This were a wicked wey / but who-so had a gyde

That wold folow vs eche a fote / thus thise folke comonedLX

Quod perkin the ploughman / by Seynt peter of Rome

I haue an half acre to erye / by the high waie

Had I eried that Half Acre / & sowen it after

I wold go with you / And the waie you teache

This were a long letting / quod a Ladie in A Scleyre

What shulde we women / worke the whileT

Some shall sowe the sack quod piers / for sheding of þe wheat

And ye louely ladies with your long fingers

That ye haue Silk & Sendall / to sowe when ye Lust

Chesibles for chapleynes / chirches to honor

Wyues and wedowes / wolle and flex shall spinne

Make clothe I counsell you / & teach so your doughters

The nedy and the nakid / take hede how they Ly

And cast them clothes / for so commandeth truthe

For I shall lende them lifelode / onlesse þe lond faile

Flesh and bread both / to rich and to pouer

As long as I liue / for the lordes loue of heuen

And all manere of men / þat through meat & drink liue

Helpe him to worke wightlie / that wynneth your food

By Christ quod a knight then / He telleth vs the best

But on the teme trulie / taught was I neuer

But tell me quod the knight / & by Crist I will assaye

By Saynt Paule quod Perkin / ye proffre you so faire

That I shall swynk and sweate / & sowe for vs bothe

And other Labors do for þi loue / all my Life-tyme

In Couenaunt that þou kepe / holie kirk & my-self

From Wastors & wickedmen / þat this world distroy

And go Hunt herdelie / both hares & Foxes

Bores and brockes / that breake doune my hedgis

And go affaite the Fawkons / wild foules to kyll

For such come to my Crofte / & croppe my whete

Curteislie the knight then / began these wordes

By my Power Piers quod he / I plight þe my trouth

To fulfill this forward / though I fight shulde

As long as I Liue / I shall the mainteyne

Yea but yet a poynt quod Piers / I pray you of more

Loke ye troble no tenant / But truthe will assent

And though ye may Amercie them / Let mercie be taxour

And mekenesse þi master / Maugre Medis chekes

And though pouer men proffre you / presentes & giftes

Take it not lest perfortune / ye maie it not deserue

For thou shallt yeld it againe / & / [at] wone yeris ende

In a full perilouse place / Purgatorie it hight

And misuse not thi bondmen / the better shallt þou spede

Though he be thi vnderling here / well may he happeLG in heauen

And be moreLG worthier sett / & with more blisse

For in the Charnell at church / churles be euill to knowe

Or a knight from a knaue / knowe this in thine hart

And that þou be true of thi tong / and hate all tales

Onlesse they be of wisdome / thy workmen to chasten

Holde with non Harlottes / nor here not their tales

And namelie at meate / such men eschewe

For thei be the deuylls disours / I do the to vnderstande

I Assent by Seynt Iame / seid the knight than

For to worke by thi wordes / the while my Life durethe

And I shall aparaile me quod Perkyn / in pilgrymes wise

And I will go with you / till we fynde Truthe

And cast on my clothes / clouted and hole

My cockers and my Cuffes / for colde of my nayles

And hang myn hop at my halse / in stead of a Scrippe

A busshell of breadcorne / bring me therin

For I woll sowe it my-self / And then will I wende

To pilgrimage as palmers do / pardon for to haue

But who-so helpe me to erie / or sowe here or I goo

Shall haue leue by our lorde / to gleane here in harvest

And make them chere therwith / in spight of who say naie

And alkynd craftie men / that can Liue in truthe

I shall fynde them food / that feithfullie Labour

Saue Iacke the Iogler / and Ienet of the Stewes

And Danyell the Dyce pleyer / & benetT the Bawde

And Frere Faitour / and folke of his order

And Robin the Rybawder / for his rustie wordes

Truth told me ones / and bad me telle it after

Deleantur de libro viuencium / I sholde not dele with them

For holie church is commandid / of them no tythe to take

They be escaped good aventure / god them amende

Dame worke when tyme is / Piers wife hight

His Doughter hight do right so / or þi dame shall the beate

His son hight suffre þi Souereynes / to haue their will

Deme them not for if thou doist / thou shalt it dere abie

Lat god worke withall / for so his worde teacheth

For now am I olde & hoore / and haue of myn owne

