Incipit Passus Nonus.
& nempnyd me by my name / & bad me nemyn hede.
Of þe worchynge of þis world / wit for to take.
I was þidir fet forþ / ensamples to knowe
Þoru euery creatures keende / my creatur to loveye.
I sey þe sunne & þe see / & þe sond after.
& bryddis & beestis / by here makes wentyn.
With flekkede fedres / & fele faire coloures.
Boþe pouerte & plente / & eek pees & werre.
Blisse & also bale / y seyȝ þere boþe at oonysatoonys.
& men tooke Meede / & Mercy for-soke
In etynge & drynkynge / in gendrynge of keende.
Þar was non kow þoru kyȝnde / þat conceyvid hadde.
Þat wolde belwe after bole / ne boor after sowe.
Ne grete hors ne hakeneys / after oþire beestis.
Ne þey medlid not with here makis / save man oone.
¶ I be-held bryddis also / in busshis þey made nestis.
Was neuere ȝit wyȝe / hadde wit / to wirche þe leeste.
Stykkis to legge / in lengþe & in breede.T
& feer of oþire fowlys / & for wyȝlde beestys.
Summe tredyn here makys / & on trees breden.
¶ & brynge forþ here bryddis / al a-bove þe grounde.
& summe kawkede y tok keep / as pekokys wirche.
¶ Mychil merveylede me þan / what mayster þey hadde.
& who tawhte hem on trees / to tyȝmbre so hyȝe.
¶ & after y lookede on þe see / & on þe sterris bryghte.
& manye selkouþis y seyȝ / y may not seyȝ nowþe.
Þat a-mongis þe grene gras / grewe ful soote.
Summe soote & summe sowr / gret selkouþ me þouhte
But of here keende coloures / to carpe were to longe.
¶ But þat most merveyled me / & made my mood to change.
Þat Resoun took reward / & rewlede alle beestis.
Save man / & his make / manye tymesT & ofte.
No resoun rewlyþ hem / & y rebewkyd hym þanne.
& þus sadly to hym / my-seluen y seyȝde.
¶ I have wondir of þe . quod y þat Resoun art holde.
¶ Þan Resoun a-ratid me / & seyde recche þe neuere.
Why y suffre . or not suffre / þou hast not to doone.
Suffrance god suffrede / to goomes as y leve.T
& ȝit he suffreþ / for sum mannys goode / & so is oure bettre.
Propter deum subiecti estote omni creature.
¶ Now wille ȝe leere a tale / was told me in towne.
How Frensshe men in France / a-faytyn here childryn.
Beele vertue est suffraunce mal dire est pety vengance.
Bien dire & bien suffre fait lui suffrant a bien venir.
/ / [¶] For-þy y rede þe Resoun / þou rewle better þy tunge.
& er þou my lyf lakke / looke þyn be to preyse.
For þere is no creature vndir criȝst / can formen hym-selue.
& yf a man myghte / make lakles hym-selue.
Ech man wolde ben lakles / leve þou non oþir.
Ne shalt fyȝnde but fewe / fayn wolde heere.
Of here fowle defawtys / be-fore here face reersed.
Þe witty wyȝsman / wroot wel in þe byble.
De re que te non molestat non certaueris . & in iudicioiniudic ioT
/ / [¶] For be a man fair or foul / It falleþ not hym to lakke.
Þe shap ne þe shafte / þat god shoop hym-selue.
For alle þynges he wrouhte wel / as þe writ wytnessiþ.
Et vidit deus cunta / cun[c]ta que fecerat & erant ualde bona.
God bad ech creature / in his kyȝnde encrese.
& al was to merthe with man / þat most woo þolyeþ
In foondynge of his fleshȝ / & of þe feend boþe.
For man was maad of mater / he may not fro it sterte.
Þat sum-tyme hym but suffre / to folwe his keȝnde.
Catoun a-cordiþ þerto / nemo sine crimine viuit.
/ / [¶] Þo cawhte y colour a-non / & cumsede to ben a-shamed.
& y awakede þere-with / & woo was y thanne.
Þat y ne myghte in Metelys / more matere y-knowe.
Now what Dowel ys quod y by dere god y knowe.
& as y keste vp myn eyȝes / oon lokede on me & askede.
¶ Þan seyde he haddist þou suffred / þo þou on slepe were.
Þou sholdist have knowe it of Clergye / & conseyvid it be resoun.
Philosophus esses si tacuisses.
Adam whilis he was heere / he hadde paradyȝs at his wille.
& whan he mamelede on his mete / he menede to knowe.
Þe wisdomC of his god / & he was pyt fram blysse.
& ryȝht so ferde Resoun / be þyn rude speche.
Þou lakkedist lordly þyng / þat longyd þe not to done.
