& þe feld ful of folk / y shal faire ȝow shewe.
¶ A Love lady of leere / in lynene y-clothed.
Com fram a Castel / & callede me fayre.
& seyde sone slepistow / seest þou þis peple.
How bysely þat þey been / a-bowtyn þe mase.
Þe mooste partye of þis peple / þat pasen on erthe
Have þey worchepe in þis world / þey wilnen no bettre.
Of othir hevene þan here / holde þey no tale.
I was a-ferd of here face / þey she fair were.
& seyde Mercy Madame / what is þis to mene.
Quod she In þe tour vpon þe toft / trewthe is þere-Inne.
He wolde þat men wroghte / as his woord tellyþ.
For he . ys fader of feyþ / & formed hem alle.
Boþe with fel / & with face / he ȝaf ȝou fyve wyttys.
For to worchepe hym with / whyles ȝee been here.
& þerfore he hyghte þe erthe / to helpe ȝou ecchone.
Of wollene / & lynene / & lyflode at neede.
In mesurable maner / to make ȝow atese / at ese.
He comaundide of his curtesye / in comoun þre þyngys.
None needfullere þan þo / & nempne hem y þynke.
& rykene be resoun / reerse ȝee hem after.
Þe fyrste ys vesteure / fram chele þe to save.
Þe toþir ys mete at meel / for myssese to the.
Þat þou ne worthȝ þe wors / whan þou werche sholdest.
For looth in hise lif dayes / þorghȝ lykynge of drynke.
Dyde by his dowhteres / þat þe deuel lykede.
& leccherye hym lawhte / & he lay by hem bothe.
& al he witte it wyȝn / þat wykkede dede.
Inebriamus eum uino . dormiamusque cum eo.
Vt seruare possumus / poss[i]mus . de patre nostro semen.
For þorghȝ wyȝn & wommen / þere was Looth a-cumbryd.
& gat with gret glotenye / gerlys þat wheryn cherlys.
For-þy drede delytable drynk / & þou shalt do þe bettre.
For Mesure ys Medycyne / þey þou mychel ȝeerne.
It ys nowht al good to þi goost / þat þy gut askeþ.
For þat ys þe wrecchede world / he wolde þe be-traye.
& þe fend / & þy flesshȝ / folwe þe to-gydre.
Þese thre / sewe þy sowle / to shende it þey casten.T
& for þou sholdest ben war / y wysshe þe beste.
¶ A Madame mercy quod y me lykeþ wel ȝoure wordys.
Telle ȝee me to whom / þat tresor a-pendyþ.
/ / [¶] Quod she go to þe gospel / þat god seyde hym-selue.
Whan þe peple with a peny / a-posed hym in þe temple.
Wheyþir þey sholden þerwith / worchepe kyng Cesar.
& cryst askede þere hem / of whom spak þe lettre.
& þe ymage was lyȝk / þat þere-Inne stondiþ.
Alle þey seyden . Cesar / we seen it wel ecchone.
Et que sunt dei deo or ellis / ȝee don ylle
For ryghtful resoun / sholde rewle ȝow alle.
& kende wit be wardeyn / ȝoure welthe to kepe.
& tutor of ȝoure tresor / & take it ȝow at nede.
For he & husbondrye / holden to-gydres.
/ / [¶] Þanne y fraynede hire faire / for hym þat hire made.
Of þe dungoun in þe dale / þat ys so dirk to syghte.
What may it be-mene / Madame ȝee me telle.
/ / [¶] It ys þe Castel of Care quod she who-so komeþ þer-Inne
He may banne / he bore was / to body or to sowle.
For þere-Inne woneþ . a wyght / þat wrong ys y-hote.
He is fadir of falshed / he foundid hym-selue / [yt] hymselue.
For boþe Adam & Eve / he eggyd hem to Ille.
& he conseylede Caym / to kyllyn his broþir.
& to Iudas he Iapede / with þe Iewys syluer.
