Hic incipit passus Primus de dobet .C
tTHer is non suche y sayde / þat som-tyme ne borweþ
Or beggeþ or byddeþ / beo he riche or poure
And ȝut oþer-wyle wroþ / wiþ-oute eny synne
Ho-so is wroþ & wolde beo a-wreke / holywrit quod he preueþ
He passeþ chief charite if holychurge beo trewe
Caritas omnia suffert
Holywrit witnesseþ / þer were suche Eremites
Solitarie by hem-selue / and in here selles lyuedoun
Wiþ-oute borwyng or beggynge / but of god one
Excepte þat Egydie / an hynde oþur-while
To his selle selde cam / and soffrede to beo mylked .
Elles foules fedden hem / in frithes þer þei woneden
Boþe antony and Erseny / and othere mo fele
Paul primus Eremyta / hadde parroket him-selue
Þat no man myhte seo hym / for muche mos and leues
Foules hym fedde / yf frere austyn . beo trewe
For ordeynede that ordre / or elles þei gabben
¶ Paul aftur his prechynge / panyeres he made
And wan wiþ his hondes / al that hym neoded
Petur Fischede for his fode / and his fere
Som þei solde and som þei sende / and so þei lyueden boþe
Marie magdeleyne / by mores lyuede and dewes
loue and lel by-leoue / heold lyf and soule to-gederes
Maria Egipciaca / eet in þritty wyntur
But þre litul loues / and loue was here souel
I can nat rekene hem riht nowe / ne reherse her names
Þat lyueden thus for oure lordes loue / mony longe ȝeres
Wiþ-oute borowynge or beggynge / or þe bok lieþ
And wonedoun in wildurnesses / amonge wilde bestes
¶ Ac durst no best byten hem / by daye ne by nyhte
But myldeliche when þei metten / maden louh chere
And faire by-fore þo men / faunede wiþ þe tailles
¶ Ac bestes brouhte hem no mete / but oneliche þe foules
In tokenynge þat trewe men / alle tymes scholde
Fynde honeste men and holy men / and other rithful people
¶ For wolde neuure faithful god / þat freres and monkes token
Lyflode of luthur wynnynges / in al heore lyf-tyme
¶ As witnesseþ holy wryt / what Thobie seyde
To his wyf whan he was blynde / he herde a lamb blete
¶ A wyf beo war quaþ he / what ȝe haue her-Inne
Lord leue quaþ þat lede / no stole þynge beo her-Inne
Videte ne furtum sit / et alibi* Melius est mory quam male viuere /
This is no more to mene / but men of holychurche
Scholde receyue riht nauht / but þat ryhte wolde
And refuse reuerences / and raueners offrynges
¶ Þenne wolde lordes and ladies / beo loþe for to a-gulte
And to take of here tenauns / more þen trewþe wolde
And marchans merciable wolde beo / and men of lawe bothe
¶ Wolde religious refuse / raueners almesse
Þenne grace scholde growe ȝut / and grene leued wexe
¶ And charite þat cheld is nowe / scholde chaufen of hem-selue
And conforte al cristone / wolde holy churche amende
Iob þe parfit patriarke / this prouerbe wrot and tauhte
To make men louye mesure / þat monkes beoþ and freres
Numquam dicit iob rugiet onager cum habuerit herbam / aut mugiet bos cum ante plenum presepe
steterit . Brittorum animalium natura te condempnat quia cum pabulum comune sufficiat ex adipe prodiit iniquitasP
If lewede men knewe þis latyn / a lytul thei wolde a-uyse hem
Er thei amortisede eny more / for monkes or for chanouns
¶ A-las lordes and ladyes / lewede counsail haue ȝe
To feffe suche and fede / þat founded beoþ to þe folle
With þat ȝoure barnes and ȝoure blod / by goode lawe may cleyme
¶ For god bad his blessed / as þe bok techeþ
Honora patrem et matremC
To helpe þi fadur formest / by-fore freres and monkes
And er preostes or pardoners / or eny people elles .
