Then I went by the waie / when I was awaked

Heauy chered I went / and sorowfull in hart

I ne wist where to eate / nor at what place /

And it drewe nere none / and with nede I met

That afrounted me foule / and faitour me called

Canst thou not excuse the / as did the king and other

That þou toke to thy beleueLX / to clothes and sustinance

As by teching and telling / of Spiritus temperancie

And thou tokest nomore / no more / than nede the taught

And nede hathe no lawe / nor neuer shall fall in dett

For theT thinges he take / his life to saue

That is meat when men forbid / having no money

Nor noman / no man wilbe / will be his suretie / nor he hath no gage

And he caught in that case / and get it by sleightes

He synneth not sothelie / þat so wynneth his food

And he commeth so to a clothe / and knoweth no better waieLX

Nede anon right / taketh him vnder maynpryse

And if he lust to drink / the lawe of kynd wold

That he dronk at euery diche / ere he died for the thurst

So nede at great nede / may take as for his oune

Without counseile of Conscience / or Cardinalles Vertues

So that he sue and saue / Spiritus temperancie /

For there is no vertue like / to Spiritus temperancie

Neither Spiritus fortitudinis / nor Spiritus iusticie /

For Spiritus fortitudinis / forfetteth full ofte

He shall do more then measure / many tyme and oft

And beat men ouersore / and some of them to littill

And greueth men more / then good feithe it wolde

And Spiritus iusticie / shall iuge will he or not

After the kinges counseile / and the commons like

And Spiritus prudencie / in many poyntes shall faile

Of that he thinkes shuld fall / if his wit were not

Wenyng is no wisdome / nor wise ymaginacion

Homo proponit et deus disponit / & gouerneth all good vertues

But nede is next him / for anon he meketh him

And as lowe as a lambe / for lacking of þat he nedeth

Wise men forsoke welthT / forthat / for that they wolde be nedy

And dwelt in wildernesse / and wolde not be riche

And god all his great ioye / ghoostly he lefte

And came and toke mankynde / and became nedie

So nedy he was as saith the book / in many sondrie places

That he said in his sorowe / euen vpon the rood

Both fox and foule / may flie /T and to hoole crepe

And the fish hath fynne / to swymme with to rest

There nede hath take me / þat I must nedes abide

And suffre sorowes full soure / þat shall to ioy turne

Therfor be not Abashed / to byde and be nedie

TFor neuer non so nedy / nor poorer dyed

Whan nede had thus vndertake me / streight I felle aslepe

And dremed mervelouslie / that in a mannes forme

Antechrist came then / and all the croppe of truthe

Turned vpside douneLX / and ouertilt the rote

And false spring and sprede / and spede mennes nedes

In euery countrey there he came / he cut awaie truthe

And made gyle growe there / as he god were

Friers folowed þat feend / for he gaf them coopes

And Religiouse reuerenced him / and rong their belles

And all the Convent forth came / to welcome þat tyraunt

And all his as well as him / saue onely fooles

Which Fooles had much lever / to die then to live

Lenger , sithe leauteT / was so rebuked

And a false feend Antechrist / ouer all men regned

And mylde men and holie / þat no mischef drede

Defyed all falsnesse / and them þat it vsed

And what king þat them conforted / knowing them Anywhile

They cursed and their counsaile / were it clerk or other

Antechrist had thus sone / hundredes at his banner

And pride it bare boldly / about where {y} he wentT

With a lorde þat liveth / after the liking of his bodye /

That came Against Conscience / þat keper was and guyour

Ouer the true xpcristians / And Cardinall vertues

I counseile quod Conscience / come with me fooles

Into vnytie holy churche / and hold we vs there

And crie we to kynde / þat he come and defende vs

Fooles from thise feendes lymmes / for Piers loue the plowman

And crie we to all the commons / that they come to vnytie

And there abyde and bicker / against Belialles childerne

Kynde then herd Conscience / and cam out of the planettes

And sent forth his messengers / Feuers and fluxes

Coughes and cardiacles / Crampes and totheaches

Reaumes and Radegondes / and roynouse scalles

Byles and botches / and brennyng Agues

Frenesies and foule euilles / foragers of kynde

Had prick{es}dP and preyed / polles of the people

That largely a legion / lost their lyves sone

There was harowe and helpe / here commeth kynde

With death that is dreadfull / to vndo vs all

The lorde þat lyued after lust / then alowd cried

After confort a knight / to beare his banner

Alarum alarum quod the lorde / eche man kepe his oune

And then met thise men / their mynstralles might pype

And theyr heraudes at armes / had discriued lordes

Age the hore / he was in the vauntwarde

And bar the baner before death / by right he it claymed

