vpon þe drue londe.
Line 100
for hem mot huere kyng oþer knyhtes calle,
oþer stedes taken out of huere stalle.
huere ledies huem mowe abide in boure & in halle
wel longe.
when þe kyng of fraunce yherde þis tydynge,
Line 105
he smot doun is heued, is honden gon he wrynge,
þourhout al fraunce þe word by gon to springe;
wo wes huem þo!
Muche wes þe sorewe ant þe wepinge
þat wes in al fraunce among olde ant ȝynge;
Line 110
þe meste part of þe lond bygon forte synge
"alas"! ant "weylawo"! [pope, "a term of contempt", Hwll. D., bezeichnet den König von Frankreich. In den folgenden Versen ist dann das Bild weiter durchge|führt, indem die Grafen, Barone und Ritter des Königs seine Kardinäle genannt werden.]
awey, þou ȝunge pope! whet shal þe to rede?
þou hast lore þin cardinals at þi meste nede;
ne keuerest þou hem neuere for nones kunnes mede,
Line 115
forsoþe y þe telle.
do þe forþ to rome to amende þi misdede,
bide gode halewen, hue lete þe betere spede;
bote þou worche wysloker, þou losest lond & lede,
þe coroune wel þe felle. ["Die Krone möchte dir wohl entfallen."]
Line 120
Alas, þou seli fraunce! for þe may þunche shome,
þat ane fewe ffullaris makeþ ou so tome;
Sixti þousent on a day hue maden fot lome, [hue maden fot lome, "sie machten fusslahm", d. h. sie tödteten sie.]
wiþ eorl & wiþ knyht. [Die Handschrift liest: wiþ eorl & knyht.]
her of habbeþ þe flemysshe suiþe god game,
Line 125
ant suereþ bi seint omer, & eke bi seint Jame,
ȝef hy þer more comeþ, hit falleþ huem to shame
wiþ huem forte fyht.
