THen hadde wit a wyf / was hote dame studie
Þat fol lene lokede / and lyf-holy semede
Heo was wordely wroþ / þat wit so me tauhte
Al staryng dame / studie / sturneliche seyde
Wel ar thow wys quaþ heo to wit / suche wisdom to schewe
To eny fol or flaterer / or to frentyk people
And seyde nolite mittere / ȝe men margery perles
A-mong hogges þat hauen / hawes at wille
Thei don bot dreuely þer-on / draf were hem leuere
Þan al þe preciouce perey / þat eny prynce weldeþ
I sege hit by suche quod studie / þat schewen by here werkes
Þat loueþ lond and lordschip / and likyng of body more
Þan holynesse or hendenesse / or al þat seyntes techeþ
¶ Wisdom and wit now / is nat worþe a carce
but hit beo carded myd couetyse / as cloþeres kymben wolle
¶ Ho þat can contreue or caste / to deceyue þe people
Þat can coueyte and cast thus / aren cleped in-to consail
Qui sapiunt vugas / [n]ugas / et crimina lege vocantur
Qui recte sapiunt / lex iubet ire foras .
¶ He is reuerenced and robed / þat can robbe þe people
Þrow fallas and fals questes / and throw fekul speche
¶ Iob þe gentul and wyse / in his gest witnesseþ
What schal worþe of suche / when þei lyf leten
ducunt in bonis dies suos / et in fine descendunt ad infernum .
Þe sauter seith þe same / of al suche riche
Ibunt in progeniesN patrum suorum & usque in eternum non videbunt lumen . & alibi . ecce ipsi peccatores
¶ Lo holy lettrure seith / wuche lordes beon theos schrewes
To þat god gyueþ most good / most greuen riht and trewþe
Que perfecisti destruxerunt iusticiam/
¶ And harlotes for harlotrie / aren holpe er neody poure
And þat is no riht ne reson / for rather men scholde
Helpe hym þat hath nouht / þan þo þat han no neode
¶ Ac he þat hath holywrit / ay in his mouthe
And can telle of trewþe / and of þe twelue aposteles
Or haue þe passion / or of purgatorie peynes
Lytul is he alowed þer-fore / a-mong lordes at festes
¶ Now is þe manere at mete / when ministralles beoþ stille
Þe lewed a-ȝeinst þe lered / þe holy lore to dispute
And tellon of þe trinite / how two slowen þe þrydde
And bryngeþ forþe ballede resones / and taken bernard to witnesse
And putten forþ presumpciouns / to preouen þe sothe
¶ Thus þei dryuelen at þe deys / þe deyte to knowe
And gnawen god with gorge / when here gottus fullon
¶ Ac þe carefol may crye / anLX quaken at þe ȝate
boþe a-fyngret and a-furst / and for defaute spille
Is non so hende to haue In / but hote hym go ther god is .
Þenne semeþ hit to my siht / to suche as so byddeþ
God is nat in þat hom / ne his helpe neyþur
¶ Lytul loueþ he þat lord / þat lente him al þat blisse
Þat so parteþ wiþ þe poure / a parcel when hym neodeþ
¶ Ne were mercy in mene men / more þenne in riht riche
Mony tyme mendinans / myhte gon a-fyngred
And so seith þe sauter / y sauh hit in Memento
Ecce audiuimus eam . id est . caritatem in eufrata inuenimus in campis silue
¶ Clerkes and knyhtes / carpon of god ofte
And haueþ him muche in here mouthe / ac mene men in herte
¶ Freres and faitors / han founde vp suche questions
To plese with proude men / sythe þe pestilences
Þat folk is nat ferm in þe faith / ne free of here goodes .
