Incipit passus decimus /C
tTReuthe herde telle her-of / and to Peres sente
To taken his teome / and tulye þe eorthe
And porchased him a pardoun / a pena et a culpa .
For him and for his heires / for euere to be assoiled
And bad hald him at tom / and erien his leyes .
And al þat hulpe him to erie / to setten or sowe
Or maner muster / þat miht peres a-vaile .
Pardon wiþ Peres plouhma{m}n / perpetual he graunteþ
¶ Kynges and knyhtes / þat holy churge defendenN
And rithfulliche in reomes / ruelen þe Comune
Han pardon throw purgatorie / to passe ful lithly
With Patriarches and prophites / in paradis to sitte
¶ Bischopes y-blessed / if thei beon as þei scholde
¶ lele and fol of loue / and no lord dreden .
¶ Merciable to meoke / and mylde to þe goode
¶ And bytynge on bad men but if þei wol amende .
¶ And drede drede nat for no deth / to destruye by her power
Lecherie a-mong lordes / and here luthure custumes
And sithen lyuen as thei lereþ men / oure lord treuthe hem graunteþ
To beo Peres to apostles / al people to rule
And deme with hem at domesday / boþe quike and dede
¶ Marchans in þe margine / hadden mony ȝeres
Ac a pena et a culpa / treuthe nolde hem graunte .
For þei holden nat here halidaies / as holy churche techeþ
And for þei swere by here saule / and so god mote hem helpe
A-ȝeins clene Concience / for couetyse of wynnyng .
¶ Ac vndur his secre seal / treuthe sent him a lettre
Þat bad him bugge baldely / what him best liked
And sithen sellen hit a-ȝeyn / and saue þe wynnynges
¶ Amendon meson dieux þer-wiþ / and meseise men fynde
And wikkede weies / with here good amende .
And brugges to-broke / by þe hye weyes .
Amenden in som manere wyse / and maydenes helpen
Poure people bederedene / and prysones in stokkes
Fynde hem for godes loue / and fauntekyns to scole
¶ Releue religioun / and reten / re[n]ten hem betere
¶ And schal sende ȝow my-seelf / seynt Mihel my angel
Þat no deuel schal ȝoure dere / ne despeire ȝow in ȝour in ȝoure / in ȝoure doynge .
And sende ȝoure soules / þer y my-self dwelle
And ther a-byde body and soule / in blisse for euere /
¶ Þo weren Marchans murye / som wepten for ioye .
And preyde for Peres plouhman / þat purchased hem þis bulle
¶ Al þe people hadde pardon y-nouh / þat parfitliche lyuedenn
¶ Men of lawe hadden lest / þat lothe were to plede
But thei per manibus were payed / for pledyng atte þe barre .
¶ Ac he þat speneþ his speche / and spekeþ for þe pore
Þat Innocent and neody is / and no man harm wolde
Þat confort suche in eny caas / and coueyt nat here ȝiftes
And for þe loue of oure lord / lawe for hem declareþ /
Schal haue grace of good y-nouh / and a gret ioye aftur .
¶ Beoþ y-war ȝe wyse men / and wytty of þe lawe
For wan ȝe drawen to þe deþ / and indulce / indul[gen]ce wold haue
His pardoun is ful petit / at his partyng hennes /
Þat mede of mene men / for here motyng takeþ .
¶ For hit is symonie to sulle / þat send is of grace
That is wit and watur / wynd and fuyr þe feorthe
Theos foure scholden be free / to al folk þat hit neodeþ .
¶ Al libbyng laborers / þat lyuen with here handes
Lellyche and lauhfolliche / oure lord treuthe hem graunteþ
Pardon perpetuel / rith as peres plouhman .
Beggares and biddares / beoþ nat in þat bulle
But þe sugestion beo good / þat schapeþ hem to begge .
¶ For heo þat beggeþ or biddeþ / but if þei haue neode
He is fals and faitour / and defraudeþ þe neody /
And al-so gileth him þat gyueþ / and takeþ a-gayns his wil .
