[Prologue]
IN a somer seson whanne softe was the s{.}onne
In habit{e} as an hermite vnholy of werkes
Wente wyde in þis world{e} won{.....}dres — to here
AcT on a may mornynge on maluerne hulles
Me byfel a ferly of fair{.}y me thouȝte
I was wery for-wandred and wente me to reste
Vndur a brod{e} bank{e} by a {..}bournes syde
And as I la{i}y and lened and loked on þe wateres
I slombrede in a slepinge it swey{..}ed so merye .
Thanne gan I to meten a meru{......}eilous sweuene
That I was in a wildernesse wyste IT neuere where
A de{..}ep dale bynethe a doungeoun þere-{...}Inne
With depe diches & derke and dredeful of sighte
A fair{e} field{e} ful of folk{e} fond{e} I there bitw{...}ene
Of alle manere of men þe mene and þe ryche
Worchinge and wandrynge as þe world askeþ .
Summe put hem to þe plow pleied ful selde
In settynge and sowynge swonken ful harde
And wonnen that wastours with glotonye destruyeth .
In continaunce of clothynge comen disgised{e} .
In praiers and in penaunce putten hem manye
Al for loue of oure lord{e} lyueden ful streyte
In hope {...}for to haue heuenriche blisse .
As ancres and herm{.}ytes that holden hem in here selles .
And coue{....}iten nouȝt{e} in contre to kairen a-bouten
For no likerous l{.....}iflode her lykame to plese
And somme chosen chaffare thei cheued the bettr{.}e
As it semeþ to oure siȝt þat suche men thryueth
And somme murthes to make as mynstrales conneth
AsT iapers and iangelers Iudas chyldren
ÞatT Faynen hem fantasies and fooles hem maketh
And han h{.....}ir wyt at wille to worchen {ȝ}if þei sholde .
That poul{e} precheþ of hem I nel no{...}ght preue it heere .
Qui loquitur turpiloquium & cetera. est seruus diaboliT
Bidders and beggers faste aboute yede{n}
Wyþ here bely and here bagge of breed ful ycrammed .
Faiteden for here fode fouȝten atte ale
In glotonye god it wot goon {..}thei to bedde
And rysen with rybaudie þo Roberdes knaues .
Sleep and sory sleuthe suweth hem euere .
To seke seint Iames and saint{u}ys in Rome .
Thei wenten forth in here way with many wyse tales
And hadden leue for to lie al hire l{..}yf a{...}fter .
I seigh somme that saiden þei had ysouȝt{e} seint{.}es
More {....}than to saie soth it semed by here speche .
Hermytes on a heep with hokud staues
Wenten to walsingham and here wenches aftur .
Grete lobyes and longe þat loþe weren to swynke
Cloþ{.}eden hem in Copus to be knowen from othere
And shoopen hem heremytes here ese to haue .
Precheden þe p{.}eple for profit of hem-seluen
Glosud þe gospell as hem good liked
For couetise of copus construede it as þei wolde
Many of þise maystur freres mowe clothen hem at likynge
For here money and marchaundise marchen to-g{.}idre .
For sith charitee haþ be chapman and chief to shryue lordus
Many ferlis han fallen in a fewe {ȝ}yeeres .
The mooste meschief on molde is mountynge {wel faste}. vpwardis FastC
Þere prechud a pardoner a preest as he were .
Brouȝte forth a bulle with bisshopus seales
And saide þat hym-selue myȝte assoillen hem alle .
Of falshed of fastynge of vowes y-brokun .
Lewede men leued hym wel and lykede his wordus .
Comen vp knelynge to kiss{..}en his bulles
And rauȝte with his raggeman rynges and broches
Þus þei g{.}iuen hire gold glotones to kepe
And leneth itT such loselus þat lecherie haunten
Were þe bisshop y-blessud{.} or worth boþe his eres
His seel shulde not be sent to desceyue þe p{.}eple .
Ac it is nouȝt by þe bysshop þat þe boy precheth .
For þe parissh preest and þe pardoner parten þe syluer .
¶ Persones and parisch preestus playned hem to þe bisshop
Þat here parisshes were pore sith þe pestilence tyme .