Ne sory of here synnes / so is pruyde enhaunsed
In religion and in al þe Reome / a-mong riche and pore
Þat preyers han no power / þeos pestilences to lette
¶ For god is def now-a-dayes / and deyneþ vs to here
And gode menne for oure gultes / he al to-grynt to deþe
And ȝut wreches of þis worlde / is non war by other
Ne for drede of eny deth / with-draweþ hem fro pruyde
Ne partoþ with þe poure / as pure charite wolde
¶ But in Gaynesse and glotenye / for-glotton heore goodes
And brekeþ not here bred to þe poure / as þe bok hoteþ /
Frange esurienti panem tuum & cetera .
Ac þe more he hath and wynneþ / þe worlde at his wil
And lordeþ in leodes / þe lasse gode he deleþ
Thobie tauht nat so / takeþ hede ȝe riche
Howe he told in a tyme / and tauhte his sone dele
Si tibi sint copia habundanter tribue / si autem exiguum illud impertire libenter stude .
¶ And is no more to mene / but who-so muche weldeþ
Beo large þer-of whil hit last / to leedes þat beon nedy
If þou haue litul leue sone / loke by þi lyue
Get þe loue þer-with / þauh thow þe worse fareC
¶ Ac lust no lord ne lewed man / of suche lore non to here
But lithen hou thei myhte lerne / lest good to spene
And so lyuen lordes nowe / and leten hit a Dowel
For is no wit worþ now / but hit of wynnynge soune
¶ For-þi quod heo / to wit be war / holywrit to schewe
Amonges hem þat hauen / hawes at wille
Þe wuche is a lykynge and loust / and loue of þe worlde
I myhte gete no greyn / of wittes grete wittes
But al lauhhynge he lotede / and loket vpon studie .
Semynge þat y scholde / by-seche heore of grace
¶ When y was war of his wil / to þat womman y loutede
And seyde mercy madame / ȝoure man schal y worþe
As longe as y leue / boþe late and rathe
And fort to worche ȝoure wil / þe while my lyf dureþ
With that ȝe kenne me kundely / to knowe wat is dowel .
¶ For þi meoknesse quaþ heo / and for þi mylde speche
I schal þe kenne to clergye / my cosyn þat knowiþ
Alle kyne connynges / and comsynges of dowel
Of dobet and of / dobest / for doctour he is knowe
And of scripture þe skilful / and scryuaynes were trewe .
¶ For heo is sibbe to seuene ars / and al-so my sostere
And clergies wedded wyf / as wys as him-selue
Of lore / and of lettrure / of lawe and of Resoun
So with þat þat clerigie can / and consail of scripture
Thow schalt come and knowe / kyndeliche dowel
¶ Þenne was y al-so fayn / as foul of feir morownynge
Gladdere þan gleman / þat golde hath to gyfte
And asket at heore þe hye waye / wer þat clergie dwelede
And tel me som tokene quaþ y / for tyme is þat y wende /
¶ Aske þe hye way quaþ heo / hennes to soffre
Bothe wele and muche wo / ȝif thow wolt lerne
And ryde forthe by richesse / ac rest þe nat þer-Inne
If thow coueite to beo riche / to clergie comst þow neuere
If thow hit vse or haunte / haue god my treuthe
To clergie shalt þow neuere com / ne know wat is dowel
¶ Ac ȝif þou happe quod heo / þat þow hit on clergie
And hast vndurstondyng / what he wolde mene
Sey to him thy-self / ouer-seo my bokes
¶ And sey i grette wel his wyf / y wrot heore a bible
¶ And sette heore to sapience / and to þe sauter glosed
Logyke y lered here / and al þe lawe aftur /
Al þe musovns in musik / y made here to knowe
¶ Plato þe poete / y putte him furst to boke
¶ Aristotile and other / to arguen y tauhte
¶ Gramere for gurles / y gart furst write
And bet hem wiþ a ȝeerde / but ȝif þei wolde lerne
¶ Of alle kynne craftus / y contreoued here toles
Of carpentrie of keruars / and contreeued þe compas
And cast out by squyre / boþe lyne and lyuel
Thus throw my lore men beoþ lered / þauh y loke dymme .
