Incipit passus nonus /C
THo seide perkyn plouhman / by seint petur of Rome
Y haue an half acre to erien / by þe heie weie
Had y ered þat half acre / and sowed hit aftur
I wolde wende wiþ ȝou / and þe weie teche /
¶ that were a longe lettyng / quod a lady in a {s}cheyre
What scholde we wemmen / worche þe whiles
Y prey ȝow for ȝoure profit / quaþ Peres to þe ladies
Þat somme sewen þe sak / For schedyng of þe whete
And ȝe worþely wommen / with ȝoure longe fyngres
Þat ȝe on selk and sendel / to sewen wen tyme is
Chesibles for chapeleyns / churches to honoure
¶ Wyues and wydues / wolle and flex spynneþ
Concience consailleþ ȝou / cloth fort to make
For profit of þe pore / and plesaunce of ȝow-selue
For y schal lene hem liflode / but ȝif þe lond faile
As longe as y lyue / for oure lordes loue of heuene
And al manere men / þat bi þis molde is susteyned
Helpeþ him to worche wihtly / þat wynneþ ȝoure fode .
¶ By crist quaþ a knyt þo / he kenneþ vs þe beste
Ac on þe tem trewly / tauht was y neuere
Y wolde y couthe quod þe knyt / by crist and his modur
Y wolde assaie som tyme / For solas as hit were
¶ Sykerly sir knyt / seyde peres thenne
I schal swynke and swete / and sowe for vs bothe
And labour for þe whil þow lyuest / al þi lif tyme .
¶ In couenaunt þat þow kepe / holichurche and me-selue
Fro wastours and wikkedmen / þat þis worlde str{y}uen
¶ And go hunte hardiliche / to hares and foxes
To bores and to bokkes / þat brekeþ doun myn hegges
¶ Affaite þi faukones / to kulle whilde foules
For þei comen in-to my croft / my corn to defoule /
¶ Cortesely þe knyt þenne / comsede þeos wordes
By my power peres / y plyhte þe my treuthe
To defende þe in faith / fiht þauh y scholde /
¶ And ȝut a point quath Peres / y pray ȝow ouer more
Loke ȝe teone no tenaunt / but truthe wol assente /
¶ When ȝe a-mercen eny man / let mercy beo tauxour
And meoknesse þi maistur / maugrei medes chekes
Þan poure men profere ȝow / presentes and ȝiftes
Nim hit nat a-uaunter / þow mowe hit nat deserue
For thow schalt ȝelde so hit may be / and som-del a-bigge /
¶ Misbeod nat thi bondeman / þe bet may þe spede
Þauh he beo heor þin vndurling / in heuene parauntur
He worth raþer receyued / and reuerent-loker sitte
. Amice ascende superiusC
Atte þe churche in þe charnel / cheorles aren euul to knowe
Or a knyt fro a knaue / a quene fro a queene .
¶ Hit by-comeþ to a knyt / to beo corteys and hende
Trewe of his tonge / tales loþ to here /
But thei beo of bounte / of batailles and of trewþe
¶ Halt nat of harlotes / here nat here tales
Nameliche atte þe mete / suche men eschue
Hit beon the deoueles dysours / to draw men to synne .
Countur-plede nat concience / ne holy churche rihtes .
¶ Y assente by seint Gyle / seide þe knyt þenne
For to worche by þi whit {.}/ and my wif bothe
¶ Y schal apparaille me quaþ perkyn / in piligrims wyse
And wendoun wiþ al þo / þat wol lyue in treuthe .
¶ He cast on him his cloþes / of al kyne craftes /
His kokeres and his coffes / as kyndewit him tauhte
And heng his hoper on his half . / in stede of a sckrippe /
¶ A bousschel of brede-corne / brouht was þer-inne .
For y wol sowe hit my-self / and sith wol y wende
To pilgrimages as palmeres doun / pardoun to wynne
My plouh bot schal beo my pykstaf / a piche a-two þe rotes
And helpe my coltor to kerue / and clause þe forowes .
¶ And al þat helpe me to erye / or elles to wedoun
Schal haue leue by oure lord / to go and clene aftur
And make him murie þer-myd / maugre ho by-grucche
¶ And alle kyn crafty men / þat conne lyue in treuthe
I schal fynde hem fode / and feithfolliche libben .
