Passus octauus vt prius
Ich haue an halfaker / half aker to erye / by þe heye
Haued ich y-ered þis halfaker / half aker / and y-sowed hit aftur
Y wol wende with ȝow / and þe way teche
That were along / a long lettyng / quod þat lady in a slayre
What sholde we wommen worthe / wor[c]he þe whiles
Y preye ȝow for ȝoure profit / quod Peres to þe ladyes
That somme sowe þe sak / for shedynge of the whete
And ȝe worthily wymmen / with ȝoure longe fyngres
That ȝe on selk and on P sendel / to sowe whan tyme is
Chesibles for chapeleynes / churches to honoure
Wyues and wyddewes / wolle an flex spynneth
Consience conseyleth ȝow / cloth for to make
For profit of the pore / and plesaunce of ȝow-suluen
For y shal lene hem lyflode / but þe lond faylle
And alle manere men / þat by þe molde is susteyned
Helpeth hym worche wittiliche / þat wynneth ȝoure fode
Ac in tyme treuely / y-tauhte was y neuere
Y wolde y couthe quod the knyhte / by Crist and his moder
Y wolde som-tyme / for solace as hit were
Y shal swynke and swete / and sowe for vs bothe
And labory for tho thow louest / al my lyf-tyme
In couenant þat thow kepe / holykerke / holy kerke and my-sulue
Fro wastores and fro wikked men / þat þis world struyen
And go hunte hardelyche / to hares and to foxes
To bores and to bokkes / þat breketh adoun myn hegges
And afayte thy faucones / to culle þe wylde foules
For þey cometh to my croft / my corn to diffoule
Courteisliche the knyhte thenne / comesed thise wordes
By my power {P....} C / y plyhte the my treuthe
To defende þe in fayth / fyhte thow y sholde
Loke ȝe tene no tenaunt / but treuthe wol assente
And when ȝe mersyen eny man / late mercy be taxour
And Mekenesse thy mayster / maugre mede chekes
And thogh pore men profre ȝow / presentes and ȝyftes
Nym hit nat an auntur / thow mowe hit nauht deserue
For thow shalt ȝelden hit so may be / or sumdel a-buggen hit
Misbede nat thy bonde-man / the bette may the spede
Thogh he be here thyn vnderlynge / in heuene par-auntur
He worth rather reseyued / and reuerentloker sitte
At churche in the Charnel / cherles aren euele to knowe
Or aknyhte / a knyhte or aknaue / a knaue / or a quene fram a queene
Hit bicometh to the knyhte / to be corteys and hende
Treu{i}we of thy tonge / and tales loth to here
Bute they be of bounte / of batayles or of treuthe
Hoold nat with non harlotes / ne here nat here tales
Ac nameliche at þe mete / suche men eschewe
For hit beeþ þe deueles dysors / to drawe men to synne
Ne countreplede nat Consience / ne holy kyrke ryhtes
Y assente by seynt Gyle / sayde the knyht thenne
For to worche by thy wit / and my wyf bothe
And wende with alle tho þat wolden lyue in treuthe
And caste on hym his clothes / of alle kyn craftes
His cokeres and his coffes / as kynde wit hym tauhte
And heng his hopur on his hales / in stede of a scryppe
A buschel of breed corn / brouht was þerynne
For y wol sowen hit my-sulf / and sethe wol y wende
To pilgrimages as palmeres doen / pardon to wynne
My plouh-pote shal be my pyk-staff / and pyche a-to þe rotes
And helpe my Coltur to kerue / and clanse þe forwes
And alle þat helpen me erye / or elles to wedy
Shal haue leue by oure lord / to go & glene aftur me
And maken hym merye þer-myde / maugrey ho bigruchen hit
And alle kyne crafty men / þat conne lyue in treuthe
Y shal fynde hem fode / þat fayfulleche libbeth
Saue Iacke þe iogelour / and ionet of þe stuyues
And danyel þe dees playere / and denote þe bau{t}de
And frere faytour / and folk of þat ordre