To penaunce and to pilgrimage / I will passe with thise other

Therfore I will or I go / wrightT my testament

In dei nomine amen I make it my-self

He shall haue my soule / that best hath deseruid it

And fro the feind it defende / For so I beleue

Till I come his acomptes / as my Credo me tellith

To haue a releas & remission / on þat rentall I beleue

The kirk shall haue my Carkas / and kepe my bones

For of my corne and catell / she claymed the tythe

I paid it hirT prestlie / for perill of my soule

Therfor is she holden I hope / to haue mynde on me in the Masse

And mynde me in hir memorie / Among all cristen

My wife shall haue of that I wan / with truthe & nomore / no more

And deale among my doughters / & my dere childerne

For though I die this daie / my dettes are quyte

I bare hom{o}eP that I borowed / ere I to bed went

And with the rest and remenaunt / by the Rood of Lukes

I will worchip truthe / during my Life

And be his Pilgryme at the plough / for pore mennis sakes

My plowgh fote shalbe / shall be my pickt staf / & pich a ij / two þe rotes

And helpe my Coulter to kerue / & clense þe forowes

Now is Perkin and his pilgrimes / to the plowgh gone

To erie his half Acre / holpe him manye

Dykers and deluers / digged vp the balkes

Therwith was perkyn apaide / & preised them fast

Other workemen there were / that wrought full yerne

Euery man in his manere / made himself to do

And some to please Perkyn / picked vp the wedes

And / A[t] high Pryme piers / Let the plough stand

To ouerse them himself / And who-so best wrought

He shulde be hyred therafter / when hervest time came

And then sate some / & song at the ale

And holpe to erie his half Acre / with hey troly lolie

Now by the perill of my Soule quod piers / all in Angre

Onlesse ye arise the rather / And hast you to worke

Shall no greyne that growith / glad you at nede

And though you die for {dowell} soroweT / þe deuill take him þat recke

Then were Faytours aferde / and Feyned them blynde

Some Laid their legges awrie / as such Losels can

And made their mone to Piers / & praied him of grace

We haue no Lymmes to Labour with / Lorde gracid be ye

But we pray for you Piers / and for your plough bothe

That God of his grace / your grayne multiplie

And yeld you for your Almusse / þat ye giue vs here

For we may neither swink nor sweate / such sikenes we haue

Yf hit be true quod Piers that ye saie / I shall it sone espie

Ye be wastours I wot well / & truth wot the sameLX

And I am his olde hyne / and hight him to warne

Which they be in this worlde / that hindre his workemen

Ye wast that men wynne / with travaile and with tene

But Truth shall teach you / {y}his teame to driue

Or ye shall eate barlie bread / & of the brook drinke

But if he be blynde or brokeleggid / or bolted with yrons

He shall eate wheat bread / & drink with my-self

Till god of his goodnesse / Amendement him sende

But ye shuld travaile as Truth wold / & take meat & hire

To kepe keen in the feild / the corne from the beastes

Dike and delue / or diggLX vpon sheues

Or helpe to make morter / or bear dung to the feild

In Lecherie and in LoselrieLX / ye liue and in sleuth

And all is through suffraunce / that vengeaunce yeT ne take

But Ancres & heremytes / that eat not but at nones

And no more or morowe / myn Almusse shall they haue

And of Catell to kepe them with / þat haue Cloisters & Churches

But Robert Rennabout / shall not haue of myne

Nor Apostels but if they can preache / And haue pour of þe Bisshop

They shall haue bread & potage / & make them-self at ease

For it is vnreasonable Religion / that ofT nought of certeyne

And than began a wastour be angrie / & wold haue fought

And to Piers þe Plowman / he profred his gloue

A Bretoner A Bragger / BostedLX Piers also

And bad him go pisse with his plough / forpyned shrewe

Wilt thou or nylt þou / we will haue oure will

Of thi flour and of thi flesh / fech when we Like

And make vs mery therwith / in spight of þi tethe

Then Piers the ploughman / pleyned him to þe knight

To kepe him as Couenant was / from cursed shrewes

And fro thise wastours in woluis skynnesT / þat make þe world dere

For they wast and winne nought / And that ilk while

Maynot / May not plentie be among þe people / whilles the plough Lythe

Curteislie the knight then / as his kynde wolde

