| | Vp peril of my lif tyl that it dye | |
| | Here may ye se how that gentrye | |
| 1120 | Is not annexed to possessioun | |
| | Suche folk ne doth her operacioun | |
| | Alwey as doth the fyre in his kynde | |
| | For god it woot men may ful ofte fynde | |
| | A lordis sone do shame and velony | |
| 1125 | And he that wol haue price of his genterye | |
| | For he was born of a gentil hous | |
| | And hadde his eldris nobil and vertuous | |
| | And nyl hem self do no gentil dedis | |
| | Ne folowen the dedis of his auncetrys | |
| 1130 | He is not gentil be he duk be he erle | |
| | Fy vileyns sinful dedis makyn a cherle | |
| | For gentilnes nys but the renome | |
| | Of thyn auncetris for her high bounte | |
| | Whiche is a straunge thing to thy persone | |
| 1135 | Thy gentilnes comyth fro god alone | |
| | Than comyth our verry gentilnes of grace | |
| | It was no thing be quedyn vs with our place | |
| | Thynkith how nobil as seith valerius | |
| | Was that Romain Tullius Hostilius | |
| 1140 | That out of pouert roos to high noblesse | |
| | Redith Senek and redith ek Boece | |
| | There shul ye se expres that no drede is | |
| | That he is gentil that doth gentil dedis | |
| | And therfore leue husbonde thus I conclude | |
| 1145 | Were it that myn auncetris were rude | |
| | Yet may the hye god and so hope I | |
