MORALITE.
Dere frendes, þis Emperoure is oure lorde Ihesu Crist, þe whiche ordeynid̛ for a law, þat wacchmen̛, scil. prelates & confessoures, owe to go aboute þe cite of oure herte, puttyng awey vices, and̛ plontyng vertus. Þe olde knyght is this worlde, the whiche hath weddid̛ a wyf, scil. þe deville; and̛ wel may the worlde be I-callid̛ þe wyf of þe devil, for it is I-sette al in wikednesse. Now [leaf 166, col. 1] þe wyf, scil. þis worlde, singiþe so swetly, þat þe iij. knyghtes comithe to hit. by þes iij. knyghtes we vndirstonde þre kyndes of men̛, scil. men þat were afore þe advent of Criste; some in tyme of Crist; & some aftir Criste; For in euery state of þes iij. many ben deceyvid̛ by þe worlde, & kyllid̛ by the devil, and̛ spoylid̛ of all hir goodes, spirituely for to speken. What is þerefore to be do in þis cas? Certeynely, þat a waccheman, scil. a prelate or a confessoure, putte hem in the sakke of penaunce, to confession̛; & first late him be caste into the water of contricion̛; aftir late be put aboute his necke a grete stone, scil. þe yoke of penaunce, to confessioun̛; [In the MS. by negligence of the scribe, two lines are here repeated.] and̛ aftir late him be caste in to the fyr̛ of þe love of god̛, scil. that he love god̛ above al thinges, with al his herte, & with al his soule. Þe knyght, þat Ridethe to the turnament, is a man Redy to gete & to fonge vanytes of the worlde, & for to walke in peryll of synne; and̛ siche a man̛ most discende fro his hors of pryde, and̛ not Only to stonde be-syde the fyre of the love of god̛, but to be cast þere in, scil. þat he sette fully his hope in god̛, and̛ not be dul in the feithe, ne wauere in the comavndementes of god̛. & yf he do thus, he shalle have a goode mede, scil. a good Sentence in the day of dome, when he shalle here that shal be saide to him, Venite, benedicti Patris mei, percipite regnum quod vobis paratum est ab origine mundi, This is to sey, Comythe ye blessid̛ childerin of my fadre, takithe the kyngdom̛ þat was ordeynid̛ for yow fro the begynnynge of þe worlde. Ad quod &c. x