Prologue

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Piers Plowman

In a summer season, when I south went,

I shaped me a shroud, as I a sheep were.

In habit as an hermit unholy of works,

I went wide in this world, wonders to hear.

But upon a May morning on Malvern hills

Me befell a ferly, of fairy me thought.

I was weary forwandered; I went me to rest

Under a broad bank by a burn's side.

But as I lay and leaned and looked on the waters,

I slumbered in a sleeping. I swevenede so merry.

There began I to mete a marvelous sweven:

That I was in a wilderness, I wist never where;

But as I beheld into the east, up to the sun,

I saw a tower in a coste, truly attired;

A deep dale beneath, a dungeon therein,

With deep dikes and dark, dreadful of sight.

A fair field full of folk found I between,

Of all manner of men, the mean and the rich,

Working and wandering as this world asks:

Some put them to the plow, and played full seldom,

In seed time of sowing swonkyn full hard

That these wasters now with gluttony destroy.

Some put them to pride, and apparelled them thereafter:

In countenance of clothing they come disguised.

To prayer and to penance put them many,

For the love of our Lord lived full strait,

In hope for to have heavenreich bliss,

As anchorites and hermits that live in their cells,

And covet nought in the country to carry about,

For none lecherous livelihood their lykamys to please.

And some chose them to chaffare: they achieved the better,

As it is seen to our sight that such men thrive.

And some men mirths to make, as minstrels can,

Get gold with their glee, sinless, I trowe.

Ac japers and janglers, Judas's children,

Began find many fantasies and fools them make,

And have wit at their will to work what them likes.

That that Paul preaches of them I dare not prove here:

Qui loquitur turpiloquium ys Lucifer's hyne.

Beggeres and bidders fast about yede,

Till their bellies and their bags were bredful crammed ;

They flyteth for their food, and fight at the ale;

In gluttony, God wot, go they to bed,

And rise up with ribaldry, as Robert's knaves;

Sleep and sloth sues them ever.

Pilgrims and palmers plight them together

For to seek Saint James and saints in Rome;

And went forth in their way with many wise talys,

And had leave to lie all their lyf after.

Hermits on an heap with hooked staves

Went to Walsingham, and their wenches after.

Great lubbers and long, loath for to swink,

Clothed them in copes to be known from others;

Shaped them hermits, their ease to have.

Vicars on fele halves find them to do:

leaders they be of lovedays, and with the law meddle.

I found there the friars, all the four orders,

Preaching the people for profit of their wombs,

Glossed the gospel as them good liked,

For coveting of copes construed it as they would.

Many of those masters may clothe them at liking,

For their money and their merchandise metyn together.

Since charity has been chapman, and chief to shrive lords,

Fele ferlis have falle in a few years;

But holy church and they hold together,

The most mischief of this mould mounts up fast.

There preached a pardoner, a priest as though he were,

Brought forth bulls with bishop's seals,

And said himself might absolve them all

Of falseness, of fasting, of vows broken.

The lewd men believed him well, and liked his speech,

Came kneeling up to kiss his bulls;

He blessed them with his brevet, and bleared their eyes,

Reached them with his rageman brooches and rings.

Thus you give your gold gluttons to help,

And lend it losels that lechery haunt!

But were the bishop blessed and worth both his ears,

His seals should not be sent to deceive the people.

I trowe it be not for the bishop that the boy preaches;

But for the pardoner and the parish priest depart the silver

That the poor should depart that they not were.

Parsons and parish priests complain to their bishop,

That their parishioners be poor since the pestilence time,

To have a licence and a leave at London to dwell,

To sing for simony, for silver is sweet.

There hovyd an hundred in howys of silk,

Sergeants those seemed, pleaded at the bar;

They pleaded for pennies and pounded the law,

Ac none for the love of our Lord opened their lips .

You might better mete the mist on Malvern hills

Than get a mum of their mouth till money be showed .

I saw there bishops bolde and bachelors of divine

Become clerks of account, the king for to serve;

I saw there archdeacons and deans, that dignity have

To preach the people and poor men to feed,

They be loped to London, through leave of their bishop,

And be clerks of the king's bench, the country to shynde.

Barons and burgeysys, and bondsmen also,

I saw in that assembly, as you shall hear hereafter.

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I saw there bakers and brewers, butchers and cooks,

Woolen websters, and weavers of linen,

Tailors, taverners, and tinkers both,

Masons, miners, and many other crafts,

As dikers and delvers, that do their work ill,

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To drive forth the long day with "douce Dame Emme."

Cokys and their knaves cried, "Hot pies, hot!

Good geese and grys! Go we dine, go we!"

Taverners tolled them and told them the same,

With "white wine of Alsace, and of Gascony,

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Of the Rhine and the La Rochelle, that roast to defy."

This I saw myself, and seven sythes more.

Piers Plowman

In a somyr sesoun . whenne I souþ wente

I schop me a schroude . as I a schep were ;

In abyte as an ermyte von holy of werkys

Y wente wyde in þis worlde . wondrys to hure .

But vpon a may morwe on maluerne hyllys

Me by fel a ferly . of fayrye me þouʒte ;

I was wery for wandred . I wente me to reste

Vnder a brod banke by a burne syde .

But as I lay and lenede and loked on þe waterys

I slombryd in a slepyng . I sweuenede so merye ;

Þer gan I to mete a merwelous swouene

Þat I was in a wildernysse . I wyste neuere where .