¶ For he þat gyueþ for godes loue / wolde nat gyue his þankes
But ther he wiste hit were / wel gret neod to gyuen
And most meritorie to men / þat he ȝeeueþ fore
¶ Catoun . acordeþ þerwith / cui des videto /
¶ Wot no man as y wene / wo is worþi to haue
Þe most neody aren oure neihborus / and we nym good hede
As prysones in puttes / and pore folk in cotes
Charget with childeren / and chief lordes rente /
Þat þei with spynnyng may spare / spenen hit in houshuyre / hous huyre
Bothe in mylk and in meole / to make with papelotes
To a-gloty with here gerles / þat gredon aftur fode .
¶ And al-so hem-selue / suffren muche hongur
And wo in wyntur tyme / with wakyng a nyhtes
To rise to þe ruel / to rokke þe cradel
Boþe to carde and to kembe / to clouton and to waische
To roube to reole / rusches to pilie /
Þat reuthe is to rede / or in ryme schewe .
Þe woo of þes wemmen / þat wonieþ in cotes .
¶ And of mony other men / þat muche wo soffren
Boþe a-fyngret and a-furst / to turne þe faire outward
And beoþ a-baisched for to begge / and wol nat beo a-knowe
What hem neodeþ at here neihbors / at noen and at euen
¶ This y wot witturly / as þe world techeþ
What oþer by-houeþ / þat hath mony children
And hath no catel but his craft / to cloþe him and to feede
And fele to fong þer-to / and fewe pans takeþ .
ther is payn and peny ale / as for a pitaunce take
Colde fleisch and cold fiche / for venison y-bake .
Frydais and fastyng-dais / a ferþing-worþ of muscles
Were a fest for suche folc / or so fele cokkes /
¶ These were almesse to helpe / þat han suche charges
And to conforte suche cotyers / and croked menne and blinde .
¶ Ac beggares wiþ bagges / þe wuche brewhouses beon her churches
But þei beo blind or to-broke / or elles beo syke
Þ{e}auh he fal for defaute / þat faiteþ for his liflode /
Reccheþ neuere ȝe riche / þauh suche lorelles steruen .
For alle þat han here hele / and here eyen sihte
And lymes to laboure wiþ / and lollares lif vsen . /
Lyuen a-ȝeyns godes lawe / and lore of holy churche .
¶ And ȝut ar þer oþer beggares / in hele as hit semeþ
Ac hem wanteþ here wit / men and wommen boþe
Þe wuche aren lunatik lollares / and lheperes a-boute
And madden as þe mone sit / more oþer lasse .
Þei caren for no cold / ne counton of non hete
And aren meouyng aftur þe mone / moneyles þei walke
With a good wil witlees / mony wyde contreys .
¶ Riht as petur . dud and Paul . / saue þat þei preched nat
Ne myracles maken / ac mony tyme hem happeþ /
To prophecien of þe people / pleying as hit were /
¶ And to oure siht as hit semeþ / suþe god hath þe myhte
To ȝeuen eche a whit wit / welthe and his hele .
And soffreth suche so gon / hit semeþ to myn Inwit
Hit aren as his aposteles suche people / or ar his priue disciples
¶ For he sent hem forthe seluurles / in a somur garnement
With-ouȝte bred and bagge / as þe bok telleþ .
Quando misi vos sine pane et Pera .
¶ Barfot and bredeles / beggeþ thei of no man
And þauh he mete with þe meyre / in myddes þe strete
He reuerenceþ him riht nauht / no rather þan a-nother
Neminem salutaueritis per uiam .
¶ Suche manere of men / Matheu vs techeþ
We scholde haue hem to house / and helpe wen þei come
Et egenos vagos induc in domum tuam .
For hit aren murie mouthed men / ministralles of heuene
And godes boyes bordiours / as þe boke telleþ
Si quis videtur sapiens / fiet stultus vt sit sapiens .
¶ And alle manere ministralles / men wot wel þe soþe
To vndurfonge hem faire / by-falleþ for þe riche
For þe lordes loue or ladies / þat þei with lengen
Men soffren al þat suche seyn / and in solas taken .
And ȝut more to suche / men doth er þei passe
Gyuen hem giftes and goold / for grete lordes sake .
Riht so ȝe riche / rather ȝe scholde for sothe
Welcomen and worschipon / and with ȝoure gold helpen
Godes ministralles and his messagers / and his murie bordiours
Wuche aren Lunatik lollares / and lhepers a-boute
For vndur godes secre seal / here synnes beon y-keuered .