¶ Help þi kynne cryst bydeþ / for þer by-gynneþ charite
And aftur-ward a-wayte / ho hath most neode
An þer help if thou hast / and þat halde y charite
¶ Loo Laurens for his largenesse / as holy lore telleþ
Þat his mede and his manhed / for euure-more schal lasteC
Iusticia eius manet in seculum seculi /
¶ He gaf godes men godes goodes / and not to grete lordes
And fedde þan a-fyngred / and in defaute lyuedoun
¶ I dar not carpe of clerkes now / þat cristes tresour kepen
Þat poure people by pure riht / here part þei myhten aske
Of that þat holychurche / of þe olde lawe cleymeþ /
Prestes on aparail / and on purnele spenen
¶ Men may likne letrerdmen / to a luscheborg or worse
And to a bad peny / with a good prente
¶ For of muche moneye / þe metal is ryht nauht
Ȝut is þe prent ryht trewe / and parfitliche y-graue
¶ And so hit faruþ by falce cristine / here follouht is trewe
Cristondom of holykirke / þe kynges mark of heuene
¶ Ac þe metal þat is mannes soule / of mony of þes techeres
Is a-layed with lecherie / and oþur lustes of synne
And god coueyteþ nat þe coyne / þat crist hym-self pryntede
And for synne of þe soule / for-sakeþ his owne coygne
¶ Thus are þe luthur lyknede / to luscheborue sterlynges
Þat faire by-fore folc / prechen and techen
And worchen nat as þei fynde y-writen / and wissen þe people
¶ For what throw werre and wrake / and wykkede hedes
May no preyere pees make / in no place hit semeþ
Lewede men han non by-leoue / so lettred men erren
¶ As þei y-woned were / in wham is þe defaute
Nat in god þat he nis good / and þe ground bothe
And þe see and þe seed / þe sonne and þe mone
done here deuere day and nyht / and if we duden also
Þer scholde beo plente and pees / perpetuel for euure /
Wondur-wyse schupmen now / and oþur witty people
Han non by-leue to þe lyft / ne to þe lode-sterres
¶ Astronomyers al-day / in here art fayllen
Þat whilom warnede men by-fore / what sholde by-falle aftur .
Schupmen and schepherdes / by þe seuene sterres
Wyston wele and tolden / whenne hit scholde regne
¶ Tyliers þat tyledoun þe eorthe / tolden here maystres
By þe seed þat þei sewe / what þei scholde notye
And what lyueby and lyue / þe lond was so trewe
¶ Now failleþ þis folc / boþe soweres and schupmen
Nowthur þei knoweþ ne conneþ / ocours / o cours by a-noþur
¶ Astronomyens al-so / aren at here wyttes ende
Of þat þat was calkuled of þe clymat / þe contrarie þei fyndeþ .
Gramere þat ground is of al / by-gyleþ now children
For þer is nouthe non / who-so nymeþ hede
Þat can vercifie faire / or formeliche endite
Ne that can construe formiliche / þat poetes maden
¶ Gowe we nouh to eny degree / and but gile beo halde a maystur
And a flaterere for his huscher / and ferly me þynkeþ
¶ Doctours of decree / and of deuyne maystres
Þat scholde þe seuene ars conne / and assoille
But þei faile in philosophie / and philosofres lyuedoun .
¶ Lord leue þat preostes / lelly seyen here masses
Þat þei ne ouurhuppe nat for haste / as y hope þei do nat
¶ Thauh hit suffice for oure sauacioun / sothfast bileoue
Þat sola fides sufficit / / to saue with lewede people
¶ Ac if preostes don here deuer wele / we schul do þe betere
For sarasyns may beo saued so / if þei so by-leouede
In þe lenthynge of here lyf / to leoue on holychurche
¶ What is holychurche frend quod y / charite he seyde /
Lyf / and loue / and leaute / in o byleue a lawe
A loue-knot of leaute / and of lel byleue
Al kynne cristone / cleuynge on o wil
Wiþ-oute gyle / and gabbyng / gyue and selle / & lene
¶ Loue . lawe . with-oute leaute / a-lowable was hit neuere
God lereþ no lyf to loue / wiþ-oute lel cause /
¶ Iuwes / Gentiles / and sarasyns / iugen hem-selue
Þat lelliche þei by-leeuen / and ȝut here lawe diuerseþ
And o god þat al by-gan / wiþ goode herte þei honoureþ
And aythur loueþ and by-leeueþ / on o lord almyhty
¶ Ac oure lord loueþ no loue / but lawe beo þe cauce
¶ For lechours louen a-ȝeyn þe lawe / and at last beoþ dampned .
