Alas þat richesse schal reue / & robbes mannes soule
Fro þe loue oure lord / at his last ende
Thei þat han here huyre byfore / aren euere-more poure
And schul nat dye oute of dette / to dyne or thei deseruen hit
When his deuer is y-don / and his dayes iorneC
Þen men may wite wat he is worþ / & what he haþ deserued
And not {t}fonge by-fore / for drede of desalowynge
So y say by ȝou riche / hit semeþ nat þat ȝe schulleC
Haue two heuenes / for ȝou{e}re herbeoynge
Muche murthe is in may / a-monge wilde bestes
And so forthe whil somer lasteþ / here solas dureþ
And muche murthe a-mong riche men is / þat han meoble y-now and hele .
Ac beggares a-boute myssomer / bredles þei soupe
And ȝut is wyntur for hem worse / for wetschohed þei gangen .
A-furst and a-fyngret / and foule rebuket
¶ Now lord send hem somor som-tyme / to solas and to ioye
Þat al here lyf ledoun / in lownesse and in pouerte
¶ For alle mystest thou haue maked / men of grete welthe
And liche wytty and wyse / and lyue wiþ-oute neode
Ac for þe best as y hope / aren some poure and riche
¶ Riht so haue reuthe on vs alle / þat on þe rode deidest
And amende vs of þi mercy / and make vs alle meoke
Lowh and lel . and louynge / and of herte poure
And sende vs contricioun / to clanse wiþ oure soules
And confession to kulle / alle kynne synnes
And satisfaccion þe wuche folfulleþ / þe faderes wil of heuene
And þese beon / dowel and dobet / and dobest of alle
Cordis contricio / comeþ of sorowe of herte
And Oris confessio . that comeþ of schrift of mouthe
And Satisfaccio that for synnes payeþ
And for alle synnes / souereynliche quiteþ
Cordis contricio / oris confessio / operis satisfaccio /
¶ Theos thre wiþ-outen doute / tholen al pouerte
And lereþ lewade and Lered / hyh and lowe to knoweC
Ho þat doþ wel oþur bet / or best a-bouen alle
And holychurche and charite / her-of a chartre maden
But theos þre þat y spac of / on domesday vs defendoun
Elles is in ydul / alle oure lyuynge here
Our preyeres and oure penaunce / and pilgrimages to Rome
But oure spenses and spendyng / sprynge of a trewe welle
Elles is al oure labour lost / lo hou men wryten
In fenestres atte þe Freres / yf falce beo þe fundementC
¶ For-þi cristine men scholde beon in comyn riche / no couetyse to hem-selue .
For seuene synnes þat þer beon / þat assaillon vs euere
¶ Þe feond foloweþ hem alle / and fondeþ hem to helpe
And wiþ richesse to rybaudes / rathest men by-gylen
For there þat richesse regneþ / reuerences followyþ
And þat is plesaunt to pruyde / in poure and in riche
¶ Þe riche is reuerenced / by reson of his richesse
Þer þe poure is pult by-hynde / and canne parauntur more
Of whit and of wysdom / þat feorwey is betere
Þan richesse or reaute / and rather y-herde in heuene
¶ For þe riche hath muche to rekene / and riht soft walkeþ
Þe hye weye to heueneward / he halt hit not ful euene
Bataunt-liche as begares doun and boldliche he craueþ
For his pouerte and pacience / perpetuel ioye
¶ Al-so pruyde in richesse regneþ / rather þan in pouerte
Or in þe maystre or in þe mon / som mancion he schoweþ
¶ Ac in pouerte þer pacience is / pruyde hatþ þe myhte
Ne none of þe seuene synnes / sitte ne may þer longe
Ne haue pouer in pouerte / if pacience hit folowe .
For þe poure is ay prest / to plese þe riche .
And boxom at his byddyng / for his bred and drynke
¶ And boxomesse / boxom[n]esse and bost / aren euere-more at wrathe .
And aythur hateþ oþur / and mowen nat dwelle to-gederes
¶ If wrathe wrascle with þe poure / he hath þe wors ende
For ȝif þei boþe pleyon / þe poure is but feble
And ȝif he chide or chatere / hym cheueþ þe worse
¶ For loueliche he lokeþ / and louh is his speche
Þat mete oþur moneye / of strange men mot begge .
