Passus secundus de dobest
And as y wente by the way / when y was thus a-waked
For y ne wiste where to ete / ne at what place
And hit neyhed neyh þe noen / and with nede y mette
That afrounted me foule / and faytour me calde
Couthest thow nat excuse the · as dede the kyng and oþere
That thow toke to lyue by / to clothes and to sustinaunce
Was bi techyng and by tellyng / of spiritus temperancie
And þat thow nome no more / then nede the tauhte
And nede ne hath no lawe / ne neuere shal falle in dette
For thre thynges þat he taketh / is lyf for to saue
That is mete when men hym werneth for he no money welde{h}th
Ne wyht þat now wol be his borwe / ne no wed hath to legge
And he cacche in þat caes / and come ther-to by sleuthe
He synegeth nat sothlich / þat so wynneth his fode
And thow he come so to a cloth / and can no bettere cheuesaunce
Nede anoen riht nymeth hym vnder maynprise
And yf lust for to lape the lawe / of kynde wolde
That he dronke at vch a dysch ar he deye for furste
So nede at greet nede / may nyme as for his owne
With-outen consail of Consience / or cardinale vertues
So þat he sewe and saue spiritus temperancie
for is no vertu be ver to spiritus temperencie T
Noyther spiritus iusticie / ne spiritus fortitudinis
For spiritus fortitudinis forfeteth wel ofte
He shal do more þe / þe[n] mesure / mony tymes and often
And bete men ouer bitere / and som body to litel
And greue men grettore / then goed faith hit welde T
And spiritus iusticie shal iugen wol he nel he
Aftur þe kynges conseyl and þe comune lyke
And spiritus prudencie / in many a poynt shal faile
Of þat he weneth wolde falle / yf his wit ne were
Wenyng is no wisdoem ne wyse ymaginacioun
¶ Homo proponit deus disposuit T
For anoen he meketh / and as louh as alamb / a lamb
For lakkyng þat hym nedeth
For nede maketh neede / fele nedes louh herted
Philosopheres forsoke welthe / for they wolde be nedy
And woneden · wel elyngly / and wolden nat be riche
And god al his grete ioye · goestliche he lefte
And cam and toek mankynde / and bicam nedy
So he was nedy as saith the boek in mony sondry places
That he saide in his sorwe / on þe sulue rode
Bothe fox and foule may fle / to hole and crepe
And þe fisch hath fyn to flete with to reste C
Ther nede hath ynome me / þat y moet nede abyde
And soffre sorwes ful soure / þat shal to ioye torne
For-thy be nat abasched / to byde and to be nedy
Sethe þat wrouhte al þe worlde was willefolliche nedy C
Ne neuere noen so nedy / ne porore deyede
Whenne nede hadde vndernome thus anoen yful / y ful a-slepe
And mette ful merueylous{l}ely / þat in mannes fourme
Auntecrist cam thenne / and al the crop of treuthe
Turned hit tyd vp-so-down / and ouertulde þe rote
And made fals sprynge and sprede / and spekemenne nedes
In vch a Contrey ther he cam / kutte a-wey treuthe
And garte gyle growe þere as he a god were
¶ Freres folewed þat fende for he ȝaf hem copes
And religious reuerensed hym / and rongen here belles
And al þe couent cam / to welcome atyraunt / a tyraunt
And alle hise as wel as hym / saue onelich foles
Were wel gladere to deye then to lyue lengere T
/ C Sethe leautee was so rebuked
And a fals fende auntecrist ouerall / ouer all folke regnede
defyede all falsnesse / and folke þat hit vsede
And what kyng þat hem confortede · knowynge here gyle
Thei corsede and here consail / were hit Clerk or lewed
Auntecrist hadde thus sone hondredes at his baner
And pryde hit baer baldly aboute
With a lord þat lyueth aftur likyng of body
That cam aȝen Consience / þat kepar was and gyour
Ouer kynde cristene / and cardinale vertues
In-to vnite holichurche / holi churche / and halde we vs there
And crye we to kynde / þat he come and defende vs
foles fro this fendes lymes / for {Peres} loue the {plouhman}
And crye we on al þe comune þat thei come to vnite
