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Sciant presentes & futuri &c.: Wetiþ ȝe þat ben now here, & þei þat schulen comen after ȝou, þat almiȝti god in trinite, fader & sone & holy gost, haþ ȝouen & graunted & wiþ his owne word confermed, to Adam, þe first man þat euere
was, & to Eue his wyf, & to here heyres, a lytel preciouse place þat is clepid Conscience, þat liiþ in here soules by-twixen a place þat is clepid Resoun, þe whiche knoweþ good & wykke, on þat o sydde, and a place þat is I-clepid Synderisys, þe whiche steriþ a man to good & grucchiþ aȝens wykke, on þat oþere sydde; whos on ende is fastened be þe grace of god, þorou whiche euerey man may don¯ wel ȝif he wylle; & þe oþer ende liþ in ioye & merþe of þe soule, [ȝif] hit be clene out of þe filþe of synne. / Þis holy place almiȝty god ȝaf hit to Adam forseyde & [to] his wyf & to here eyres, clenelich a-diȝt wiþ-outen any synne; in þe whiche he hym-self made a noble hous of religioun, þat is clepid þe abbeye of þe holy gost, in þe whyche he put manye gostly ladyes, þat is to seye gode vertues, amonge whiche he made damysel Loue & Charite abbesse, & dame Wyt & Wysdome priouresse, & dame Mekenesse & Lownesse supprioresse; & walled þe abbeye so wel abouten, so wel wiþ swyche myght & swyche strengþe, þat þere ne schulde neuere no wycked þyng no wycked þouȝt haue miȝt to an entrid amonge þat holy couent, ȝif þe forseyd Adam & Eue his wyf hadden hem-self wold. He ȝaf hem also þe lordschip of heuene & of erþe & of al þe worlde, to mayntene wiþ þe noble ladyes in here holy couent, so ferforþe þat alle þe fysches in þe see, & alle þe briddes in þe eirye, & alle þe bestes of þe londe schulde han ben buxum to hem & to alle here eyres eueremore, ȝif Adam & his wyf hadde kept hem out of synne to here ende. [Habendum et tenendum]: To hauen & to holden þis preciouse place wiþ þe noble abbeye & al þe holy couent, to þe forseyde Adam & to Eue & to alle here eyres, frelyche & pesybelyche wiþ-outen grucchyng of any man euere-more, & þer-wiþ-al ioye & blisse þat neuere schulde han had ende: for þe seruyse & þe customes
þat longen þer[-of] to þe chef lord of þe fee, and þat was no more but a wiþstondyng þe temptacion of þe fende & of his wif, whyche ne leste nouȝt bo[t]e fully þe spase of a myle weye. And almiȝty god schulde han waraunted to Adam & to Eue his wyf & to here eyres þat preciouse place wiþ þe noble abbeye & al þe holy couent, for to haue dwelled euere-more in more Ioye & blysse þan any tunge may telle; & also noþer he ne none of her eyrys schulde neuere haue suffred woo ne peyne, no þei schuld neuere haue dyȝed: but whan almiȝty god hadde seye best tyme he schulde han taken hem vp wiþ body & soule in to þe blys of heuene, þer to han lyued wiþ-outen ende: ȝif sely Adam & hys wyf hadde kept hem wiþ-outen synne o day to þe ende—alas, why ne hadde þei do so? Hijs testibus: Of þis bereþ witnesse aungel & man, heuene & erþe, sone & mone & al þe sterris, & euerey creature þat euere was maade for man. Data apud paradisum &c.: þe date was ȝouen at paradyse, on þe first day þat euere man was made, In þe ȝeer of þe reigne of al-miȝti god kynge of alle kynges, whos kyngdom neuere by-gan ne neuer schal haue ende.