And þeoues leaute haten / and at last beoþ hanged
And lelle men louen as lawe techeþ / and loue þer-of a-ryseþ
Þe wuche is heued of charite / and hele of mannes sowle
dilige deum propter deum / idest / id est ppter veritatem
Et inimicum tuum propter mandatum / idest / id est propter legem
& amicum propter amorem / id est propter caritatem
¶ loue god for he is good / and ground of al trewþe
¶ loue þin enymy entierly / godes hest to folfulle
¶ loue þi Frend þat foloweþ þi wille / þat is þi faire soule
¶ For when al frendes faillen / and fleon a-way in dyinge
Þen seweþ þe þi soule / to sorow or to ioye
And ay hopeþ eft to beo / wiþ hure body at þe laste /
In murthe or in mornyng / and neuure efte to departe
¶ And þat is charite my leue child / to beo chere ouur þi soule
Contrarie hure nat as in concience / if þow wolt com to heuene /
¶ Wher sarasyns y sayde / seo nat what is
¶ Hit may beo þat sarasyns / hauen suche amanere / a manere
Louye as by lawe of kynde / oure lord god al-myhty
¶ Hit is a kunde þinge {/} creature / his creatour to honoure
For þer is no man þat munde haþ / þat ne meokeþ hym & bysecheþ
To þat lord þat hym lyf lente / and lyflode hym sendeþ
¶ Ac mon{i}y maner men þer beoþ / as sarasyns and Iuwes
loueþ nat þat lord a-riht / as by legende Sanctorum
And leuen out of lel by-leoue / for þei leoue in a mene /
An man þat hihte Makamede for Messie þei him heolde
And aftur his lerynge þei lyuen / and by lawe of kynde
¶ And when kynde haþ his cours / and no contrarie fyndeþ
Þenne is lawe y-lost / and leaute vn-knowe
Beaute sanz bountee / / blesset was hit neuure /
Ne kynde saunz cortesye in no contreye preysed
And a cardinal of court / a gret clerk wiþ-alle
And porsuede to haue beon pope / prynce of holy churche
And for he was like a loysceborue / y leue oure lord hym lette /
For-þi souht he in-to Surrye / and sotilede hou he myhte
Beo maystur ouur al þo men / and on þis maner he wrouhte
¶ He endauntede a Dowe / day and nyht here fedde
In aythur of his eres / pruueliche he hadde
Corne þat þe coluer eete / when he cam in places
And in what place þat he prechede / and þe people tauhte
Þe scholde þe coluere com / to þe clerkes eere /
Menyng as aftur his mete / thus Makamede heore {n}enchaunted
¶ And when þe cam thus / þen knelede þe people
For Makamed to men swor / hit was a messagere of heuene
And sothly god self / in suche a coluere likenesse
Tolde hym and tauht hym / hou to teche þe people
¶ Thus Makamed in mysbyleoue / man and wommon brouhte
And in his lore þei lyuen ȝut / as wel rC lered as lewade
¶ And sythe our saueour suffrede / suche a fals cristene
deseyue so sarasynes / sothly me þenkuþ
Holy men as y hope / throw help of þe holy gost
Scholde conuerte hem to criste / and cristondam take
¶ A-las þat men so longe / on makamede by-leouen
So monye preostes to preche / as þe pope makeþ
Of Nasareth of Nynyue of Neptalym of damascle
Þat þei ne wendeþ þe weye / as holy writ byddeþ
Ite in vniuersum mundum / / siþe ȝe wilneþ þe name
To beo prelates and preche / þe passioun ofihesus
And as hym-self seyde / so lyue and dye
Bonus pastor animam suam ponit pro ouibus suis
¶ Hit is reuthe to rede / ho rith holy men lyueden
Hou þei defouledenN here fleisch / for-sokene her owne wil
¶ Feor fro kyþe and fro kyn / vuel cloþed ȝeodon
Baddeliche beddyd / no bok but here concience
Nothur richesse bot þe rode / to reioyce hem Inne
Absit nos gloriari nisi in cruce domini nostri ihesu christi .