¶ For þei bere no bagges / ne botelles vndur clokes
Þe wuche is lollaren lyf / and lewede Ermites
Þat loken ful louhliche / to lacchen mennes almes
In hope to sitte at euen / by the hote coles
¶ Vn-louke his legges a-brod / or ligge at his ese
Reste him and rost him / and his rugge turne
drinke drue and deope / and drawe him þenne to bedde
And when him likeþ and lust / his leue is to a-ryse
¶ When he is rysen romeþ out / and riht wel aspieþ
War he may rathest haue a repast / or a rond a bakon .
Suluer os / o[r] sode mete / and som-tyme bothe
A lof oþer half lof / or a lompe of chese
And carieþ hit hom to his cote / and cast him to lyue
In ydulnesse and ese / and by otheres trauail
¶ And what freke of this folde / fiskeþ þus a-boute
With a bag at his bac / a begeneldes wyse
And can som manere craft / in cas he wolde hit vse
Throw wuche craft he couthe come / to bred and to ale
And ouer-more to an hater / to hely with his bonus
And liueþ like a lollere / godes lawes him dampneþ .
¶ Lollares lyuynge in sleuthe / and ouur lond strikares
Beoþ nat in this bulle quaþ Peres / til þey ben amended
Nother beggares þat beggon / but ȝif þei haue neode .
¶ Þe boke blameþ al beggarie / and banneþ in þis manere
Iunior fui etenim senui et alibi / Infirmata est virtus mea paupertate
¶ Hit neodeþ nat nowþe / a-non for to preche
And lere thus lewede men / what þis latyn meneþ
For hit blameþ alle {blameþ al} beggerie / beo ȝeo ful certayn
¶ For þey lyue in none loue / no lawe þei holden .
Þei wedde non wommen / þat þei with delon
Bryngeþ forthe bastardes / beggares of kynde
Or þe bak or som bo{m}n / þei breke of here children
And gon faitynge with here fauntes / for euere-more after
¶ Þer aren mo mischapene / among suche beggares
Þan of eny oþer men / þat on þis molde walken
¶ Tho þat lyuen þus here lyf / leoue ȝe non noþer
Þei han no part of pardoun / of preyeres ne of penaunces
¶ Ac olde men and hore / þat helpeles beoþ and neody
¶ And wommen with childe / þat worche ne mowen .
¶ Blind men and bedredene / and broken in here membres /
And al pour pacient / a-payd of godes sonde
¶ As meseles and mendinauns / men y-falle in meschief
¶ As prysones and pilgrims / parauntur men y-robbed
¶ Or by-low þrow luþer men / and lost here catel aftur
¶ Or throw fuyr or þrow flod / falle to pouerte /
¶ Þat takeþ þes meschiefs meokliche / and mildeliche at herte /
For loue of here lowe hertes / oure lord hath hem graunted
Here penaunce and here purgatorie / vpon þis poure eerthe
And pardoun myd Peres plouhman / a pena et a culpa .
Ac Ermites þat enhabiten / by þe hye weyes
And in borghs a-mong brewstars / & beggyng in churches
Al þat holy Erymites / hateden and dispisede
As richesse and reuerences / and al riche mennes almes /
Theos lolleres lachedrawers / lewede Eremites
Coueiton þe contrarie / as cotyers þei libben
¶ For hit beoþ bot boies / bolleres at þe nale
Of linage ne of lettrure / ne lyf-holy as eremites
Þat wonedon whilom in wodes / with beros and Lyons .
¶ Som hadden lyflode of here linage / and of no lif elles .
¶ And somme lyuede by here lettrure / and labour of her hondes
¶ Somme hadde foreyns to frendes / þat hem fode sente .
¶ And bryddes brouht to som bred / wer-by thei lyueden .
¶ Al theos holy Eremites / were of hye kynne /
For-sok lond and lordschip / and likynges of body .
