Passus secundus de visione
YEt I corbed on mi knees & cried her of grace
And seid merci madam for maris loue of heuen
That bare þat blisful barne þat bought vs on þe rode
Ken me bi some craft to know þe fals .
Loke apon thy lefte halfe and lo where he stondeth
Both false and fauel and her feris many
I loked on my left halfe as the ladie me taught
And was ware of a woman worthilech clothed
Purfiled wyth plesure the fynest apon erthe
Crowned wyth a crowne the Kynge hath non bittter / bitter
Fettisleche her fyngers were fretted with golde wyer
And there on red Rubies as red as any glede
And dyamonds of derest price & double maner saphirs
Orientales and Ewages venemis to destroye
Hyr robe was full riche , of red scarlet engrayned
Wyth Rybandes of red golde and of rych stones
Her arraye me rauished , such Riches sawe I neuer
I had wonder what she was , & whose wyfe she were
What is this woman quod I so worthilie atyred .
That is Mede þe maid quod she hath noied me ful oft
And lacked my lemman that leautie is hote
And bilowe her to lordes that lawes haue to kepe
In the popes palaice , she is preuy as my-selfe
But Sothenes wolde not so , for she is a bastarde
For false was her father that hath a fyckell tounge
And neuer sothe sayd sithen he cam to erth
And Mede is maried after hym right as kind asketh
Qualis pater , talis filius , bona arbor , bonum fructum facit .
I ought be hier than she I cam of a better
My father the gret God is , and ground of al graces
One God withoute bigininge , & I hys good daughter
And hath gyuen me mercie to marrie wyth my-selfe
And what man be mercifull and lelie me loueth
Shalbe my lorde and I his life in the heigh heuen
And what man taketh mede my hede dare I leye
That he shal lease for her loue a lyppe of Charitatis
How construeth Dauid the Kyng of men þat take mede
And men of this molde that mayntaynith truthe
And howe ye should saue youre-selfe þe psalter berith witnes
Domine quis habitabit in Tabernaculo tuo & cetera
And nowe worthe this Mede maried vnto a manzed shrewe
To one Fals fikell tounge a fendes byete
Fauel through his fair spech hath this folk enchauntid
And al his liers ledinge that she is thus wedded
The morowe was made the maydens bridalle
And there might thou wit if þou wilt , which thei ben al
That longen to that lordship , the lesse and the more
Knowe hym there if thou canst , & kepe thou thy toung
And lak hem not , but let hem worke tyl leutie be Iustice
And haue powr to punnysh hem than put forth thi reason
For I bikenne the Christ quod she & his clene mother
And let no conscience acumbre the for couetise of Mede
Thus lefte me that ladie ligging a-slepe
And howe mede was maried in metals me thought
That al the riche reteinaunce þat reineth with the false
Were bounden to the bridale on both twoo sides
Of al maner of men the meane and the riche
To marie the mayde was manie a man assembled
As of knights & of clarkes and other common people
As sisores and somoners , Shreues and ther clerks
Bedelles and bailiffes and brokers of chaffer
Forgoers and vitellers and aduocates of tharchesN
I can not reken the route that ranne aboute Mede
And Simonye and Ciuile and Sisours of courtes
Were moste priuie with Mede of any men me thought
And Fauell was the fyrste that fet her out of boure ,
And as a broker brought hir to be with False enioyned
Whan Simony and Ciuyll see hir both wyll
They assented for syluer to saye as bothe woulde
Than leepe Lyer forthe and sayde , lo here Charter
That Gyle with hys greate othes gaue hem togyders
And prayed Cyuyll to see , and Simony to reade it
Than Simony and Ciuyl stond forth both togyther
And vnfolde the feoffemente that False hath ymade
And thus beginneth these gomes to greden ful heygh .
¶ Sciant presentes et futuri . & cetera .