Kynde came After / with many kene sores

As pockes and pestilences / and much people shent

So kynde through corupcions / killed full manye

Deathe cam driving after / and all to dust passhed

Kynges and Kaisers / Knightes and Popes

lerned and lewde / he let no man stonde

That he hit right / neuer stood afterT

Many a louelie ladie / and lemmans of knightes

Swowned and swelt / for sorowe of dethes dyntes

Conscience of his curtesie / kynde he besought

To cesse and suffre / and se if they wold

Leaue pride prively / and be perfite xpcristians

And kynde cessed then / to se the people amend

Fortune gan flatter then / the fewe that Lyved

And behight them long lyfe / and lechery she sent

Among all men / wedded and other

TThis Lecherie laid on / with a Laughing chere

And with a privie speche / and peynted wordes

And armed him in ydelnes / and in hygh bering

He bare a bowe in his hand / and many bloody arrowes

Were fethered with faire promise / and many a false truthe

WithT vntidie tales / he tened full ofte

Conscience and his companye / of holie church þe teachers

Than came Couetise / and kest how he might

Ouercome Conscience / and Cardinall vertues

And armed him in Avarice / and hungrely lyved

His wepon was all wiles / to wynne & to hide

With glosinges andT lyinges / he begyled the people

Symony him sent / to assaile Conscience

And preached to the people / and prelates they made

To hold with Antechrist / their temporalties to saue

And came to the kinges counsell / as a kene baron

And kneled to Conscience / in court among them all

And made good faith flee / and false to abide

And boldely bare doune / with many a bright noble

Much of the wit and wisdome / of westmynstre hall

He iugged tillT a Iustice / and iusted in his ere

And ouertild all his truthe / with take this vpon a-mendement

And to the ArchesseLX in hast / he went anon after

And turned Civile into Symonye / & then he tooke þe officiall

For A mantell of mynyver / he made true Matrimony

Depart ere deathe cam / and divorse shapt

Allas quod Conscience thenT / wold Christ of his grace

That Couetise were a xpcristian / þat is so kene a fyghter

And bold and abydingT / while his bagg lasteth

And then loughe lyfe / and lete dagg his clothes

And armed him in hast / in harlottes wordes

And held holinesse a iape / and gentilnesse a wastour

And held Leautie a chorle / and lyar a free man

Conscience and counseile / he counted a folyT

Thus relyed Lyfe / for a litill fortune

And pricked forth with pride / praised he no vertue

heT passed not how kynd slewe / and shall come at the last

And kille all erthelie creatures / saue conscience only

Lyfe lept aside / and caught him A lemman

Helth and I quod he / and highnesse of hart

Shall do the not drede / neither death nor age

And to forget deathe / and passe not of synne

This liked lyfe / and his lemman fortune

And gett in their glorie / A gadling at last

One that muche wo wrought / slouth was his name

Sleuth waxt wonder fast / and sone was of age

And wedded won wanhope / a wench of the Stewes

Hir father was a Sisour / that neuer swore truthe

One Tomme tootong / Atteynt of euery quest

This Sleuth was ware of warre / and a slyng made

And threwe drede of dispeyre / a doson myle about

For care Conscience then / cried vpon age /

And bad him hast to fight / and fray wanhope

And Age hent good hope / and hastelie he shiftt him

And wayued awaie wanhope / and with life he fighteth

And lyfe fled for fear / to phisick for helpe

And besought him ofT succour / and of his salue had

And gaf him golde plentie / & that gladed his hart

And they gaf him agayne / A glasen howue

Lyfe beleuid that lechecraft / shuld lett Age

And drive awaie deathe / with dyasP / and druggesT

And age aventured him on life / and at last he hitt

A phisycion with furred hood / that he fell in aT palsey

And there died þat doctor / ere thre daies after

Now I se said life / þat Surgery nor phisike

May not availe a miȝt / to medle against Age

And in hope of his helth / good hert he hent

And rode so to Revell / A rich place and a merie

The company of þat confort / men called it sometyme

And age anon after me / and ouer my head he yede

And made me balde before / and bare on the croune

So hard went he ouer my head / it wilbe / will be sene euer

Sir euill taught age quod I / vnhende go with the

Howlong / How long hathe thy way bene / ouer mennes heades

Haddest þou bene gentill quod I / þou woldest haue asked leue

Ye leeue lordayn quod he / and laid on me with age

And hit me vnder the ere / scacely may I here

He buffeted me about the mouthe / and bete out my teth

And gyved me in the gowtes / I may not go at large

And of the wo that I was in / my wyfe had ruthe

And wished full earnestly / that I were in heauen

for the lymme that she loued me for / and leef was to fele

