C n a somer seson when softe was þe sonne
In abite as an hermyte vn-worthy of werkes
went wyde into þis world wondres to wayte
Bote on may morn on maluarne hulles
Me by-feol aferly / a ferly of fairy me thoghte
y was wery for-wandred & wente me to reste
vndur abrod / a brod banke by a borne brymme
And as Ilay / I lay & lened & loked on þe water
Islomered / I slomered on aslepyng / a slepyng hit swyed so murye
þan gan y mete merueilous sweuenes
þat ywas / y was in awildernes / a wildernes wisty / wist y neuer where
Ac y by-heold in-to þe est on hygh to þe sonne
Isagh / I sagh atour / a tour on atofte / a tofte treoweliche ytymbred
Adeop / A deop dale by-neoþe adonioun / a donioun þer-ynne
with deope dyches & dark & dredful to sighte
Afaire / A faire feld ful of folk fond y þer by-twene
Of alle maner mester men makid vppon molde
worchyng & wandryng as þe world {tec} wilnyth
Somme putte hem to þe plough plaied ful seild
In settyng & sowyng swonken wel sore
þan þer ysygh / y sygh wastours with glotonye destruyed
In continance of clothyng craftelicheT degysed
In praiers & penaunce putten heom monye
Al for loue of oure lord lyueden wel st::::
In hope to haue after heouene to huyre
As ancres & heremytes þat holden heom in heor houses
Coueite noght in court to kairen aboute
For no likerous liflode heore likam to like
As hit semeth to oure sight þat suche men chewen
And somme murthes to make as mynstrals meleden
& geten wiþ heore gleo gold gylelas god graunte
Bote iapers & ianglers Iudas children
Founden heom fantasyes for foles heo heom feynen
And han wit at wille to worche ȝef they wolde
þat poule precheth of heom ydar / y dar not proue hit here
Bote Qui loquitur turpiloquium is lucifers hyne
Bidders & beggers faste aboute ȝeode
Faytours for heore fode at þe nale foghten
in glotony god wot gon þey to bedde
And risyth vp wiþ rybaldy þo robardes knaues
Pilgryms & palmers to-gedres heom plyghten
Forto seche seynt Iame & rerykes / re[l]ykes at rome
went forth on heore way wiþ monytales / mony tales wyse
And haden leue to lyen al heore lyf tyme
Ermytes on an hep wiþ hoked staues hyeden
To wende to walsynghram / walsyngham & heore wenches after
Grete lobyes & longe þat loth weore to swynke
Clothen heom in copes to beo knowe from othir
Schapen heom hermytes heore ayse to hauen
yfond / y fond þer þe freres alle þe foure ordres
Prechyng þe people for profite of þe paunche
Gloseden þeo gospel as heom leof likyth
Mony of heore maistres wiþ couetise heom cloþen
For heore mone & marchaundise meten to-gedre
Sen charite hath beo chapmon & chef to schryue lorde[s]
Mony ferlyes han fallen in afewe / a fewe ȝeres
Bote holy chirche & þey holden to-gedre
þe moste meschef on molde is mountyng vp faste
þer preched apardoner / a pardoner as he apreost / a preost weore
Broghte forth abulle / a bulle with mony bysschopes seales
And saide þat him-seolue myght soile heom vcho[n]
Of falsnes of fastynges of vowes ybroken
Comen vp kneolyng to kusse his bulle
And he raughte wiþ his ragemon rynges & brochesT
he bonched heom with his breued blered heore eyȝnen
þus ȝe ȝeuen oure gold glotones to gladen
And leneth hit losels þat lecherie haunten
Weore þeo bysschop y-blessed & worth bothe his eres
his seal schulde not beon sent þeo people to deseyue
hit is not by þe bisschop þat þe boy precheth
Bote þeo paressch preost & he parten þe seoluer
þat þe pore people of þe paresch schuld haue ȝef þay [ne were]
Persons & parysch preostes playnen to þe bisschop
þat sen þe furste pestilence heore parysch weore pore
To haue licence & leue at london to dwelle
To synge þer for symonye for seoluer is swete
þer houed anhundred / an hundred alle with selk howes
Seriauntz hit semed þat serued at þe barre
Plededen for panyes & poundes þe lawe
And not for loue of oure lord vnlouse heore lippes ones
þou myghtest bettre meouen maluarne hulles
þen geten aMom / a Mom of heore mouth til money beo schewed
ysay / y say bischopes bysy & bachelers of deuyne
Bycome clerkis of acountes þeo kyng for to serue
Erchedekenes & denes þat dignetes haueth
To preche þe people & pore men to fede
Beon lope to london by leue of heore bischopes
And beon clerkes of þe chauncellery þe contreys to schende
Barons & burgeys & bonde men alse
ysay / y say in þat semble as ȝe schullen here after
Baxters & bouchiers & breusters monye
And eken wollen webbesters & weouers of lynnen
Taillours & tornors and tollers boþe
Masons and mynors and mony oþir kraftes
As dychers & deluers þat heore dedes done ille
þat dryuen forth þe longe day with dieu saue dame emme
kokes & heore knaues kryen hote pyes hote
Gode grys & gees gowe / go we dyne gowe / go we
Tauerners to heom tolde treoweliche þe same
whitT wyn of asay and wyn of Gascoyne
And ryne & rochell þe roste to defye
Al þis y say slepyng & seoue sythes more
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