To haue a licence and leue . at london to dwelle
And syngen þereT for symonye for siluer is swete .
Bisshoppus and bachelers boþe maistrus and doctours
Þat han cure vndur Crist and crouned{e}T in tokene
And signe þat þei shulden shryuen here paroschiens
Prechen and prayen for hem and þe pore fede
Liggen in london in lenten and elles
S{u}omme seruen þe kyng{e} and his syluer tellen
In chekker and in Chauncerye chalengen his dettes
Of wardes and wardemotes weyues and streyues
And somme seruen as seruauntz lordus and ladys
And in stede of stywardus sitten and demen
Here messesT and hire matynes and many of here houres
Arn don vndeuoutlich drede is atte þe laste .
Lest Crist in Consistorie acorse ful manye
I parceiuede of þe power þat Petur had to kepe .
To bynde and to vnbynde as þe book telleþ .
Amonges foure vertues þe beste of alle vertues
Þat Cardinales ben called and closynge {ȝ}yates
Þere Crist is in kyngedome to close and to shutte .
And to open it to hem and heuene blisse shewe
Ac of þe Cardinales atte Court{e} þat cauȝt of þat name
And power presumed in hem a Pope to make
To han þat power þat Petur hadde inpugnen I nelle
For in loue and lettrure þe eleccioun bilongeth .
For-þi I can and can nouȝt{e} of court{e} speke more .
Þanne com{e} þere a kyng knyȝthode hym ladde
Miȝt{e} of þe comunes made hym to regne
For to conseille þe kyng{.} and þe comune saue .
Kesten þat þe comune shulde hem-selue fynde .
Þe comune contreued of kynde wit{..} craftus .
And for profit of þe p{.}eple plowmen ordeine{.}de
Þe kyng{e} and þe comune and kynde wit{..} þe þridde .
Shoop lawe and leaute eche man to knowe his owne .
Thanne lokud vp a lunatyk a lene þing{e} with-alle
And knelynge to þe kyng{e} clergealy he saide .
And for þi riȝtful rewlyng be rewardud in heuene
And sithen in þe e{..}ir an heiȝgh an angel of heuene
Lowed to speke in latyn for lewede men ne couþe .
Iangle ne iuge þat iusticeT hem shulde .
But suffren and seruen for-þ{..}i saide þe angel .
Sum rex . sum princeps neutrum fortasse deinceps .C
O qui iura regis . {.}CristiT specialia regis .
Hoc quod agas melius iustus es esto pius
Nudum ius a te vestiri vult pietate
Qualia vis metere talia grana sere
Si ius nudatur . nudo de iure metatur .
Si seritur pietas de pietate metas .
Thanne greuede hym a Goliardeys a glotoun of wordus .
Dum rex a regere . dicatur nomen habereC
Nomen habet sine re nisi studet iura tenereC
To þe kyng & hisT conseill construe whoso wolde
Precipta / Prec[e]pta Regis sunt nobis vincula legis .
With þat ran þere a route of ratones at ones
And smale mys wyth hem mo þan{..} — a þousand{e} .
And comen to a conseil{.} for here comune profit{e}
For a {...}Cat of a {..}contre cam whanne hym lik{..e}ed .
And ouerle{..}ep hem liȝtly and lauȝte hem atte his wille .
And pleyde with hem perillou{...}sly and possed hem aboute .
For doute of diuerse dredus we dar nouȝt wel looke .
And {ȝ}if we grucchen . of his gamen he wil{..} greuen vs alle .
Þat vs lotheth þe lif {o}er he lete vs passe
Miȝte we wiþ any wit{te} his wille with-stonde
We myȝten be lordus a-lofte and l{.}yuen at oure ese .
A Ratoun of renoun moost{e} renable of {..}tonge .
Seide for a souerain help to hym-selue .
I haue y-se{.}yn segges quod he in þe Cite of Londoun
Beren biȝes ful briȝt abouten here nekk{.}es .
And oþerwyle þai arne ellus-where as I here telle .