Warned wastour / And counseiled him better

Or thou shalt abie by the Lawe / by th'order þat I bere

I was not wont to worke quod Wastour / & now will I not begynne

And set Light by the Lawe / & Lasse by the knight

And set Piers at a pese / and his plough bothe

And thretind Piers and his men / if they met eftsone

Now by the perile of my soule quod piers / I shall apeire you all

And whoupedLG after hunger / that herd him at þe first

Awreke me of thise wastours quod he / þat this world shendith

Hunger in hast then / hent wastour by the mawe

And wrong him so by the wombe / that hisT eyen waterid

He buffetid the brytoner / about the Chekes

That he lokid Like a Lanterne / all his Life after

He beat them so both / he brast welnere / well nere their guttes

Had not Piers with a pese loof / preid hunger to cease

Thei had died euin streit / deme thou non other

Suffre them Liue he said / & Lat them eate with hogges

Orelles / Or elles beanes and bren / Bakid togithers

Orelles / Or elles mylke and meane ale / thus preid piers for them

Faitors for feare herof / Flewe into Bernes

And LaidT on with Fleyles / fro morowe till night

That Hunger was not so hardie / on them for to loke

For a pott full of peases / þat Piers had made

An heap of Heremites / get them spadis

And kitt their Copes / and CourtersLX them made

And went as workemen / with spades & with shouelis

And deluid & digged / to driue awaie hunger

Blynde and bedrenLX / were holpen a thowsand

That sate and beggid syluer / sone were they healid

For that was bake for bayarde / was bote for many hungrie

And many a begger for beanes / redie was to swynke

And eche poreman / pore man well apaide / to haue {f} pesen for his hyre

And that Piers prayed them to do / as prest as a Sperhawke

And therof was Piers proude / & put them to worke

And gaf them meat as he might / & measurable hyre

Then had Piers pitie / And preid hunger to go

Home vnto his oune house and hold him there

For I am well awroke / of wastours through þi might

But I praye the ere thou passe / quod pers to hunger

Of Beggers and of bidders / what best is to do

for I wot well be ye gone / they will worke full Ill

For mischefe it maketh / they be so meke nowe

And for defaute of their food / thise folke be at my will

They are my blodie bretherne / for god bought vs all

Truthe taughte me ones to Loue them echone

And to helpe them of all thing / aye as they nede

And now wold I wite of the / what were the best

And how I might maister them / & make them to worke

Here now quod hunger / and holde it for a wisdome

Bolde beggers and bigg / Bread able to gett

With houndes bread / and horsbread / hold vp their hartes

Abate them with beanes / for bolling of their wombe

And incase / in case they grudge / bid them go Labour

And he shall haue Better / when he haue earnid it

And if ye fynde any freke / that fortune hath apeyrid

Or any manere false men / shewid youT such to knowe

Confort him with thi catell / for Christes loue of heauen

Loue them and lende them / so the Lawe of god teacheth

And all manere of men / that þou may aspye

That nedie be and noughtie / helpe them with þi goodes

Loue them and Lacke them not / Lat god take the vengeance

Though they do euill / Lat god worke

And {if} if thou wilt be graciouse to goodeT / do as the gospell bid

And biloue þe among pouermen / pouer men / so shalt þou gett grace

I wold not greue god quod Piers / for all the good on grounde

Might I without synne do as þou saist / said Piers then

Ye I promise the quod hunger / orelles / or elles the Bible Lieth

Go to genesis the giaunt / th'engenderour of vs all

In Sudore and labore / thou shalt þi meat wynne

And Labour for þi Lifelode / so our lorde bad

And Sapience seith the same / I se it in the Bible

Piger pro frigore / no feild woll tille

And therfor he shall begg / & noman / no man bete his hunger

With the mannes face Mathue / said these wordes

That Servus nequam / had a Mnam / & for he wold not chaff[are]C

He had maugrie of his maister / euermore after

And toke awaie his MnamC / bicause he woldnot / wold not work

And gaf that Mnam to him / that had tean

And then He said / that holie church it herde

He that hath shall haue / and helpe there it nedethe

And he þat nought haueT / shallnot / shall not haue / & noman / no man him helpe

