And of this metyng many tyme · muche thought I hadde

First how fortune me failled · at my moost nede

And how that elde manaced me · we miȝte neuere mete

¶ And how that freres folweden · folk that was riche

And folk that was pouer · at litel prise thay sette

And no cors in hir kirke yerd · ne in kirke was byr{?}yed

B{u}ot quik biquethe hem ouȝt · or sholde helpe quite hir dettes

And how couetise ouer-come · clerkes and prestes

And how that lewed men be ladde · but oure lorde hem helpe

Thorugh vnkonnyng curatours · to incurable peyne

¶ And how that ymaginatif · in d{e}remes me tolde

Of kynd and of konnyng · and how curteise he is to bestees

And how louyng he hisLX to bestes on londe and on water

Leneth he no lif · lasse ne more.

¶ The creatures that crepen of kynde ben engendred

And how ymaginatif saide vix iustus saluabitur

And whan he hadde saide so · how sodeynliche he passed

¶ I lay longe in this thought · and at the laste I slepte

And as criste wolde ther come · conscience to conforte me þat tyme

And bad me come to his courte · with clergie shul I dyne

And for conscience of clergie spake · I com wel the rather

And ther I seigh a maister · what man he was I neste.

That lowe louted · and louelich to scripture.

¶ Conscien / Conscien[ce] knew hym wel · and welcomed hym faire

Thay wesshenden and wipeden · and went to dyner

¶ And paciens in the paleys · stode in pilgrymes clothes

And prayde meet for charite · for a pouere hermyte

¶ Consciens called hym Inne · and curteislich saide

Welcome wy go and wasshe · thow shalt sitte sone

¶ This maister was made sitte · and for the moost worthy

Than clergie and consciencie · and paciens cam after

¶ Pacience and I were putte · to be macches

And sitten by oure-selue · at a side borde

¶ Conscience called after meet · and than cam scripture

And serued hem thus sone · of sondry metes manye

Of Austyn of Ambrose of alle the foure Euaungelistes

Edentes & bibentes que apud eos sunt.

¶ And this maister ne his man · no maner flessh eten

And thay et meet of more cost · mortreux and potages

Of that men myswonne · thay made hem at ese

And hir sauce was euere sour · and vnsauourly ygrounde

In a morter post mortem · of many bitter peyne

But if thay synge for the saules · and wepe salt teres

vos qui peccata hominum comeditis nisi pro eis lacrimis & orationes

¶ Conscience curteisly tho · comaunded scripture

By-for pacience breed to brynge · and me that was his make

He sete a sour lafe to-for vs · and saide agite penitenciam

And sithen he drow vs drynk · dya perseueransP

Als lange quod I as I leue · and likham may dure

Here propire seruice quod pacience · ther fares na prince better

And than he bro{y}uteN forthe other meet · of miserere mei deus

And of Beati quorum of Beatus vir makyng

Et quorum tecta sunt peccata ·C in a disshe

Of derne schrift · dixi and confitebor tibi

And brynge pacience som · priuelich quod conscience

And thanne come to pacience · a pitaunce ybroughte

Of pro hac orabit ad te omnis sanctus in tempore oportuno

And consciens conforted vs · and carped vs mery tales

Cor contritum & humiliatum deus non despicies

¶ Pacience was proude of that proper seruice ·

And made hym murthe with his meet · and I mournede euere

For this doctour on the heigh deys · drank wyn so faste

Ve vobis qui potentes estis ad bibendum.