¶ And ȝif gloteny greue pouerte / he gadereþ þe lasse
For his rentes wol nat reche / riche metes to bugge
¶ Þauh his gloteny beo of gode ale / he gothe to a cold beddyng
And his hed vnheled / vuelycheT y-wrye
¶ For when he streyneþ hym {s}to streche / þe straw is his witel
So for his glotonye and gret synne / he hath a greuouse penaunce
That is weylaweye when he wakeþ / and wepuþ for colde
So is he neuure-more ful murie / so meschief him folowiþ .
Þauh couetyse wolde with þe poure wrascle / thei may not come to-gederes
By þe nekke nameliche / heor non may henton oþer
For men knowe þat couetyse / is of a kene wil .
He hath hondes and armes / of a longe lengþe
And pouerte is but a pety þing / a-pereþ nat to his nauele
A louely layk was hit neuere / by-twene a long and a schort
¶ Than auerice wolde angre pouerte / he hath but litul mythe
For pouerte hath but pokes / to put yn his goodes
Þer auarys hath almarys / and yrebounde cofres
And weþur beo betre to breke / lasse bost hit makeþ
to breke a beggares bagge / þan a yrebounde cofre
¶ lecherye loueþ non pore / for he haþ but litul seluur
Ne doþe men dyne delicat-liche / neyþur drynke wyn ofte
A strawe for þe stewes / hy stode not fol longe
And þei hadde non oþur haunt / but of poure people
¶ Þauh sleuthe sew pouerte / and serue not god to paye
Meschief is ay a mene / and makeþ hym to þenke
Þat god is his grettest help / and no gome elles
And he is seruaunt al-way he saith / and of his secte boþe
And weþur he beo or beo nat / he beruþ þe signe of pouerte
And in þat secte oure saueour / saued al men-kunde
¶ For-þi al poure þat pacient is / of pure ritht may cleyme
Aftur here endyng here / heuene-riche blisse
¶ Muche hardiloker may he aske / þan he þat haþ his wil
In lond and in lond or in lordschipes / lykyng of body
¶ And for godes loue leueþ al / and lyueþ as a beggare
¶ As a mayde for a monnes loue / hure modur for-sakeþ
Hure fadure and heore frendes / and goþ forþ with hure paramours
¶ Muche is suche a mayde to loue / of a mon þat suchon / such on takeþ
More þan þat mayde is / þat is y-maried by brocage
As by assent of sondry bodies / and suluer to bote
More for couetise of catel / þan kynde loue of þe mariage
¶ So hit fareþ by eche a persone / þat pocessioun for-sakeþ
And put him to beo pacient / and to pouerte him weddeþ
Þe wuche is sibbe to crist him-self / and semblabe boþe .
¶ Quath Actyf þo al angreliche / and arguete as hit were
What is pouerte Pacient quod he / y prey þat þow telle hit
Paupertas quaþ pacience / est odibile bonum
Remocio curarum / possessio sine calumpnia . donum dei . sanitatis mater
Absque solicitudine semita . sapiencie . temperatrix . negocium sine dampno
Incerta fortuna / absque solicitudine felicitas
¶ Y can nat construe al this / quath Actiua vita
¶ Parfey quaþ {co}pacience / proprelicle / proprelic[h]e to telle
In englische is fol hard / ac som-del y schal tel þe
¶ Pouerte is þe furst point / þat pruyde most hateþ
Al þat may putten of pruyde / in place þer he regneþ
Remocio curarumC
¶ For selde sit þe pouerte / þe sothe to declare
As a iustice to iuge men / men {i}enioyneþ þerto no poure .