¶ Ac theologie haþ teoned me / ten score tymes
Þe more y muse þer-on / þe mystiloker hit semeþ
And þe deopere y dyuyne / þe deorkere me þenkeþ hit
Hit is no science sothly / but a soth-fast by-leoue
¶ Ac for hit lereþ men to louye / y by-leue þer-on þe betre
For loue is a lykyng þing / and loth for to greue
¶ Lerne for to louye / if þe like dowel .
For of dobet and of dobest here doctor is dere loue
¶ Þo went y my way / wiþ-oute more lettynge
And to clergie y cam / as clerkes me seyde
¶ And y gret him goodly / and graithly him tolde
Hou þat wit and his wyf / wissed me to hym
To {kowe} kunne and to knowe / kyndeliche dowel
¶ By crist þo quath clergie / ȝif þow coueite dowel
Kep þe ten comaundemens / and kepe þe fro synne
And by-leof lelly / hou godesone{s} a-lyhte .
On þe mayde marie / for manne{s}-kyn{n}des sake
And by-cam man of þat mayde / wiþ-{þ}oute mannes kynde .
¶ And al þat holy churche / here-of can þe lere
By-leof lelly þer-on / and loke þow do þer-aftur
¶ Her-of Austyn þe olde / made bokes and bokes
Who was his Auctour / and him of god tauhte
¶ Patriarches and prophites / a-posteles and angles
And þe trewe trynite / to Austyn Aperede
¶ And he vs seyde as he seyh / and so y by-leoue
Þat he seyh þe sire and þe sone / and seint espirit to-gederes
And al þre but o god / and here-of made he bokes
lovk Ȝe bysyliche bokes / who beoþ his wytnesses
Ego in patre & pater in me & qui me vidit patrem meum vidit qui in celis est
¶ Alle þe clerkes vndur crist / ne couthe þis assoile
but thus by-longeþ to by-leeue / alle þat likeþ Dowel
For hadde neuere frek fyn wit / þe faith to dispute
Ne man myhte haue ne meryt þer-of / myht hit beo preoued
Fides non habet meritum vbi humana racio prebet experimentum
Thus byleoue / and lewte / and loue is þe þrydde
Þat makeþ men to dowel / dobet / and dobest
¶ Þenne scripture scornede me / and mony sckiles schewed
And countenaunce made {me} to clergye / to congeye me hit semed
And lakkede me in latyn / and liht by me sette
And seyde / multi multa sapiunt / et seipsos nesciunt .
Tho wept y for wo / and wrathþe of his wordes
And in a wynkynge y warþ / and wondurly mette
For y was raueyschet riht þere / fortune me fette
In-to a lond of longynge / and loue / he me brouhte
¶ And in a myrrour hat myddul ert / heo made me to loke
And sythen seyde to me / her myht thow see wondres
And knowe þat þow coueitest / and come þer-to paraunter
¶ Þenne hadde Fortune folwynge heore / two faire maydones
Concupiscencia carnis / men calde þe eldere mayde
And coueytise of yen / y-cald was þat othere
And pruyde of parfit leuynge / porsuede me fast
And bad me for my continence / conte clergies lore lihte .
¶ Concupiscencia carnis / confort me in þis wyse
And seyde þow art ȝonge and ȝeep / and hast ȝeres y-nowe
For to lyue longe / and ladies to louye
And in þis mirrour þow myht seo / murthes fol monye
Þat lede wol þe to lykynge / al þi lyf-tyme /
¶ Þe secunde mayde seyde y schal sewe þi wil
Til thou beo a lord of londe / leten þe y nulle
Þat y ne schal folow þi felauschip / ȝif fortune like
¶ Heo schal fynde me his freond / quod fortune her-aftur .
Þat man þat me likeþ helpe / myht nat mysfare
¶ Þenne was þer on hihte Elde / þat heuy was of chere
¶ Man quaþ Elde mete y wiþ þe / by marie of heuene
Þow schalt fynde fortune faile / at þi most neode /
And Concupiscencia carnis / clene þe for-sake .
