¶ Passus primus de visione .
What this mountein bemeineth & þe merke dale
And þe feld ful of folke I shal you faire shew
A louely lady of lere in lynen clothed
Came downe from a castel & called me faire
And sayde sonne sleapest thou , seest thou thys people
Howe busy they be all aboute the mase ?
The most part of this puple þat passeth on this earth
Haue they worshyp in this world , they wil no better
Of other heauen then here holde they no tale
I was afrayed of her face , though she fayre were
And sayd mercy madame , what is thys to meane ?
The toure vpon the toft , quod she , truth is therin
And woulde that ye wrought as hys word teacheth
For he is father of fayth , and former of you all
Both with fel and with face , and gaue you fyue wittes
For to worshyp him therwith , yea whyle ye ben here
And therfore he heyght the erth , to helpe you eche one
Of wollen of lynnen and of lyuelode at nede
In mesurable maner to make you at ease
And commaunded of his curtesy in commen thre thynges .
Arn none nedful but tho ? and named hem I thinke
And rekened hem by rewe , reherse ye hem after .
That one is vesture , from cheyle to saue
And meate at meale for disease of thy-selfe
And drinke whan thou driest , & do nought out of reason
That þou worth the worse , whan thou worke shouldest
For Lothe in his lyue-dayes for lykynge of dryncke
Did wyth hys doughters that the deuil lyked
Delited in drynke as the deuyll woulde
And Lechery him laught , and lay by hem both ,
And all he wytte the wyne that wicked dede
Inebriamus eum vino , dormiamusque cum eo vt
seruare possimus de patre nostro semen .
Through wyne & women there was Loth accumbred
And there gat in glotony gyrles that were cherels
Forthy drede delectable drinke , & thou shalt do þe better
Measure is medicine , though you michel yerne
It is not all for the goste that the gutte asketh
Leefe not thy lykam for a lyer hym techeth
That is the wretched worlde woulde þe betray
For the fende and the fleshe foloweth the togythers
This & that seeth thy soule , and seeth it in thine herte ,
And for thou shouldest beware , I wyshe the the best
Madame mercy , quod I , me liketh wel your words
And the monye of this mold that men so fast holdeth
Tell me to whom madame that treasure appendeth
Go the gospell , quod she , that god sayd hym-selfe
Tho þe people him apposed with a peny in the temple
Whether thei should therwith worship the king Cesar
And God asketh hem of whom spake the letter
And the image ylike that therein standeth
Cesares they sayde , we sene her well ichone
Reddite Cesari quod god , that Cesari belongeth
Et que sunt dei deo , or els ye done yll
For ryghtfull reason shoulde rule you all
And kynd witt be warden your wealth to kepe
And tutor of your treasure , and take you at nede
For husbandrye and hii holden togither .
Than I frayned hyr fayre for hym that me made
That dungeon in the dale , that dredfull is of syght
What may it be to meane , madame I you besech .
That is the castell of care , who-so commeth therin
May banne that he borne was , to body or to soule ,
Therin wonneth a wyght , that Wronge is Ihote
Father of Falsehead , and founded it him-selfe
Adam and Eue he egged to yll ,
Councelled Cayne to kyll hys brother
Iudas he iaped wyth Iewes siluer
And sithen on an elder hanged hym after
He is letter of loue , and lyeth hem all
That truste in hys treasure betraieth he sonest
That had I wonder in my wyt , what woman it were
That suche wyse wordes of holy wryte shewed
And I asked her on þe height name or she thence yede
What she were wysely , that wyshed me so fayre
Holy church I am , quod she , þou oughtest me to know
I vnderfeng the fyrst , and the fayth taught
Thou broughtest me borowes , my biddings to fulfyll
And to loue me lelly , þe whyle the life dureth
Than I courbid on my knees , and cried her of grace
And prayed hyr pituously pray for my synnes
And also kenne me kyndely , on Christe to beleue
That I myght worke hys wil þat wrought me to man
Teache me to no treasure , but tell me thys ilke
Howe I may saue my soule , that saynt art yholden .
Whan al treasures are tried , quod she , truth is best
I do it on Deus charitas , to deme the sothe
It is as dere-worth a drury , as deare God him-selfe ,
Who-so is true of hys tonge , and telleth no other
And doth the workes , therewith , and wylleth no man yll
He is a god by the gospell a grounde , & a loft
And lyke to our Lord by saint Lukes wordes
The clerkes that knowe thys , should kenne it aboute
For christen , and vnchristen claymeth it echone
Kynges and knyghtes shoulde kepe it by reason
Riden and rapen downe in realmes aboute
And taken transgressours and tye hem faste
Tyll Truth termined her trespace to thende
And þat is the profession apartly þat appendeth to knyghts
And not to fast one Friday , in fyue score wynter
But hold wyth him and with hir , that wolden al truth ,
And neuer leue hem for loue , ne for lackyng of siluer .
For Dauid in hys dayes dubbed knyghtes
And did hem swere on her swerd to serue Truth euer
And who-so passed þat poynt was apostata in þe ordre
But Christe kyng of kyngis made knyghtes ten
Cheruben and Seraphyn suche seuen and other
And gaue hem might in his maiestie , þe merier hem thought
And ouer his mene meiny made hem archangels
Taught by the trinitye Truth to knowe
To be buxome at hys byddinge , he bade hem nought els
Lucifer with legions , lerned it in heauen
But for he brake buxomnes , hys blysse can he tyne
And fel from that felowshyp , in a fendes lykenes
Into a depe darke hell to dwell there for euer
And moo thousandes with hym , than man could numbre ,
Loppen out wyth Lucifer in lothlych forme
For these leuiden apon hym that lyed on thys maner
Ponam pedem in aquilone et similis ero Altissimo .