That lollares and loseles / lele men holdeth
And Robyn þe rybauder / for his rousty wordes
Treuthe telde / t[o]lde me ones / and bad me telle hit forthere
¶ Deliantur / Del[e]antur de libro viuencium
Y sholde nat dele with hem for holy chirche is hote of hem no tythe to aske
Quia cum iustis non scribantur
They ben ascaped good aunter / now god hem amende
Dame worch when tyme is / {p....} C wyf hehte
His douhter hihte do rihte so / or thy dame shal þe bete
His sone hihte soffre thy souereynes haue her wille
deme hem nat yf thow doest / thow shalt hit dere abygge
Consayle nat so þe comune / þe kyng to desplese
Ne hem þat han lawes to loke / lacke hem nat y hote þe
Lat god y-worthe with al / as holy wryt techeth
¶ Super Cathedram moysi sedent & cetera
Maystres as þe mayres is / and grete menne senatours
What þei comaunde as by þe kyng / countreplede hit neuere
Al þat they hoten y hote / heiliche thow soffre hem
And aftur here warnynge and worchynge / worche þou þeraftur
¶ Omnia que dicunt facite & seruate
Ac aftur here doynge ne do thow nat / my dere sone quod Peres
For now y am olde and hoer / and haue of myn owene
To penaunces and pilgrimes / y wol passe with this oþere
For-thy y wol ar y wende / do wryte my biqueste
¶ In dei nomine Amen / y make hit my-sulue
He shal haue my soule / þat alle soules made
And defenden hit as fro þe fende / and so is my beleue
Til y come til his a-countes / as my crede telleth
To haue a remissioun and a relees / on þat rental y leue
The kyrke shal haue my caroyne / and kepe my bones
For of my corn and my catel / he craued my tythe
Y payede hit prestly / for perel of my soule
He is holdyng y hope / to haue me in his masse
And menege me in his memorie / amonges alle cristene
My wyf shal haue of þat y wan / with treuthe and no more
And delen hit amonges my douhteres / and my dere childres
For thouh y dey to-day / my dette is y-quited
I · bar hoem þat y borwed / ar y to bedde ȝede
And with þe resudue / res[i]due and þe remenant / by the rode of lukes
Y wol worschipe þerwith / treuthe al my lyue
And ben a pilgrym at þe plouh / for profit to pore and ryche
Now is perkyn and þis pilgrimes to þe plouh faren
To erien this halfakes / halfak[er] / half ak[er] / holpen hym monye
dikares and deluares / digged vp þe balkes
Therwith was {Perkyn} a-payed / and payede wel hem here huyre
Oþer werkemen þer were / þat wrouhten fol ȝerne
Vch man in his manere / made hym-sulue to done
And somme to plese Perkyn C / afeelde pykede wedes
At hey prime {Peres} / leet þe plouh stande
And ouersey hem hym-sulue / ho-so beste wrouhte
He sholde be huyred þeraftur / when heruost tyme come
And thenne seet somme and songen at the ale
And holpe erye this halfaker / with hey trollilolly
But ȝe aryse þe rather / and rape ȝow to worche
Shal no grayn þat here groweth gladyen ȝow at nede
And thow ȝe deye for deul / þe deuel haue þat reche
Tho were faytours aferd / and fayned hem blynde
And leyde here legges alery / as suche lorelles conneth
And maden here mone to {Peres /} how þei may nat worche
And we praye for ȝow {Peres /} and for ȝoure plouh bothe
That god for his g{a}race / ȝoure grayn multiplye
And ȝelde ȝow of ȝoure Almesse / þat ȝe ȝeuen vs here
We may nother swynke ne swete / suche sekenes vs ayleth
Ne none lymes to labory with / lord god we thonketh
Ȝoure prayeres quod {Peres /} and ȝe p{ro}arfyt weren
Myhte helpe as y hope / Ac hey treuthe wolde
That no faytrye were founde / in folk þat goth abeggeth
Ȝe been wastours y woet wel / and waste and deuouren
