How there Were Cleped Assessours to Iugement, Special Patrones of Diuerse Estatis

Capitulo Decimo

Hit semed me thenne, that I herd Cherubyn begynne for to speke, and seid in this wise: `Sire Prouost Mychael, sith it soo is that I am Porter of Paradis, I wille also that Peter, whiche is Porter of Heuen & Lyeutenaunt^a of the Souerayn Lord in Erthe, that^b he be here present, for he ought to haue knowlege of euery pylgryms persone. Of hym we maye enquyre whiche haue comen by hym and yf ther be ony, that to hym hath nought dyskeuered hym self by veray contrycyon and worthy penaunce.

`And by this shal I clerely discerne in what wyse I shal vse my flammyng swerd, as for to defende them^c fro the fendys malyce, soo that ryghtwys cause maye now passen in to Heyuen. And the remenaunt^d that other haue deseruyd to forkerue them with my swerd, and dryue them doune to theyr rowes of endeles dampnacyon. For this encheson is my swerd clepyd Versatil, that is to saye Tornyng, for oftymes it torneth, varyeng his offyce after the dyuersite of them that maketh them pilgryms, and after that they haue holden good weye or bad.

`Soo thenne wyl I with good chere syten with the in iugement vpon couenaunt that Peter be here present also, as I haue sayd byfore. Hit is good also to that ende that al thynge maye be clere, that Reson be cleped, soo that Trouthe and she mowe sytten togeders. And also ferthermore suche other that haue ben gouernours and knowen al the custommes of dyuerse countrees. Me semyth it wold profyten for to haue them present. Hit semyth me also that sith there ben here many dyuerse pilgryms^e deparayl of habyte, & of diuerse estates, of dyuerse obseruaunce, of dyuerse relygyons, of dyuers names, and dyuersly haue led their lyues in Erthe, hit is good ryght that these wyse men that somtyme waren  souerayns of suche maner synguler estates, that they be cleped to the presence of this iugement. And specyally suche to whome suche estates ben specyally bounden and auowyd. And also ferthermore al tho, to [6v] the whiche the forsayd pilgryms haue had specyal deuocyon.

`As for the Gentyls lete clepe seynt George⁶. For clerkes seynt Nycholas⁷. For heremytes and solytary men saynt Anthony⁸. And seynt Benet⁹ for monkes. And so of al other by their propre names. For weddyd folk also lete clepe saynt Powle the Appostel, not for hym self was maryed to ony woman, but for cause that he taught by wordes and by epystles to the peple of Corynthe the veray forme and rewle to be kepte in maryage. For wydowes also lete clepe seynt Anne¹⁰. For maydens and yonge wymmen seynt Katheryn¹¹ shal be clepyd.

`Hit nedeth nought of this to hold longe parlement. Thou wost wel thy self what is to done, namely sythe the tyme neygheth of the Grete Assyse where the Souerayne Lord shal yeue Fynal Sentence, gret shame and repryef hit were that ony thynge done here bytwene vs for defaute of due examynacyon of the mater shold be rehercyd. For why with hym to that Iugement shal comen al the Worthy and Wysest of his Royame. And wel thow wost that thy self must be there presente for to shewen al the processe of thy iugement, approuyng al that thou hast done lawfully withoute ageyne seyng, wherfore nowe late clepen in al that owen to apperen in this iugement.'