¶ He ete many son{?}drie metes · mortreux and puddynges

Wombe cloutes and wilde brawne · and egges fried with grece

Than saide I to my-self · so pacience it herde

It nouȝt foure dayes · þat this freek bi-fore the dene of poules

Preched of penaunce that poule the apostle suffred

In fame and frigore and flappes of scourges

Ter cesus sum & a Iudeis quinquies quadragenas &cetera ·

¶ And a word thay ouerhippen · at ech tyme that they prechen

That poule in hist / his pistile · to al þe pepile tolde

Periculum est in falsis fratribus

¶ Haly writ bides men be war · I wol nouȝt writte it here

On englissh{barred} an auenture it schod / scho[l]d · be reherced to ofte

And greue ther-with that good ben · an gramariens shulde rede

vnusquisque a fratre se custodiat quia vt dicitur periculum est in falsis fratribus

¶ And I wist neuere freek that as a frere yede bifore men on Englissh{barred}

Tak it for hir teme · and telle it with-outen glosynge

Thay prechen that penaunce is · profitabile to the soule

And what myschief or mal-esse · crist for man tholde

¶ And this goddes gloton quod I with his grete chekes

hath no pitte on vs pouere men · he parfourneth yuele

That he preches he prouetes nouȝt · to paciens I tolde

And wissed witterly · with wille ful egre

That dissches and doublers · bifor this ilke doctour

Were molten leded / leed in his mawe · and Mahoun amyddes

I shal Iangle to this Iurdan · with his Iuste wombe

To telle me wat penaunce is · of wich he preched rather

¶ Pacience perceyued what I thought · and wynked on me to be stille

And saide thow salt see thus sone · whan he may namare

He shal haue penaunce in his paunche · and puf at ech worde

And than shal his guttes gothele · and he shal galpen after

For now he hase dronke so depe · he wile deuyne sonne

And proue it by-for hir pocalipps · and passioun of saynt Auereys

That nouther bacon ne brawn · blank-mangere ne mortreux

Is neither fisse ne flessh · but foode for a penaunce

And shal he testifie of a trinite  and take hise felawes to witnesse

What he fande in a frayel · after freres lynyge

And but if the first lif be lesyng · leue me neuere after

And thanne is tyme to take · and apposse this doctour

Of dowel and of do-bet · and if do-best be any penaunce

¶ And I sette stille an pacience saide · and thus soene this doctour

As rody as a rose · rubbed hise chykes ·

Coughed and carped · and conscience hym herde

And tolde hym of a trinite and toward vs al he loked

What his dowel sire doctour quod I is do-wel any penaunce

dowel quod this doctour and took the coppe and dranke

do no yuel to thyn euen-cristen · nouȝ by thy power

¶ By this day sir doctour quod I be ye nouȝt in do-wel

For ye han harmed vs two · In þat ye eten the puddyng

Mortreux and other meet · and we na morsel hadd

And if ye fare so in youre fermerie · ferly me thynketh

But chest be ther charite shol be · and childerne dorst pleyne

I walde permute my pennaunce with youreLX · for I am in poynt to do-welC

¶ Than conscience curteisliche · a contenaunce made

And preynte vp-on pacience · to preye me be stille

And saide hymself sir doctour · and it be youre wille

What is dowel and do-bet · ye diuynours knoweth

¶ Do-wel quod this doctour do as clerkes teches

And do-bet is he that techeth · and trauailles to teche other

And do-best doo hym-self so · as he saies and preches

Qui facit & docuerit magnus vocabitur in regno celorum

¶ Now thow clergie quod conscience · capest / ca[r]pest what is dowel

I haue seuene sonnes he saide · seruen at a castel

Ther the lord of lif woneth · to lerne hem what is dowel

Til I se tho seuene · and my-self acorden

I am vnhardy quod he to any wight to proue it

For oon piers the plowman  hat impugned vs alle

And sette alle sciences at a soppe · saue loue oon

And no tixte ne takees · to mayntene his cause

But dilige deum and domine quid habitabit &cetera ·

And seigh that dowel and do-bet · aren twa infinites

Wich infinites with a faith · fynden out do-beste

Wich shal saue mannes soule · thus saith piers plowman

¶ I kan nought here-on quod conscience · and I knowe piers

He wol nouȝt ayein haly writ · speken I vndertake

Thane passe we ouer til piers come · and proue this in dide

Pacience hase ben in many places · and parauenture knowes

That no clerc ne kan · as crist beres witnesse.