& sytthen on an ellerne tre / he hongide hym-selue.
He is lettere of love / & by-lyȝeþ hem alle.
Þey þat triste on his tresor / be-trayed are sunnest.
Þat swyche wyse wordys / of holy wryt shewede.
What she was wyttyrly / þat wyssed me so fayre.
/ / [¶] Quod she y am holy chirche / þou awhtist me to knowe.
For / For [y] vndir-fongyd þe fyrst / & þe feyþ þe tawhte.
Þow browhtest me borwes / my byddynge to fulfille.
& to love leelly meT / whylys þy lyf dureþ.
¶ Þan y kurblyde / [kurbyd] doun on knees / & cried hire of grace.
& prayede hire pytously / to praye for myn synnes.
& teche me to no tresor / but teche me þe soþe.
How y may save my sowle / þat seynt art y-holde.
Whan alle tresor ys tryed . quod she trewþe is þe beste.
I do it on deus caritas / to demen þe sothe.
& doþ werke þer-with / & wylneþ no man ylle.
Þe Clerkys þat knowe þys / sholde kenne it a-bowte.
For cristene & vncristene / cleyme heuene ecchone.
/ / [¶] Kyngys & knyghtes / sholde kepe it be reson.
& ryden & rappe doun / in rewhmes a-bowte.
& taken transgressores / & teyȝen hem faste.
Tyl trewþe hadde determyned / here trespas to ende.
& þat ys þe professioun properly / þat apendiþ to knyghtys.
& nowht to fasten a fryday / in fyve skore wynter.
But holde with hym / er with hire / & so wolde trewthe.
¶ For dauid in hise dayes / dubbede knyghtes.
& dyde hem swere on a swerd / to serue trewþe euere.
& who þat passede þat poynt / a-postata was holde.
& ȝaf hem myght of his mageste / þe meryere hem þowhte.
& ouer hise meene meyghne / he made hem archangelis
& tawhte hem of þe trinnyte / trewþe to knowe.
& fel fram þe felachepe / in-to þe feendys lyknesse.
In-to þe derke helle / to dwelle þerinne for euere.
& mo þowsende with hym / þan ony man can numbre.
Lopen doun with lucyfer / in a lothly forme.
& alle þat hopede it myghte be so / heuene ne myghte hem holde.
But fyllyn owt foule feendis / nyghne dayes complet.
Tyl god of his goodnesse / gan stable hem to stynte.
& made hevene be steke a-geyn / & stonden in quyete.
¶ But whan þo wikkyde wentyn out / wondir-wyse þey fellyn.
Summe in þe erthe / summe in þe eyȝr / & summe in þe helle depe.
But in helle lyþ lucyfer / lowest of hem alle.
For Pride þat he pitte owt / his peyghne haþ non ende.
/ / [¶] & alle þat after wrong wirchen / wenden þey shulle.
¶ & þo þat wel wirchen / as holy writ hem techeþ.
Þey enden / as eer / [I] eer seyde / in trewþe / for þe beste.
Þey mowe be syker / þat here soule / shal styȝen into heuene.
Whan alle tresorys ben tried / trewþe ys þe beste.
Þat trewþe ys þe fayrest tresor / & tristest on erthe.
By what craft in my corps / it comseþ & where.
/ / [¶] A þou dotyst quod she / to dulle ben þyne wittys.
To lytil latyn þou lernedist / leede in þyn ȝowthe.
Heu michi quod sterilem duxi uitam iuuenilem.
¶ Þat is a kyȝnde knowyng quod she þat comeþ in þyn herte.
For to love þyn lord / leevere þan þy-selue.
& non / dedly synne don / dyȝe þey þou sholdist.
Þis y trowe is good trewþe / who can teche þe bettre.
Loke þou suffre hym to seyȝe / & sytthe lerne it soone.
For þus witnesseþ his word / worche þou þer-after.