Byturly schalt þow banne þenne / boþe a day and nyhtes
Couetyse of eyen / þat euere þow here knewe
And pruyde of parfit lyuynge / to muche peryl þe brynge .
Ȝe recche þe neuere quod rechelesnesse / stod forþe in raggede cloþes
Folwe forþe þat fortune wol / þow hast ful fer to elde
A man may stoupe tyme y-nowh / when he schal tyne þe crone .
Sir Wanhop was to hym / as some men me tolde
¶ For rechelesnesse in his rybaudrie / ryht þus he seyde
Go y to helle go y to heuene / y schal nat go myn one .
¶ Were hit soþ al þat ȝe seyn / thow scripture and clergie
Y leoue neuur þat lord ne lady / þat lyueþ here on eorþe
Scholde sitte on godes sete / ne seo god in his blisse
Ita possibile est diuiti intrare in regnum celorum sicut camelus & cetera .
¶ For clergie seiht þat he seyh / in þe seynt Euuangelie
Þat y man maket was / and my name entred
In þe legende of lyf / longe er y were
¶ Predestinat þei prechon / prechours þat þis schowen
Or prechen in-parfit / i-pult out of grace
Vnwriten for som wikednesse / as holy writ scheweþC
Nemo ascendit in celum nisi qui descendit de celo
Y leoue wel by oure lord / and non lettrure betere
¶ For salamon þe sage / þat sapience hit made
God ȝaf him grace of wit / and of good after
Neuere to man so muche / þat man con of telle
To ruele al reomes / and riche to makeC
And deme wel and wysly / wommen bereþ witnesse
Nec michi nec tibi sed diuidatur .
¶ Aristotele and he / hy tauhten men boþe
¶ Maystres þat techeþ men / of godes muchel mercy
Witnesseþ þat here wordes / and here werkes boþe
Weren wondry goode / and wyse in here tyme
And holychurche as y here / haldeþ boþe in helle
¶ Ȝif we scholde worche worchen after here werkes / to wynnen ous heuene
Þat for here werkes and wit / wonyeþ now in peyne
Þan wrouhte we vnwysely / for al ȝoure wyse techyng
¶ Ac y countresegge þe nat clergie / ne þe connynge scripture
Þat wo-so doþe by ȝoure doctrine / doth wel y leoue
¶ Ac me were leuere by oure lord / a lyppe of godes grace
Þan al þe kyndewit þat ȝe can boþe / and connynge of ȝoure bokes
¶ For of fele witty in faith / litel ferly y haue
Þauh here gost beo vngracious / god for to plese
¶ For mony men of þis molde / setten more here herte
In worldeliche good þan in god / for-þi grace hem failleþ
Atte here most meschief / mercy were þe beste
And mercy / of mercy / neodes most a-rise
As holy writ witnesseþ / godes word in þe gospel
eadem mensura & ceteraC
¶ Riht wel y-witted men / and wel letred clerkes
Selde are þei seyen / so lyue as þei lere
Witnesse on godes wordes / þat was neuere vntrewe
Super cathedra moysi & ceteraC
¶ Ac y wene hit worth of mony / as was in Noes tyme .
Þo þat he schop þe schip / of schides and bordes
Was neuure wriht þer þer-on wrouhte / ne werkman y-saued
But bryddes and bestes / and þe blessed Noe .
And his wyf with his sones / and his sones wyues
Of wryhtes þat hit wrouhten / was non y-saued
¶ God leue hit fare nat so by folk / þat þe faih techen
Of holykirke þat scholde kepe / al cristine soules .
¶ For Archa noe nymeþ hede / is no more to mene /
but holychurche / herborgh to alle þat beon blessed .
Þe culorum of this clause / curatores is to mene
Þat beon carpenters vndurcrist / vndur crist / holy churche to make
For lewed folc godes foules / and his freo bestes
Homines et Iumenta saluabis domine .