Pacientes vincunt & cetera

At youre prayer quod pacience tho · so no man displesse hym

disce quod he doce and dilige inimicos

disce · and do-wel · doce and do-bet

dilige an do-best · thus taughte me ones

A lemman that I loued · loue was hir name

With wordes and werkes quod she · and wille of thyn herte

Thow loue lely thy soule · al thy lif-tyme

And so thow lere þe to louye · for þe lordes loue of heuene

Thyn enemy in al wise · euene-forth with thy-selue

Cast coles on his hed · and al kynde speche

Bothe with werke and word · fonde his loue to wynne

And lye on hym thus with loue · til he laughe on the

And bot he bowe for this betyng · blynde mote he worthe

¶ And for to fare thus with thy frend · folye it were

For he that loueth the lely · litel of thyn coueites

Kynde loue coueites n{e}ouȝt · no catel but speche

With half a laumpe lyne in latyn · Ex vi transicionis

¶ I bere there-Inne a beaut · fast ybounde doweel

In a signe of the saterday · that sette firste the kalender

And al the wit of wednesday · of the next wike after

The mydel of the Moone · is the nyght of bothe

And here-with am I welcome · ther I haue it with me

¶ vn-do it lat þis doctour dem · if do wel be ther-Inne

For by hym þat me made · myghte neuere pouerte

Miseise ne myschief · ne man with his tonge

Colde ne care · ne compaignye of theues

Ne nouther hete ne haile · ne noon helle pouke

Ne neither fire ne flood · ne fere ofe thyn enemy

Tene the any tyme · and thow take it with the

Caritas nichil timetT

¶ It is bot as dido quod this doctour · a disours tale

Alle þe wit of this world · and wight mennes strenghe

kan nouȝt confourmen a pees · bitwene the pope and his enemye

Ne bitwene twa cristen kynges · kan na wight pees make

Profitable to either pepil · and putte the table fra hym

And took clergie and conscience · to consail as it were

That pacien tho moost passe · for pilgrymes kanne well

¶ And conscience carped loude · and curteisliche said

Frendes fareth wel · and faire spake to clergie

For I wil go with this gome · if god wol gyue the grace

And be pilgryme with pacience · til I haue proued mare

¶ What quod clergie to conscience · er ye coueitouse nouthe

After yeresyeues an gyftes · or yernen ye to rede rideles

I shal bryng yow a bibile · a book of the olde lawe

And lere yow if yow like · the best point to knowe

That pacience the pilgryme · parfitly knew neuere

¶ Nay by crist quod conscience · god the foryelde

For al that pacience me proferes · proude am I but litile

And the wille of that wye · and ye wille folk here

Has moued my moed · to mourne for my synnes

The good wille of a wight · was neuere bouȝt to the ful

For ther is no tresor ther-to · to a trew wille

¶ Had nouȝt magdaleyne more · for a box of salue

Than zacheus for he saide · dimidium bonorum meorum da pauperibus

And the pouere widowe · for a peire of mytes

Than al tho that offreden · in-to Gazaphilacium

¶ Thus curteisly conscience congeyed first þe frere

And sithen sothliche he saide · in clergies ere

Me were leuere by oure lord · and I lyue sholde

Haue pacience parfitly · than half this pakke of bookes

¶ Clergie to conscience · no congie wolde take

But saide ful soberly · thow shalt se the tyme ·

