With lewte and loue · yloke to þi peeris, [Cf. Ac loue and louhnesse · and leaute to-gederes; C. 4. 447.]
Line 44
And sapheris swete · þat souȝte all wrongis, [Cf. And diamantz of derrest pris · and double manere safferes; B. 2. 13; see the whole passage. y|doutid; written y-douutid in MS.; so in l. 46 the MS. has Y-pouudride.]
Ypoudride wyth pete · þer it be ouȝte, [See note to l. 42, above.]
And traylid with trouþe · and treste al aboute;
ffor ony cristen kynge · a croune well ymakyd.
Line 48
But where þis croune bicome · a clerk were þat wuste; [Cf. I ne wot where þei bicome; B. 5. 651.]
But so as I can · declare it I thenke,
And nempne no name; · but þo þat nest were, [nest; MS. nest or neft. Mr Wright prints neft, but leaves it un|explained, there being no such word; nest is nighest.]
ffull preuyly þey pluckud · þy power awey,
Line 52
And reden with realte · ȝoure rewme þoru-oute, [reden; so in MS., though afterwards altered to ryden. Yet reden may stand, as it occurs in the Lansdowne MS. of Chaucer; Prol. l. 825. See also C. 2. 91.]
And as tyrauntis, of tiliers · token what hem liste,
And paide hem on her pannes · whan her penyes lacked. [Cf. the account of how "Pees" came by his "panne blody;" C. 5. 74.]
Line 55
ffor non of ȝoure peple · durste pleyne of here wrongis, [Cf. For pore men der nat pleyne · ne here pleinte shewe; C. 4. 214; see the whole passage.]
ffor drede of ȝoure dukys · & of here double harmes.
Men myȝtten as well haue huntyd · an hare with a tabre, [folio 109b]
As aske ony mendis · ffor þat þei mysdede,
Or of ony of her men · þouȝ men wulde plete,
Line 60
ffor all was ffelawis and ffelawschepe · þat ȝe with fferde,
And no soule persone · to punnyshe þe wrongis;
And þat maddid þi men · as þei nede muste.
ffor wo, þey ne wuste · to whom ffor to pleyne.
Line 64
ffor, as it is said · by elderne dawis,
'Þer gromes and the goodmen · beth all eliche grette,
Woll wo beth þe wones · and all þat woneth þer-in!'
