Part 13

¶ And for as myche as þe peyne 324 of þe accusac{i}ou{n} aiuged byforn ne scholde not sodeynly henten ne punischen wrongfuly Albyn a counseiller of Rome. I put me aȝenis þe hates {and} indignac{i}ou{n}s [[pg 16]] of þe accuso{ur} Ciprian. ¶ Is it not þan ynought yseyn 328 þat I haue p{ur}chased greet discordes aȝeins my self.

but I aughte be more asseured aȝenis alle oþer folk þat for þe loue of ryȝtwisnesse .I. ne reserued neuer no þing to my self to hem ward of þe kynges halle .s. officers. 332 by þe whiche I were þe more syker. ¶ But þoruȝ þe same accuso{ur}s accusyng I am co{n}dempned.

¶ Of þe noumbre of whiche accuso{ur}s one basilius þat somtyme was chased out of þe kynges seruice. is now co{m}pelled 336 i{n} accusyng of my name for nede of foreine moneye. ¶ Also opilion {and} Gaudenci{us} han accused me. al be it so þat þe Iustice regal hadde su{m}tyme demed hem boþe to go in to exil. for her treccheries {and} fraudes 340 wiþ-outen noumbre. ¶ To whiche iugement þei wolde not obeye. but defended hem by sykernesse of holy houses.

*þat is to seyne fledden in to seyntuaries. {and} whan þis was ap{er}ceiued to þe kyng. he comaunded 344 but þat þei voided þe citee of Rauenne by certeyne day assigned þat men scholde merken hem on þe forheued wiþ an hoke of iren {and} chasen hem out of toune. ¶ Now what þing semeþ þe myȝt be lykned to þis 348 cruelte.

For certys þilk same day was receyued þe accusyng of my name by þilk same accuso{ur}s. ¶ What may be seid herto. haþ my studie {and} my konnyng deserued þus. or ellys þe forseide dampnaciou{n} of me. 352 made þat hem ryȝtful accuso{ur}s or no (q.d. no{n}).

¶ Was not fortune asshamed of þis. [Certes alle hadde nat fortune ben asshamyd] þat i{n}nocence was accused. ȝit auȝt sche haue had schame of þe filþe of myn accuso{ur}s. 356

¶ But axest þou in so{m}me of what gilt .I. am accused.

men seyne þat I wolde sauen þe co{m}paignie of þe senato{ur}s. ¶ And desirest þou to here in what manere .I. am accused þat I scholde han distourbed 360 þe accuso{ur} to beren l{ett}res. by whiche he scholde han maked þe senatours gilty aȝeins þe kynges Real maieste. ¶ O meistresse what demest þou of þis. schal .I. forsake þis blame þat I ne be no schame to 364 þe (q. d. no{n}).

¶ Certis .I. haue wold it. þat is to seyne þe sauuaciou{n} of þe senat. ne I schal neuer leten to wilne it. {and} þat I confesse {and} am a-knowe. but þe entent of þe accusour to be destourbed schal cese. 368 ¶ For schal I clepe it a felonie þan or a synne þat I haue desired þe sauuaciou{n} of þe ordre of þe senat. and certys ȝit hadde þilk same senat don by me þoruȝ her decretȝ {and} hire iugementys as þouȝ it were a synne 372 or a felonie þat is to seyne to wilne þe sauuaciou{n} of he{m} (.s senat{us}).

¶ But folye þat lieth alwey to hym self may not chaunge þe merit of þinges.

¶ Ne .I. trowe not by þe iugement of socrates þ{a}t it were leueful 376 to me to hide þe soþe. ne assent to lesynges. ¶ But certys how so euer it be of þis I put it to gessen or p{re}ise{n} to þe iugeme{n}t of þe {and} of wise folk. ¶ Of whiche þing al þe ordinaunce {and} þe soþe for as moche 380 as folk þat ben to comen aftir our{e} dayes scholle{n} knowen it.

¶ I haue put it in scripture {and} remembraunce. for touching þe l{ett}res falsly maked. by whiche l{ett}res I am accused to han hooped þe fredom of 384 Rome. What app{er}teneþ me to speken þer-of.

Of whiche l{ett}res þe fraude hadde ben schewed ap{er}tly if I hadde had libertee forto han vsed {and} ben at þe [[pg 18]] co{n}fessiou{n} of myn accuso{ur}s. ¶ Þe whiche þing in 388 alle nedys haþ grete strenkeþ. ¶ For what oþ{er} fredo{m} may men hopen.