Ne to beo a mayre ouur men / ne ministur vndur kynges
Selde is þe poure put / to punysche eny people
Ergo Pouerte and poure men / parformen þe comaundement
nolite iudicare quemquam .C
Possessio sine calumpniaC
¶ Selde is þe poure ryht riche / but of his rithful heritage
He wynneþ nauht with whites false / ne wiþ vn-seled mesures .C
Ne borowiþ of his neihborwe / but what he may wel paie
And lithly men leneþ to fewe men / and men wene hem poure
¶ Þe feorthe . hit is a fortune / þat florisschet þe soule
With sobrete fro alle synnes / and al-so ȝut more
Hit defendeþ þe fleysche / fro folies ful monye
And a collateral confort / cristes ownes sonde
. donum deiC
¶ Ȝut hit is modur of myht / and of mannes heltheC
And frende in alle fondynges / and of foule vueles leche
sanitatis materC
¶ Þe syxthe . hit is a paþ of pees / ȝe throw þe pas of Aultone
Pouerte myhte passe / wiþ-oute peril of robbynge .
For þer as Pouerte passeþ / pees folowyþ comuniliche
And euure þe lasse þat eny lyf ledeþ / þe lyhtur his herte is there
As he þat wot neuure wiþ whom / in nyhtes tyme to meteC
Senca / Sen[e]ca pauper est absque solicitudine semita
For lordes a-loweþ hym lytul / or leith ere to his resoun
He tempreþ his tonge to trewþward / þat no tresour coueyteþ
¶ Þe eyhteþe . hit is a lel labour / and loth to take more
Þan he may sothly deserue / in somer or in wyntur
And þauh he chaffare he chargeþ no los / mowe he charite wynne
Negocium sine dampno /
¶ Þe nythe . hit is swete to sowles / no suggor swettourC
For Pacience is his paniter / and payn to pouerte fyndeþ
And sobrete ȝeuuþ heore swete drynke / & solaceþ hure in al angres
Þus lered me a lewed man / for oure lordes loue seynt
Þat pure pouerte and pacience was / a longe lyuyng on eorthe
A blessed lyf wiþ-oute bysynesse / but oneliche for þe soule
¶ Absque solicitudine felicitas /
¶ Now god þat al thyng gyueþ / graunt his soule reste
Þat wrot þus to wysse men / what pouerte was to mene
¶ Þan hadde Actyf a ledere / þat hihte liberum arbitrium .
Y knew Concience ful wel / and clergie boþe
He þat hathe lond and lordscip quaþ he / at þe last ende
Schal beo pourest of pouer / at his partynge hennes /
¶ Þen y wondrede what hit was / thes liberum arbitrium
And preyde pacience / þat y appose hym myhte
And suffrede me and seyde / assay his other name
¶ Leue liberum arbitrium quaþ y / of what lond ar ȝe
If thou beo cristes creature / For cristes loue tel me
¶ I am cristes creature quaþ he / and cristone in mony place
And in crist cort y-knowe / and of his knyde / k[yn]de a partie
Is nothur Petur þe porter / ne Paul wiþ his fauchon
Þat wol defende me heuene dore / dynge y neuure so late
At Midnytht at Midday / my Vois is so y-knowe
Þat eche creature þat loueþ crist / welcomeþ me faire
¶ Wher-of serue ȝe y seide / sire liberum arbitrium
Of somtyme to fyhte quod he / fals-nesse to destrue
And somtyme to soffre / boþe sorow and teone
layke other leue / at my lykynge chese
To do wel oþur wykke / a wil wyþ a resoun
And may not beo wiþ-oute a body / to bere me were {y}hym likeþ
¶ Þenne is þat body betre þan thow quod y / nay quod he no betere
But as wod were a-Fuyre / þanne worchen boþe
And aythur is oþures hete / and al-so of o wil
And so is man þat hath his munde / myd liberum arbitrium
¶ And whyle y quyke þe cors cald am y Anima
¶ And whenne y wilne or wolde / Animus y hyhte
¶ And for that y can and knowe / cald am y mannesT
¶ And when y make mone to god / memoria y hatte
¶ And when y deme domes / and do as treuthe techeþ /
Þen is Racio my rith name / reson in Englissch
¶ And when y fele as folk telleþ / my fur{t}st name is sensus
And that is wit and wisdom / þe welle of alle craftes
¶ And wen y kalange or kalenge nat / chepe or refuse
Þan am y conciencia cald / godes clerk and his notarie
¶ And when y wol do or nat do / goodes dedes or ille
Þenne am y liberum arbitrium / as lettrede men tellen
¶ And whenne y loue lelly / oure lord and alle oþere
Þenne is lel loue my name / in latyn þat is Amor
¶ And whenne y fleo fro þe body and feye leue þe coroigne
Þen am y spirit specheles / and spiritus þenne y hote
¶ Austyn and ysodorus / ayþur of hem bothe
Nempnede me thus to name / now þou myhte chese
Hou þou coueytest to cal me / now knowest al my names .