Wytteth & witnesseth al þat wonneth apon thys earth
That Mede is maryed more for hir goodes
Than for anye vertue or fayrenes , or anye free kynd ,
Falsenes is fayne of hyr , for he wooteth hyr ryche
And Fauell wyth his ficle speach feffeth him by thys charter
To be prynce in pryd , & Pouerty to despise
To backebite and to bosten & to beare false wytnes
To scorne and to scould , and sclaunder to make
Unboxome and bold to breake the ten hestes
And the Erledome of Enuye and Wrathe togythers
Wyth the Chastilet of Cheeste and chateryng out of reason
The contry of couetise & al the costes about
That is vsury and auarise , all hem graunt
In bargaines & in brocages with al þe borough of theft
And all the lordeshyp of Lechery in length & in brede
As in workes & in wordes & in waytinges with eyes
And in wedes & in wishynges , & wyth idle thoughtes
There as wyl woulde & the workmanshippe fayleth .
Glotony he gaue hem eke and great othes togither
And all daye to dryncke at diuerse tabernes
And there to iangle & to iape , & iudge hir euenchristen
And in fastynge-dayes to frete ere full tyme were
And than to sitte and soupe , tyll sleepe hem assayle
And brede furth as boroughe swine , and bedden hem easelye
Tyll Sleuth and slepe slyken hyr sydes
And than Wanhope to awaken hem so wyth no wyl to amend
For they liuen by luste that is hir laste ende
And they to haue and to holde and hyr heyrs after
A dwellynge wyth the deuyll & damped be for euer
Wyth al þe appertinannces of purgatory into þe paine of hell
Yeldynge for thys thynge at one yeres end ,
Their soules to Satan to suffer wyth him paynes
And with hym to wonne with woo , while god is in heuen
In witnes of which thinge , Wronge was the fyrste
And Pierce the pardoner of Paulines doctryne
Bette the bedell of Buckyngham shiere
Raynolde the reue , of Rutlande sokene
Maude the mylner , wyth many mo other
In the date of the Deuyl thys dede I enseale
By syght of syr Simony and Ciuyls leaue .
Than tened him Theology when he this tale harde
And sayd to Ciuyl , nowe sorowe myght you haue
Such weddinges to worke to wrath with Truth ,
And er this wedding be wrought , now god giue þe sorowe
For Mede is mulier of amendes engendred
And God graunteth to gyue Mede to Truth
And þou hast geuen hir to a gilor wo the betyde
Thie text telleth the not so , Truth woote þe Sothe
For Dignus est operarius , his hyre to haue
And thou hast fastened hir to False , fye on thy lawe
For al by lesynges thou liuest and lecherous workes
Symony and thy-selfe shenden holy church
The Notaries and ye noye the people
Ye shall abye it both by god that made me
Well ye wytte wernardes , but if your wyt fayle
That False is faythles and fykil in hys werkes
And was a bastard borne of Belsabubs kynne
And Mede is a mulier a mayden of good
And myght kysse the kynge for cosin if she would .
Therefore worke by wysdome , and by my wyt also
And leade hyr to London there it is shewed
If anye lawe wyll loke , they lygge togyther
And thoughe iustice iudge hir to be ioyned to False
Yet beware of weddynge , for wytty is Truth
And Conscience is of his counsel , & knoweth you echone
And if he find you in default , and wyth false hold
It shall biset your soules full sore at the laste
Hereto assent Cyuyle and Simony ne wolde
Tyl he had mony for hys seruice , & also the notaries
Than fet Fauell forth florences inowe
And bade gyle to gyue golde aboute
And namely to the Notaries that hem none fayle
And feffe False wytnes wyth florence inowe
For they may Mede maystrye and make at my wyl .
Tho this gold was geuen great was the thanking
To False and to Fauell for hir fayre gyftes
And come to conforten fro care the False
And sythen certes syr ceasen shall we neuer
Til Mede be wedded wife through þe wits of vs al
For we haue Mede maistred wyth oure merye speach
That she graunteth to go with a good wyll
To London to loke if the lawe woulde
Iudge you ioyntly in ioye for euer
Than was Falsenes fayne , and Fauell as blyth ,
And letten sommon all segges in shires aboute
And bade hem al to be bowne beggers and other
To wend with hem to Westmister to witnes this dede .