But as I behelde into þe este . vp to þe sunne

I saw a tour in a coste . tryly ontyrid ;

A dep dale by neþe . a doungon þerynne

wiþ depe dykys and derke . dredful of syʒth .

A fayr felde ful of folke fonde I bytwene

Of alle maner of men . þe mene and þe riche ;

Worchynge and wandrynge as þis wordle askys

Somme putte hem to þe plow . and pleyde ful selde .

In seed tyme of sowyng swonkyn ful harde

Þat þes wastourys now wyt glotonye destroyen ;

Some putte hem to pride . and paralyde hem þer after

In countenance of cloþing þey [***]yn dysgysed .

To prayere and to penaunce putte hem many

ffor þe loue of oure lord lyuede ful strayte ;

In hope for to haue heuene ryche blysse

As ankerys and hermytys þat lyuen in her cellys .

And coueytyn nouʒth in þe countre to caryen a boute

for none lykerous lyflode here lykamys to plese ;

And somme chosen hem to chaffare . þey cheuyd þe betre .

as it ys sene to oure syʒth þat suche men þryuen .

And summe men myrthes to make . as menstralys cunne

Gete gold wiþ her gle . synne les I trowe ;

Ac iaperis and iangeleres . iudacys chyldryn

gon fyndyn meny fantasyes and foles hem makyn .

And han wit at her wille to worche what hem lykys

Þat þat poule precheþ of hem I dar not prouyn here ;

Qui loquitur turpiloquium ys lucyferes hyne

beggeres and bydderes faste a boute ʒede, .

Til her belyes and her bagges ware bred ful crammed

þei flyteþ for her foode . and fyʒthen at þe ale;

in glotenye god wot . go þei to bedde

and rysen up wiþ rybaudye . as robertes knauys;

Sclep and slowthe sewyth hem euere

pylgrymys and palmeres plytyth hem to gedere

For to seke seynt Jame and sentes in rome

and wente forþ in her way wiþ manye wyse talys .

And hadde leve to lye al her lyf after

hernytes on an hepe wiþ hokede stauys

wente to Walsyngham . and her wenches after.

grete lobyes and longe . loth for to swynke .

Cloþed hem in copys to be knowe fro oþere;

schopyn hem ermytes . here ese to haue ;

[ ] on fele halue fonden hem to done

lederes þei be of louedayes . and wiþ þe lawe medle .

I fonde þer þe freres . alle þe fower orderes

prechynge þe peple for profyt of here wombys ;

glosede þe gospel as hem goud lykede

for couetyse of copys construd yt as þei wolde .

Many of þo maystres mown cloþen hem at lykyng

for her money and her marchaundyse metyn to gederes ;

Sythe charite haþ be chapman . & chef to shryue lordis

ffele ferlis han falle in a fewe ʒerus

But holy cherche and þey holdyn to gederys

þe moste myschef of þis molde mounteþ vp faste ;

þere prechede a pardoner . a prest as þouʒ he were

brouʒthe forþ bullys wyth busschopys selys .

And seyde hym self myʒte a soyle hem alle

of falsnesse of fastynge . of a vowes brokyn ;

þe lewde men leued hym wel . and lykyd his speche,

come knelyng vp to kyssyn his bullys .

He blessed hem wiþ his brevet . and blered here eyes

rauʒthe hem wiþ his rageman broches and rynges ;

Þus ʒe ʒeuen ʒore gold glotonys to helpyn

And lenyn hit loselys þat lecherye haunten .

But were þe byschop y blessed and worþ boþe his erys

His selys schulde not be sent to disseyue þe peple ;

I trowe hit be not for þe byschop þat þe boye precheþ

but for þe pardoner and þe parichesprest departyn þe syluer

þat þe pore scholde departyn þat þei ne were

parsonys and parrysprestes playnen to her byschop ;

þat her parryssenys ben pore siþen þe pestelens tyme

to haue a lycence and a leue at londoun to dwelle .

To synge for symonye . for sylver is swete

þer houyd an houndred in howys of sylke ;

seriauntes þo semede . pletede at þe barre

þei pleted for penys and poundyt þe lawe .

Ac non for þe loue of our lord opnyd here lyppys

þu myʒthist beter mete þe myst on maluerne hyllys

þan getyn a mum of her mowʒt tyl monye be schewyd

I saw þer byschops bolde and bacheleres of dyuyn

By come clerkes of acount . þe kyng for to seruen

I saw ther archedeknys and denys . þat dignyte hauyn

to preche þe peple and pore men to fede

þey beþ lopyn to loundoun . þorw leue of here byschop .

And beþ clerkes of þe kynges bench . þe cuntre to shynde.

barounys & burgeysys . and bondeagys alse ;

I saw in þat symple . as ʒe schul here herafter

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I saw þer bakesteres & brewesteres . bocheres & kokys .

Wollene webesteres . and weuerys of lynene

taylowres tauerneres . and tynkeres boþe, ;

masounys, mynores and many oþer craftys

ac dykeres and delueres . þat don here werk ylle .

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To dryue forþ þe longe day wiþ deusa dammeme

cokys and her knawys cryden "Hote pyes hote

gode gees & grys . Go we dyne, go we!"

tauerneres tolled hem and tolde hem þe same .

Wiþ "whyt wyn of oseye . and of gascoyne

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Of þe ryn and þe rochel . þat roost to defye ;

þis I saw my self . and seuen syþes more .

Piers Plowman