¶ Anima pro diuersis accionibus diuersa nomina sortitur . dum viuificat corpus anima est
Dum wlt . animus est / dum recolit memoria est / dum iudicat racio est
dum sentit sensus est dum amat amor est . dum declinat a malo ad
bonum liberum arbitrium est dum negat vel consentit consciencia est / dum spirat spiritus est .
¶ Ȝeo beon as a bysschop quaþ y / al bordynge þat tyme
For Bysschopes blessed / thei bereþ mony names .
Presul and Pontifex and Metropolanus
An othere names an hepe Episcopus and Pastor
¶ Þat is sothe he sayde / now y seo þi wil
Hou thow woldest knowe and conne / þe cause of al here names
And of myne if þou myhtest / me þenkeþ by þi seche
¶ Ȝee sire y seid by so / þat no man by agreued
Al þe sciences vndur sonne / and alle sotile craftes
I wolde y knewe and couthe / kyndeliche in my herte
¶ Þen art þou inparfit quod he / and on of pruydes knyhtes
For suche loust and lykynge / lucifer feol fro heuene
ponam pedem meum
in aquiloneC
¶ Hit were a-gayne kunde quod he / and alle kynne resoun
Þat eny creature scholde conne al / excepte crist one
{.}A-ȝeyns al suche salomon spekeþ / and despiseþ here wittes
And seyth sicut qui mel comedit non est ei bonum
Sic qui scrutator est / magestatis opprimatur a gloria
¶ To englische men þis is to mene / þat mowen speke and here
Þe mon þat muche hony ette / his mawe hit engleymeþ
Þe wittyour þat eny whit is / but if he worche þer-aftur
Þe bitterour he schal a-bugge / but if he wel worche
¶ Beatus seith seynt Bernard / qui scripturas legit
Et verba vertit in opera / emforth his power
¶ Couetise to conne / and to knowe sciences
Put out of paradys adam and Eue
Sciencie appetitus hominem inmortalitatis gloriam spoliauit
¶ And rith so as hony / is vuel to defye
Ryht so sothly sciences / swelleþ a mannes soule
And dothe hym to beo deynous / and deme þat beoþ nat lered
Non plus sapere / seyde þe wyse
quam oportet sapere / lest synne of pruyde wexe .
¶ Freres fele sithes / to þe folc þat þei prechon
Meouen motyfs mony tymes / insolibles and fallaces
Þat boþe lered and lewed / of here by-leoue douten
¶ To teche þe ten comaundemens / ten sythe were betre
And how þat folk folliche / here fyue wittes myspenden
¶ As wel freres as othur folk / folliche spendenC
In housynge and in helynge / in hih clergie swewynge
More for pompe and pruyde / as þe people wot wel
Þat y ly not loo / for lordes thei plesoun
And reuerensceþ þe Riche / þe rather fo here syluur
A-ȝeins þe counseil of crist / as holychurche witnesseþ
Ne sitis acceptores personarum
¶ loo what holychurche witnesseþ / of wykkede techeres
As holynesse and honestete / out of holy churche
Spryngeþ and spredeþ / and enspireþ þe poeple /
Throw parfit preosthod / and prelates of holychurche /
¶ Riht so out of holychurche / al vuel spredeþ
Þer inparfit preost-hod is / precheres and techeres
¶ And see hit by ensaumple / on treos in somurtyme
Þere some bowes bereþ leues / and som bereþ none
¶ Þe bowes þat bereþ not / and beoþ nat grene leued
Þer is a meschief in þe more / of suche manere stokkes
¶ Riht so persones and preostes / and prechours of holy churche
Is þe rote of þe ryht feythe / to ruele þe poeple
¶ Ac þer þe rote is roton / reson wot þe soþe
Schal neuere flour ne fruyt wexe / ne fair leof beo grene
¶ For wolde þe lettrede leue / þe lecherie of cloþinge
And beo corteys and kunde / of holy churchez goodes
Parte wiþ þe poure / and ȝoure pruyde leue
And þer-to trewe of ȝoure tonge / and of ȝoure tail al-so
And haton harlotrye / to vndurfonge þe tyþes
Of vsurers and of hores / and al vuel wynnynges /
¶ loþ were lewed men / but þei ȝoure lore foloweden
And amende hem of here mysdedes / more for ȝoure ensaumples
