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In a somyr sesoun, whenne I south wente, |
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I schop me a schroude, as I a schep were. |
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In abyte as an ermyte unholy of werkys, |
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Y wente wyde in this worlde, wondrys to hure. |
| 5 |
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But upon a May morwe on Malverne hyllys |
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Me byfel a ferly, of fayrye me thoughte. |
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I was wery forwandred; I wente me to reste |
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Under a brod banke by a burne syde. |
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But as I lay and lenede and loked on the waterys, |
| 10 |
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I slombryd in a slepyng. I swevenede so merye. |
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Ther gan I to mete a merwelous swovene: |
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That I was in a wildernysse, I wyste nevere where; |
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But as I behelde into the este, up to the sunne, |
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I saw a tour in a coste, tryly ontyrid; |
| 15 |
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A dep dale bynethe, a doungon therynne, |
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With depe dykys and derke, dredful of syghth. |
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A fayr felde ful of folke fonde I bytwene, |
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Of alle maner of men, the mene and the riche, |
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Worchynge and wandrynge as this worlde askys: |
| 20 |
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Somme putte hem to the plow, and pleyde ful selde, |
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In seed tyme of sowyng swonkyn ful harde |
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That thes wastourys now wyth glotonye destroyen. |
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Some putte hem to pride, and paralyde hem therafter: |
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In countenance of clothing they comyn dysgysed. |
| 25 |
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To prayere and to penaunce putte hem many, |
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For the love of oure Lord lyvede ful strayte, |
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In hope for to have heveneryche blysse, |
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As ankerys and hermytys that lyven in her cellys, |
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And coveytyn noughth in the countre to caryen aboute, |
| 30 |
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For none lykerous lyflode here lykamys to plese. |
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And somme chosen hem to chaffare: they chevyd the betre, |
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As it ys sene to oure syghth that suche men thryven. |
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And summe men myrthes to make, as menstralys cunne, |
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Gete gold with her gle, synneles, I trowe. |
| 35 |
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Ac japeris and jangeleres, Judacys chyldryn, |
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Gon fyndyn meny fantasyes and foles hem makyn, |
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And han wit at her wille to worche what hem lykys. |
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That that Poule precheth of hem I dar not provyn here: |
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Qui loquitur turpiloquium ys Lucyferes hyne. |
| 40 |
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Beggeres and bydderes faste aboute yede, |
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Til her belyes and her bagges ware bredful crammed ; |
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Thei flyteth for her foode, and fyghthen at the ale; |
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In glotenye, God wot, go thei to bedde, |
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And rysen up with rybaudye, as robertes knavys; |
| 45 |
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Sclep and slowthe sewyth hem evere. |
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Pylgrymys and palmeres plytyth hem togedere |
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For to seke Seynt Jame and sentes in Rome; |
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And wente forth in her way with manye wyse talys, |
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And hadde leve to lye al her lyf after. |
| 50 |
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Hermytes on an hepe with hokede stavys |
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Wente to Walsyngham, and her wenches after. |
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Grete lobyes and longe, loth for to swynke, |
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Clothed hem in copys to be knowe fro othere; |
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Schopyn hem ermytes, here ese to have. |
| 55 |
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Vicars on fele halve fonden hem to done: |
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Lederes thei be of lovedayes, and with the lawe medle. |
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I fonde ther the freres, alle the fower orderes, |
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Prechynge the peple for profyt of here wombys, |
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Glosede the gospel as hem goud lykede, |
| 60 |
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For covetyse of copys construd yt as thei wolde. |
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Many of tho maystres mown clothen hem at lykyng, |
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For her money and her marchaundyse metyn togederis. |
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Sythe charite hath be chapman, and chef to shryve lordis, |
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Fele ferlis han falle in a fewe yerus; |
| 65 |
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But holy cherche and they holdyn togederys, |
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The moste myschef of this molde mounteth up faste. |
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There prechede a pardoner, a prest as though he were, |
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Broughthe forth bullys wyth busschopys selys, |
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And seyde hymself myghte asoyle hem alle |
| 70 |
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Of falsnesse, of fastynge, of avowes brokyn. |
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The lewde men leved hym wel, and lykyd his speche, |
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Come knelyng up to kyssyn his bullys; |
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He blessed hem with his brevet, and blered here eyes, |
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Raughthe hem with his rageman broches and rynges. |
| 75 |
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Thus ye geven yore gold glotonys to helpyn, |
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And lenyn hit loselys that lecherye haunten! |
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But were the byschop yblessed and worth bothe his erys, |
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His selys schulde not be sent to disseyve the peple. |
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I trowe hit be not for the byschop that the boye precheth; |
| 80 |
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But for the pardoner and the parichesprest departyn the sylver |
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That the pore scholde departyn that thei ne were. |
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Parsonys and parrysprestes playnen to her byschop, |
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That her parryssenys ben pore sithen the pestelens tyme, |
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To have a lycence and a leve at Londoun to dwelle, |
| 85 |
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To synge for symonye, for sylver is swete. |
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Ther hovyd an houndred in howys of sylke, |
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Serjauntis tho semede, pletede at the barre; |
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Thei pleted for penys and poundyt the lawe, |
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Ac non for the love of our Lord opnyd here lyppys . |
| 90 |
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Thu myghthist beter mete the myst on Malverne hyllys |
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Than getyn a mum of her mowght tyl monye be schewyd . |
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I saw ther byschops bolde and bacheleres of dyvyn |
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Bycome clerkes of acount, the kyng for to serven; |
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I saw ther archedeknys and denys, that dignyte havyn |
| 95 |
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To preche the peple and pore men to fede, |
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They beth lopyn to Loundoun, thorw leve of here byschop, |
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And beth clerkes of the kynges bench, the cuntre to shynde. |
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Barounys and burgeysys, and bondeagys alse, |
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I saw in that symble, as ye schul here herafter. |
| 100 |
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I saw ther bakesteres and brewesteres, bocheres and kokys, |
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Wollene webesteres, and weverys of lynene, |
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Taylowres, taverneres, and tynkeres bothe, |
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Masounys, mynores, and many other craftys, |
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As dykeres and delveres, that don here werk ylle, |
| 105 |
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To dryve forth the longe day with "deusa dammeme." |
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Cokys and her knawys cryden, "Hote pyes, hote! |
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Gode gees and grys! Go we dyne, go we!" |
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Taverneres tolled hem and tolde hem the same, |
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With "whyt wyn of Oseye, and of Gascoyne, |
| 110 |
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Of the Ryn and the Rochel, that roost to defye." |
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This I saw myself, and seven sythes more. |