Certys I wolde þat some oþ{er} fredom myȝt be hoped. ¶ I wolde þan haue answered by þe wordes of a man þat hyȝt Canius. for whan he was 392 accused by Gayus Cesar Germeins son þat he (cani{us}) was knowyng {and} consentyng of a coniurac{i}ou{n} maked aȝeins hym (.s. Gai{us}). ¶ Þis Canius answered þus. ¶ Yif I had wist it þou haddest not wist it. 396

In whiche þing sorwe haþ not so dulled my witte þ{a}t I pleyne oonly þat schrewed folk apparailen folies aȝeins vertues. ¶ But I wondre gretly how þat þei may p{er}forme þinges þat þei had hoped forto 400 done.

For why. to wylne schrewednesse þat comeþ p{ar}auenture of oure defaute. ¶ But it is lyke to a monstre {and} a meruaille.

¶ How þat in þe p{re}se{n}t syȝt of god may ben acheued {and} p{er}formed swiche 404 þinges. as euery felonous man haþ conceyued in hys þouȝt aȝeins i{n}nocent. ¶ For whiche þing oon of þi familers not vnskilfully axed þus.

¶ Ȝif god is. whennes comen wikked þinges. {and} yif god ne is whennes 408 comen goode þinges. but al hadde it ben leueful þat felonous folk þat now desiren þe bloode {and} þe deeþ of alle goode men. {and} eke of al þe senat han wilned to gone destroien me. whom þei han seyn alwey bataile{n} 412 {and} defenden goode men {and} eke al þe senat. Ȝit hadde I not desserued of þe fadres. þat is to seyne of þe senatours þat þei scholde wilne my destrucc{i}ou{n}.

¶ Þou remembrest wele as I gesse þat whan I wolde [[pg 19]] don or *seyn any þing. þou þi self alwey p{re}sent reweledest me. 417

¶ At þe citee of verone wha{n} þat þe kyng gredy of comune slauȝter. caste hym to t{ra}nsporten vpon al þe ordre of þe senat. þe gilt of his real 420 maieste of þe whiche gilt þat albyn was accused. wiþ how grete sykernesse of p{er}il to me defended I al þe senat.

¶ Þou wost wel þat I seide soþe. ne I auaunted me neuer in preysyng of my self. 424

¶ For alwey when any wyȝt resceiueþ p{re}ciouse renou{n} in auauntyng hym self of hys werkes: he amenusiþ þe secre of hys conscience. ¶ But now þou mayst wel seen to what ende I am comen for myne i{n}nocence. 428

I receiue peyne of fals felonie in gerdou{n} of verray vertue. ¶ And what open co{n}fessiou{n} of felonie had euer iugis so accordaunt i{n} cruelte. þat is to seyne as myne accusyng haþ. ¶ Þat oþer errour of 432 mans witte or ellys co{n}diciou{n} of fortune þat is vncerteyne to al mortal folk ne submytted su{m}me of he{m}. þat is to seyne þat it ne cheyned su{m}me iuge to han pitee or compassiou{n}. 436

¶ For al þouȝ I had ben accused þat I wolde brenne holy houses. {and} strangle p{re}stys wiþ wicked swerde. ¶ or þat .I. had grayþed deeþ to alle goode men algatis þe sentence scholde han punysched me p{re}sent confessed or co{n}uict.

¶ But 440 now I am remewed fro þe Citee of rome almost fyue-hundreþ þousand pas. I am wiþ outen defence dampned to p{ro}sc{ri}pciou{n} {and} to þe deeþ. for þe studie {and} bountees þat I haue done to þe senat. ¶ But o wel ben 444 þei worþi of mercye (as who seiþ nay.) þer myȝt neuer ȝit non of hem ben conuicte. Of swiche a blame as [[pg 20]] myn is of swiche t{r}espas myn accuso{ur}s seyen ful wel þe dignitee.

þe wiche dignite for þei wolde derken it 448 wiþ medelyng of some felonye. þei beren me on honde {and} lieden. þat I hadde polute {and} defouled my conscience wiþ sacrelege. for couetise of dignite. ¶ And certys þou þi self þat art plaunted in me chacedest oute 452 þe sege of my corage al couetise of mortal þinges. ne sacrilege ne had no leue to han a place in me byforne þine eyen.

¶ For þou drouppedest euery day in myn eer{e}s {and} in my þouȝt þilk comaundement of pictogoras. 456 þat is to seyne men schal seruen to god. {and} not to goddes. ¶ Ne it was no couenaunt ne no nede to taken helpe of þe foulest spirites. ¶ I þat þou hast ordeyned or set in syche excellence þ{a}t [þou] makedest 460 me lyke to god. and ouer þis þe ryȝt clene secre chaumbre of myn house.

þat is to seye my wijf {and} þe co{m}paignie of myn honeste frendis. {and} my wyues fadir as wel holy as worþi to ben reuerenced þoruȝ 464 hys owen dedis. defenden me of al suspecciou{n} of syche blame. ¶ But o malice. ¶ For þei þat accusen me taken of þe philosophie feiþe of so grete blame.