That lele landtilynge / land tilynge men leely by-swynken
Ac treuthe shal teche ȝow / his teme to dryue
Or ȝe shal ete barly breed / and of þe broke drynke
but yf he be blynde or brokelegged / or bolted with yren
Such poore quod {Peres /} shal parte with my godes
bothe of my corn and of my cloth / to kepe hem fram defaute
And Ankerus and Eremytes / þat eten but at nones
And freres þat flateren nat / and pore folke syke
What y and myn wolle fynde hem what hem nedeth
Thenne gan wastor to wrath hym / and wolde haue y-fouhte
And to {Peres} þe {plouhman} profrede to fyhte
And bad hym go pisse / with his plogh / pyuische shrewe
A bretener cam braggyng / abostede / {Peres} also
Wolle thow nulle thow quod he / we wol haue oure wille
And thy flour and thy flesch / feche whenne vs liketh
{Peres} the {plouhman} tho pleynede hym to þe knyhte
To kepe hym and his catel / as couenant was bitwene hem
A-wreke me of this wastors / þat maketh this world dere
They a-counteth nat of corsynges / ne holy kyrke nat dredeth
Courteisliche the {c}knyhte thenne / as his kynde wolde
Warnede wastour / and wissede hym betere
Or y shal bete the by the lawe / and brynge þe in stokkes
· I · was nat woned to worche quod wastour / and now wol y nat bygynne
And leet lyhte of þe lawe / and lasse of the knyhte
And houped aftur hunger / þat herde hym at the furste
A-wreke me of this wastors / for þe knyhte wil nat
And wronge hym so by þe wombe / þat al watrede his yes
A LX boffatede þe Bretoner / aboute the chekes
And beet hem so bothe / he barste ner her gottes
And þat was bake for bayard / hit may be here bote
That hunger was nat hardy / on hem for to loke
For a potte ful of potage / þat {p.r.s} C wyf made
An heep of Eremytes / henten hem spades
Sputeden / Sp[i]teden and spradden donge / in dispit of hunger
They curuen here copes / and courtepies hem made
And wenten as werkemen to wedynge and to mowynge
Al for drede of here deth / such duntes ȝaf hunger
Blynde and Brokelegged / he botened a thousend
And lame men he lechede · with longes of bestes
And freres of alle þe fyue ordres / alle for fere of hunger
For þat was bake for bayard / was bote for many hungry
drosenes and dregges / drynke for many beggares
There was no ladde þat lyuede / þat ne lowede hym to Peres
To be his holde hewe / thow he hadde no more
But lyflode for his lalour / la[b]our / and his loue at nones
Tho was {Peris} proud / and potte hem alle a LX werke
In P daubynge and in deluynge / in donge afeld berynge
In threschynge in thekynge / in thwytinge of pynnes
In alle kyne trewe craft / þat man couthe deuyse
And ȝaf hem mete and money / as þei myhte deserue
Tho hadde {P....} C pitee vppon alle pore peple
And bade hunger in haste / hye hym out of contraye
Hoem to his owene ȝerd / and halde hym þere euere
Y am wel a-wroke / of wastours thorw thy myhte
Of beggares and biddares / what beste be to done
For y woet wel be hunger went / worche þei wol ful ille
Meschef hit maketh / they ben so meke nouthe
And for defaute this folk folweth myn hestes
Hit is nat for loue leue hit / thei labore thus faste
But for fere of famyen / in fayth sayde {Peres}
And hit are my blody bretherne / for god bouhte vs alle
Treuthe tauhte me ones / to louye hem vchone
And to helpe hem of alle thyng · ay as hem nedeth
Now wolde y wyte ar thow wendest what were þe beste
How y myhte amayster hem / to louye and to labory
For here lyflode · lere me / now sire hunger
Now herkene quod hunger / · and holde hit for awysdom / a wysdom