¶ Saue Iacke iogelour / and Ionete of þe stiwes
And daniel dees pleyere / and deno{.}se þe baude /
And al-so frere faitour / and folk of þat ordre
Þat lollares and loseles / for lel men halden .
¶ And Robyn þe ribaudour / for his rousty wordes .
¶ For treuthe told me ones / and bad me telle forþor /
deleantur de libro viuenciumC
Y scholde nat dele with hem / for holy churche hoteþ
Of hem to aske no tyþe quia cum iustis non scribantur
Þei beon aschape good aunter / now god hem amende .
¶ Dame worche when tyme is / Peres . wyf hihte
His doutur hiht do rith so / or þi dame schal þe bete
¶ His sone hihte suffre / thi souereyns haue here wil
dem hem nat for ȝif þow do / thow schalt dere a-bigge /
Consaille nat þe Comune / þe kyng to displese
Ne hem þat han lawes to loke / lac nat hem y hote
Let god worche with al / as holy writ techeþ
super cathedra moysi sedent & cetera .C
Maystres as þe meyres beon / and gret men senatours
What þei comaunde as by þe kyng / countreplede hit neuere /
¶ Al þat þei hote / y hote heyliche / thow soffre hem .
By here warnyng and worching / worche þow þer-aftur .
omnia qui dicunt facite
& seruate .C
¶ Ac aftur here doynge do þow nauȝt / my dere sone quaþ peres .
For now y am old and hor / and haue of myn owen .
To penaunce and to pilgremages / y wol passe with o{..e}þre
For-thi y wol or y wende / do writen my by-quuste .
In dei nomine amen . / y make hit my-self
He schal haue my soule / þat al soules made /
And defende hit fro þe feond / and so is my by-leoue .
In kirke schal haue my kareyne / and kepe my bones .
For of my corne and catel / he craued my tyþe
Y paied hit prestly / for peril of my soule .
¶ He is holdynge y hope / to haue me in his masse
And menge me in his memorie / among al cristene
¶ My wif schal haue of þat i wan / with treuthe and no more
And dele hit among my dowtres / and my dere childeren
¶ For thauh y dye þis dai / my dedtes beon quited
Y bar hom þat y borowed / er y to bed ȝeode /
¶ With þe residue and remenaunt / by þe rode of lukes
Y wol worschip þer-with / treuthe al my lyue
And beo a pilegrym atte þe plouh / for profit of poure and riche
¶ Now perkyn . with þe pilgryms / to þe plouh is faren
To eryen his half acre / holpen him menye
Dikers and deluers / dygedoun op þe balkes
Þer-with was perkyn a-paied / and paied wel here huyre
¶ Othere werkmen þer-fore / þat wrouhten ful ȝeorne
Eche man in his manere / made him-self to done
And some to plese perkyn . / pykede a-wei þe wedus
¶ At hy prime Peres / let þe plouh stonde
And ouur-seye hem him-selue / ho-so best wrouhte
He scholde beo huyred þer-aftur / when heruest tyme come
¶ Þenne seten some / and songon at nale
And holpon erye this half acre / with hoy trolilolly .
¶ Quaþ Peres þe plouhman / in al pure teone
But ȝe ryse þe rather / and rape ȝou to worche
Schal no greyn þat here groweþ / gladon ȝou at nede
And þauh ȝe die for {d[eul] /}lack þe deouel haue þat recche
¶ Þo were faitors a-ferd / and feyned hem blynde .
And leggen legges a-lery / a{.}s suche lorelles conneþ
And maden here mone to Peres / and for ȝore plouh botheT
Þat god of his grace / ȝoure grayn multiplie
And ȝelde ȝow of ȝoure almesse / þat ȝe ȝeuen ous here /
We may nouther swynke ne swete / suche syknese ous {ai}leth .
We haue no lymes to laboure with / lord god we þonkeþ
¶ Ȝoure preyeres quod peres / and ȝee parfit were
Mihte helpe as y hope / ac hye trewþe wolde
Þat no Faiterie were Founde / in folc þat gon a-begged
¶ Ȝeo beon wastours y wot wel / þat waston and deuoren
Þat lel land tylinge men / lelly by-swynken
¶ Ac truthe schal teche ȝow / his tem fort to dryue
Or ȝeo schul ete barly bred / and of þe brok drynge
But ȝeo beo blynde or brokelegged / or boltot with yren .
