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Balade.
SOM tyme this world was so stedfast and stable | |
| That mannes word was obligacioun, | |
| And now hit is so fals and deceivable, | |
| That word and deed, as in conclusioun, | |
| Ben no-thing lyk, for turned up so doun | 5 |
| Is al this world for mede and wilfulnesse, | |
| That al is lost for lak of stedfastnesse. | |
| |
| What maketh this world to be so variable | |
| But lust that folk have in dissensioun? | |
| Among us now a man is holde unable, | 10 |
| But-if he can, by som collusioun, | |
| Don his neighbour wrong or oppressioun. | |
| What causeth this, but wilful wrecchednesse, | |
| That al is lost, for lak of stedfastnesse? | |
| |
| Trouthe is put doun, resoun is holden fable; | 15 |
| Vertu hath now no dominacioun, | |
| Pitee exyled, no man is merciable. | |
| Through covetyse is blent discrecioun; | |
| The world hath mad a permutacioun | |
| Fro right to wrong, fro trouthe to fikelnesse, | 20 |
| That al is lost, for lak of stedfastnesse. | |
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Lenvoy to King Richard.
O prince, desyre to be honourable, | |
| Cherish thy folk and hate extorcioun! | |
| Suffre no thing, that may be reprevable | |
| To thyn estat, don in thy regioun. | 25 |
| Shew forth thy swerd of castigacioun, | |
| Dred God, do law, love trouthe and worthinesse, | |
And wed thy folk agein to stedfastnesse.
Explicit. | |
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