And þo was pees and plentee / amonge poure and riche
¶ And now is reuthe to rede / hou þe rede Noble /
Is receyuede by-fore þe Rode / and receyuede for þe worthiour
To amende and to make / as wyþ men of holychurche /
Þan crist or croys þat ouurcam / deþe / and dedly synne .
¶ And now is werre and wo / and wo-so why askeþ /
For couetyce aftur crois / þe crone s{.}tant in golde /
¶ Bothe riche and religious / that rode þei honouren /
Þat In þe grotes is y-graue / and in þe gold Noobles /
¶ For couetyse of þat croys / clerkes of holychurche
Schulle ouur-turne as templers duden / þe tyme a-procheþ faste
¶ Mynne ȝe nat lered men / hou þo men honourede
More tresour þan trewþe / y dar not telle þe soþe
Hou þo cursed cristine / catel and richesse worschepdoun
Reson and rithful dom / tho religious dampnede
¶ Rith so ȝee clerkes / oure couetice or come out longe
Schal dampne dos ecclesie and depose ȝow fro ȝoure pruyde
Deposuit potentes de sede /
¶ If knyhthod and kyndewit / and þe commune and concience
To-gederes louyen leuliche / leueþ hit wel bisschopes
Þe lordschip of londes / lese ȝe schal for euure
And lyuen as leuitici dude / and as oure lord ȝow techeþ
per primicias &
decimasC
¶ When constantyn of his cortasie / holykirke dowede
With londes and leedes / lordschupes and rentes
An angel men herde an hyh / at rome crye
dos ecclesie this day / hathe y-dronke venym
And þo þat han Petres power / aren apoysened alle
¶ A medicine most þer-to / þat myhte amende þe prelates
Þat scholden preye for þe pes / and possession hem letteþ
¶ Takeþ here londes ȝee lordes / and let hem lyue by dymes
If ȝe kynges coueyten / in cristone pees to lyuen
For if possession beo poyson / and inparfit hem make
Þe hefdes of holichurche / and þo þat beon vndur hym
Hit were charite to deschargen hem / for holychurches sake /
And purge hem of þe olde poysoun / er more peril falle
¶ For were preosthod more parfit / þat is þe pope formest
Þat wiþ moneye meynteyneþ men / to werren vpon cristene
A-ȝeins þe lore of oure lorde / as seint Luk witnesseþ
His preyeres wiþ his pacience / to pes schulde brynge
Al londes in-to loue / and þat in lytul tyme
¶ Þe pope wiþ alle preostes / pax vobis scholde make
And take hede hou Makamed / þrow a mylde dowe
Hadde al surrye as him-self wolde / and sarsyns in {o}quiete
¶ Nouht þrow mannes-slauht and strengþe / makamed had þe maistrie
But throw pacience and pryue gile / he was prince ouur hem alle
¶ In suche manere me þinkeþ / most þe pope
Prelates and preostes / preyen and by-seche
deuouteliche day and nyht / and wiþ-drawe hem fro synne
¶ And crie to crist þat he wolde / his coluore sende
Þe whuc is þe holy gost / þat out of heuene descendede
Ta make perpetual pees / by-twene þe prince of heuene
And al manere men / þat on þis molde libben
¶ If preost-hod were parfit / and preyede þus / þe peple scholde amende
Þat now contrarien cristes lawes / and cristondom despyseþ
¶ For sythe þat theos sarasyns / scribes and þes Iuwes
Hauen a lyppe of oure by-leoue / þe lithlocour me þenkeþ
Thei scholde turne þat trauaile wolde / and of þe trinite teche hem .