¶ Suche poure quatþ Peres / / schullen parten wiþ my goodes
Boþe of my corn and of my clothe / to kepe hem fro defaute .
¶ Ancres and Eremites / þat eten but at nones
And freres þat flateren nat / and pore folk seke
What y and myne / wol fynde hem þat hem neodeþ .
¶ Þenne gan wastour to wrathe / and wolde haue fouhten
And to Peres plouhman / profrede to fihte
And bad him go pisse with his plouh / peuyssche screwe .
A brutoner cam braggynge / a-bostete peres al-so
Wol thou ne wol thou / we wol haue our wil
Boþe þi flour and þi fleisch / fecchen wen vs likeþ
And make vs murie þer-myd / maugrey ho by-gruccheþ
Peres þe plouhman þo / pleynede to þe knyt
To kepe him and his catel / as couenaunt was bi-twene hem .
A-wreke me of þes wastours / þat maken þis worlde dere
Thei counte nat of corsyng / ne holy churche dreden
¶ Þer worthe no plente quod peres / / and þe plouh ligge .
¶ Cortesily þe knyht þen / as his kynde askeþ
Warnede wastour / and wissede him betere
Or y schal bete þe by þe lawe / and brynge þe in stokkes .
And let liht of þe lawe / and lasse of þe knyht
And of peres sette at a pese / pleyne him wher he wolde .
¶ Now by crist quod Peres / y schal a-peire ȝow alle
And houped after honger þat herde him at þe furste
¶ Y pray þe quod Peres þo / par charite sir honger
A-wreke me of þes wastours / for þe knyht wol nat
¶ Honger hent in haste / wastour by þe mawe
And wrang him by þe wombe / þat al watered his eyen
¶ He buffated þe brutoner / a-boute þe chekes
Þat he lokede like a lanterne / al his lyf after
¶ He bet hem so boþe / he barst neyh here gottes
Ne had peres with a pese lof / preyed him by-leue
¶ Honger haue mercy on him quod Peres / and let me ȝiue him benes
And þat was bake for bayard / may beo here bote
¶ Þo were faitours a-ferd / and f{o}lowen to Peres bernes
And flabbed on with flailles / fro morow til Euene
Þat honger was nat hardy / on hem for to loke
For a pot-fol of patage / þat Peres wif made
¶ An hep of Eremites / henten hem spades
Spitten and spradde donge / in despit of hunger .
Thei coruen here copes / and cortepies hem made
And weten as werkmen / to wedyng and mowyng
Al for drede of here deth / suche duntes ȝaf honger
Blinde and brokelegged / he bodned a þousand
And lame men he lechede / with longes of bestes
¶ Preostes and other people / to Peres þei drowen .
And freres of alle fyue ordres / al for fere of hunger .
¶ For that þat was bake for bayart / was bote for mony hongry
Drosones and dregges / drinke for mony beggares
¶ Þer was no lad þat lyuede / þat ne lowed him to Peres .
To beo his holde hyne / þauh he had no more
But liflode for his labour / and his loue at nones .
¶ Þo was Peres ful proud / and putte hem alle at werke
In daubyng in deluyng / in dong a-feld berynge
In þreshing in þekkynge / in thwytyng of pynnes .
In alle kynne trew craft / þat man couthe dyuyse
¶ Was no beggare so bold / but ȝif he blind were
Þat dorste withsitte þat Peres seyde / for fere of sir honger .
And Peres was proud þer-of / and put hem al to swynke .
And ȝaf hem mete and money / as þei myhte deseruen .
¶ Þo hadde Peres pite / on al poure people
And bad honger in hast / hye him out of Countre
Hom in-to his owne erd / and hald him þer euere
For y am wel a-wreke / of wastours þrow þi myht .
¶ Ac y preye þe quod Peres / honger er þow wende .
Of beggares and byddares / what best beo to done
For y wot wel beo þow went / worche þei wol fol ille
¶ Meschief hit makeþ / þei beon so meoke nowþe
And for defaute þis folk / folwen my hestes .
¶ Hit is noþing for loue / thei laboure thus fast
But for fere of famyn / in faith sayde Peres .