Whan thow art wery forwalked · wilne me to conseile

That is soth quod conscience · so me god helpe

If pacience be oure partyng felawe · and priue with vs bothe

Ther is no wo in this worlde · þat we ne sholde amende

And confermen kynges to pees · and alkynnes londes

Sarrasens and surry and so forþ al the Iewes

Torne in-to the trewe faith · and in til oon bileue

¶ That is soth quod clergie · I se what thow menest

I shal dwelle as I do · my deuoir to shewen

And confermen fauntekynnes · and other folk ylered

Til pacience haue preued the · and parfit the maked

¶ Conscience tho with pacience · passed pilgrymes as it were

Than had pacience as pilgrymes han · in his poke vitailles

Sobrete and symple speche · and sothfast bileue

To conforth hym and conscience · if thay come in place

Ther vnkyndenesse and coueitise · is hungry contrees bothe

And as thay went by the way · of dowel thay carped

Thay mette with a mynstral · as me tho thoughte

Paciens apposed hym first · and praide he sholde hem telle

To conscience what craft he kouthe · and to what contre he wolde

I am a mynstral quod that man · my name is · actiua vita

Al ydel I hatye · for of actif is my name

A wafrer wol ye wite · and serue many lordes

I fewe robes I fonge  or furrud gownes

Couthe I lee to do men laughe · thane lacche I sholde

Outher mantel or monei · amanges lordes mynstralles

And for I kan nouther taborne ne trompe · ne telle noon gestesCN

Farten ne fethelen · at festes ne harpen ·

Ne neither sailly ne sautre · ne synge · with the giterneT

I haue n{e}a goode giftes · of this grete lordes

For na brede that I bryng forth · saue a benysoun on the sonday

Whan the preest prec{b}hes the pepile · hir pater noster to bidde

For pier the plowman · and that hym profet wayten

And that I am actif · that ydelnesse hatye ·

Fol al trewe trauaillours · and tillers of erthe

Fro Mighelmesse to Mighelmes · I fynde hem with wafres

¶ Beggers and bidders · of my breed crauen

Faitours and freres · and folk with brode crowens

I fynde payn for the pope · and prouendire for his palfray

And I had neuere of hym · haue god my trouthe

Nouther prouendre ne personage · yet of the popes gyfte

Saue a pardoun with a payes of leed · and two polles amydde

Had ech a clerk that couthe write · I walde caste hym a bille

That he sent me vnder his seel · a salue for the pestelence

And that his blissyng & hise bulles · botches myght destroye -

In nomine meo demonia eicient & super egros manus imponent &

And thanne wolde I be prest to þe pepile paste · for to make

And buxom and bisy · aboute breed and drynke

For hym and for alle hisse · fonde I that his pardoun

Might lechen a man · as I beleue it sholde

For sith he has the power · þat petir hym-self hadde

he hase the pot with þe salue · sothly as me thynketh{barred}

Argentum & aurum non est michi · quod autem habeo tibi do In nomine domini surge & ambula.C

¶ And if myght of miracle hym faille · it is for men be nat worthy

To haue the grace of god · and no gilt of the pope

For may no blissyng dos vs bote · but if we wil amende

Ne mannes masse make pees · amonges cristen pepile

Til pride be purliche for-doo · and that thurgh payn defaute

For er I haue breed of meel · erst moot I swete.