And þere abyde and bikere aȝeyn / beliales childrene
Kynde Consience tho herde and cam oute of the planetes
And sente forth his forreours feueres and fluxes
Cowhes and cardiacles crampes and toeth-aches
Reumes and Radegoundes / and roynouse scabbes
Byles and boches and brennynge aguwes
Freneseyes and foule eueles / forageres of kynde
Hadde y priked and preyede / polles of peple
Largeliche alegioun / a legioun / lees the lyf sone
¶ There was harow and helpe here cometh kynde
With deth þat is dredful to vndoen vs alle
The lord þat lyuede aftur lust / tho aloud cryede
Aftur conforte a knyhte come and beer his baner
Alarme alarme quod þat lord / vch lyf kepe his owene
And ar heroudes of Armes / hadden descreued lordes
Elde þe hore / he was in þe vaw-warde
And baer þe baner bifore deth / bi riht he hit claymede
Kynde cam aftur hym withmany / with many kyne sores
As pokkes and pestilences · and moche peple shente
So kynde thorw corupcions kulde fol mony
deth cam dryuyng aftur / and al to duste paschte
Kynges and knyhtes / Caysers and popes
Lered ne lewed / he lefte no man stande
That he hihte euene · þat euere stured aftur
Many a louly lady / and her{l}e lemmanes knyhtes
Swowened and swelde / for sorwe of dethus duntes
Concience of his cortesye / tho kynde he bisouhte
To sese and soffre / and se wher they wolde
L{.}eue pruyde priueyliche / and be parfyt cristene
And kynde sesede tho / to se þe peple amende
Fortune gan flateren thenne to few þat were alyue
And bihihte hem long lyf and lecherye he sente
Amonges alle manere men / wedded and vnwedded
And gaderet a greet oest / alle agayn Consience
This lecherye leyde oen / with lauhyng chere
And with priue speche / and paynted wordes
And armed hym in ydelnesse / and in hey berynge
He baer a bowe in his hoend / and many brode arwes
Weren fythered with fare biheste / and many afals / a fals treuthe
And with vntidy tales / he tened ful ofte
Consience and his companye of holychurche / holy churche þe techares
Thenne cam couetyse / and caste how he myhte
Ouercome Consience / and cardinal vertues
His wepne was al wyles / to wynnen and to hyden
¶ Symonye hym suede / to assaile Consience
And presed on þe pope / and prelates thei made
To holde with auntecrist / here temperaltee to saue
And cam to þe kynges consail / as akene / a kene Baroun
And knokked Consience / in Court bifore hemalle / hem alle
And gert goed faith fle / and fals to abyde
And baldeliche baer adoun / with many abrihte / a brihte noble
Moche of þe wyt and wisdoem / of westmunstre halle
He iogged til a iustice / and iustede in his ere
And ouertulde al his treuthe / with taek this on amendement
And in-to þe Arches in haste he ȝede anoen aftur
And turnede syuyle in-to Symonye / and sethe he toek þe official
And for ameneuer / a meneuer mandel / man[t]el he made leele matrimonye
departen ar dethe come / and a LX deuors shupte
That couetyse were cristene / þat is so kene to fihte
And bolde and abydynge / þe while his bagge lasteth
And thenne lowh lyf / and lette dagge his clothes
And Armed hym in haste / in harlotes wordes
And helde holinesse a iape / and hendenesse a wastour
And leet leautee a cherl / and lyare afreman / a fre man
Consience and conseil / he counted hit folye
Thus relyed lyf for a litel folye
And priketh forth with pruyde preyseth he no vertue
Ne careth nat how kynde slowh · and shal come at þe laste
And culle all erthely creature / saue Consience one
Lyf lepte a-syde / and lauhte hym a lemman
Hele and y quod he / and heynesse of herte
Shal do the nat drede / noþer deth ne elde
And to forȝete ȝowthe / and ȝeue nat of synne
This likede lyf / and his lemman fortune
And geten in here glorie · agadlyng / a gadlyng at þe laste
Oen þat moche wo wrouhte / sleuthe was his name