¶ Ac thus Ermytes þat edifien thus / by þe hye weyes
Whilom were werkmen / webbus and taillors
And carteres knaues / and clerkes with-out grace
Heoldon ful hongry hous / and hadde muche defaute
Long labour and litul wynnyng / and at þe last aspidoun
Þat faitours in Freres cloþinge / hadde fatte chekes /
For-þi lefte þei her labour / theos lewede knaues
And clothede hem in copes / clerkes as hit were
Or on of som ordre / or elles a prophete
¶ A-ȝeyns þe lawe he lyuyeþ / ȝif latyn beo trewe
Non licet uobis legem voluntati / sed voluntatem coniungere legi .
Now kyndeliche by crist / beoþ suche calde lollares
As by englis of oures eldres / of old menne techyng .
He þat lolleþ is lame / or his legge ouȝt of ioynte
Or maymed in som membre / for to meschief hit soneþ
And riht so sothly / suche manere Ermytes
Lollen a-ȝeyn þe by-leoue / and lawe of holychurche
For holy churche hoteþ / al manere people
Vndur obedience fort beo / and boxom to þe lawe
¶ Furst religious of religion / here rewle to holde
And vndur obedience to beo / by dayes and by nyhtes
Lewede men to labory / lordes to honte
In frythes and in forestes / for fox and oþer bestes
Þat in wilde wode beon / and in wast places
As wolues þat worieþ men / wommen and children
And vpon sonedayes to ce{s}se / godes seruice to here
Boþe matyns and masse / and aftur mete in churches
To here here euesonge / euery man ouhte
Þus hit longeþ for lord / for lered and lewed
Eche holyday to hure / holly þe seruice .
Vigilies and fastyngdais / forþer-more to knowe
And folfulle þo fastinges / but infirmite hit made
Pouerte oþer oþur penaunce / as pilgremages & trauailes
¶ Vndur theos obedience / are we echone .
Ho-so brekeþ þis beo wel war / but ȝif he repente
Amenden him and mercy aske / and meokliche him schryue
Y dred me and he dye / hit worþ for dedly synne
A-countet by-fore crist / but concience excuse him .
Loke now wher theos lollares / and lewede Ermites
If þei breke þis obedience / þat beon so fro churche
Wher seo we hem on sonedays / þe seruice to hure
As Matyns by þe morwe / tyl masse by-gonne
Os / O[r] sonedays at Euesonge / seo we wel fewe
Or labory for his liflode / as þe lawe wolde
Ac at mydday mel tyme / y mete with hem ofte
Comyng in a cope / as he a clerk were
A bachelere or a beupere / best him by-semeþ
¶ And for þe cloþ þat keuereþ him / cald is he a Frere
Waisscheþ and wypeþ / and with þe furst sitteþ .
¶ Ac þe while he wrouht in þis world / and wan his mete wiþ treuthe
He sat atte þe syde benche / at þe secunde table
Cam no wyn in his wombe / throw þe wuke longe
Nother blanket in his bedde / ne whit bred to-fore him .
Þe cause al of þis caytif / comeþ of mony bischopes
Þat soffren suche sottes / and other synnes regne
¶ Certes ho-so durste segge / Symon quasi dormit
Vigilare wer fairor / for thow hast gret charge
For mony waker wolues / beon y-broke in-to þi foldes
thyne beorkares beoþ al blynde / þat bryngen forthe þi lambren
dispergentur oues / thy dogge dar nat beorke .
¶ Þe tarre is vntydy / þat to þyn schepe by-longeþ
Here salue is of supersedeas / in sompnours boxes
Sub molle
pastoreC
How hurde wher is þin hound / and þin hardy heorte
Fort to wyrie þe wolf / þat þi wolle fowleþ .
Y leoue for þi lachesse / thou leost mony weþeres
And fol mony feir flus / falsliche waische
When þi lord lokeþ to haue / alowaunce of his bestes
And of þe money thou haddest þer-myd / his meoble to saue /
And þe wolle worthe weyed / wo is þe þenne
Redde{.} racionem villicacionis . or in a-rerage falle
Thin hure hurde as y hope / haþ nat to quite þi dete
Ther as mede ne mercy / maynot / may not a myte vaile .