And er the comune haue corn ynough · many calde mornyng

So er my wafres ben wrought · muche wa I tholye

Al londoun I leue · likes wel my wafresT

Ther was a carful comune · whan no cart come to touwnn

With bred fra stratford · tho gonnen begers wepe

And werkmen were agast a litil · this wol be thought lange

In the date of oure drighte · in a dry aprill{barred}

A thousand and thre hondreth · twies twenty an{n}dP ten

Mi wafres wer gesen whan Chichestre was Mair

¶ I took good kepe by crist · and conscience bothe

Of haukyn the actif man · and how he was clothed

He had a Cite of cristendome · as haly chirche bileues =

And it was moled in many places · with many sondrye plottes

Of pride hire a plot and þer a plot · of vnbuxom speche

Of scorn{u}yng and of scoffyng · and of vnskilful beryng

As in apperaille and in port · proude amonges the pepile -

Other-wise than he has with herte or eye shewyng

hym willyng that alle men wende · he were þat he is nouȝt

For why he bosted and bragged · with many bolde othes

And inobedient to be vndirnome · of any lif lyuyng

And so singuler by hym-self · ne noon so poppe holy

yhabited as an heremyte · and ordire by hym-self

Religion sanz reule · and resonable obedience

Lakkyng lettred men · and lewed men bothe

In likyng of lele lif · and a lyere in soule

With Inwit and with-oute wit · ymagynen and studye

As best for his bodi be · to haue a bad name

And entermeten hym ouer al · ther he has nouȝ to doone

Willyng that men wende · his wit war the besteT

And if he gyfues ouȝt the pouere gomes · til what he deletLX

Pouere of possessioun in purs · and in coffres bothe

And as an lyon on to look · and lordlich of speche

Boldest of beggers a boster that nouȝt hath

In town and in tauernes · tales to telle

And saies thyng that he neuere er sawe · & for sothe sweren itC

Of dedes that he neuere dide · demen and bosten

And of werkes that he wel dide · witnes and seggen

Lo if thow leue me nought · or that I lye wenen

Axeth at hym or at hym · and he yow kan telle

Whan I suffred and seigh · and som tym hadde ·

And what I kouthe and knowe · and what kynne I come of

Al he wolde that men wist of werkes and of wordes

Wiche miȝte plesse the pypil · and preisen hem-seluen

Si hominibus placerem christi seruus non essem ·

Et alibi . Nemo potest duobus dominis seruire &cetera

¶ Bi crist quod consciens tho · thy best cote haukynn

Has many moles and spottes · it moest ben ywasshen

¶ Ye who-so took hede quod haukynP bihynd and bifore

What on bak what on bodye · and by the two sides

Men shulde fynd many frounces · and many foule plottes

¶ And he torned hym as tit · and thanne took I hede

It was fouler by fele fold · than it first semed

It was bidropped with wrathe · and wikked wille

With enuy and yuel speche · entisyng to fighte

Lyinge and laughyng · and leue tonge to chide

Al the that he wist wikked · by any wight tellen it

And blame men bihynde hir bak · and bid hem myschaunce

And that he wist by wille · tellen it watte

And that watte wist · wille wist it after

And made of frendes foos · thorught a fals tonge

Or with myght of mouthe · or thorugh mannes strenghe

Auenge me fele tymes · other frete my-selue

With-Inne as a shepster shere · ysherewed men and cursed

Cuius maledictione os plenum est & amaritudine sub lingua eius & cetera

Et alibi filij hominum dentes eorum arma & sagitte & lingua eorum gladius acutusC