He hadde after no lykynge / for to leere þe moore.
/ / [¶] & now wil priȝde & presumsyoun / paraunter þe a-peele.
Þan shal needful shame / if he shape hym to a-mende.
For leete a drunke daffe / in a deep dyȝk falle.
& lete hym lygge longe þere / tyl hym lyste to ryȝse.
Of Clergye ne of his conseil / he a-cownteþ not a resshe.
For to betyn hym þanne / it were but pure synne.
Þanne whot þat drunke daffe / wherfore he is to blame.
¶ Ȝee seyn sooþ quod y be my sowle / y haue seyȝ þat ofte.
/ / [¶] Why wyȝsse ȝee me þus . quod y for y rebewked so Resoun.
Sertys quod he þat ys sooþ / & shoop hym for to walke.
& gan faren on hys weyȝ / & y folwede after.T
& prayede hym of his curtesyȝe / to telle me his name.
I am ymagenatyf quod he / ydel am y neuere.
Þowhȝ y sytte be my-selue / in seeknesse or in helthe.
& y have folwid þe in feyþ / fyve & fowrty wynter.
& on þyn wyȝlde wantounnesse / þo þow in ȝowthe were.
To a-mende þe in mydde age / a lest / lest þy myght fayle after.
& in þyn olde elde / þan / þa[t] canst evele suffre.
Ony pouerte or penaunce / or prayerys to byddyn.
Si non in prima vigilia nec in secunda
A-mende þe while þou myght / þou hast be warned ofte.
For with þo bittre baleyse / god beteþ hise chyldryn.
Qvem diligo castigo.T
It is but merthe to me / to a-mende my sowle.
& bydde for hem þat ȝeve þe breed / for þere be bookis y-nouwe.
& prechoures to preve what it is / of many a peyre freris.
Þan wiste y wel he seyde sooþ / & þouhte me to excuse.
C nterpone / [I]nterpone tuis interdum gaudia curis.
& also of holy men here y / hou þat þey oþir-while.
Nou if þere where ony wyht / þat wolde me telle.
What were Dowel . & Dobet . & Dobest þe þrydde.
Wolde y neuere do werk / but weendyn to holy chirche.
& þere byddyn my bedis / but whan y eete or slepe.
¶ See Poulis pistil quod he he preueþ what ys Dowel.
For he doþ wel with-outyn dowte / þat doþ as lewte techiþ.
Þat ys If þat þou be maryed / þou love þy make leelly.
/ / [¶] Also If þou be Relygous / renne þou neuere fram home.
To Rome ne to Roche-madoure / but as þyn rewle tellyþ.
& holde þe vndir obedyence / þat is þe heye wey to hevene.
¶ & if þou be a Mayde meeke / & þou myghte wel þe contenue.
Seeke þou neuere seynt forthere / for þyn sowle helthe.
For what made Lucifer / to leese þe hyȝe hevene.
Er salomon his sapience / or sampson his strengthe.
Er Arystotil or virgyle / & ypocraas þe wise.
Er Felyce for hire fayrnesse / yt fel hire al to sklaundre.
& Rosemound ryght soo / rewfully she be-sette.
Þat wyse wordys wolde shewe / & wirche þe contrarye.
C unt / [S]unt homines nequam bene de virtute loquentes.
/ / [¶] Þere ben ryche renkys þat do so / þat gadren & sparen.
& þat ys / for þey ofte seen / so fele nedy folkys.
C cienti[S]cienti bonum & non facienti uarijs flagellis uapulabit.
Þe book seiþ þat sapyence / swellyþ a mannys sowle.
C apiencia / [S]apiencia inflat
/ / [¶] & also / Rycchesse doþ ryȝt so / but if þe roote be trewe.
& in men in leele lyvynge / & in lyf-holy.
& þat gaf hem þe holy goost / as þe gospel tellyþ.
C piritus / [S]piritus ubi vult spirat.
Clergye & kende wit / comeþ of syghte & techynge.
As þe book beriþ wytnesse / to beurnys þat kunne rede.
C vod / [Q]vod simus loquimur & quod uidimus testamur.
& of quod vidimus komeþ wit / þoru syghte of oure eyȝes.
¶ But grace is a gifte of god / & of gret love springiþ.
C escit / [N]escit aliquis vnde venit aut quo vadit
But ȝit is Clergye to comende / & kende wit boþe.
Affter þe lettre tellyþ / þe lawe so was to þe Iewis.
What womman was take in a-vowtery / where she ryche or pore.
& Cryst of his curtesye / o womman he savede.
Geltyere a-fore god / & grettere was here synne.
Þan þe womman þat þere stood / & wentyn a-wey for shame.