On nightes namely / when we naked were

I might in no manere / make it at hir will

So age and she sothely / had forbeaten itT

And as I sate in this sorowe / I se kynde passed

And death drewe nere me / for drede did I quake

And cried to kynde / out of care me to bring

Lo Age the hore / hathe me besett

Awreke me if your will be / for I wold be hens

Yf thou wilt be wroken / wend into vnitie

And hold the there euer / till I send for the

And loke thou can some craft / ere þou come thens

Counseile me Kynd quod I / what craft shall I lerne

lerne to loue quod kynd / and leaueT all other

how shall I come to goodes so / to clothe me and fede

yf thou loue truly quod he lack shalt þou neuer

Meate nor worthy wede / whill thy life lasteth

And there by counsell of Kynde / I began to roome

Through Contricion and Confession / till I came to vnytie

And there was Conscience Constable / xpcristians to saue

And besyged sothely / with vij / seuen great giantes

That with Antechrist held / hard against conscience

Sleuth was his slyng / andT hard assault made

Proude preestes came with him / mo then a thousand

In paltockes and picked shoes / and {pissers}P pissers long knyues

Came against Conscience / with Couetise they held

By mary quod a mad preest / of the marche of yrelond

I counte nomore / no more Conscience / so I may cach syluer

Then I do to drink / a draught of good Ale

And so said sixtie more / of the same countrie

And shet Agayne with shot / many a shef of {Arowes} othesT

And brode hoked Arowes / of goddes hart and nayles

And had almost vnytie / and holynesse adoune

Conscience cried helpe clergie / orelles / or elles I fall

Through inperfite preestes / and prelates of holy church

Friers herd him crye / and cam him to helpe

And for they coulde not well ther craft / Conscience forsoke them

Nede came then nere / and conscience he told

That they came for couetise / to haue cure of souleT

And for they are pouer paraduenture / for patrimony they faile

They flatter to farewell / folke that be riche

But sith they chose chele / and cheitif pouertie

Lat them chewe as they chose / and charge them with no cure

For ofter he lyeth / that lyving must begg

Tha{t}n he that laboreth for lyving / and leneth to beggers

And sith friers forsoke / the felicitie of the erthe

Lat them be as beggers / or lyue by aungelles food

Conscience of this counsell then / began to laugh

And curteisly conforted themT / and called in all friers

Saying sires sothely / welcome be ye all

To vnitie and holy church / but one thing I you pray

Hold you in vnytie / and haue non envie

To lerned nor to lewde / but liue after your rule

And I will be your borrough / you shall haue bread & clothes

With other necessaries ynowe / ye shall non faile

So that ye leaue logick / and lerne to loue

For loue lefte they lordship / both lond and scole

Frier Fraunces and Dominyke / for loue to be holy

And if ye covete cure / Kynd will you teche

That in measure god made / all manere thinges

And set them at a certeyn / and atT a iust nombre

And named names newe / and nombred the sterres

Kinges and knightes / that kepe and defend

Haue officers vnder them / and eche of them a certeyneT

And if they wage men to warre / they wright them in nombre

Or they will no treasure them pay / travaile they neuer so sore

For all other in bataile / be holden briboures

Pillours and pikeharneys / in euery place acursed

Monkes and nonnes / and all men of religion

Their ordre and rule wold / to haue a certeyn noumbre

Of lerned and lewde / the lawe will and axeth

A certeyn for a certeyne / saue onely of friers

Therfor quod Conscience by Christ / Kynd wit me telleth

Yt is wicked to wage you / ye growe out of noumbre

{Haue} Heauen hath euen nombre / and helle is without nombre

Therfor I wold surelie / that ye were in the Registers

And your nombre vnder Notaries signe / & neither more nor lesse

Envie herd this / and bad friers go to scole

And lerne logik and lawe / and eke contemplacion

And preache men of plato / and proue it by Seneca

That all thinges vnder heauen / ought to be in commone

And yet he lyeth as I think / þat to the lewd so preacheth

For god made men a lawe / and Moises it taught

Non concupisces rem proximi tui /

And euill is that kept / in parishes of England

For parsons and parishe preestes / þat shuld þe people shryve

Bene Curates called / to knowe and to heale

ToT all þat bene their parishenes / penaunce to enioyne

And shuld be ashamed in their shrifte / but shame maketh them gooC

And flee to the friers / as folk to westmynstre

That boroweth and beare thither / and then bidd freendes

Shortly of forgiuenesse / or lenger yeres lone

But whill he is in westminstre / he wilbe / will be before

And make him merie / with other mennes goodes

And so it fareth with many / þat toT fryers shryue

As Sisours and executores / they will gyue the friers