But haue this for þat / þo þat þow toke
Mercy for mede / and my lawe breke
Loke now for þi lachesse / weþer lawe wol þe graunte /
Purgatorie for þi paye / or perpetuel helle
For schal no pardon pray for ȝow þar / noþer prynces lettres
¶ Pers quath a preost þo / thi pardoun most y rede
Y con not construe eche a word / and kenhit / ken hit þe in englische
And peres at his preyere / þe pardon fC vnfolded
And y bi-hynde hem boþe / bi-heold al þe bulle
In to lynes hit lay / and no lettre more
And was whrite riht þus / in withnesse of treuthe
Qui bona egerunt ibunt in vitam eternam qui vero mala in ignem eternam .
Petur quath this preost þo / y can no pardoun fynde .
But do wel and haue wel / and god schal haue þi saule .
do euul and haue euul / and hope thow non oþur
But he þat euul lyueþ / vuele schal ende .
Þe Preost thus and perkyn / of þe pardon iangled
Throw here wordes y a-wok / and waiteted a-boute
And seyh þe sonne in þe souht / sitte þat tyme
Meteles and moneyles / on maluernes hulles
¶ Musyng in þis meteles / a myle wey y ȝeode
And meny tyme þis meteles / made me to studie
¶ Of þat y seih sclepyng / ȝif hit so beo myhte
¶ And of Pers plouhman . pensif in herte
And wuche a pardoun Pers hadde / þe poeple to gladoun
And hou þe preost Inpugned hit / throw two propre . wordes
¶ Ac Men sette nat by songewarie / men seo hit oft faille
Caton count hit at nauht / and cononistres at lasse
Ac for þe bok þe bible / bereþ good witnesse
How Daniel . Dyuynede / and vndude þe dremeles
Of kyng Nabugodonosor / þat no peer hadde /
And sith aftur to his sones / seyde hem what þei þouhte
¶ And ioseph mette merueillousliche / how þe mone and þe sonne
And elleue sterres / hailsede him alle
¶ Þenne Iacob iugede / Iosephs sweuene
B{i}eau fitz quaþ þe fadur / we schul for defaute
I my-self and my sones / seche þe for neode
Hit by-ful as þe fadur seyde / in pharao his tyme
Þat Ioseph was iustice / Egypte to saue
His elleue breþeren / him for neode souhte
And his fader Iacob / an al-so his dame
Al this makeþ me / on meteles to studie .
And how þe preost preoued / no pardon to dowel
And demede þat dowel / Indulgenses passet
Byanals and triannals / and bysschopes lettres
¶ For ho-so doþ wel here / at þe day of dome
Worþ faire vndurfonge / by-fore god þat tyme
¶ So dowel passeþ pardoun / and pilgrimages to Rome
¶ Ȝut hath þe pope power / pardon to graunte
To people with-oute penaunce / to passen in-to ioye
As lettred men vs lereþ / and lawe of holychurche
Quodcumque ligaueris super terram / erit ligatum & in celis
And so y by-leoue lelly / lord for-bode elles
Þan pardon and penaunce / and preyeres don saue
Saules þat han y-syneged / seue sythes dedly .
¶ Ac to tristen vpon trianals / trewly me þenkeþ
Is nat so syker for þe saule / certes as is Dowel
¶ For-þi y rede ȝow renkes / þat riche beon on þis eorthe
Vp trist vp ȝour tresour / triennals to haue
Beo ȝe neuere þe boldere / to breke þe ten hestes .
¶ And nameliche ȝe maystres / meires and iuges
Þat han þe welþe of þis worlde / and wyse men beon holden .
To purchace ȝow pardoun and þe popes bulles .
¶ At þe dredful day of dome / when dede men schul ryse
And comen al by-fore crist / a-countes to ȝeelde
How we ladde oure lyf here / and his lawe kepte
And how we dud day by day / þe dom wol reherse
¶ A poke ful of pardon þere / ne prouincials lettres
Þauh he beo founde in fraternite / of alle þe fyue ordres
And haue Indulgences dowbulfold / but dowel vs helpe
I sette by pardoun nat a pese / noþur a pye hele
For-þi y counseil al cristene / to cry god mercy
And marie his moder / beo oure mene to hym .
Þat god ȝif vs grace her er we go hennes
Suche werkes to worche / whil we beon here
Þat aftur our deþ day / dowel reherse /
At þe day of dome / we dude as he tauhte . Amen /
[Hi]c Explicit visio williami de Petro plouhman .C
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prima ad corynthios