Page:Oxford Book of English Verse 1250-1918.djvu/46

 And also the plante of pees &bull; moste precious of vertues. For hevene myghte noughte holden it &bull; it was so hevy of hym-self, Tyle it hadde of the erthe &bull; yeten his fylle, And what it haved of this folde &bull; flesshe and blode taken, Was neuere leef upon lynde &bull; lighter ther-after, And portatyf and persant &bull; as the poynt of a nedle, That myghte non armure it lette &bull; ne none heigh walles. For-thi is love leder &bull; of the lordes folke of hevene, And a mene, as the maire is &bull; bitwene the kyng and the comune, Right so is love a ledere &bull; and the lawe shapeth Upon man for his mysdedes &bull; the merciment he taxeth. And for to knowe it kyndely &bull; it comseth bi myght, And in the herte, there is the hevede &bull; and the heigh welle.

1316?–1395 13

A! Fredome is a noble thing! Fredome mays man to haiff liking; Fredome all solace to man giffis, He levys at ese that frely levys! A noble hart may haiff nane ese, Na ellys nocht that may him plese, Gyff fredome fail; for fre liking Is yarnyt our all othir thing. Na he that ay has levyt fre May nocht knaw weill the propyrtè, 14