A parcell to pray for them / and make them-self mery

With the residue and remenaunt / that other men swet for

And suffre the dead in dett / till the daie of dome /

Envie herfore hated Conscience

And friers to philosophie / he founde to scole

The while Couetise and vnkyndnesse / Conscience assailed

In vnitie holy churche / Conscience kept him

And made peace portar / to pynne the gates

Of all taletellers / and tutelers in vayne

Ypocrisye and he / an hard assaut they made

Ypocrisy at the gate / hard began to fight

And wounded full wickedly / many a wise teacherT

That with Conscience Accordid / and Cardinall vertues

Conscience called a leche / that coulde well shrive

ToT salue them that sike bene{e} / and through synne wounded

Shrift made sharpe salue / and made men do penaunce

For their misdedes / that they had wrought

And that Piers were paid / Redde quod debes

Some liked not this leche / and letters they sent

Yf any Surgien were thereT / that softer coulde plastre

Sir liefT to lyue in lecherie / lay there gronyng

For fasting of a fridaye / he ferd as he wold die

There is a Surgen in this siege / that soft can handle

And more of phisik he can / and fairer he plastereth

One frier flatterer / is phisicion and Surgen

Quod contricion to conscience / Do him come to Vnitie

For here is many a man / hurt through ypocrisye

We haue no nede quod Conscience / I knowe no bettre leche

Then parson or parish preest / Penitencer or Bisshope

Saue Piers the plowman / þat hathe poure ouer them all

And indulgence may do / but if that dett let it

I may well suffre said Conscience / sithens ye desyre

That frier flatterer be fett / A phisike you sekeT

The frier herof herd / and hied full fast

To a lorde for a letter / leue to haue to cure

As A curate he were / and came with his lettres

Boldelie to the bisshop / and his brief had

In countries there he cameT / Confessions to here

And came there Conscience was / & knockid at the gate

Peace vnpynned it / þat was porter of vnytie

And in hast asked / what his will were

ILX feithe quod the frier / for profite and for helth

Speake wold I with Contricion / and therfor I came hither

He is sike said peace / and so is many otherT

ypocrisy hath hurt him / full hard is if he skape

I am a Surgen said the frierT / and salues can make

Conscience knoweth me well / and what I can do both

I pray the quod peace then / ere thou passe further

What is thy name / I pray the say vnto me /

Certes said his felawe / Sire penetrans domos

yea go thy gates quod peace / by god for all thy phisike

But thou can some craft / thou commest not here in /

I knewe suche one ones / not eight yeres passed

Came in thus Coped / at a court where I dwellid

And was my lordes leche / and my ladies bothe

And at last this lymytour / when my lorde was out

He salued so oure women / that some w{h}ere with child

Gentill peas hold thi tongT / and open the gates

Lat in me and my felawe / and make vs fair chere

Ye may se and here so it may befall

That Lyfe through my lore / shall leaue couetise

And be aferd of deth / and withdrawe him from pride

And accorde with Conscience / and either kisse other

Thus through Hende specheT / entred the frier

And came in to Conscience / and curteisly him grete

Thou art welcome quod Conscience / canst þou heale the sike

Here is my Coson Contricion / sore wounded

Confort him quod Conscience / and take kepe to his sores

The plastres of the parson / and powders bight {s} ouersore

He let them Ly ouerlong / and loth is to chaunge them

From lent to lent / he lat his plasters bight

That is ouerlong quod this lymytour / I trust I shall amend it

And goeth and gropeth contricion / & gaf him a plastre

Of a privie payment / and I shall pray for you

And for all that ye be holden to / all my lyfe tyme

And make you my lady / in masses and matyns

As friers of oure fraternyte / for a litill syluer

Thus he goth and gathereth / and gloseth where he shryvet[h]

Till Contricion had clene forgotton / to crie and wepe

And wake for his workes / as he was wont to do

For confort of his confessour / Contricion he lost

That is the souereynest salue / for all maner synnes

Sleuth se that / and so did pride

And came with a kene will / Conscience to Assaile

Conscience cried out / and bad clergie helpe

And also Contricion / to kepe the gate

He lithe and dremeth said peace / and so do many other

The frier with his phisik / these folk hath enchaunted

And plastred them so easelie / they drede no synne

By Christ quod Conscience / I wilbecome / will become a pilgryme

And walk as wide / as the worlde lasteth

To seke piers the plowman / þat pride may destroye

And that friers had a fynding / þat for nede flatter

And countreplede me Conscience / now kynde me avenge

And send me hap and helth / till I haue piers þe plowma[n]T