Corpus of Electronic Texts Edition
Anglo-Irish poems of the Middle Ages: The Kildare Poems (Author: [unknown])

Poem 16

Nego

{MS fol 58v}

    1. 1] Hit nis bot trewth i-wend an afte,
      Forte sette 'nego' in eni crafte.
      Trewth so draweth to heuen blisse,
      'Nego' doth noght so i-wisse.
      'Forsake' and 'saue' is thef in lore,
      'Nego' is pouer clerk in store.
      Whan menne horlith ham here and thare
      'Nego' sauith ham fram care.
      Awei with 'nego' vte of place,
      10] Whose wol haue Goddis grace.
      Who so wol a-yens the deuil fighte
      Then mai 'nego' sit aright.
      Ak loke that we neuer more
      'Nego' sette in trewe lore,
      For who so can lite hath sone ido,
      Anone he draweth to 'nego'.
      Now o clerk seiith ‘Nego’,
      And that other ‘Dubito’,
      Seiith an other ‘Concedo’,
      20] And an other ‘Obligo’,
      'Verum Falsum' sette ther-to
      Than is al the lore ido.
      Thus the fals clerkes of har heuid
      Makith men trewth of ham be reuid.