INJURY

¶Apparel, good sir, what fault is that Though gray be her coat why blame you y e wild cat Why should you him deem of nature frail Though as wise as you would were a Fox tail Or a coat after the come usage Or have by nature a mad visage These be no witness for Justice to dyserne Nor certain knowledge of nature to learn And christ taught you sir how you should judge men S yenge Noli e judicare secundum faciem. And yet in nature better knowledge should be Then is in apparel you know perdy. ¶Yet with y e same text I pray you wipe your nose He said not Ex vestibus eorum cognoscetis eos. ¶You and what followeth hereof master Albion To your person universal derysion ¶For all other strange nations They will rail on you with open proclamations Saying whosoever do as he dose Is half a man and half a wild goose. ¶For with High reason they say you can dispute And try out perils with laborous suit And eke the treasure for the come veil As far as wit or reason can assail But when all is done and your statute made Then forth you go in a wise trade To bring it all to good conclusion And put it never in execution Then speak they further in steed of a mock They have made a statute like a woodkoeke That hath but one eye and the other blind And it will turn with every wind And for because you study but for the beginning And never provide for a sure ending Beginning like a man you take great assay At last like a wild goose even but to fly away. ¶And I will tarry no longer while But as I see you over the style. ¶Now here beginneth a game ywys For manhood they ween my name is But trust me sirs if I should not lie My name is called Injury Which name to hide I thought it polysie And turn it to manhood, and wot you why? It is a part of our new experience When I against right make stiff defence That Justice in his seat may not be enstabled Then am I Injury manhood called Oh than of me craketh every man How like a Lord this fellow steer can The law to defend without a fallen For all their pledyng in Westminster hall, Or say what they will and babble there Yet maintenance and I will keep the cheer If it come once to the country Then as I will so shall it be A very cause sirs why I hide my name Was, they should not suspect my fame Because I would spy all their intent To change their purpose after my judgement And so will I do, for this is their pretence By mean of Justice to bring in experience That peace should continue the people among And so by that mean to banish me wrong But trust me sirs I will none of that But rather by their faces I will them scrat And me to maintain in this opinion I have and old mate called Dyuycion That shall be of my counsel in this case Which I trust will not turn his face Till Peace be driven clean from Albion And then let Justice and me alone For I trust or he and I have done He shall go whystle in a marry bone As for any rightful judgement That after this shall follow his intent And now sirs will I goo my way My fellow to seek, find him if I may. ¶Marry fie on him whoreson What art thou mad again. ¶By God me thought even now you were in a snare Or else and Hunting to catch and bore But hark I say, do together and spell Beware ever among of the frery clerks bell. ¶But wouldst thou needs so fain know it I tell thee with Albion and Justice I am knit Therefore it were wisdom for thee To beware what thou sayest before me ¶Nay I had lever you were skinned all three For I have turned the wrong side of my Hod And told them my name was manhood And now by God in any wise For both our eases I must have thine advise. ¶Nay by God I was not afeard It was but for to claw their berde Or rub it of all that they meant That I might know all their intent Whereof the matter is to long to tell For the time that we did mell But shortly to show thee for a conclusion Their mind is to bring us both to confusion. ¶Albion hath sent Justice to Pryncypaltie To have assistance, and me to suffreyntie Of the Lords temporal to have their aid That Justice in no wise should be delayde. And this thou knowest well enough perdy Thus they mean to destroy thee and me And as for Justice forth is gone Speed as he can, but I tarried alone And yet I would no messenger be Till I had the advice of thee Therefore how sayest thou now in this case We shall not be idle to play at this base. ¶What shall they use in their devise. ¶I make God a vow this is a sovereign bait To bring our purpose to a narrow strait But what shall the other spy then do A fellowship tell me that also. ¶Marry this is a cast of a new horse comb To rub any on the nauyll that hath a tickle woe ̄ be This gere will work after my fantasy To make of and old grudge a new frenesy And this openeth the gate even for me That both the one and the other degree Shall wrestle with them self in such afflictions That everyone shall disdain at other iurisdicti ons ¶This gentle seed will I sow at the last When Peace by thee is in perplexity And wore not in what part Quiet to be Then Justice must ever be in doubt Which part at need shall bear him out So that for my partly he shall stand Still While I run at large and have all my will. ¶Why knowest not thou, then hark me man This Justice is a fellow of a far cast And driveth such dryftes to rule all at the last And Peace is his brother of one degree Which hath a fair daughter that is called plenty And Albion as long as rest him treats He loves fair flesh of all meats And it is a come saying that Justice Peace & he Will conclude a marriage with fair dame plenty And then will Albion that old soot With rest and peace so on her doot That than she by her and her Friends Shall sail in storms at all winds. ¶Why horson it is a point of hie madness For a time to desemble sadness, And though thou be all ready as mad as a heart Yet will I make thee madder then thou art ¶Marry then even thus I say When that to Albion thou hast taken thy way And done thy message as I thee bade He will for a while be pensive and sad And he will ask thine advise Then must thou dissemble thy self wise. ¶& I am not disposed to change much your live But here me speak and end though you never thrive ¶Thou shalt teach him a wrong cross row And tell him best it is after thine advise With mirth and Prodigality him to exercise And take of his own good while he may Lest all at last be bribed away ¶Sir as for mine you shall not miss But this gentleman I think will go piss. ¶Now Christ's benedycyte How Albion and Justice hath forgotten me Because of me they had no exercise Of long time by any enterprise Wherefore sithen you can not know me by experience I wot not how you should know me but by my credit dence Therefore by my troth & by my honesty Believe me, for manhood truly I am he. ¶By God because I took delay For lack of thee to be mine . ¶You by God, but even for a say That I might learn of you to know the play. ¶I pray thee tell me how ¶Or y u go ani further tell me by what mean ¶No, and therefore hark me to and end Thou and I shall this matter defend For thou shalt to Albion a messenger be And say thou were present when principality With Justice fell at great debate When that his message he did delate From Albio ̄ , & tell him that principality in no wise His will with equ ti will grant to exercise But that the law should be out after his liking And every writ after his entytelyng And that his will who ever list to strife Should be the best partly for his prerogatyfe And than they both suddenly upon this In great rages departed wys Wherefore Justice said I am in such confusion That I am ashamed to turn again to Albion And when this message thou hast done soberly Tell him thy name is Polysy.