| In a somer seson , whanne softe was the sonne | |
| I shop me in-to a shroud , as I a shep were; | |
| In abite as an ermyte, unholy of werkis , | |
| I wente wyde in this world , wondris to here . | |
| 5 | But on a May morwenyng on Malverne hilles |
| Me befel a ferly, of fairie me thoughte. | |
| I was wery for-wandrit and wente me to reste | |
| Undir a brood bank be a bourne side ; | |
| And as I lay and lenide and lokide on the watris , | |
| 10 | I slomeride in a slepyng, it swighede so merye. |
| Thanne gan I mete a merveillous swevene , | |
| That I was in a wildernesse , wiste I nevere where; | |
| Ac as I beheld the est , on heigh to the sonne , | |
| I saigh a tour on a toft , trighely i-makid ; | |
| 15 | A depe dale benethe , a dungeoun there inne , |
| With depe dikes and derke, and dredful of sight . | |
| A fair feld ful of folk fand I there betwene , | |
| Of alle maner of men, the mene and the riche, | |
| Worching and wandringe , as the world askith . | |
| 20 | Summe putte hem to the plough , and pleighede ful selde, |
| In settyng and sowyng swonke ful harde | |
| That many of thise wastores with glotonye destroigheth . | |
| And summe putte hem to pride, aparailide hem there aftir , | |
| In cuntenaunce of clothing comen disgisid . | |
| 25 | In preyores and penaunce putten hem manye , |
| Al for love of oure Lord lyvede ful streite , | |
| In hope for to have hevene-riche blisse , | |
| As ancris and ermytes that holden hem in here sellis , | |
| Coveite not in cuntre to cairen aboute, | |
| 30 | For no likerous liflode here likam to plese. |
| And somme chosen chaffare, : thei cheven the betere , | |
| As it semith to oure sight that suche men thriven . | |
| And somme merthis to make, as mynstrales conne , | |
| And gete gold with here gle, synneles, I trowe. | |
| 35 | Ac japeris and jangleris , Judas children , |
| Founden hem fantasies and foolis hem make , | |
| And have wyt at wille to wirche yif hem liste . | |
| That Poule prechith of hem I dar not preve it here: | |
| Qui loquitur turpiloquium is Lucferis hyne. | |
| 40 | Bidderis and beggeris faste aboute yede, |
| Til here belyes and here bagges were bretful ycrammid ; | |
| Fayteden for here foode, foughten at the ale; | |
| In glotonye , God wot, go thei to bedde, | |
| And risen up with ribaudie , tho roberdis knaves ; | |
| 45 | Slepe and sleuthe sewith hem evere. |
| Pilgrimes and palmeris plighten hem togidere | |
| For to seke Seint Jame and seintes at Rome; | |
| Wenten forth in here wey with many wise talis , | |
| And hadde leve to leighe al here lif aftir . | |
| 50 | Ermytes on an hep with hokide staves |
| Wenten to Walsyngham, and here wenchis aftir . | |
| Grete lobies and longe, that loth were to swynke, | |
| Clothide hem in copis to be knowen from othere; | |
| Shopen hem ermytes, here ese to have. | |
| 55 | |
| . | |
| I fond there freris , alle the foure ordris , | |
| Prechinge the peple for profit of here wombe , | |
| Gloside the gospel as hem good likide , | |
| 60 | For coveitise covetyse of copis construide it as thei wolde. |
| Manye of thise maistris mowe clothe hem at lyking , | |
| For here mony and here marchaundise meten togidere . | |
| Sith charite hath ben chapman, and chief to shryve lordis, | |
| Manye ferlis han fallen in a few yeris ; | |
| 65 | But holy chirche and hy holden bet togidere , |
| The moste meschief on molde is mountyng up faste. | |
| There prechide a pardoner, as he a prest were, | |
| Broughte forth a bulle with bisshopis selis , | |
| And seide that hym self mighte assoile asoyle hem alle | |
| 70 | Of falsnesse of fastyng and of vowes broken . |
| Lewide men levide hym wel, and likide his speche, | |
| Comen up knelynge to kissen his bulle ; | |
| He bunchide hem with his brevet, and bleride here eighe , | |
| And raughte with his rageman ryngis and brochis . | |
| 75 | Thus ye yeven youre gold glotonis to helpe , |
| And levith it loselis that leccherie haunten! | |
| But were the bisshop yblissid and worth bothe hise eris , | |
| His sel shulde not be sent to disseyve the peple. | |
| It is not al be the bisshop that the boy prechith ; | |
| 80 | But the parissh prest and the pardoner parte the silver |
| That the pore peple of the parissh shulde have thei ne were. | |
| Parsonis and parissh prestis pleynide hem to here bisshop , | |
| That here parissh were pore siththe the pestilence tyme, | |
| To have a licence and leve at Lundoun to dwelle, | |
| 85 | To synge there for symonye, for silver is swete. |
| There houide an hundrit in houvis of silk , | |
| Serjauntis, it semide , that servide at the barre; | |
| Pleden for penis and poundis the lawe, | |
| And nought for love of oure Lord unlose here lippes ones. | |
| 90 | Thou mightest betere mete the myst on Malverne hilles |
| Thanne gete a mom of here til mony were shewid . | |
| I saugh bisshopis bolde and bacheleris of devyn | |
| Become clerkis of acountis , the king for to serve ; | |
| Archideknes and denis , that dignite haven | |
| 95 | To preche the peple and pore men to fede, |
| Ben lopen to Lundoun , be leve of hire bisshopis , | |
| And ben clerkis of the kinges bench, the cuntre to shende . | |
| Barouns and burgeis , and bondemen also , | |
| I saugh in that semble , as ye shuln here aftir , | |
| 100 | Baxteris and bocheris , and breusteris manye , |
| Wollene websteris , and weveris of lynen , | |
| Taillores and tokkeris , and tolleris bothe, | |
| Masonis and mynours , and manye othere craftis , | |
| As dikeris and delveris , that doth here dede ille , | |
| 105 | And driveth forth the longe day with "Dieu save , dame Emme ." |
| Cookis and here knaves crieth , "Hote pyes, hote! | |
| Goode gees and gris , gowe dyne, gowe !" | |
| Taverners to hem tolde the same, | |
| With white wyn of Osay , and wyn of Gascoyne, | |
| 110 | Of the Ryn and of the Rochel, the rost to defie . |
| Al this I saugh slepyng , and sevene sithes more. |