/ / [¶] For trewþe telliþ / þat love / ys triacle of hevene.
Þere may synne / [no] synne / be on hym sene / þat that spyce vseþ.
Alle hise wirkys be wroghte / with love / at his lykyng.
& lerned it to moyses / for leveT / & most lyk to hevene.
& also plente of pees / ys moost precious of vertues.
For hevene myghte not holde it / so was it hevy hym-selue.
Tyl it hadde of þe erthe / y-hetyn al his fylle.
¶ & whan it hadde of manhode / fleshȝ & blood take.
Þerfore ys love ledere / of þe lordis folk of hevene.
¶ & as þe Meyȝre is meene / be-twene þe kyng & comonys.
Ryght so / ys love a ledere / & þe Lawhe shapeþ.
Vpon man / for hise mysdedis / & mercyment he askeþ.
& for to knowe it kyndely / yt comseþ be myghte.
& in þyn herte is þe heved / & þe hyȝe welle.
For in kyȝnde knowynge in herte / þere myght by-gynneþ.
& þat falleþ to þe fadir / þat formede faire vs alle.
He lookede on vs with love / whan he leet his sone dyȝe.
Meekly for oure mysdedis / to a-mendyn vs alle.
& ȝyt wolde he no woo to þo þat wrowhte hym peyne.
But meekly with mowþe / Mercy he be-sowhte.
To have pyte on þe peple / þat pyned hym to dethe.
¶ Here myght þou seen ensample / in hym-selue oone.
Þat he was myghtful & meeke / & mercy gan graunte.
To hem / þat hongyn hym on hyȝ & his herte þryllyd.
¶ For-þy y rede þe ryche / have mercy on þe pore.
Þey ȝee been myghtful to moote / be ȝee meke in herte.
For be þe same mesure / þat ȝee metyn / a-mys oyþer ellys.
Ȝee shulle be weyȝe þer-with / whan ȝee wendyn hennys.
Eadem mensura qua mensi fueritis remecietur uobis.
¶ For þey ȝee ben trewe of tunge / & trewly selle.
& as chast as þe chyld / þat in þe chirche wepiþ.
& but ȝee love ȝoure neyhebore / & leene or gyve þe poore.
Of swiche goodis / as god ȝow sent / goodly with hem ȝe parte.
Ȝee have no more meryght / of Messe ne of howres
For Iemes þat Ientyl man / Iuggede in hise bookys.
Þat feythȝ withoutyn fewte / ys no-þyng worthy.
But as ded / as dore tre / but if dedys sewen.
Fides sine operibusP mortua est.
For-þy Chastite with-outyn Charite / worþ cheyned in helle.
It is lewed as þe lampe / þat no lyght ys Inne.
¶ Fele Chapeleynys be chast / but charite is a-weye.
Þere ben non averouserere þan þey / whan þey ben a-vawncyd.
& vn-kyȝnde to here ken / & to alle cristene peple.
Þey chewyn here charite / & chydyn after moore.
Swich chastite with-outyn charite / worþ cheyȝned in helle.
¶ Fele Curaturys kepe hem-self / klene of here bodijs.
But þey ben a-cubrid / a-cu[m]brid with coueytise / þey kunne out crepe.
So harde haþ Averyce / y-haspid hem to-gydres.
& þat ys not trewthe of þe trinnyte / but treccherye of helle.
& lernynge to lewid men / þe lattere to leve synne.
For-þy þese wordis ben y-wrete / weel in þe gospel.
For date is / þe look of love / þat leetiþ out my grace.
To conforte þe kareful / þat is a-cumbred with synne.
For love is leche of lyf / & neest oure lord in heuene.
For-þy / y seyȝ / as y seide / eer by þe tyxtys.
Whan alle tresor is triȝed / ȝyt trewþe ys þe beste.
I may no lengere lenge þe with / oure lord looke þe euere.
Explicit passus
Secundus de visione
Petri plouhman