Incipit passus octauus .C
THo cam sleuthe al by-slobered / wiþ to slymed eyen .
Y most sitte to by schriue quod he / or elles schal y nappe
Y may not stande ne stoupe / ne wiþ-ouȝte stole knele .
Were y browt in my bedde / but my tailende hit made
Scholde no ryngyng do me ryse / til y were ripe to dyne
¶ Benedicite he by-gan with a boolk / and his brest knocked
Rasklette and remed / and rowte atte þe laste
¶ What a-wake Renk quod repentaunce / rape þe to schrifte
¶ Shold y die quod he by þis day / y drede me so sore
Y can nat parfitly my paternoster / as þe preost hit syngeþ
¶ Y can rymes of Robyn hod / of Randolf Erl of chestre
Ac of oure lord ne of oure lady / þe lest þat euere was maked
¶ Y haue a-vowed wowes forty / and for-ȝut hem a-morowe
¶ Y parformed neuere penaunce / þat þe preost me hihte .
Ne rith sory for my synnes / y sey neuere þe tyme
And bidde eny beodes / but hit beo in wrathe
That y telle wiþ my tonge / is ten myle fro my herte .
¶ Y am ocupied eche day / haliday and oþer
Wiþ ydul tales atte nale / and oþur-while in churches
Godes spine and his passioun / is pure seld in my thowt
¶ Y visited neuere feble man / ne fetered man in prysone
¶ Y had leuere here of harlotrye / or a reson to lauhen of
Or lakke men or {k} likken hem / in vnlikyng manere
Þan al þat Euere Marc made Mathow Iohan or Lucas
¶ Vygilies and fastinges / y can for-ȝut hem alle
and ligge a-bedde in lente / my lemmon in my narmes
Til matyns and messe beo doun / þenne haue y memorie at freres .
Y am nat y-schriue som-tyme / but seknesse hit make
Nat twies in ten ȝer / ȝut tel y not haluondol .
Y haue beo preost and person / passing þritty wintur
Ȝut can y nowþer soolfe ne syng / ne a seintes lif rede
Ac y can fynde in a felde / and in a forlong an hare
And holden a knytes Cort / and a-Counte with þe Reue
Ac can y nat construe Canoun / ne clerchialy redoun .
Ȝif y bugge and borow ouht / but hit beo y-tailled /
Y for-ȝete hit as ȝorne / and ȝef eny mon hit askeþ /
Six sythe or seuene / y for-sake hit with othes .
Þus haue y teoned trew men / ten hondred tymes .
And som tyme my seruauns her salarie is by-hynde
Ruthe is to here þe rekenynge / wen we schul rede a-countes
Þat with so wikked wil / my werkmen y paye .
¶ Ȝif eny man doþe me a bien-feat / or helpuþ me at nede
I am vnkynde a-ȝeins cortasie / y can nat vndurstand hit
For y haue and haue had / somdel haukes maneres
I am nat lured myd loue / but ouȝt ligge vndur thombe /
Þe kyndenesse of my em[c]risten / kud me ferne-ȝer
Syxti sythe y sleuthe / haue for-ȝete hit sythe /
¶ In speche an in sparing of speche / y pilt mony tymes
Boþe fleisch and eke fiche / and vytaille kept so longe
Tyl eche a lyf hit loþed / to loke þer-on or smelle hit
¶ Boþe bred and ale / botere mylk and chese
For-sleuþe hit in my seruice / and set ous a-fuyre .
And ȝeode a-boute in my ȝouthe / and ȝaf me to no þeedam .
And sithe a beggare haue y beo / for my soule sleuthe .
Heu michi quod sterilem duxi vitam iuuenilem .
Repente þe quod repentaunce / riht wiþ þat he swoned
Til vigilate þe veille / vette watur atte his eyen .
And flat on his face / and fast on him criede
And seyde war From wanhope / þat wol þe by-traie /
Y am sory for my synnes / sey to þi-selue
And bete þi-self on þe brest / and bidde god of grace
For þer is non gult so gret / þat his goodnesse is more .