Þus þoruh clergye þere / confortyd was þe womman.
& so ys Clergye gret confort / to creatures þat wille repente.
& also to manshide men / in Mischeef at here nede.
For goddis body myghte not be of breed / with-outyn clergye.
Þe wiche body in forme of breedT / ys boote to þe ryghtful.
& deþ / & dampnacioun to hem / þat dyȝen in vn-klennesse.
For þe womman þat þe Iewis brouhte / cryst þouhte to save.
C olite / [N]olite iudicare & non Iudicabimini.
/ / [¶] Ryght so goddis dere body / but it be worthyly take.
¶ For-þy / y conseile þe for cristis sake / clergye þat þou lovye.
For keende wit . is of his ken / & neer kosynes be boþe.
To oure lord leve þou me / for-þy / love hem y reede.
For boþe been as Mirroures / to a-mende oure defautis
& leederis to lewede men / & for lettryd boþe.
/ / [¶] For-þy lakke þou neuere logyk lawe / ne hise leve customys.
Ne countreplete no clerkys / y conseyle þe for euere.
No more can no clerk clergye / but he cacche it in bokis.
& al-þeyhȝ man make bookys / ȝit god is Mayster
For ryght as wit seruyþ a man / to seen in þe strete.
& as a blynd man in bataile / beriþ wepyn to fyȝte.
& haþ non hap with hax / his enemy to hytte.
To vnloke it at here lykyng / vnto þe lewid peple.
& graunteþ mercy for mysdedis / yf men wille yt aske.
Buxumly & benygnly / & bydde it / of grace.
/ / [¶] Archa dei in þe olde lawe / levites it kepten.
Hadde neuere lewid man leve / to leyn hond þere-onne.
But he were prest or prestis sone / patriarch or prophete.
& hise sones also / for þat synne myschevedyn.
& manye mo oþire men / þat weryn none levites.
Þat with archa dei wentyn / with worchepeful reuerencis.
& leyde on hond / & lyfte it vp / & lurn here lyf after.
/ / [¶] For-þy y conseyle alle creatures / no clergye ȝee dispise.
Ne settiþ lyght be here scyence / what so þei do hem-selue.
Tak here wordis at worþ / here wytnesses be trewe.
& medle not meche with hem / to meve hem to wratthe.
C olite / [N]olite tangere Cristos meos.
Whas þere neuere no knyght / but Clergyȝe hym made.
For keende wyt komeþ / of alle kenne syghtys.
Of beestys & of bryddis / of trewþe / & of disseytys.
Þe selkowthis þat þey seyȝen / here sones for to teche.
& helde it an heyȝ scyence / here wittys to knowe.
¶ But þorhȝ here scyencis soþly / was neuere sowle savid.
For al here kende knowynge / cam of dyuerse syghtys.
Boþe Patriarchis & prophetis / repreven here scyencis.
As to þe Clergyȝe of crist / a-cowntyd it is a trefle.
Sapiencia huius mundi Stulticia est apud deum.T
& bad hem goon to Bedleem / cristis berthe honowre / [to] honowre.
Whan to shepperdis a sterre shon / a shewere of blysse.
& dyde omage & honour / to hym þat was al-myghty.
¶ Why y have told þis tale / y took ful good heede.
How þou contraryedist Clergye / with þy crabbide wordis.
Þat lewede men / lyghtlokere / þan lettrid men weryn savid.
/ / [¶] Tak two stronge men / & in Temse hem caste.
& looke boþe ben naked / noon be / but as oþyr.
& þat oþir is lewyd to laboure / for he lerned it neuere.
Wiche trowist þou of hem two / in temse shal drenche.
But he þat nevere dyvede / ne neuere cowhde of swymmyng
Ryght so quod þe renke / ryght / Resoun shewyþ.
He þat knoweth Clergyȝe / can sunnere a-ryȝse.
Owt of synne to be saf / þey he synne ofte.
For if þe Clerk be konynge / he knoweth what ys synne.
How Contricyoun ys comendid / for he caste a-wey synne.
Beati quorum remisse sunt iniquitates . & quorum tecta sunt peccata.T
In wiche þe foule fendT / fondeþ a man hardest.
Þere þe lewid man lyþ stylle / & after lewte / le[n]te lookeþ.
But as hise loorys-men lerne hym / so he be-leveþ & troweth.
Dum cecus ducit cecumT
¶ Þe theef þat hadde grace of god / on good fryday to speke.
/ / [¶] But þeyhȝ þat þeef hadde hevene / he hadde non heyȝ blysse.
Ryght as Man ȝeve me / meete a-myddis his halle.
So it fareþ be þat feloun / þat on good fryday was savid.
But be hym-selue as a soleyn / þat seruyd ys in þe halle.