Bolde beggares and bygge / þat mowe here breed by-swynke
With houndes bred and hors breed hele hem when þei hungren
And baue hem with benes / for bollyng of here wombe
And yf þe gromes P gruche / bide hem go and swynke
Ac yf thow fynde eny folke / þat fals men han apayred
Conforte hem with thy catel / for so comaundeth treuthe
Loue hem and lene hem / and so lawe of kynde wolde
¶ Alter alterius onera portate
And alle manere men þat thow myhte Aspye
In meschief or in malese / and thow mowe hem helpe
Loke by thy lyue / lat hem nat forfare
Yf thow hast wonne auht wikkedliche / wiseliche despene hit
¶ Facite vobis Amicos de mammona iniquitatis
Y wolde nat greue god quod Peres / for al þe good on erthe
Myhte y synneles do as thow sayst sayde Peres þe plouhman C
Ȝe ybihote / y bihote the quod hunger / or elles þe bible lyeth
Go to oure bygynnynge / tho god the world made
¶ As wyse men haen wryten / and as witnesseth Genesis
Þat sayth with swynke and with swoet / and swetynge face
By-tuyle / By-tu[ly]e and by-trauayle / trewely oure lyflode
¶ In sudure / sud[o]re and labore vultus tui vesceris pane tuo
And salomon þe sage / with þe same acordeth
The slowe Caytif for colde / a LX wolde no corn tylye
In somur for his sleuthe / he shal haue defaute
And go abribeth and abeggeth / and no man beten his hungur
¶ Piger propter frigus noluit arrare mendicabitur in yeme & non dabitur ei
Mathew maketh mencioun / of a man þat lente
His suluer to thre maner men / and menyng they sholden
Chaffare and cheue þerwith / in chele and in hete
And þat best labored / best was alloued
And ledares for here laboryng / ouer al þe lordes godes
Ac he þat was a wreche and wolde nat trauaile
The lord for his lachesse / and his luther sleuthe
By-nom{ee} hym al þat he hadde / and ȝaf hit to his felawe
Þat leely hadde ylabored / and thenne the lord sayde
He þat hath shal haue / and helpe þer hym liketh
And he þat nauht hath / shal nauht haue and noman / no man ȝut helpe hym
And þat he weneth wel to haue / y wol hit hym bireue
And lo what þe sauter sayth to swynkares with handes
Yblessed be al tho / that here by-lyue biswynketh
Thorw eny lele labour / as thorw lymes and handes
¶ Labores manuum tuarum quia manducabis & cetera
This aren euidences quod hunger for hem þat wolle nat swynke
That here lyflode be lene / and lyte worth here clothes
By Crist quod {Peres} þe {plouhman} tho / this prouerbis y wol shewe
To beggares and to boys / þat loth ben to worche
Ac ȝut y praye ȝow quod {Peres} / pur charite syre hungur
Yf ȝe can or knowe / eny kyne thynges of fisyk
For somme of my seruauntes / and my-sulf bothe
Of al a woke worche nat / so oure wombe greueth T vs
Y wot wel quod hungur / what sekenesse ȝow ayleth
Ȝe han manged ouer-moche / þat maketh ȝow to be syke
Ac ete nat y hote / Ar hungur the take
And kepe som til soper tyme / and site nat to longe
At noon ne at no tyme / and nameliche at þe sopere
Lat nat sire sorfeet / sittien / sitt[e]n at thy borde
And loke þou drynke no day / ar thow dyne sumwhat
And lazar þe lene beggare / þat longede aftur crommes
And sethen y say hym sitte / as he a syre were
In al manere ese / and in Abrahammes lappe
Alle þat great / gr[a]t in thy gate / for godesloue / godes loue aftur fode
Part with hem of thy payne / of potage or of sowl
Lene hem som of thy loef / thouh thow þe lasse chewe
And thouh lyares and lechdraweres / and lollares knocke
Lat hem abyde til the bord be drawe / Ac bere hem none crommes
Til alle thyne nedy neyhbores / haue noen y-maked