Sleuthe wax wonder ȝerne / and sone was of age
Oen Tomme two to / [two] tonge / a-teynt at vch enqueste
This sleuthe was sley of werre / and a slynge made
For care Consience tho / cryede vppon elde
And baed hym fonde to fihte / and a fere / afere wanhope
And elde hente gode hope / and hastiliche shroef hym
And wayued a-way wanhope / and with lyf he fihteth
And lyf fley for fere / to fisyk aftur helpe
And bisouhte hym of socour / and of here salue hadde
And gaef hym goelde goed woen / þat gladde here hertes
And they gyuen hym agayne a glasene houe
Lyf leuede þat lechecraft / lette sholde Elde
And Elde auntered hym on lyf / and at þe laste he hitte
A fisician with a forred hoed / that he ful in a palesye
And þere deyede þat doctour ar thre dayes aftur
Now y see saide lyf / that surgerie ne fysyke
May nat a myte a-vayle / to medlen aȝen Elde
And in hope of his hele / goed herte he hente
And roed so to reuel · a ryche place and amurye / a murye
The compeny of comfort · men clepede hit som-tyme
And Elde afur hym / and ouer myn heued ȝede
And made me balled bifore / and baer on þe crowne
So harde he ȝede ouer myn heued / hit wol be sene euere
Syre euele ythouȝte Elde quod y vnhende go with the
Sennes whanne was þe way / ouer menne heuedes
Haddest thow be hende quod y / thow wost haue asked leue
Ȝe leue lordeyne quod he / and leide on me with age
And hitte me vnder þe ere / vnnethe may ich here
And gyued me in gowtes / y may nat go at large
And of þe wo þat y was ynne / my wyf hadde reuthe
And wesched wel witterly / þat y were in heuene
For þe lyme þat she loued me fore / and leef was to fele
Anyhtes nameliche / when we naked were
Y ne myhte in none manere / maken hit at here wille
So Elde and hee / hit hadde for-bete
And deth drow ney me / for drede gan y quaken
And cryede to kynde / out of care me brynge
Lo how Elde þe hore / hath me byseye
A-wreke me ȝif ȝoure wille be / for y wolde be hennes
Yf thow wolde be wreke / wende in-to vnite
And halde the there euere / til y sende for the
And loke thow conne som craft / ar thow come thennes
Consaileth me kynde quod y / what craft be beste to lere
Lerne to loue quod kynde / and leef all othere
How shal y come to catel so / to clothe me and to fede
And thow loue lelly lacke shal the neuere
Wede ne worldly mete / while thy lif lasteth
And y bicounsel / bi counsel of kynde comsed to Rome
Thorw contricion and confessioun til y cam to vnite
And there was Consience Constable cristene to saue
And biseged soethly / with seuene grete geauntes
That with auntecrist helden / harde aȝeyn Consience
Sleuthe with his slynge / and hard sawt he made
Proute prestes cam with hym / passyng an hundred
In paltokes and pikede shoes / and pissares longe knyues
Comen aȝen Consience / with couetyse they helden
By þe Marie quod amansed / a mansed prest / was of þe march of Ireland
Y counte no more Consience bi so y cache suluer
Then y do to drynke a drauht of goed ale
And so sayde syxty of þe same contreye
And shoten aȝeynes hym shotte many a shef of othes
And brode hokede Arwes / goddes herte and his nayles
And hadden al-most vnite / and holynesse adowne
Consience cryede helpe · Clergie or y falle
¶ Thorw inparfit prestes / and prelates of holychurche / holy churche
Freres herde hym crye / and comen hym to helpe
And for they couthe nat wel here crafte Consience forsoek hem
Nede neyhede tho ner / and Consience he toelde
That they cam for Couetyse / to haue cure of soules
And for thei aren pore parauntur / for patrimonye hem faileth
Thei wol flatere to fare wel / folk þat ben riche
And sethen thei chosen che{s}le / and Cheytyftee pouerte
Late hem chewe as thei chose / and charge hem with no cure
For lomere he lyeth / þat lyflode moet begge
Then he þat laboreth for lyflode / and leneth hit beggares