Þan for to preche and preoue hit nat / ypocrysie hit semeþ
¶ Ypocrysie / is a braunche of pruyde / & most a-mong clerkes
And y-likned in latyn / to a lothly dongehep
Þat were by-snewe al wiþ snowe / and snakes wiþ-Inne
¶ Rith so mony preostes / prechours and prelates
Þat beoþ enblaunched wiþ bele paroles and wiþ bele clothes
And as lambes þei loken / and lyuen as wolues
Iohannes Crysostomus carpuþ þus of clerkes
¶ Sicut de templo omne bonum progreditur / sic de templo omne malum procedit
Si sacerdocium integrum fuerit tota floret ecclesia / si autem corrupta fueritN om
nium fides marcida est Si sacerdocium fuerit in peccatis totus populus conuertitur .
ad peccandum / sicut cum videris arborem pallid{u}am et marcidam intelligis
quod vicium habet in radice / Ita cum videris populum indiciplinatum
et irreligiosum / sine dubio sacerdocium eius non est sanumC
¶ A-las lewede men / muche leose ȝe þat fyndoun
Vnkynde creatours / to beo / keperes of ȝoure soules
Ac thinge þat wikkedliche y-wonne / and wiþ falce slythes
Wolde neuure oþer-wyse god / but wykkede men hit hadde
As inparfite preostes / and preochours aftur suluer
Secutours and sodones / somenours and here lemmans
And þat wiþ gyle was gete / vngraciouslicle / vngraciouslic[h]e despended
¶ Curatours of holy churche / and clerkes þan beo auerous
Rihtliche þat þei lyue / loseles hit deuouroun
¶ leoueþ hit wel lordes / boþe lered and lewede
Þat þus goþ here goodes / atte þe last ende
Þat lyuen a-ȝeyns þe holy lore / and þe loue of charite
¶ ¶ Charite quaþ y þo / þat is a þing for-sothe
Þat maystres comende muche / wher may hit beo founde
¶ Ich haue lyued in londoun / mony longe ȝeres
And found y neuure in faith / as freres hit precheþ
Charite þat chargeþ nat / ne chit þauh men greue hit
As Paul in a Pystle / of him bereþ witnesse
Non inflatur non est ambyciosa /
¶ Y knew neuure by crist / clerk noþur lewede
Þat he ne asket aftur his / and oþer-while coueytede
Think þat neoded him nauht / and nym hit if he myhteC
¶ For þauh men souhte alle sectes / of sustren and breþeren
And fynd hym but figuratifly / a ferly me þenkeþ .
Hic in Enygmate / tunc facie ad faciem
¶ And so y trow trewly / by that men tellen of charite
¶ Charite is a childisch thyng / as holy churche witnesseþ
Nisi efficiamini sicut paruuli
Als proud of a peny / as of a pound of goolde
And als glad of a gowne / of a grey russet
As of a cote of camoka / or of clene charlet
¶ He is glad wiþ al glade / as gurles þat lawhen alle
And sory when he seeþ men sory / as þow seost children
lawhen þer men lawhen / and loure þer men loureþ
¶ And when a man swereþ for soþe / forsoþe he hit troweþ
He weneþ þat no whit / wolde lye and swere
Ne þat eny gome wolde / gylen oþer ne greue
For drede of god þat is so good / and þus vs teche
Quodcumque vultis vt vobis faciant homines / facite eis
¶ He naþ no lykynge to lauhe / ne likne me to scorne
¶ Alle sekenesse and sorows / for solas he hit takeþ
¶ And alle manere meschiefs / as Ministralcie of heuene
¶ Of deþ ne of deorþe / drad was he neuere
Ne myslike{þ}d þauh he leore / or leuede to þat ylke
Þat neuure payed peny aȝe / in place þer he borowed
¶ Who fyndeþ hem here fode quod y / or what frendes haþ he
Rentes oþur richeses / to releue hym at his neode
¶ Of rentes ne of richesses quath he / reccheþ he neuure
On Aperis tu manum / alle þyng him fyndeþ
Fiat voluntas tua / festeþ hym eche daye
¶ And al-so he can clergie / credo in deum patrem
And portreyeþ wel þe Pater noster . and peynteþ hit with auees
¶ And othur-while his wone is / to wende in pilgrymages
Þer poure menne and prysones beoþ / and payeþ for here lyflode
Cloþeþ hem and conforteþ hem / and of crist precheþ hem .