And that he wenith well to haue / I will it him bireue

Kynde wit wold / that euery man wrought

Outher in dyking or deluyng / or travaile in prayers

Contemplatiue Life or Actiue Life / Christ wolde they wrought

The Psalter seith in psalme of Beati omnes

The man that fedith himself / with his feithfull Labour

He is blessed by the book / in bodie and in Soule

Yet I pray you quod Piers / for charitie and ye can

Any Leaf of Lechecrafte / Lerne it me my dere

For some of my seruauntes / and my-self also

Of all a wike worke not / So oure wombe aketh

I wot well quod Hunger / what disease þou Haste

Ye haue eaten ouermuch / & that make you grone

But I warne the quod Hunger / as þou thine Helth wilt haue

That þou drink no daie / ere thou eate somewhat

And eate not I warne the / ere Hunger the take

And send the of his sawce / to savour with thi Lippes

And kepe some to souper / and sitt not to long

Lat not sir Surfet / sit at þi Boorde

Trust him not he is Lecherouse / & Likerouse of tong

And after many sundrie meates / his mawe is ahungred

And if ye diet you thus / I dare Laie myne earis

That Phisike shall his Furred hoodis / for his food selle

And his Cloke of Calaber / with all the knappes of gold

And be fayne by my faith / his Phisike to Leue

And Lerne to Labour with lond / for Lifelode is swete

For many Leches are Murtherers / the Lorde them amende

They cause men die through their drinkes / ere their tyme come

By saint Paule quod piers / thise are profitable wordes

Go now hunger when þou wilt / & well be thou euer

For this is a louelie Lesson / the Lorde it the foryeld

By god yetT quod hunger / Hens will I not goo

Till I haue well dyned / and dronke bothe

I haue no peny quod piers / polettes for toT bye

Nor neither gose nor pig / but ij / two grene cheses

A fewe cruddes and creme / and an hauercake

And ij / two louis of beanes and bran / bake for my menLX

And yet I saie by my soule / I haue no salt bacon

Nor non Egges by Christ / collopes for to make

But I haue perslie & porettes / & many Cooll plantes

And eke a Cowe and a calf / and a cart mare

To drawe afeild my dong / while the drowt Lastith

And by this Lifelode I must Liue / till Lamesse tyme

And by then I hope to haue / Hervest in my Crofte

And then maie I dight thi dyner / as me best Liketh

All the pouer people then / Peskoddes they Fet

Benes and Baken apples / they brought in their Lappes

Chibolles and ChervellT / and ripe cheris manie

And profred Piers this present / to please with hunger

All hunger ete in hast / & askid after more

Then pouer folk for fear / Fed hunger Fast

With grene porett and pesen / to poyson him they thought

By that it drewe nere Heruest / new corne came to cheping

Than was folke fayne / and fedd hunger with the best

With good ale as Gloton taught / & made hunger to slepe

And then wolde wastour not worke / But wandrid about

Nor no Begger eat bread / that beanes were in

But of Coket and Clermatyn / or ellis of clene wheat

Nor non halfpenyale / in nowise / no wise drynke

But of the best and brownest / that in the borough is to sell

Laborers that haue no Lande / to liue on but their handes

Disdayned to dyne a daie / with nyghtolde wortes

May no penyale them please / nor no piece of Bakon

But even fresh flesh / or fishe /T fryed or bake

And that chaud and plus chaud / for chilling of their mawe

And onlesse he be highlie / hierd / elles will he chide

And that he was a workman / waile the tyme

Against Catons counsell / began he to Iangle

He greuith him against god / & grudgeth against reason

And then Curseth he the king / & all his Counseile after

Such Lawes to make / Laborers to greue

But whillist hunger was his Maister / there wolde non of them chide

Nor striue against þe statute / so sternly he lokid

But I warne you workemen / wynne whill ye maye

For hunger hitherwarde / hast him fast

He shall awake with water / wastours to chaste

Ere fyue be fulfilled / such Famyn shall arise

Through floodes and foule wethers / frutes shall faile

And so seid Saturne / & sent you warnyng

When ye se the Sonne amisse / & ij / two Monkis heades

And a maid haue the maistrie / & multiplie by eight

Then shall death withdrawe / and derth be iustice

And DauieT the Dyker / shall die for hunger

But if god of his goodnesse / graunte vs a trewe