And senne freres forsoke / the felice T of erthe
Lat hem be as beggares / or lyue by angeles fode
Consience of this consail tho · comesed for to lawhe
And corteyliche / cortey[s]liche confortede hem / and calde hem in all freres
And saide syres soethly welcome be ȝe alle
Holdeth ȝow in vnite / and haueth noen enuye
To lered ne to lewed / but lyueth aftur ȝoure reule
Y wol be ȝoure borwh / ȝe shal haue breed and clothes
And oþere necessaries ynowe / ȝow shal no-thyng lakke
With þat ȝe loue logyk / and lerneth forto / for to louye
For loue lefte they lordschipe / bothe lond and scole
Frere fraunceys / and domynyk for loue to be holy
And yf ȝe coueiteth cure / kynde wol ȝow telle
That in mesure god made alle thynges
And sette hit at a serteyne / and at a syker nombre
And nempned hem names / and nombred þe sterres
Qui numerat multitudinem stellarum & cetera
Kynges and knyhtes þat kepten and defenden
Haen officerys vnder hem / and vch of hem a certeyne
And yf thei wage men to werre / thei writen hem in nombre
Wol no tresorer taken hem wages / trauayle they neuere so sore
Bote hy ben nempned in þe nombre / of hem þat been y-waged
Alle oþere in bataile been y-holde brybours
Pilours and pike-harneys / in vch a parsch a-corsed
Monkes and monyales / and alle men of religioun
Here ordre and here reule wol / to haue a certeyne nombre
Of lewed and of lered / the lawe wol and asketh
For they / For-th[y] quod Consience bi Crist / kynde wit me telleth
Hit is wikked to wage ȝow / ȝe wexeth out of nombre
For-thy y wolde witterly / þat ȝe were in registre
And ȝoure nombre vnde / vnde[r] notarie sygne / and noþer mo ne lasse
Enuye herde this / and heete freres go to scole
And lerne logyk and lawe / and eke contemplacioun
And preche men of plato / and preuen hit by seneca
That alle thynges vnder heuene oute LG to be in comune
He lyeth as y leue / þat to þe lewed so precheth
For god made to m en / men alawe / a lawe and Moyses hit tauhte
Non concupisces rem proximi tui & cetera
And euele is this yholde in parsches of yngelond
For parsones and parsche prestes / þat sholde þe peple shryue
And they ben curatours cald / to knowe and to hele
Alle þat been here parschienes / penaunses enioynen
And be aschamed in here shryft / ac shame maketh wende
And fle to þe freres / as fals folk to westmynstre
That borweth and bereth hit theddere / and thenne biddeth frendes
Ȝerne of forȝeuenesse / or lengore ȝeres leue C
Ac while he is in westmynstre he wol be bifore
And maken hym murye · with oþere menne godes
And so hit fareth with moche folke þat to freres shryuen
As sisours and secutours / they shal ȝeue þe freres
A parcel to preye for hem / and make hem merye with þe remenaunt
That oþere men biswonke and soffren þe dede in dette to þe day of dome
Enuye herfore hatede Consience
And freres to filosophye / he foend hem to scole
The while Couetyse and vnkyndenesse Consience assailede
In vnite holichurch / holi church · Consience heeld hym
And made pees porter / to pynne þe ȝates
Of all tale-tellares and titerares an ydel
Ypocrisye and they / an hard sawt they ȝeuen
Ypocrisye at þe ȝate harde gan fyhte
And wounded wel wykkedly many a wys techare
That with Consience acordede / and cardinal vertues
Consien{..}ce calde a leche þat couthe wel shryue
Go salue tho þat syke were / and thorw synne y-wounded
Shrift schupte scharp salue / and made men do penaunses
For here mysdedes that thei wrouht hadde
And þat Peres pardon were y-payd redde quod debes
Somme liked nat this leche / and letteres they sente
Yf eny surgien were in þe sege · that softur couthe plastre
Sire lyf to lyue in lecherye · lay þer and groned
For fastyng of a fryday · a LX feerde as he wolde deye
Ther is a su{.}rgien in the sege that softe can handele
And more of fysyk bifer / bi fer / and fayror he plastereth