¶ Ther is no lif that I loue · lastyng any while

For tals that I telle no man · trusteth to me

And whan I may nouȝt haue the maistrie · with malencolye I take

That I cacche the crompe · the cardiacle som-tyme

Or an ague in swich an angre · and som-tyme a feuere

That taketh me al a twelue monthe · til þat I dispise

lechecraft of oure lord · and leue on a wiche

And segge that no clerc ne kan · ne crist as I leue

To the souter of southwerk · or of shordich{barred} dame Emme

And saye that no go{o}ddes word  gaf me neuere boot

But thorugh a charme hadde I chaunce · and my chief hele

¶ I waited bisiloker · and that it soilled

With li{d}kyng of liccherie · and by lokyng of his eighe

For ech a mayde þat he met · he made hir a signe

Semyng to synward · and som-tyme he gan taste

Aboute the mouthe or byneth · bigynnes to grope

Til either wille wexeth keen · and to þe werke yeden

As wel in fastyngdaies as fridayes · and forboden nyghtes

And as wel in lenten as oute of lenten · alle tymes yliche

Swich werkes with hym were · neuere oute of sesoun

Til thay miȝte namore · and than · had merye tales

And how þat leccherous louyen · laughen and Iapeng

And of hir harlotrie and hordom · in hir eld tellen

¶ Than pacience parceyued · of poyntes of his cote

Was colomy thurgh couettise · and vnkynde desiryng

More to good than to god · the gome his loue caste

And ymagyned how he · it myȝte haue

With false mesures and met · and with false witnesse

Leued for loue of the wed · and lathe to do treuthe

And a-waited thurgh which way to bigile

And menged hise marchaundise · and made a good moustre

The warst with-Inne was · a gret wit I lete it

And my neghbour had any hyne · or any best elles

More pro{o}fitable than myn · many sleigtes I made

How I myght haue it al my wit I caste

And bot I had by other way · at þe lest I stale it

Or priuelich his purs shook · vnpiked hise lokkes

Or by nyght or by day · aboute was ich euere

Thurgh gile to gaderen · the good þat ich haue

¶ If I yede to the plough · I picched sa narowe

That a foot lande or a forowe · fecchen I walde

Of my next neghbore · nymen of his erthe

And if I rope ouer-reche · or gaf hem red that ropen

And seise to me with my sikel · that I ne sewe neuere

¶ And who-so borweth of me · abouȝt the tyme

With present priueliche or payed som certein

So wolde he or he nolde · wynne I wolde

And bothe to kytthe and to kynne · vnkynde of þat ich hadde

And who-sa cheped my chaffare chiden I walde

But he profred me to paye · a peny or tweyne

More than it was worth · and yet walde I swere

That it coste me muche more · swore many othes

In halidayes and holy cherche · whan I herde masse

Had I neuere wille woot god witterly to biseche

Mercy for my mysdedes · that I ne morned more

For losse of good leue me · than for my likhames gilte

And if I had dedly synne doun · I drede nouȝt þat so sore

As whan I lened leued it lost · or lang er it were paied

So if I kid any kyndenesse · myn euen-cristen to helpe

vp-on a cruel coueitise myn herte gan hange

And if I sent oure see · my seruantz to brugges

Or in-to sprucelande my prentice my profit to waiten

To marchaunden with moneie · and make hir eschaunges

Mighte neuere me confort · in the mene tyme

Nouther masse ne matyns · ne no maner sightes

Ne neuere penaunce parfourned · ne pater noster saide

ThaLX my mynd ne was more · on my good in a doute

Than in the grace of god · and hise grete helpes

Vbi thesaurus tuus ibi & cor tuum.T

¶ Wich ben the braunches · that brynges a man to sleuthe

His womman mourneth nouȝt for hise mysdedes · ne makes no sorwe

And penaunce that the preste enyoigne{u}yd · parfourned yuel

doos noon almesdede · drede hym {u}of na synne

Lyues ayein the bileue · and na lawe haldes

Ilce day or Ilc haliday with hym · or an heigh ferie

And if he auȝt wil here · it is an harlotes tonge

Whan men carpen of criste · or clennesse of saule

He waxes wrath and wil nought here · but wordes of myrthe

Pennance and pouere men · and the possessioun of sayntes

He hates to here ther-of · and al that it telles

Thise be the braunches be ware · that brynges a man to wanhope

¶ ye lordes and ladys · and legates of haly kirce

ThaLX fedes foles sages · flaterers and leers

And hase likyng to listem / liste[n] hem · to do yow to laughe

Ve vobis qui ridetis &cetera

And g{u}yues hym meet and mede · and pouere men refuse

In youre deth deynge · I dreed me ful soore

Leste þe thre manere {of} men to muche to mykil sorwe yow brynge

Consencientes & agentes pari pena punientur

Patriarkes and prophetes · and prechours of goddes wordes

Sauen thurgh hir sermoun · manne saule fram helle

Right sa flaterers and fooles · and the fendis discipils

To eten men thurgh hir tales · to synne and harlotrie

And clerkes that knowen haly writ · sholde kenne lordes

What dauid sayes of swilc men · as the sauter telles

Non habitabit in medio domus mee qui facit superbiam & qui loquitur iniquaC

¶ sholde nan harlotes haue audience · in halle ne in chambires

Ther wise men were · witnesse goddes wordes

Ne no mysproude man · amang lordes ben allowed

¶ And flaterers and foles · thurgh hir foule wordes

Leden tho þat louen hem · to luciferes feste

With turpiloquio alay / a lay of sorwe · and lucifere fithel

Thus haukyn the actif man · had ysoilled his cote

Til conscience acouped hym ther-of · In a curteys manere

Why he ne had wasshen it · or wipid it with a brusshe