What sorowes he suffrede / in ensaumple of vs alle
Þat pouerte and pacience / parfitteliche y-take
Is muche merit to þat man / þat wel may soffren
¶ When he hath þus vysited fetered folk / and oþer folc poure
Þan he ȝerneþ in-to þouht / and ȝeply he secheþ
Pruyde with alle þa portenauncez / and packeþ hem to-gederes
And laueþ hem in þe lauendry
laboraui in gemitu meoC
And boukeþ hem at his breost / and beteþ hit ofte
And wiþ warm watur of his eyen / wokeþ hit til he white
Lauabis me et super niuem dealbabor .
Þanne syngeþ he wan he so doþ / and some-tyme wepynge
Cor contritum et humiliatum deus non despicies
¶ Wher y wiþ hym by crist quodC y / y wolde neuure fro hym
Þauh y my by-lyfe schold begge / a-boute at men hacches
¶ Wher clerkus knowe him not quod y / þat kepon holy churche
Peres þe plouhman . quaþ he / most parfitliche him knoweþ
Et vidit de{a}us cogitaciones eorum
By cloþinge ne by carpynge / know schalt þou hym neuere
Ac throw werkes þow myhte wyte / wher forþ he walkeþ /
operibus crediteC
¶ He is muriest of mouthe / at metes þer he sitteþ
And compenable in companye / as crist hym-self techeþ
Nolite tristes fieri / sicut ypochrite
¶ Y haue seyn hym my-self / som-tyme in russet
Bothe in grey and in Grys / and in gylt harneys .
And al-so gladliche he gyueþ / to gomes þat hit neodeþ
Edmund and Edwarde / ayther were seyntes
And chief Charite wiþ hem / and chast al here lyue
¶ I haue seyn Charite / also / syngen and rede
Riden and rennen / in raggede cloþes
Ac byddynge as a beggare / by-heold y hym neuere
¶ Ac in riche robus / rathest he walkeþ
Y-called and y-Cromyled / and his croune y-schaue
¶ And in a Freres frok / he was y-founde ones
Ac hit is fer and fele ȝeeres / in Fraunceys tyme
In þat secte sythe / to selde he haþ be founde
Riche men he comendeþ / and here robes takeþ
Of þo þat lelliche lyuen / and louen and byleouen .T
¶ In kynges cort he comeþ / if his consail beo trewe
Ac if couetyse beo of his consail / he wol not come þer-Inne
¶ A-monges þe Comunes in cort / he comeþ but selde
For brawlyng or for bacbytynge / and beryng of fals witnesse
¶ In constorie by-fore þe Commissarie / he comeþ nat ful ofte
For here lawe is ouur longe / but if thei lacche suluer
¶ With b{u}ysschopes he wold beo / for beggares sake
Ac auarice oþur-whiles / halt hym with-oute þe gate
Kynges and cardinals / knewen hym som-tyme
Ac throw couetyse and his consail / congeyed is he ofte
¶ And wo-so coueyteþ to knowe hym / suche a kynde him folowiþ
As y tolde þe with tonge / a lytul tyme passed
For noþur he beggeþ ne byddeþ / ne borowyþ to ȝeelde
He halt hit a nycete / and a four schame /
To beggen or to borowe / but of god one .
panem nostrum cotidianum .C
Hic explicit passus septimus & vltimus de dowelC /
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caritatis
caritatis
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