Ihesu, kyng of hie heuen a-bove, Vnto Michael my chief lieu-tenaunt,
And alle thin ássessourës wich I love,That in my seruice be perséueraunthave euermore, and to me ful pleasaunt My gretyng;and, upon the peyne of dreed,Vnto this present chartre take[th] heed.
Me hath be-sought, this present ladi here, Misericorde; and at hire gret instaunce,And also eek myn ownë modier dere That alway redi is, at hire pleasaunce,ffor synful men to makë purueaunce Above thei have me bede; wich, of my grace,Graunted hath, hire prayer have his place.
Ther be pilgrymës (as thei certifie) That to meward hire weiës had [i]take,Wich have mysgon, and erred folilyBe steryng of the foulë bestis blake,That som of hem hire iourney had forsake, And efte hire iourney have a-geyn be-gunne,But sudei[n]gly hath failed him the sonne.
Some have be lettid be foule temptacïoun And steryng of hire fleschly wrechidnesse;So, be disease and tribulacïounThei have [i]falle in-to huge hevynesse;And somme also to this worldes besynesse So greuously hire hertës ouersette,So þat thei have of hire iournéy be lette.
But thei haue[n] repented wondir sore, Some of hem, but at hirë lyvës ende;& somme of hem, a litel what be-foreBe-gan him selfë somwhat to amende,In wil theraftir neuer to offende, But schreven hem of alle hire olde trespace,And put them self[ë] only in my grace.
At the instaunce of myn owne modier swete To whom I may no maner thing denye,And mercy also may I nought for-gete;But vnto hir bone I wil myself applie:This grace I graunte them of my Regalye, That I schal hem receyve vnto my peas;Of hellë peyne I graunte hem ful relees.
So thei that han me, Ihesu, mercy cried Or that the breeth out of the body yeed, And alle hire wrechid lustys have defiedIn veray faith (as techith hem the crede)So þat ye schal not a-geyn hem procede As to iuge hem to hellë [bittre] peyne,But that in this, your rygoure ye restreyne.
And thow þat hir wikked workis counterpeise hire good[ë] dedës whan thei schul be weye,So þat the beter part hem selfë reyseAs for defawte of weighte, yit thus I seyeAnd will, þat [to] this chartre ye obeye, Wich I have graunted for my modier sake:To mercy also her have I [i-]take.
Of tresour of my bitter passïoun, And of the merite of my modier derTo whom non othir hath comparysounWith merite of myn seintës alle in fer,That to my biddyng ful obeysaunt were, Of plente and of superhábundaunceA forcet ful, wich puttith in the balaunce,
The countirpeis a-geyn the fendis part, So that he faile of his entencïounTo bringë hem, so with his subtile art,To be iuged [vn-]to dampnacïounWithowt ony comfort of saluacioun,
With cursidnesse of alle the synnës sevene,Syn the that he was chased owt of hevene.
And nought for-thi,this is not myn entent, Ne for this cause my blood ne shadde I nought,That ony wight in mysgouérnëmentA-bidë schulde, and trust[en] in his thoughtThat this chart[r]e schulde [him] a-vaile[n] ought As of this pardon to be partenere,Or of this grace þat I haue graunted her.
Therfore, owt of this chartre I excepte To allë which, vnto hir lyvës ende,Have euermore in cursed synnës slepte,Purposyng nowt hire lyvës to amende,Vpon trust here-of, hem selfë to defende ffrom hellë peynë, be this present grace,Alle tho þat schal be exiled fro my face;
And this also, wich that be obstynat, and never wil [vn]to my lawe obeye;This also þat be veray desperat,That wil no gracë ne no mercy pray,But right so in hire cursed synnës deye: To them is due the hotë fier of helle,With Sathanas eternally to dwelle.
Wherfore, no man so boldë ne so hardy be, Trustyng upon this present pardonaunce,To surfeet or to synne in no degre,Vpon the trust of fynal répentaunce,Wich is my gifte; and aftir my pleasaunce I geve it him þat schul myn mercy crave,withowt[en] wich, no wight [ne] wil I save.