¶ Þan sat sleuthe vp / and seyned him ofte
And made a vowe by-fore god / for his foule sleuthe
¶ Schal no soneday þis seuene ȝer beo / but syknesse hit make
Þat y ne schal do me er day / to þe dere churche
And here matyns and masse / as y a monk were
¶ Schal non ale aftur mete / holde me þennes
Til y haue herd Euesong / y by-hote to þe rode
¶ Ac whuche beon þe branches / þat bryngeþ me / me[n] to sleuthe
¶ Ys wan a man morneþ nat / for his misdedes
¶ Þe penaunce þat þe preost enioyneþ / parformeþ vuele /
¶ doþ non almesdedes / and drat nat of synne
¶ Lyueþ a-ȝeynst þe by-leoue / and no lawe kepoþ
¶ And hathe no likyng to lerne / ne of oure lord here
But harlotrie and hordomm / or elles of som wynnyng .
¶ Whan men carpen of crist / or clennesse of soule
He wexet wroth and wol not here / but wordes of murthe
¶ Penaunce and pore men / þe passioun of seyntes
He hateþ to here þer-of / and alle þat þer-of karpoun .
¶ thes beoth þe branches be war / þat bryngeþ men to wanhope /
¶ Ȝe lordes and ladies / and legates of holy churche
Þat feden folsages / fol sages / flaterers and lyares
And han likyng to here hem / in hope to do ȝow lauhe
In ȝoure deþ-deyinge / y drede me sore /
Lest þo manere men / to muche sorow ȝow bryng
Consencientes et agentes pari pena punientur
Patriarkes and prophetis / prechours of godes wordes
Sauen þrow here sarmons / mannes soule fro helle .
Riht so flaterers and foles / aren þe fendes procuratours .
Entysen men þrow here tales / to synne and to harlotrie .
¶ Clerkes þat knoweþ þis / scholde kenne lordes
What dauid seyde of suche men / as þe sauter telleþ
Non habitabit in medio domus mee qui facit superbiam . qui loquitur iniqua
¶ Scholde non harlot haue audience / in halle ne in chaumbre /
Ther þat wise men were / witnesse on godes wordes
Nothur a mysproud man / a-mong lordes a-lowed .
¶ Clerkes and knytes / wel-comeþ lordes ministralles
And fore loue of here lordes / lithen hem at festes /
¶ Muche more me þenkeþ / riche men auhte
Haue beggares by-fore hem / þe wuche beoþ godes ministralles
As he seith him-self seint Iohan . bereþ witnesse
qui vos spernit me spernitC
¶ Þer-fore i rede ȝow riche / reueles wen ȝe maken
For to solace ȝoure soules // suche ministralles to haue .
Þe pore for a fol sage / sittyng at þi table
With a lered man to lere þe / what oure lord suffrede
for to saue þi soule / from satan þin Enymi .
And fithele þe with-ouȝt flatering / of god friday þe feste
¶ And a blind man for a bordiour / or a bedereden wommon
To crie a largeis to-fore oure lord / ȝoure gode los to schewe
¶ Þes þre manere ministrales / maken a man to lauhe
And inP his deþe-dyinge / þei don him gret confort
Þat bi his lif loueþ hem / and loueþ hem to hure
¶ Þeos solasen þe soule / til him-self be-falle
In a wel hope for he wrouȝt so / a-mong worþi seyntes
¶ Þer flateres and foles / with here foule wordes
leden þo þat hereþ hem / to Lucifers / feste
With turpiloquio a lay of sorowe / and Lucifers fythele
To perpetual peyne / or purgatorie as wikke
For he loueþ and liþeth / þat godes lawe despiseþ
. dare histrionibus & ceteraC
¶ Þo was repentaunce a-redi / and radde hem alle to knele
I schal by-seche for alle synfol / oure saueour of grace
To amende ous of oure misdedes / do mercy to vs alle
¶ God of þi goodnesse / gonne þe worlde make
And of nouȝt madest ouȝt / and man liche þi-selue
Sythe soffredest him do synne / a seknesse to vs alle
And for oure best as y bi-leoue / what-euere þe bok telle
O felix culpa / o necessarium ade peccatum
¶ For throw þat synne thi sone / sent was til eorthe
And by-cam man of a mayde / man-kynde to amende
And madest þi-seelf wiþ þi sone / oure soule and body liche
Ego in patre et pater in me est / Et qui vidit me patrem meum vidit
And syþe in oure secte / as hit semed deidest
On a fryday in forme of man / feledest oure sorow /
Captiuam duxit captiuitatem /
¶ Þe sonne for sorow þer-of / lees lith for a tyme
A-boute midday when most liȝt is / and mel tyme of seyntes
Feddest þo with þi freische blod / oure foure-faderes in helle
Populus qui ambulabat in tenebris vidit lucem magnam .