And yf thow dyete the thus / y dar legge myn eres
That fysik shal his forred hodes / for his fode sulle
And his cloke of callabre / for his comune legge
And be fayn be my fayth / his fysik to leete
And lerne to labory with lond / lest lyflode hem fayle
Ther ar many luther leches / Ac lele leches fewe
They don men deye thorw here drynkes / Ar destyne hit wolde
And leelyche sayst as y leue / lord hit þe forȝeld
Wende nouthe when thow wold / and wel thow be euere
For thow hast wel a-wroke me / and also wel ytauhte me
Y behote the quod hunger / þat hennes ne wol y wende
Ar y haue y-dyned be þis day / and y-dronke bothe
Ne noþer goos ne gries / but two grene cheses
And afewe / a fewe croddes and craym / and a cake of otes
And bred for my barnes / of benes and of peses
Ne no cokeney be Crist / colloppes to make
Ac y haue poret ployntes / pl[o]ntes / parsilie and skalones
Chibolles and chiruulles / and cheries sam-rede
And a cow with a calf / and a cart m{o}are
To drawe afeld my donge / þe while þe drouthe lasteth
And by this lyflode we mote lyue / til lowe masse tyme
Thenne may y dyhte my dyner / as me dere lyketh
Benes and bake aples / they brouhten in here lappe
Hunger eet al in haste / and askede aftur more
Pore folk for fere tho / fedde honger ȝerne
With craym and with croddes / with cresses and oþere erbes
By that hit nyhed neyh heruost / and newe corn cam to chepyng
And thenne gloton with gode ale / garte hunger slepe
And tho wolde wastor nat worche / bote wandren a-boute
Ne no beggare eten bred / þat benes ynne were
bote of cler-matyn / and coket / and of clene whete
Ne noon halpeny ale / in none wyse drynke
Bote of the beste and of þe brouneste þat brewestares sullen
Laborers þat han no lond to lyue on / but here handes
Deynede noȝt T to dyne a day / of nyhte olde wortes
May no peny ale P hem pay / ne no pece of bacoun
but hit be flesch or fisch / y-fried or y-bake
And þat chaut and pluchaut / for chillyng of his mawe
And but yf he be heyliche y-huyred elles wol he chydde
And þat he was werkeman ywrouhte warien þe tyme
Aȝenes Catones consayle / comseth he to gruche
¶ Paupertatis onus pacienter ferre memento
And thenne a LX corseth þe kyng / and alle þe kynges Iustices
Suche lawes to lerne / laboreres to greue
Ac whiles hungur was here maister / ther wolde non chyde
Ne stryue aȝeynes his statuyt / a LX lokede so sturne
Ac y warne ȝow werkmen / wynneth whiles ȝe mowe
For hungur hiderwardes hasteth hym faste
He shal a-wake thorw water / wastors to chaste
And ar fewe ȝeres be fulfeld / famyne shal aryse
And so sayth saturne / and sente vs to warne
Thorw flodes and thorw foule wederes / fruyttes shollen fayle
pruyde and pestilences / shal moche peple feche
T{e}hre shypes and a schaef / with an viii / eyȝte folwynge
Shal brynge bane and batayle / on bothe half þe mone
And thenne shal deth with-drawe / and derthe be Iustice
And dawe þe deluare / dey for defaute
But yf god of his goodnesse / graunte vs a trewe
passus
de
passus
// Hyer makyþ
{Pers} his testa-
ment
{Pers} his testa-
ment
de
{pus} passus
// Hyer hunger faȝt
wyt þe wastour
& wyt þe bretoner
wyt þe wastour
& wyt þe bretoner
de
passus
de
passus
de
// Hyer bad {pyers}
ladies & oþer wymmen
worche
ladies & oþer wymmen
worche
· 8us ·
visione
· 8us ·
visione
// Hyer wastour
chydde {Pers}
chydde {Pers}
// Hyer playned
{Pers} to þe knyȝt
{Pers} to þe knyȝt
· 8us ·
visione
// Hyer {Pers} bad
hunger go aȝen
hunger go aȝen
corrigitur
8us
visione C
· 8us ·
visione
prophecia