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