¶ Þe liht þat lemed ouȝt of þe / Lucifer hit blente
And brouhte þin blessed fro þennes / to þe blisse of heuene
¶ Þe þridde day þer-aftur / þow ȝeodest in oure secte
A synful Marie þe seih / er seint marie þi moder
And alle to solasen sinful / thow soffredest hit so were /
Non veni vocare iustos sed peccatores /
¶ And al þat Marc hath y-mad Mathow Iohan or Lucas .
Of þin douhtiost dedes / was don in oure secte
verbum caro factum est .C
¶ And by so muche hit semeþ / þe sikerloker we mowe
Bidde and by-seche þe / ȝif hit beo þi wille /
¶ Þat ert furst oure fader / and of fleisch oure broþer
And sythen oure saueour / and seidest wiþ þi tonge
Þat what tyme we synful men / wolden beon sory
For dedes þat we han don ylle / dampned ne schold we be neuere
Ȝif we knewleched and cride / crist þe of mercy
Quandocumque gemuerit peccator omnes iniquitates eius non recordabor amplius .
¶ And for þat muchel mercy / and marie loue þi moder
Haue reuthe of alle þes ribaudes / þat repenten hem sore
Þat euere þei agult a-ȝenis þe god / in gost or in dede
¶ Þenne hente hope an horne / of deus tu conuersus viuificabis nos
And blew hit with beati quorum / remisse sunt iniquitates / & quorum tecta & cetera .
Þat alle seintes with synfol men / songen wiþ dauid /
Homines et iumenta saluabis domine / quemadmodum multiplicasti misericordiam tuam deus .
¶ A þousend of men þo / þrongen to-gederes
Cryinge vp-wart to crist / and to his clene moder
To haue grace to go to treuthe god leoue þat þei mote /
Ac þer was wye non so wys / þat þe waie þidur couthe /
But blustred forþ as bestes / ouer baches and hulles
Til late was and longe / þat þei a lede mette /
A-parailed as a paynym / in piligryms wyse
He bar a bordoun y-bounde / wiþ a brod list
In a weþe-wynde wyse / y-wriþe al a-bout
A bolle and a bag / he bar by his syde
And an hundred hanypeles / on his hat setenN
Sygnes of syse / and schelles of gales
And mony crouche on his cloke / and keyes of Rome .
¶ And þe vernicle by-fore / for men scholde knowe
And see by his signes / wham he souht hadde .
Þis folc frayned him furst / fro whennes he come
Fro synay he sayde / and fro þe sepulcre
In bethleem in babiloyne / y haue i-beo in bothe .
In Ermanie in Alisaundre and in damascle
¶ Ȝe may see by signes / þat sitten in my cappe .
I haue souht goode seintes / for my soules helþe
And walket ful wide / in wete and in drye
¶ Knowest thou ouȝt a corseint quod y / þat me / me[n] clepeþ treuthe
Couthest þow wissen vs þe way / wodur-out treuthe wonyeþ
Nai so me god helpe / seyde þat gome þenne
I seih neuere palmare / with pik ne wiþ scrippe
Asken aftur him er now / in þis ilke place /
Petur quod a plouhman / and putte forth his hed
I know him as kyndely / as clerkes don here bokes
Concience and kynde wit / kende me to his place
And made me sykeren him sethen / to seruen him for euere .
¶ Bothe to sowe ant to sette / þe while y swynke myhte
And to sowen his seed / suwen his bestes
With-ynne and with-ouȝt / to waiton / wait on his profit .
¶ Y haue beo his folwere / al this forty wyntur
And serued treuthe sothly / somdel to paie
In alle kyne craftes / þat he couthe dyuise
Profitable to þe plouh / he put me to lerne
¶ And þauh y seie hit my-self / y seruede him to paie /
¶ Y haue my huyre of him wel / and oþer-while more /
¶ He is most prest paiare / þat eny pore man knowiþ
¶ He ne halt non hiwe / his hure ouer Euen
¶He is a / a[s] louh as a lomb / and lel of his tonge
¶ And who-so wilneþ to wyte / wer þat treuthe wonyeþ /
I wol wyssen ȝow wel / ritht to his place
Ȝe leue Peres quod tho pilegryms / and profred peres mede .