Men myȝten witen wher þei wente and away {.....}renne
And riȝt so quod þat Ratoun resoun me sheweþ
To bugge a belle of bras or of briȝt{e} siluer
And knytten itT on a Coler for oure comune profite .
And hangen it vpon þe Cattus hals þanne heere we mowen .
Where he rit{..} or rest{e} or renneth to playe
And {ȝ}if hym lust for to layke þanne loke we mowen .
And peren in his presence þere whyle hym plaie likeþ .
And {ȝ}if him wrattheth be war and his wey{e} shonye .
Al þis route of ratouns to þis resoun assent{..e}ed
Ac þo þe belle was y-bouȝt{e} and on þe beiȝe hanged .
Þere nas ratoun in þe route for al{..} þe reume of Fraunce
And helden hem vn-hardy and here conseill{e} feble
And leten here labour lo{...}st and here longe studye .
A mous þat moche good{e} couthe as me thouȝte
Stro{..}ok forþ sternly and stood{e} byforn hem alle .
And to þe route of Ratons reherced þes wordus .
Thouȝgh we cullede þe cat {ȝ}yet shulde þer{e} come a-noþur .
Forthi {.}I conseille {..} all{e} þe comune to late þe cat{te} worþe .
{..}And be we neuere so bolde þe belle hym to shewe .
For I herde my sire sain is seuen {ȝ}yere y-passed .
Þere þe cat{te} is a kytoun þe court{.} is ful elenge .
Þat w{..}ytnesseþ holy writ{te} whoso wol it rede .
Ve terre vbi puer rex est & cetera .
For may non renc þere reste haue for ratones by nyȝte
Þe while he caccheþ conynges he coueiteþ nouȝt oure caroine .
But fet hym wiþ venesoun defame we hym neuere
For bettur is a litul losse {.....}than a long{e} sorwe .
Þe mase among{e} vs alle þouȝ we mysse a shrewe
For many mann{.}es malt we mys wolde destru{.}ye
And also {ȝ}ye route of ratouns rende menn{.}es clothes
Nere þe cat{..} of þat court{e} þat can {ȝ}yow ouer-lepe .
For hadde {ȝ}ye rattes {ȝ}youre wille {ȝ}ye couthe not reule {ȝ}youre-selue{.}
I say for me quod þe mous I see so mukel aftur .
Shal neuere þe catt / ne þe kytoun by my conseill be greued .
Ne carpinge of þis coler þat costud me neuere .
And þouȝ it had costed me . catel byknowen it I nolde .
But suffre as hym-self wolde to do as hym likeþ .
Coupled{e} and vncoupled{e} to cacche what þei mowe .
For-þi eche a wyse wiȝt{e} I warne wite wel his owne .
What þis meteles bemeneth {ȝ}ye men þat ben merie
Dyuyne {ȝ}ye for I ne dar by dere god in heuene .
{Ȝ}Yet houed þere an hundred in ho{....}vues of silk{e}
Sergeauntes it semed þat serued atte þe barre
Pleteden for penies and poundes þe lawe
And nouȝt for loue of oure lord vnlose here lippus onys .
Þow miȝtest{e} bettur mete þe myst{e} on maluerne hulles
{.....}Than gete a momme of here mouth{e} but monoye were shewed
Barouns and burgeis and bonde-men als .
I sa{.}y in þis assemble as {ȝ}ye shul here aftur
Baxters and brewsters and bochers manye
Wollenwebsters and weuers . of lynnen
Taillours and tynkers and tollers in marketes
Masouns and mynours and many moT craftes
Of alkyn libbyng laborers lopun forþ summe
As dikers & deluers þat doth here dedes ille
Cokus and hire knaues crieden hote pies hote
Gode grys and gees gowe / go we dyne gowe / go we .
Tauerners vn-til hem toolde þe same
Whit{e} wyn of Oseye and red{e} wyn of Gascoigne
Of þe ryne and of þe rochell þe rost{e} to defie
Al þis seiȝ I slepinge and seuen sythes more .
contra Glosers euaungeli
proverb.
contra pardoners
a j
+
a ijC
vox angeli
The route off Ratons
a iij
#
# Momming off Men off law For Mone
Assit principio {Sancta}filius Mariae meoC