¶ Is no fynal loue with þis folk / for alle here faire speche
And hit aren my blody breþeren / for god bouȝte vs alle .
¶ Truthe tauhte me ones / to louy hem echone .
And helpen hem of al thing / ay as hem neodeþ
Now wolde y wyte er thow wentest / what were þe beste
Hou y myhte a-maystren hem / to louy and laboure
For here lyflode / lere me sir honger
¶ Now herkne quaþ honger / and hold hit for a wisdomm
Bolde beggares and bigge / þat mowe here bred by-swynke
With hundesbred / hundes bred and horsebred / horse bred / hel hem when þei hongren
And a-baue hem with benes / for bollyng of here wombe .
And ȝif þo gromes gruche / byd hem to swynke .
And he schal soupe þe swetere / when he hath hit deserued .
Ac if thou fynde eny folk / wham false men han a-peired
Conforte hem myd þi catel / for so comaundeþ treuthe
Loue hem and lene hem / so lawe of kunde wolde
alter alterius honera portate .
¶ And al manere men / þat þow myht aspie
In meschief or in mal-ese / and þow myhte hem helpe
Loke by þi lyue / let hem nat for-fare
If thow hast won ouȝt wikkedly / wisly dispene hit
Facite vobis amicos de mammona iniquitatis .
I wold not greue god quaþ peres / for al þe god on eorthe
Miht y synneles do as thow seist / seyd Peres plouhman . /
¶ Ȝee y bi-hote þe quod honger / or elles þe bible lieþ
Go to oure by-gynnyng / þo god þe worlde made
As wyse men han write / and as withnesseþ Genesis .
Þat seith wiþ swynk and with swot / and sweting face .
Bi-tulye and bi-trauaile / trewly oure lyflode .
In labore et sudore vultus tui vesceris pane tuo .
And Salamon þe sage / with þe same acordeþ
Þe slowe caytif for colde / wolde no corne tulie
In somour for his sleuthe / he schal haue defaute
And gon a-brybeþ and beggen / and no man bete his hongur
Piger propter frigus noluit arare / mendicabit in yeme & non dabitur ei .
¶ Matheu makeþ mencion / of a man þat lente
His seluer to thre manere men / and menynge þat þei scholde
Chaffare and cheue þer-with / in chele and in hete
And he þat best laborede / best was a-lowed .
And lederes for here laboryng / ouer alle þe lordes godes .
Ac he þat was a wrecche / and wolde nat trauaille
Þe lord for his lachesse / and his luthere slewþe
By-nom him alle þat he hadde / and ȝaf hit to his felawe
Þat lely had y-labored / and þenne þe lord seyde .
¶ He þat hath schal haue / and help þer him likeþ
And he þat nauht naueþ / he schal nouȝt haue
And no man ȝut helpe him / and þat he weneþ haue
Y wol hit him by-reue / for his rechelesnesse .
¶ Lo what þe sauter seith / to swynkeres wiþ handes
I-blessed beo al þo / þat he by-lyue by-swynken
Þrow eny lel labour / as throw lymes and handes
labores manuum tuarum quia manducabis
¶ Theos aren euidences quod honger / for hem þat wol nat swynkyn .
Þat here lyflode beo lhene / and lutul worþ here clothes
¶ By crist quath peres plouhman . þo / theos prouerbes wol y schewe
To beggares and to boies / þat loth beon to worche
Ac ȝut y pray þe quod Peres / par charite sir honger
If ȝe can or knowe / eny kynne thing of fysik .
for some of my seruans / and my-self boþe
Of al a woke worche nat / so oure wombe groneþ .
¶ Y wot wel quaþ honger / what sekenesse ȝow ayleþ
Ȝe haue manget ouur muche / þat makeþ ȝow by seke
¶ Ac et nat y hote / er honger þe take /
And send þe of his sauce / to sauere with þi lippes
And kepe som til soper tyme / and sitte nat to longe
At non ne at non tyme / nameliche at sopere .
¶ let nat sir sorfaitht / sitten at þi borde .