Oen frere flaterrere / is fiscicien and surgien
Quod contricion to Consience do hym come to vnite
For here is many man hert / thorw ypocrisye
We haen no nede quod Consience / y woet no bettere leche
Then parson oþer parsche prest penytauncer or bischope
Saue {Peres þe plouhman} þat haeth power ouer alle
And indulgence may do / but yf dette lette hit
Y may wel soffre sayde Consience sennes ȝe desiren
That frere flaterare be fet / and fisyk ȝow seke
The frere herof herde / and hyede faste
To a lord for a lettre / leue to haue to {cri} curen
Baldly to þe bishope · and his breef hadde
In contrys þer he cam / confessiones to here
And cam þer Consience was / and knokked at þe ȝate
Pees vnpynned hyt / was porter of vnite
And in haste eschete / what his wille were
In fayth quod this frere / for profyt and for helthe
Karpe y wolde with Contricioun / and þerfore y cam heddere
He is syke saide Pees / and so ar many other
Ypocrysye haeth herde hem / ful hard is yf thei keuere
Y am a surgien saide the frere / and salues can make
Consience knoweth me wel / and what y can bothe
Y preye the quod Pees tho / ar thow passe forþere
What hattest thow y praye the / hele nat thy name
Certes saide his felawe / sire / penetrans domos
Ȝe go thy gate quod pees / bigod / bi god for al thi fisyk
Bote thow conne eny craft thow comest nat here-ynne
Y knewe such oen ones / nat eyhte wynter passed
Kam ynne thus y-coped · at a Court þer y dwelte
And was my lordes leche / and my ladyes bothe
And at þe laste this lymytour tho my lord was oute
He salued so oure wymmen til some were with childe
Hende speche heet pees tho / opene the ȝates
Lat in þe frere and his felawe / and make hem fayere chiere
He may se and here here / so may bifalle
That lyf thorw his lore shal leue Couetyse
And be adrad of deth / and with-drawe hym fro pruyde
And acorde with Consience / and kusse here ayther oþer
Thus thorw hende speche entred the frere
Thow art welcome quod Consience / can thow hele syke
Here is contricioun quod Consience / my cosyn y-wounded
Conforte hym quod consience / and taek kepe to his sores
The plasteres of the parsoun / and poudres ben to sore
And lat hem lygge ouer-longe and loeth is to chaungen
Fro lente to lente he{l} P lat his plastres byte
That is ouer-longe quod this lymitour / y l{u}eue yschal / y schal amenden hit
And goeth gropeth contricion / and {h}gaf hym aplastre / a plastre
Of a pryue payement · and y shal preye for ȝow
And for hem þat ȝe aren helde / h[o]lde to al my lyf-tyme
And make ȝow my ladye / in masse and in matynes
Of freres of oure fraternite · for a litel suluer
Thus he goeth and gedereth · and gloseth þer he shryueth
Til Contricioun hadde clene forȝete / to crye and to wepe
And wake for his wikkede werkes as he was woned bifore
For confort of his confessour Contricioun he lefte
That is the souereyne salue / for alle kyne synnes
Sleyth T seyh þat / and so dede pruyde
And comen with a kene wil / Consience to assaile
Consience cryede efte / clergie come helpe hym
And baed contricioun to come / to helpe kepe þe ȝe ȝate
He lyeth a-dreint saide pees · and so doth mony oþere
The frere with his fisyk this folk hath enchaunted
And doth men drynke dwale þat men drat no synne
By Crist quod Consience tho / y wol bicome a pilgrime
And wenden as wyde / as þe world regneth
To seke {Peres the plouhman} þat pruyde myhte destruye
And þat freres hadde a fyndynge / þat for nede flateren
And countrepledeth me Consience / now kynde me a-venge
And se{d}ende me hap and hele til y haue {Peres Plouhman}
And sethe he gradde aftur grace / tyl y gan a-wake
† C
do-best
+
†
· 2us ·
do-best
corrigitur
· 2us ·
dobest
· 2· us ·
And yf ȝe coueyteth cure
do-best
· 2us ·
dobest
//
a general name
for a frere
for a frere
de dobest