[Sidenote: [The fifthe met{ur}.]]
++O þou maker of þe whele þat bereþ þe sterres. whiche þat art fastned
to þi p{er}durable chayere. {and} turnest þe heuene wiþ a rauyssyng
sweigh{e} {and} {con}streinest þe sterres to suffren þi lawe. ¶ So þ{a}t
þe mone somtyme schynyng wiþ hir ful hornes metyng wiþ alle þe bemes of
þe sonne. ¶ Hir broþer hideþ þe sterres þat ben lasse. {and} somtyme
whan þe mone pale wiþ hir derke hornes approcheþ þe sonne. leesith hir
lyȝtes. ¶ And þat þe euesterre esperus whiche þat in þe first[e] tyme of
þe nyȝt bryngeþ furþe hir colde arysynges comeþ eft aȝeynes hir vsed
cours. {and} is pale by þe morwe at þe rysynge of þe sonne. and is þan
cleped lucifer. ¶ Þou restreinest þe day by schorter dwellyng in þe tyme
of colde wynter þat makeþ þe leues to falle. ¶ Þou diuidest þe swifte
tides of þe nyȝt when þe hote somer is comen. ¶ Þi myȝt attempre[þ] þo
variau{n}tȝ sesons of þe ȝere. so þat ȝepherus þe deboneire wynde
bringeþ aȝein in þe first[e] somer sesou{n} þe leues þat þe wynde þat
hyȝt[e] boreas haþ reft awey in autu{m}pne. þat is to seyne in þe laste
eende of somer. and þe sedes þat þe sterre þat hyȝt arctur{us} saw ben
waxen hey[e] cornes whan þe sterre sirius eschaufeþ hym. ¶ Þere nis no
þing vnbounde from hys olde lawe ne forleteþ hym of hys p{ro}pre estat.
¶ O þou gouerno{ur} gouernyng alle þinges by certeyne ende. why refusest
þou oonly to gouerne þe werkes of men by dewe manere. ¶ Whi suffrest
þ{o}u þat slidyng fortune turneþ to grete vtter chaungynges of þinges.
so þat anoious peyne þat scholde duelly punissh{e} felouns punissitȝ
innocentȝ. ¶ And folk of wikked[e] man{er}es sitten in heiȝe chaiers.
{and} anoienge folk treden {and} þat vnryȝtfully in þe nekkes of holy
men. ¶ And vertue clere {and} schynyng naturely is hid in dirke
dirkenesses. {and} þe ryȝtful man beriþ þe blame {and} þe peyne of þe
felowne. ¶ Ne þe forsweryng ne þe fraude couered {and} kembd wiþ a fals
colo{ur} ne a-noyeþ not to schrewes. ¶ Þe whiche schrewes whan hem lyst
to vsen her strengþe þei reioisen hem to putte{n} vndir hem þe souerayne
kynges. whiche þ{a}t poeple wiþ[outen] noumbre dreden. ¶ O þou what so
euer þou be þat knyttes[t] alle bondes of þinges loke on þise
wrecched[e] erþes. we men þat ben nat a foule party but a faire party of
so grete a werke we ben turmentid in þe see of fortune. ¶ Þou
gouerno{ur} wiþdraw {and} restreyne þe rauyssinge flodes {and} fastne
{and} forme þise erþes stable wiþ þilke [bonde] wiþ whiche þou gouernest
þe heuene þat is so large.