderto I might do nothing but after hie will and by ddyng And that groged my mind ¶ certam nly from her than I re son ¶ By God that will I do goodly but I pray you sirs do your diligence for this array and spare none expense and for a while I will go hens And come again shortly ¶ you but what will Reason say When he sees me in that array ¶ No but yet that were according To have therein his counsel Man without reason's is but blind And if I should speak after my mind I can well a difference find Bytwyxt man and a best When he hath Reason in presence and duly obeyeth his saw and sentence ¶ No force hardly Thouledest me all wrong and therefore will I no more follow the ¶ Nparde Nor yet thy brother Sensuality I have followed you to long ¶ you doubtless And now will I seek shamefastness By whom I trust I shall redress All my mysded ¶ Nay nay on warantyse Now sirs who can me advise what is best to do ¶ By your troth are you the same ¶ you be the man without feigning That I wished for / or you cam here and glad am I now of your coming Praying you with heart enter when I have need thus to come never ¶ you that is that as God me speed Hard you all this mater you or nay ¶ Oh ghostly reason's I have greater need Of your help than ever I had before Help me now & I shall never forsake you more Sith I forsook your company I have committed Much folly I am ashamed certainly when I think theron But now have I refused All such manner of company and three have I done verily Of mine own motion ¶ Sir that is my mind and intent Hereafter to be your true obedient and never more to assent To such folly again ¶ Oh blessed lord / what manner strife is this At wyxt my reason / and sensuality That one meaneth well / and that all other amiss In one is sekernes / and in tother great fraylte And both they be / so annexed to me That needest I must / with one of Them abide Lord as thou thynkyst best / for me do provide ¶ For I am wondrously / entryked in this case and almost brought / into perplexyte Not withstanding / thanked be thy grace as I did never assent / ne aggre To thing that should / be contraryouse unto the Of sinful dead / and thought all innocent Subduyd to reason / as his obedient ¶ you hardly / till reason have said ¶ I thank you / but I need none other vesture Nature hath clothed me / as yet suffysantly Guiltless of sin / and as a maiden pure I were on me / the garment of innocency ¶ Blessed be thou / my lord most bounteous that of thy great / abundant charity Me thy wretched creature / hast honoured thus with natural gyftys / and worldly dignity Now I beseek the / for thy great pity Sith thou hast set me / in so noble way Suffer me not here after / wretchedly to decay ¶ For certes that is / mine hartys desire So to demayn me / in this life present As may be most / unto thy pleasure and unto nature / not dysconuenyent This is my will / and my chief intent this will I observe / thy grace to borrow though I therefore / suffer mouche worldly sorrow ¶ Reason sir my chief conselour And this innocency / my noryce hyderto And sensuality that other / by whom I have power To do / as all sensate beasts do But reason and innocency / chiefly these two Have the hold rule / and gouerny of me To m eke is subdued / my sensuality Wurshpp now surely The world told me that was my destyny To come to worship or I die ¶ Certes you move / right well and prudently and I am well content / that that so be But as yet / have I not the policy To know which men / have most abylyte. ¶ well / I am fully content That all thing be done / by your assygnement I ̄ to you also Whence are you hid h m come.