And loke þow drynke no day / er thow dyne som-what
¶ Þeynk þat diues for his delicat lyf / to þe deuel wente
And lazar þe lheuene beggare / þat longede aftur cromes
And ȝut had he hem nat / for y hongur culde him
And sith y sauh him sitte / as he a syr{e} were
At al manere ese / in abrahammes lappe
¶ And if þow beo of pouer / Peres y the rede
Al þat gredoun at þi gate / for godes loue aftur fode /
Parte with hem of þin payn / of potage or of souel
Lene him somdel of þi lof / þauh thow þe lasse chewe
¶ And þauh lieres and lachedrawers / and lollares knocke .
Let hem a-byde til þe bord be drawe / ac bere hem non cromes .
Til al þi neody neihbores / haue none y-maked .
¶ And ȝif thow dyete þe thus / y dar legge myn eres
Þat fysik schal his forrede hodes / for his fode sulle /
And his cloke of calebre / for his comunes legge .
And beo fayn by my faith / his fisik to lete
And lerne laboure myd lond / lest liflode him faile .
Þer aren mony luther leches / ac lele leches fewe
Thei don men dye throw here drynkes / er destine hit wolde .
¶ By seint Paul quaþ PeresP / thow peyntest neih þe trewþe
And lelly seyst as y leoue / lord þe for-ȝeelde
Wend now wher thow wolt / and wel beo thow euere
For thow hast wel a-wroke me / and al-so wel y-tauht me .
¶ Y by-hote þe quaþ honger / þat hennes nelle y wende
Er y haue dyned by þis dai / and y-dronke bothe .
¶ I haue no peny quod Peres / polettes fort to bugge
Nother gos nother grys / but two grene cheses
A fewe croddes and creym / and a kake of otes
And bred for my barnes / of benes and of peses
And ȝut y seie bi my saule / y haue no salt bacon .
Nouht a cokeney by crist / colhoppes to make
¶ Ac y haue porettes . plontes / persely and scalones
Chibolles and chireuelles / and chiries sam-rede
And a Cow wiþ a calf / and a cart mare .
To drawe a-feld my donge / þe while drowþe lasteþ
¶ By this liflode we moste lyue / til lammasse tyme
And by that y hope to haue / heruest in my crofte
Þenne may y dihte þi diner / as me dere likeþ
¶ Alle þe pore people tho / peosecoddes fetten
benes and bacon apples / thei brouht in here lappe
And proferede peres þis present / to plese with honger
¶ Honger ette al in haste / and asket aftur more .
Poure folc for fere tho / fedde honger ȝeorne
With creym and with croddes / with carces and othere herbes .
¶ By that hit neihed heruest / and newe corne cam to chepynge
Þenne was þis folc fayn / and fedde hongerN deyntouseliche
And gloton tho with good ale / gerte honger slepe /
¶ Tho wolde wastour not worche / but wandred a-boute
Nother beggare ete bred / þat benes were Inne
But clermatyn and coket / and of clene whete
¶ Þei wolde non halpeny ale / in none wise dr{u}ynke
But of þe beste and brounest / þat þe brewesters sellen .
¶ Laborers þat han non lond / to lyuen on but here handes
Deyned no to dyne a day / nyht old wortes .
May no peny ale hem paye / ne a pece of bakon
But hit beo freisch fleisch or fichse / fryed or y-bake .
And þat chaud and pluschaud / plus chaud / for chillyng of her mawe /
¶ But he beo hieliche y-huyred / elles wol he chide
Þat he was werman y-wrouht / warien þe tyme .
Corteis catones consail / comseþ he by-gruche
Paupertatis honus pacienter ferre memento .
¶ And þenne he corseþ þe kyng / and alle þe kynges Iustices
Suche lawes to lere / labores to greue
Ac while honger was here maistur / wolde non chide
Ne stryue a-ȝenis þe statut / he lokede so sterne
Ac y warne ȝow werkmen / wynneþ while ȝe mowe
For honger hiderwardes / hieþ him faste
He schal a-wake throw wature / wastours to chaste
Ar fewe ȝeres beon fulful / famyne schal a-ryse
And so seith saturnus / and sente to warne
¶ Þrow flodes and foule wederes / fruytes schullen faile
Pruyde and Pestilences / schal muche people fecche .
Schul brynge bane and bataille / on boþe half þe mone .
And þenne schal dethe with-drawe / and deorþe be iustice
And dawe þe deluare / deye for defaute
But ȝif god of his godenesse / graunte vs a trewe /
Hic explicit passus nonus /
to beggers .C