This boke is compyled by Dan Iohn Lydgate monke of Burye, at the excitacion [and] styrynge of the noble and victorious prynce, Kynge Henry the fyfthe, i[n] the honoure glorie [and] reuerence of the byrthe of our moste blessed Lady, mayde, wyfe, [and] mother of our lorde Iesu Christe, chapitred as foloweth by this table

¶Howe god the father of heuē / answered to mercy and peace. Ca. xiii.

••Ine owne doughter / next to myne alye Though your request / come of tēder herte ye moste consydere / with a prudent eye Of ryghtwysnes / it may not me asterte Lyke your askyng / by tauour to aduerte Unto the cause / that ye represent But right and trouth / fully wolde assent.

¶Withouten whome / I may not procede To execute any maner iugement Wherfore let call her in this greate nede For I mo••e worche by her auysement And whan they waren come and present Than trouth alone / touchynge this matere Sayd openly / that all myghten here.

¶If hit so be / this man that trespaced Ne be not dede / for his iniquyte Though vtterly the franchesse is defaced Bothe of my suster / ryghtwysnes and me And fynally / our bothe lyberte.

Goeth vnto nought / of our iurisdiccion But he be punysshed for his trausgression.

¶The worde of God / that playnly may not erre Tolde hym afore / withouten any drede The greate parelle / of this mortall warre Etynge the appell / that he muste be dede But he o•• slouthe / toke therto none hede Wherfore he muste / as right lyste prouide Without mercy / the dome of deth abyde.

¶And though that peace / be of pyte meued Man to delyuere / with zele of routhe Righwisnes wolde than be agreued With me to consente / that am called trouthe And as me semeth / it were to greate aslouthe Dome or cause plee or any sute Without vs tweyne to be execute.

¶Me semyth eke / my syster peace dothe wronge To foster a man / & holde agaynst vs twayne That hath ben conuersaunt so longe Amonge vs discorde to restrayne Therfore quod peace / nowe wyll I not fayne To do myne office / right to modefye That she of rigoure / cause hym not to dye.

¶Than quod right of necessyte Hit muste folowe / though he were my brother That he muste dye / by dome of equyte Or in his name / mo••e be dede sūme other

So of my shyppe guyded is the rather That ne may erre••tor wawe nor for wynde More than the anker of trouth wyll me bynde.

¶Certes quod mercy / so it not dysplease Unto your noble and wyse prouidence His deth to you may be lytell ease For holy writte / reherceth in sentence If you consyderd / in your aduertence That deth of synners / the hygh god to queme Is werst of de••hes / yfye of right list deme.

¶For synfull blode / is no sacrefyse To god aboue / that euery thynge mayes••n•• Than muste ye deth / of one deuyse That is of synne / innocent and clene And is I ••rowe / vnder the sonne shene Thorowe the worlde / to reherce mankynde It were full harde / suche one for to fynde.

¶For rust with rust / may not scoured be Ne ••oule with fylth / may be purefyed But who is soyled / with dishoneste To wasshe another / it is not aplyed Blacke vnto white / may not be dyed Ne blode enfecte with corrupcion To god for synne / is none oblacion.

¶Fygure herof / ye may not be dyed As the byble maketh mencion Howe that a lambe of spotte & fylthe free

Somtyme was take by eleccion And offred vp in satisfaccion To god for synne / for to signefye Who sholde for mannes ransome dye.

¶ Must be clene / pure and innocent Right as a lambe / from euery spotte & blame And trewly vnder the firmamente There was nonesuche / sithen Adam dyd atame The fruyte to ete / for eyther halte or lame In souerayne vertue / is all the kynde of man Wherfore quod mercy / the best rede that I can.

¶ That peace my syster / cesse this discorde And all the stryte / that is vs bytwene And that we praye / our iuge & myghty lorde To this mater benygnely to sene And of his grace / to shape suche a mene For trouth & right / so prudently ordeyne That peace ne I / haue no cause to pleyne.

¶ And this request is nought agaynst right Ne vnto trouth playnly none oftence If that our iuge of his greate myght Ordeyne so in his prouydence To scape awaye / thorowe his sapyence That trouth and right be not displeased Thorow peace & me though man be holpe & eased.