The Fend Reherceth
Vyces of Fals Iuges and Fals Witnesses
Capitulo v
`Also false iuges haue ben in defaute of moche vntrouthe,
for when ye hauen clerely knowen whiche part hadde
ryght, ye haue nought done therafter, but syttyng in
youre iugement ye haue falsely sentenced ageyne the
trewe parte, be cause that he was poure and made
nought your purs peysen so heuy
as did that other, namely ayenst suche, that durst
not appele, ne withseyen your sentence.
`Ye sholden take in mynde of the kyng Cambysesa42, that by
cause a iuge had sold his iugementb for money,
he lete hylde hym quyck, & fastned the skynne
vpon the same sege ther the iugement was yeuen, to
that ende thatc euery iuge after that shold
take in mynd to beware for to iuge falsely, and that
euery other souerayne, whiche that hath gouernanced,
shold herof take ensample,
but ye wold nought beware, ne none ensample take.
There myght yow haue auayleth, wherfore here shal ye
be in peynes euer withouten ende.
`Also ye lyers, forswerers
and witnessers of
falshede. For yeftes and for mede
ye haue born fals record, lyed, and forsworen yow, affermynge
falshede in stede of trouthe. Soo longe tyme haue ye
putte your tonges to hyre, that now is the tyme come
that ye shal wel knowe and vnderstande that I shal
array newe your tonges, for I shal be youre bocher,
and by venemous and cursyd tonges ye shal be an
hanged, and so shalle ye no more with your fals
tonges deceyuen the peple.
`Also ye herkeners of euil tales, that hauen made
youre eres lyke to bagges for to gadren and kepen a
maner of wyckednesse, and afterward reported it in
place and tyme where ye may annoyen
suche as yow lyketh. `To
theuys ye haue ben felawes, and the theft wchich
they haue stolen, ye haue your self receyued,
folewyng and gladly heryng euery euel speker. I mene
of yow backbiters, [54r] that stelyth the
fame and the good loos of
other, whiche for cause that they wold hyde the
theft and the menure, whiche they haue stolen, and
they hauen brought it to yow for to kepe, wytyng wel
that ye ful gladly wold vnderfonge
hit. And wyte it well: had it not be youre redy
receyt, they had not be at al tymes so redy to
stele. But the cursidnes of youre fals receyte hath
made the theues bolde for to stele and robbe men of
theyr good fame, soo that ful ryghtwysly
by the same eres, that alwey were so redy to here
euyl tydynges, now ye ben hanged.
`To yow also, theues of other mennes good, right it
is that I speke. Ye haue had handes lymed euer redy for to catche.
Noo thynge myght you escape; by tho false handes now
be ye hanged. Now wold I sey that ye were subtile theues, yf that ye
couthe escape and stele fro my presence, oute of
these bitter boundes that I haue yow ynne.'
Thus wente aboute this bocher to this hanged peple,
and lepte fro one to another, and smartely
he descended for to righte the fire whiche that
brent vnder them. And after that, ful spedly he
stert vp ageyne; he ne was nothyng slowe for to
visite this folk in encrecyng of theyr bytter
peynes.
