Agh þer weore fewe men so wys þat þe way couthe
Til late & longe þat þey aleod / a leod metten
he bar abordon / a bordon ybounden with abrod / a brod liste
In awrethewyndeswyse / a wrethewyndes wyse y-wounden al aboute
Abagge / A bagge & abolle / a bolle he bar by his syde
An hundred of saumples on his hat seten
Synes of synay and schelles of galys
And mony acrouche / a crouche on his cloke and keyes of rome
And seon by his signes whom he soght hadde
This folk frayned him faire fro whennes þat he come
Fro synay he saide & fro þe seynt sepulcre
At beedlehem at babiloyne I haue beon in bothe
In Ermony in alisaunder in mony othir places
ȝe mowe seon on myn signes þat sitten on myn hat[te]
þat Ihaue / I haue walked wel wide in wete & in drye
And soght gode seyntis for my soule helthe
knowest þou oght acorseynt / a corseynt quod þey þat men callen trouthe
konst þou wissen vs þe wey þer þat wyghe dwelleth
Nay so me god helpe saide þe gome þanne
ysaw / y saw neuer palmer with pyk no with skryppe
Asken euer after him er now in þis place
Peter quod aploghmon / a ploghmon and putte forth his hed
y knowe him as kyndelich as clerk doth his bokes
Clene consience & wit me kennethT to his place
Bothe sowe & sette whiles y swynke myghte
Ihaue / I haue beon his folewer al this fourty wynter
Bothe sowen hisC seed & sywed his bestes
And keped his korn & caried hit to houseC
Dyked & doluen and don what he hoted
þer is no laborer in þis lordschipe þat he loueth better
For þaugh Isay / I say hit my-seolf Iserued / I serued him to paye
y haue myn huyre of him & othir-whiles more
he is þeo prestest paier þat pore men knowen
he is als lowe as alombe / a lombe & loueliche of speche
And ȝef ȝe wilneth to wite wher þat he dwellyth
y schal wissen ow wel riȝt homT to his place
ȝe leoue Piers quod pilgryms & profereden him huyre
Nay by þe peril of my soule quod pers & can faste swere
Inolde / I nolde fonge aferthyng / a ferthyng for seynt thomas schryne
Trouthe wolde loue me þe lasse along / a long while þer-after
Bote ȝe þat wilnen to wende þis is þe way þyder
ȝe mot go þorgh meokenesse bothe men & wyues
Til ȝe come to consience þat crist wite þe sothe
þat ȝe louen him leuer þan þe lif in ȝoure heortis
And ȝoure neyghebours nexte in none wise apaire
Oþer-wise þan ȝe wolde men wroghte to or-seolue
And so bowes forth by abrok / a brok beoth boxom of speche
for-to ȝe fynde aforde / a forde ȝoure fadres ȝe honoure
wadyth into þat water & wassche ȝe ow wel þere
And ȝe schule lepe þe lythtloker al ȝour lif after
So schal ȝe seo swer not bote ȝef {beo} hit beo for nede
And namelich on ydel þe name of god almyghty
þanne schule ȝe come by acroft / a croft bote come not þer-ynne
þe crofte hatte coueite not no mannes catellT
No heore wifes no heore seruauns þat nuyen heom myghte
Loke þou breke no bogh þer bote ȝef hit beo þyn owne
Two stockes þer stondeth bote stynt þou noght þere
þay hatten steol not no slee not stryk forth by bothe
Lef heom on þy lifte half & loke not þer-after
And hold wel þyn haliday hye til euen
þanne schaltow blenche at berwh bere no fals witnes
he is fretted with floryns and fees wel manye
Loke þou plukke no plante þer for peril of þy soule
And schaltow seo sithe so hit beo to done
And loke þat þou lie not for no mannes byddyng
þanne schaltow come to acourte / a courte as cler as þe sonne
þeo mote is of mercy þat þe maner encloseth
And alle þe walles beon of wit to holden wil þer-owte
And boterased with byleue so or þou bes notes saued
Alle þe houses beon heoled halles & chaumbres
þeo tour þer treouthe is him-seolf is vp to þe sonne
he may do wiþ þe day steorre what him deore likyth
Deth dar not don thyng þat he defendeth
Grace hatte þe gateward agood / a good mon for-sothe
Tel him þis tokene treouthe wot þe sothe
yperformed / y performed þe panaunce þe prest me enioyned
And am sory for my synnes & so schal I euer
When Ithenke / I thenke þeron þeygh I weore apope / a pope
Biddeth amende þou meokyn him to his maisterT
Ones to wayue vp þe wyket þat þe whye schette
WhenT adam & Eue eten heore bane
For he hath þe keye of þe clyket þagh þe kyng slepe
And ȝef grace graunte þe to gon yn in þis tyme
þou schalt seon trouthe him-seolf wel sitte in þyn heorte C
And beo war þenne of wratthe þat wicked schrewe
For he hath enuye to him þat in þyn heorte sitteth
And poketh forth pruyde to preisen þy-seoluen
þe boldnes of þy bienfaitz makith þe blynd þanne
So worst þou dryuen as dew & þe dore closed
y-keyed & y-clyketed to kepe þe þer-oute
happely an hundred wynter or þou efte entre
þus myghtestow leosen his loue to lete wel by þy-seoluen
& hit geten aȝeyn þorgh grace & þorgh no ȝefte elles
Bote þer arn seouen sustres þat seruen trouthe euer
And beon porters to þe postornes þat to þe place longeth
þat on hatte abstinence & humylite anothir
Pacience & pees muchel folk þey helpen
Largenesse þe lady lat yn wel manye
Bote who is sib to þis sustres so me god helpe
he {is} is wondurlich welcome & faire vndurfonge
Bote þagh ȝe bee sibbe to somme of þeose seouen
hit is wel hard by myn hed to any of ȝou alle
To gete in-ȝong at eny gate bote grace beo þe better
By crist quod akutte-purs / a kutte-purs yhaue / y haue no kyn þere
Ne I quod an apewart by oght þat I knowe
wite god quod awafrer / a wafrer wiste I þat for-sothe
scholde neuer afote / a fote forther for no frere prechyng
ȝus quod Piers ploghmon & plocked hire to gode
Mercy is amaiden / a maiden þer hath myth ouer heom alle
And heo is sibbe to alle synful & hire sone alse
And þorgh þe help of heom two hope þou none othir
þou myght gete grace þer so þou go by tyme
//
cc
ware to others
cc
covitise
stele not and slea not