¶ For alle Paynymes preyen / and parfiteliche byleouen
In þe grete hye god / and his grace asken /
And maken here mone to / makamed her message to schewe
¶ Thus in a faith lyueþ þat folc / and in a falce mene
And þat is ruthe for þe rythfol men / þat in þat reme wonyeþ
And a peryl for þo prelates / þat þe pope makeþ
Þat bereþ name of Neptalym / of Nynyue and of damaske
¶ For when þe holy kynge of heuene / sende his son to eorthe
Mony myracles he wrouht / man for to turne
In ensaumple þat men scholde / seo by sad resoun
Þat men myhte nat be saued / but throw mercy and grace
And þrow penaunce and passion / and parfit by-leoue
¶ And by-cam man of a mayde / and Metropolanus .
And baptizede and bysschopede / wiþ þe blod of his heorte
Al þat wilnede or wolde / wiþ Inwit byleoue hit
¶ Mony seint sithe / suffrede deþe also
For to enferme þe faith / fulwyd were dyeden
In Inde and in Alisaundre / in Ermanye in spayne
And fro mysbileoue / mony men turnede
¶ In sauacion of mannes soule / Seint Thomas . of kaunterbury
A-monge vn-kynde cristene / in holy kirke was sleye
And al holy churche / honoured for þat dyinge
¶ He is a forbusne to alle bysschopes / and a bryht myrrour
And souereynliche to al suche / þat of Surrye bereþ name
¶ And nat in Engulond to huppe a-boute / and halwen men auteres
¶ Mony man for cristes loue / was martred a-mong romayns
Er cristondam were knowe þere / or eny crois honoured
¶ Euerich bysschop by þe lawe / scholde boxomliche wende
And paciens-liche þrow his prouince / & to his people hym scewe
Feden hem and fullen hem / and fere hem fro synne
In baculi forma / sit presul hec tibi norma
Fer trahe punge gregem / seruando per omnia legem
And enchaunten hem to charite / on holy churche to by-leoue
¶ For as þe kynde is of a knyht / or for a kyng to be take
And amonge here enemys / in mortelez batailles
To beo culled and ouurcome / þe comune to defenden /
So is þe kynde of a curatour / for cristes loue to preche
And deye for his dure children / to destrue dedly synne /
Bonus pastorC
And nameliche þer as lewede lyuen / and no lawe knowen
¶ Ac we cristone conneþ þe lawe / and hauen of oure tonge
bysschopes and bokes / þe by-leue to teche
¶ Iuwes lyuen in þe lawe / þat oure lord tauhte
Moyses to be maistur þer-of / til þat Messye come
And in þat lawe þei lyue / and leten hit for þe beste
And ȝut knewe þei crist / þat cristondom tauhte
And for a parfit prophete / þat muche people sauede
And of selcouþe sores / sauede men fol ofte
¶ By þe miracles þat he made / Messye he semede
Þo he lyfte vp Lazar / þat leyd was in graue
Quatriduanus cold / quike dude hym walke
Iuwes seyden þat hit seyen / wiþ sorcerie he wrouhte
And fondeden to strye hym / and stryeden hem-selue
And her power throgh his pacience / to pure nouht brouhten
And ȝut þei seyen sothly / and so doþe þe sarasynes
Þat ihesus was but a Iogulor / a Iapere a-monge þe comune
And a sophistre of sorcerie / and pseudo propheta
And þat his lore was lesynge / and lacken hit alle
And hopon þat he beo to comynge / þat schal hem releue
Moyses or Makamed / / here maystres dyuyneþ
And hauen a suspecion to beo saf / boþe sarasyns and Iuwes
Throw Moyses and Makamed / / and myhte of god þat made al .
¶ Now sithe þat þeos sarasyns / and al-so þus Iuwes
Conne þe furst clauce of oure by-leue Credo in deum patrem
Prelates and preostes / scholden preoue if þei myhte
lere hem litulum and litulum / / and in ihesum christum filium eius
Til þei couþe speke and spele / and in spiritum sanctum
Recorden hit and reden hit / wiþ remissionem peccatorum
Carnis resurreccionem et vitam eternam amen /
Hic explicit passus primus
Iob þe