And al þat hoped it might be so , no heuen might hem hold
But fell out in fendes lykenes nyne dayes togyther
Tyll god of hys goodnes gan stable and stynte
And garde the heuen to stycke and stond in quiet
When these wycked went out , in wonderwise they fell
Some in ayre , some in earth , and some in hell depe .
And Lucifer lowest leth yet of hem all
For pride that he pult out hys payne hath no ende
And al that worke wyth wrong wende they shal
After their death day , and dwell wyth that shrewe
And tho that worke well , as holy wryte telleth
And end as I ere sayd in Truth that is the best
May be siker that theyr soules shal wende to heauen
There Truth is in trinitie and troweth hem all
Forthy I say as I sayd ere , by syght of these textes ,
Whan all treasures are tried truth is the beste
Lerne on thys lewd men , for lettred men it knoweth
That Truth is treasure the triest on earth .
I haue no kind knowing quod I , ye mote me ken better
By what craft in mi corps it comseth , & wher
Thou dotest daffe , quod she , dull are thy wyttes
To tel latin thou learnedest , leode in thy youth
Heu mihi , quia sterilem duxi , vitam iuuenilem
It is a kind knowing , quod heLX , that kenneth in þe hert
For to loue thy Lorde leuer than thy-selfe.
No deadly synne to do , dye thoughe thou shouldeste ,
Thys I trowe be truth , who can teach the better
Loke thou suffer hym to say , and sith lerne it after
For Truth telleth that loue is triacle for sinne
May no synne be on hym sene , that vseth that spyce
And al hys works he wrought with loue as him list
And lerned it Moses for þe leuiest thing , of all
And also the plant of peace , most precious of vertues
For heuen myght not hold it , it was so heauy of him-selfe
Tyll it had of the erthe yoten it-selue
And whan it had of this folde fleshe and bloud taken
Was neuer leafe apon linde , lyghter there-after
And portatiue and persante as the poynt of an nedle
That might non armoure it let , ne none heigh walles
Forthie is loue leader of the lordis folke of heauen
And a meane as the Maire is betwene þe king & the commons
Right-so is loue a leader , & the lawe shapeth
Upon man for his misdedes , the mercyment he taxeth
And for to knowe it kyndlie , it commeth by mighte
And in the hert there is the hefde , and the hygh wyll
For of kynd knowing in hart there a might begineth
And that falleth to the father that formed vs al
He looked on vs wyth loue , and let his sone die
Mekelie for oure misdedis to amende vs all
And yet wold he hem no woo þat wrought him þat payne
But meklie wyth mouth mercie he besought
To haue pitty on that people that pained him to deth
Here might you see examples in selfe one
That he was mightfull and meke þat mercie can graunt
To hem that hange him on height , & his hart thirled
Forthie I red you Ryche haue ruthe on the pore
Though ye be mightti to mot be meke in youre workes
For the same mesure þat ye mete , amis , other ells
Ye shall be weien there-wyth whan ye wenden hence
Eadem mensura qua mensi fueritis , remetietur vobis
For though ye be true of your toung & truelich wyn
And as chast as a childe that in churche wepeth
But if ye loue lelie , and lene the pore
Such good as God you sent goodliche parte
You haue no more merit in masse nor in houres
Than Malken of her maydenhede þat no man desireth
For Iames the Ientle Iudged in hys bokes
That faythe with-owte þe feate is right nothing worth
And as deade as dore-tree , but if the dedes followe
Fides sine operibus mortua est & cetera
Forthi chastiti with-ought chariti worthi cheines in hel
It is as lewde as a lampe that no lyght is in
Manie chaplens ar chast and charitie is a-waye
Ar no men auariciouser than they , whan thei be auaunced
Unkynde to theyre kynne and to all christen
Chewen theyre charitie and chiden after more
Such chastitie without charitie worthie chaynes in hel
Manie curators kepe hem clene of here bodies
They be acumbred with coueties they can not do it from them
So harde hath auarice hasped them togythers
And that is no trueth of þe trinitie but trechery of hel
And lernyge / lernynge to lewde men the latter for to dele
Forthie these wordis be written in the gospel
Date et dabitur vobis . for I dele you all
That is the locke of loue that letteth owte my grace
To comforten the carefull accombred with synne
Loue is leche of lyfe and next owre lorde selfe
And also the grayth gate that goith into heuen
Forthie I saye as I sayde er by the textes
Whan all tresures be tryed truthe is the best
So haue I told you what truth is þat no tresor is better
I may no longer leng ye with , now loke ye oure lord
The tour
The dun
geon .
geon .
Iudas
Truth is
the grea
test trea
sure .
the grea
test trea
sure .
And
Fol.v.
Loth ,
And
Who
Fol.vi.
Dauid
made kni
ghtes
made kni
ghtes
Lucifer
was caste
out of hea
uen bicause
of hys
pride .
was caste
out of hea
uen bicause
of hys
pride .
But
For
Fol. vii.
Than
Pierce Ploughman ,
B.i.
Pierce Ploughman .
The vision of
B.ii.
The vision of
Pierce Ploughman .
B.iii.
Pierce Ploughman .