¶ A domesday a dyluuye worþ / of deþ and fuyr at ones
Worcheþ ȝe wryhtes of holychurche / as holiwrit telleþ
lest ȝee beon lost as þe laborers were / þat labored vndur
¶ A Gode Fryday y fynde / a felon was y-saued
Þat vn-lawefuly hadde y-lyued / al his lyf-tyme
¶ And for he by-knewe on þe cros / and to crist schrof him
He was sonere y-saued / þat / þa[n] seint Iohan þe baptist
And ar adam or Isaye / or eny of þe prophetis
Þat haddon ley with / Lucifer mony longe ȝeres /
¶ A robbour was y-raumsoned / rather þen þei alle
With-out penaunce or passioun / or eny oþur peyne
He passede forth paciently / to perpetuel blysse
¶ Al-so marie magdaleyne / ho myhte do worse
As in lykynge of lecherie / no lyf denyede
¶ And dauid þe douhty / þat dyuynede hou vrie
Myhte slilokest beo sclayn / and sente hym to werre
Lellyche as by his lok / wiþ a lettre of gyle
Paul þe apostele þat no pyte hadde / cristone people to kulle
¶ Now beoþ þus seyntes as men seyn / and souereyns in heuene
Tho þat worst wrouhten / while þei weren here
¶ By that þat salamon seyth / hit semeþ þat no whyte
Wot ho is worþi / for were or for wykke /
Wethur he is worthi to wele / or to wykked peyne .
Sunt iusti atque sapientes / et opera eorum in manu dei sunt .
¶ Thus y rechelesnesse haue rad / registres and bokes
And found y neuere in faith / for to telle truthe
Þat cleregie of cristes mouth / comendet was euere .
For crist seyude to seyntes / and to suche as he louede
dum steteris ante reges et presides & cetera
Þauh ȝe by-come by-fore kynges / and clerkes of þe lawe
Beoþ nat a-ferd of þat folk / for y schal ȝiue ȝow tonge
Connynge and clergie / to conclude hem alle
Dauid makeþ mencion / he spak amonge kynges
And myht kyng non hym ouurcome / as in conninge speche
¶ Sothly seyde rechelesnesse / y seo by mony euidences
Þat noþur . Wit . ne . Withnesse / wan neuure þe maystrie
Wiþ-oute þe grete gyft of god / with his grace & fortune
¶ For he þat most seih and seyde / of þe sothfast trinite
Was austyn þe olde / þat euere man wuste
He seyde þus in his sarmon / For ensaumple of grete clerkes
Ecce ipsi idioti rapiunt celum / vbi nos sapientes in inferno mergimur .
This is to mene no more / to men þat beon lewede
Ar non rather raueschid / fro þe riht by-leoue /
Comunliche þat clerkes / most knowyng and connynge
¶ And non sannere y-saued / ne saddere in þe by-leoue
Þan plouhmen and pastours / and pore comune people
¶ lel lewed laborers / and land tylyng people
Persen with a pater noster paradys oþer heuene
Passynge purgatorie penaunceles / for here parfit byleoue
Breuis oracio penitrat celum
¶ Selde falleþ þe seruaunt / so deope in arrerages
As doþ þe Reue or counteroller / þat rekene mot and a-conte
Of al þat þei hauen had / of him þat is here maystur
¶ Ac theos lewede laborers / of lytul vndurstondyng
Selde fallon so foule / and so deope in synne
As clerkes of holychurche / þat kepon scholde and saue
lewede men in good by-leue / and lene hem at her neode
Homo proponit quath a poete þo / and plato he hihte
Et deus disponit quaþ he / let god do his wil .
¶ Al þat treuthe attacheþ / and testifieþ for goode
Than þei folow þat fortune wole / no foly y hit holde
¶ And Concupiscencia carnis / acordede til al my werkesT
¶ Of dowel ne of dobet / no deynte me þouhte
Clerigie and his counsail / y counted ful litul .
¶ Hic explicit passus secundus /
X
X
X
+
nota
{X}
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Iohan 14
gregorius & augugustinus
bernardus
sciuntT
de Salamone