How after a Longe Counseylle Holden bytwene
the Iuge & His Assessours the Balaunce
Was Lyft Vp and the Forset with Merytes Was Put
to Peyesen ayenst the Fendes Partye

Capitulo xxxvii

Thenne after the sownyge of a trompete the Prouoste lete make a grete conuocacion, and thus I herd hym seye. `Cherubyn, dere broder, at this present nede I preye yow what ye helpe. Ye also, Iustyce, Reason, and Trouthe. And ye also, Peter Porter of Heuen, and al other whiche of ryght oweth [29v] to be present, yeueth now good counseylle what best is in this mater. Loo, here cometh this reuerent lady Dame Mysericord, whiche hath brought a letter fro oure Souerayne Lord to me, and to yow also, for this present pylgrym, whiche letter by cause it is to yow vnknowe, now hereth it redde byfore yow.'

Thenne held they a counceyl so softe and so stylle, that I nomore herd for a good space. And thenne I bethought me vpon that sylence that Seynt Iohn speketh of in his Apocalips³⁰, whiche sylence was made in Heuen what tyme that Sathanas was chacyd fro thennes in to the pytte of Helle. Soo hoped I thenne somme tydynges for to here ageyne the malyce of my peryllous accusour, whiche that abode myn iugement.

So whan this counceyl had dured a longe space, at the last I herde cryed with a lowde voys that anon the balaunce shold be take, and the Iuge shold yeue iugement. Anone this lady Iustyce took this balaunce by the rynge and bygan to reyse it vp, that one bacyn henge al doune to ground and that other was reysed alofte, wherin me semyd ful lytel. And that other that was alowe semyd so ful, ther myght nomore be in. Thenne sayd this balauncer^a , which I fonde euermore fyers ayenst me `Syre Prouost', quod she, `byholde how it standeth, and of all the remenaunt doo as lyketh yow, for I haue done my deuoyre. Tyme is it, that ye do yours, I haue nomore to seye.'

Thenne said Misericord `Syre Prouost', quod she, `ye haue wel sene and vnderstande what Grace oure Lord Ihesu Cryst hath grauntid this pilgrym by this present Chartre whiche ye haue redde and sene with your counceyl, and as it semyth me, al your counceyl is wel consentyng to. And loo here the forset whiche by your lycence I haue fette in Heuene. Lete it be put in the balaunce, and thenne shal we see how it wyl goo, and how this balaunce wyll bere it selue vpon bothe partyes.'

Thenne was this forset put in the bacyn on the ryght syde, whiche peysed anone so myghtely, that notwithstandyng al that was in that other, yet was it reysed vp sodenly, as nouht had be therynne. And thenne sayd Mercy thus. `Syre Prouost, ye see by the Grace that I haue brought how oure parte peyseth. Dothe now youre deuoyre as the Grace asketh.'