And than caried they forth caples to cary hem thither
And Fauell fette forth then foles inowe
And set Mede vpon a Shireue shode all newe
And False sate on a Sisoure that softly trotted
And Fauel on a flatterer feetely attired .
Tho had Notaries none anoied they were
For Simony and Ciuill shoulde on theyr fete gange ,
And than swore Simony and Ciuill bothe
That somners should be sadled , & serue hem echeone
And let apparel these prouisors in palfreis wise
Sir Simony hym-selfe shall sit on their backes
Deanes and Subdeanes drawe you togyther
Archedecons and officials and all your regesters
Let saddle hem wyth syluer our synne to suffer
As aduoutrye and diuorces , and derne vsury
To beare Bishops about abrode in visitynge
Paulines priues , for pleyntes in consistorie
Shal serue my-selfe that Ciuyll is named
And carte saddle the Comisarye , our cart shal he lead
And fetche vs vitayles at Fornicatores
And maketh of Lier a long cart , to lead al these other
As friers and faytours that on their fete runnen
And thus False and Fauell faren forth togyther
And Mede in the myddes and all these men after .
I haue no tyme to tel the taile that here foloweth
And Gyle was forgoer . and guyded hem all
Sothnes seethe hem well , and sayth but lyttle
And pricked his palfrey and passed hem all
And came to the kinges court , & Conscience it told
And Conscience to the kinge carped it after .
Now bi Christ quod þe Kyng and I catch might
Fals or Fauel or anie of there feeris
I wolde be wroken of tho wreches þat worken thys il
And done hem hang bi þe hals & al that hem meinteyneth
Shal neuer man of thys molde maynprise the leest
But ryght as the lawe wol loke , let fal on hem all
And commaunde a Constable that can at the fyrst
To attache tho Tyrauntes for any thing I hote
And fetter fast Falsnes for any kynnes gyftes
And gyrde of Gyles hed and let hym go no ferther
And if ye cache Lyer let hym not escape
Or he be put on the pillerye for any prayers I hote
And bringe Mede to me in mauger them all
Drede at the dore stode , and the dome harde
How the King commaundid Constables & Sargeantes
Falsnes and his feloship to fetter and to binden
Than dread went wyghtlye and warned the Fals
And bad hym fle for fere . And his fellows all
Falsenes for feare than fledde to the Freers
And Gyle doth hym to go agast for to die
And Marchaunts meten with him and made him abide
And shitte hym in her shoppes to shewen here ware
Apparelled hym as a Prentice the people to serue
Lyghtlie Lyer leped awaye than
Lurkynge through Lanes to be lodged of manye
He was no-where welcome for his manie tales
Ouer-all hunted out , and I hote trusse
Tyll Pardoners had pitie and pulled him in to house
They wash him & wipe him & wounden him in clouts
And sent hym wyth seales on sondayes to churches
And gaue hym pardon for pence poundmele abowt
Then loured Leches and Letters they sente
That he shoulde wonne with hem waters to loke
Spicers speken wyth hym to spie theire ware
For he coude of ther crafte , and knewe many gommes
And minstreles and messengers mete with hym once
And helde hym halfe a yere and a leuen dayes
Freers wyth faire speche fet hym thence
And for knowinge of commers coped him as a frere
And he hath leue to leppe owte as ofte as him liketh
And is welcome whan he wyl & wonneth with them ofte
All fledden for feare and floone in-to hernes
Saue mede the maide , no mo durst abyde
And trulie to tell she trembled for drede
And eke wepte and wronge whan she was atached
The trwe
preachar
preachar
Yet
Fol.viii.
And
were
Fol.ix.
Marita
gium pra
num cum
feoffemen
to in ma
lo feodo
et de per
uersa te
nura .
gium pra
num cum
feoffemen
to in ma
lo feodo
et de per
uersa te
nura .
And
The
Fol.x.
BrybesN
And
And
Fol.xi.
Than
The vision of
The vision of
The vision of
C.i.
Pierce Ploughman .
The vision of
C.ii.
Pierce Ploughman .
The vision of
C.iii.
Pierce Ploughman .