¶ Nay by þe peril of my saule / Peres gan swere
Y nolde fong a ferþing / for seint Thomas schryne
Were hit told to treuthe / þat y tok mede /
He wolde loue me þe lasse / a long tyme aftur
¶ Ac ho-so wol wende / þer as treuthe dwelleþ /
This is þe hye way þuderward / witeþ wel þe soþe .
¶ Ȝeo most gon throw meoknesse / al men and wymmen .
Til ȝe come in-to concience / knowen of god selue
¶ Þat ȝe loue him as lord / lelly a-bouen alle
Þat is to sey sothly / ȝe scholde raþer dye
Þan eny dedly synne do / for dede or for preyere
¶ And þenne ȝoure neyhbors next / in none wyse a-peire
Other-wyse þan ȝe wolde / þei wrouht ȝow alle tymes .
¶ And so goþ forþ by þe bok / a brygge as hit were
Tyl ȝe fyndoun a ford / ȝoure fadres honoureþ /
Wadeþ wel in þat watur / and waysche ȝow wel þere
And ȝe schul lepe þe lithloker / al our lif-tyme
Honora patrem & matrem .
¶ Þan schalt þow swere nat / but hit beo for neode
Nameliche on Idel / þe name of god almyhty
¶ Þan schalt þow come by a croft / ac com þow nouȝt þer-Inne
Þe croft hatte Coueite nat / mennes catel ne heore wyues
Ne none of here seruauns / þat nuyen hem myhte
Loke thow bere nat þer a-weye / but hit be þy nowe .
¶ To stokkes ther standen / ac stunt þow nouȝt þere
Þei hatte stele nat and {..}sle nat / strik for by hem bothe
And lef hem on þi lift half / and loke nat þer-aftur .
¶ And holde wel þin halyday / hye til euen
¶ Þen schalt þow blenche at a birche / ber non fals witnesse
Is frythed In with floreyns / and oþer fees monye
Loke thou plokke þer no braunche / for peril of þi saule
¶ Þen schalt þow sey soth / so hit beo to done
In non manere elles nat / for no mannes preyere
¶ So schalt þou come to a Cort / as cler as þe sonne
Þe mot is of mercy / in myddes þe manere /
¶ Al þe wallyng is of whit / for wil ne schold hit wynne
¶ Þe kernelles beon of cristondomm / þat kynde to saue
And boterassed wiþ by-leue so / or þow beost nat saued .T
¶ Wytegod / Wyte god quaþ a wafrestre / wust y þe soþe
Y wolde no forþer a fot / for no frere prechyng
¶ Ȝus quath peres plouhman . and poukede hem alle to gode
Mercy is a mayde þer / hath myhte ouer hem alle
And he is sibbe to al synfol / and hure sone boþe
And þrow þe help of hem two / hope þow non oþer /
Þow miht gete grace þer / so thow go by-tyme .
¶ Ȝe villam emy quath on / and now most y þidere
To loke how me like hit / and tok his leue at Peres .
¶ A-noþer a-non ritht / neode seyde he hadde
To folwen fyue ȝokes / for-þi me bi-houeþ
To gon with a good wil / and greitheliche hem dryue .
For-þi y preie ȝow Peres / / parauntur ȝif ȝe metten
Truthe telluþ to him / þat y beo excused .
¶ Þenne was on hiht Actif ./ an housebond he semed
I haue wedded a wif quaþ he / wel wantowne of maners
Were y sene nyht fro hure siht / synegon he wolde
And loure on me and lithly chide / and seyde y louede a-noþer
For-þi Peres plouhman / y pray þe tel hit treuthe
I may not com for a kitte / so scho cleueþ on me /
vxorem duxi et ideo non possum venire /
Quaþ Contemplacioun by crist / thau y care suffre
Famine and defaute / folwon y wol Peres .
Ac þe weie is so wikkede / but ho-so hadde a gyde
Þat myht folwen ous eche fot / for drede of mis-tornynge /
Explicit passus octauus /