For he þat ys oonys a theef / he is euere after in dawnger.
& as lawe wille lyke / to make hym lyve or dyȝe.
De peccato propiciato / noli esse sine metu.
It were neyþir resoun ne reyght / to rewarde hem y-lyche.
& ryght as Troianus þe knyght / tylte not in-to helle.
For he is in þe lowest in hevene / if oure be-leve trewe / [be] trewe.
¶ But why þat oon þeef on þe croos / creaunt gan hym ȝeelde.
Rathere þan þat oþir theef / þou þynkst me to a-pose.
Qvare placuit quia deusT voluit.
/ / [¶] And so y seyȝ to the / þat sekyst after þo weyȝes.
& hast y-resoned Reson / with rebewkyng as it were.
Why summe lowe / [be] lowe & summe on lofte / þy lykynge were to here.
& how þe flowres in þe frythȝ / have so faire hewes.
& of þe stones & þe sterrys / þou stodyest in þyn meende.
How þey may so styken / & shynen fram þe walkene.T
¶ Clergye ne keende wit / knew neuere þe cause.
But keende knoweth þe cause / no creature ellis.
He ys þe Pyes patrone / & pit it in hys ere.
& keende kenneþ þe Pekook / to kawken with his make.
& keende kennede Adam / to knowe hise priue membrys.
& tawhte hym & Eve / to hele hem with leevys.
/ / [¶] But lewed men manye tymes / Maystris a-pose.
Why Adam heled not hys mowþ / whan he eet þe appil.
Keende knoweth why he dyde so / but no Clerk ellis.
¶ Of bryddis & of beestys / men be olde tymes.
Ensamples tooken be termes / as tellyn þe Poetys.
How þe fayrest foul / fowlest þey gendren.
& feblest foul of flyght / þat fleeþ or swymmeþ.
Þat ys þe prowhde Pookok / & ryche men he be-tokneþ.
For trayle of his tayl / ouer-take ys he soone.
& his fleshe ys foul fleshe / & hise feet foule bothe.
& he haþ an vnlovely steveneT / & loþly to here.
¶ Ryght so þe ryche man / if he his rycchesse kepiþ.
& deleþ it not tyl his deþ-day / þe tayl of alle sorwe.
Ryght as þe pennys of þe Pekok / peyneþ hym in fleyng.
So is possessioun peyne to þe ryche / of pens & of noblys.
& þeyhȝ þe ryche repente þanne / & be-rewe þe tyme.
Þat euere he gadrede so grete / & gaf þerof so lytyl.
Þeyhȝ he þanne criȝe to crist / with clene wyl y leve.
¶ But whan his kareyn ys kowchyd / & in kave beryed.
I leve it flawmeþ foule / þe foolde al a-bowten.
Þat yt envenymeþ þere it lyþ / alle oþire þoru his atter.
¶ Be þe poo feet ys vndirstonde / as it seyþ in Avenet.
Executoris be þo false frendis / þat fulfylle not his wille.
¶ Þe Larke þat is a lasse foul / ys more lovely of stevene.
& wel a-wey of wenge / & swyftere / þan þe pookok.
& of fleshȝ be fele fold / boþe fattere & swettere.
But god is so good y hope / þat sytthe he gaf hym wyttis.
To wysshen wyȝen þere-with / þat wyssen vs be saved.
& þe bettre for hise bookis / to bydde for hym we be holde.
For lettrid men weryn lewede / ne were loore of bookys.
¶ Alle þese Clerkys quod y tho þat on crist be-leven
Seyn in here sermonys / þat neyþir Iewys ne sarsyȝnes.
Ne no creature lyȝk to crist / with-outyn cristnyng worþ saved.
¶ Contra quod ymagenatyf þo & komsede for to lowre.
& seyde vix saluabitur iustus in die Iudicij.
Ergo Saluabitur quod he / & seyde no more latyn.
& he is saaf as seyþ þe book / & his soule in blysse.
Aduenit ignis diuinus non comburens sed illuminans.
& if he were wykke he wolde a-mende / & in swich a wille dyȝeþ.
Ne wolde neuere trewe god / but his wil were a-lowed.
& were it worþ . or not worþ / þe beleve ys gret in trewþe.
For deus dicitur quasi dans vitam eternam suis . idT est . fidelibus.
Et alibi . Si ambulauero in medio vmbre mortis non timebo mala quoniam tu mecum es domine.T
The glose grawntiþ vpon þat vers / a gret meede of trewþe.
Boþe wit & wysdom quod þat wyȝ / weryn sumtyme a tresor.
To kepe hem fram / [wiþ a] comoun / no catelle was bettre.
& myche merthe & manhed / & with þat word he vanshede.
Explicit Passus Nonus.