And purchacede hym a pardoun  a pena & a culpa

For hym & for hise eires  for euere-more after

And bade hym holde hym at home  & erien hise leyes

And alle þat holpen hym to erie  to sette or to sowe

Or any oþer myster  þat myȝte peers auayle

Pardoun wiþ peers plowman  truþe haþ ygrauntid

Kyngys & knyȝtis  þat kepen holy chirche

And riȝtfulli in rewmes  rulen þe peple

Han pardoun þoruȝ purgatorie  to passe ful liȝt

Wiþ patriarkes & prophetis  in paradice to be felawe

Bischoppis yblessid . if þei been . as þei schulden

Legistres of boþe þe lawes  þe lewid . þer-wiþ to preche

T In as myche as þei mowen  amende alle synful

Arn peres wiþ þe apostelis  þis pardoun Peers schewiþ

And at þe day of doom  at þe hye deys to sitte

¶ Marchauntis in þe margyne  hadden many ȝeres

Ac noon a pena &Tculpa  þe pope nolde hem graunte

For þei holden not her halidayes  as holi chirche techiþ

And for þei sweren bi her soule  & so god muste hem helpe

Aȝens clene concience  her catel to selle

Ac vndir herT secreet sehel  truþe sente hem a lettre

Þat þei schulden bigge boldli  þat hem likede bestT

And siþen selle it aȝeyn  & saue þe wynnyng

And amende mesondeux þer-myd  & myseyse folk helpe

And wikkide weyes  wyȝtliche hem amende

And do bote to brygges  þat to-broken weren

Marien maydenes  or maken hem nunnes

Pore peple & prysones  fynde hem her lijflode

And setten scolers to scole  or to summe oþere craftes

Releue religioun  & renten hem better

And I schal sende ȝow my-self  seynt Myhel myn archaungel

Þat no deuel schal ȝow dere  ne fere ȝow in ȝoure doynge

And wite ȝow fro whanhope  if ȝe wole þus worche

And send ȝoure soulis in-toT sauete  to my seyntis in Ioye

Þanne weren marchaundis myrie  &T wepten for Ioye

And preyseden peers þe plowman  þat purchacede þis bulle

Men of lawe leest pardoun hadde  þat pleteden for mede

For þe sauter saueþ hem not  swyche as taken ȝiftis

And nameli of Innocentis  þat noon yuel kunnen

Pledours schuldenT pyne hem  to plede for swiche & helpe

Prynces & prelatis schulden  paye . for her trauayle

Ac many iustises & iurour  wolden for ion do more

Þan pro dei pietate  leue þou noon oþer

Ac he þat spendiþ his speche  & spekiþ for þe pore

Þat is Innocent & nedy  & no man appeyreþ

Counfortiþ hym in þat caas  wiþ-outen coueytise of ȝiftis

And schewiþ lawe for oure lordis loue  as he it haþ lerned

Schal no deuel at his deþ-day  deren hym a myte

Þat he ne worþ saaf & his soule  þe sauter bereþ witnesse

Ac to bigge water ne wijnd  ne witt ne fijr þe ferþe

Þeise foure þe fadir of heuene  made to his folde in comune

Þeise been truþis tresoris  trewe folk to helpe

Þat neuere schul waxe ne wanye  wiþT god hym-selue

Whanne þei drawen vn-to þe deþ  & Indulgences wolden haue

His pardoun is ful petyt  at her partyng hennys

Þat any mede of mene men  for his motyng takiþ

Ȝe legistres & lawyers  holden þis for truþe

Þat if þat I lye  mathew is to blame

For he bade me {take}makeT ȝow þis  & þis prouerbe me toldeT

Alle libbynge laborers  þat lyuen wiþ her handis

Þat trulich taken  & truliche wynnen

And lyuen in loue & in lawe  for her lowe hertis

HanT þe same absolucioun  þat sent was to peers

Beggers ne bidders  ne been not in þe bulle

But if þe suggestioun be soþ  þat schapiþ hem to begge

For he þat beggyþ or bit  but if he haue nede

He is fals wiþ þe feend  & defraudiþ þe nedy

And also he bigyleþ þe gyuer  aȝeynys his wille

For if he wiste he were not nedy  he wolde it gyue an-oþer

Þat were more nedy þan he  so þe nedyest schulde be holpen

Catoun kenneþ me þus  & þe clerk of stories

Cui des videto  is catounys techynge

And in þe stories he techiþ  to bestowe þin almes

Ac gregori was a good man  & bade vs ȝyuenT alle

Þat asken for his loue  þat vs alle leneþ

For ȝe woten neuere who is worþi  ac god woot who haþ nede

In hym þat takeþ is þe trecherie  if any tresoun walke

For he þat ȝyueþ ȝeldiþ  & ȝarkeþ hym to rest

And he þat biddiþ borweþ  & bryngeþ hym-self in dette

For beggers borwen euere-moo  & her boruȝ is god almyȝti

To ȝelden hem þat ȝyuen hem  & ȝit vsure more

For-þi biddeþ not ȝe beggers  but if ȝe han nede

For who-so may bigge hym breed  þe book beriþ witnesse

He haþ ynow þat haþ breed ynow  þowȝ he haue not ellis

Latte vsage be ȝoure {be ȝoure} solace  of seyntis lyues redyng

Þe book banneþ beggrie  & blameþ in þis manere

For ȝe lyuen in no loue  ne no lawe holden

Many of ȝow ne weddenT not  þe womman ȝe wiþ delen

But as wylde beestis wiþ we-he  &T worþ vp & worchen

And bryngen forþ barnes  þat basterdis men callen

Or þe bak or sum boon  he brekiþ in his ȝouþe

And siþþen goon faiten wiþ herT fauntis  for euere-more after

Þer is moo mysschappid peple  amongys þeise beggers

Þan of alle manere men  þat on þis moolde walken

And þei þat lyuen þus her lijf  mowen loþe þe tyme

Þat euere he was man wrouȝt  whanne he schal hennys fare

Ac olde men & hore  þat helples been of strengþe

And wommen wiþ childe  þat worche ne mowen

Blynde & bedrede  & broken her membres

Þat taken þeise mescheues mekeliche  as meseles & oþere

Han aT pleyn pardoun  as þe plowman hym-seluen

For loue of her lowe hertis  oure lord haþ hem grauntid 

Her penaunce & her purgatorie  heer on þis erþe

Peers quod a preest þoo  þi pardoun muste I rede

For I wole construe ich a clause  & kenne it þee on englisch

And peers at his preyer  þe pardoun vnfoldiþ

And I bihynde hem boþe  bihelde al þe bulle

Al in two lynes it lay  & not a leef more

And was writen riȝt þus  in witnesse of truþe

Peter quod þe preest þoo  I can no pardoun fynde

But do wel & haue wel  & god schal haue þi soule

And do yuele & haue yuele  hope þou noon oþer

But after þi deþ day  þe deuel schal haue þi soule

And peers for pure tene  pullede it atweyne

And seide . si ambulauero in medio vmbro mortis non timeboT quoniam tu mecum esC

I schal cecen of my sowyng quod peers  & swynke not so hardeC

Ne be aboute my beli ioye  so bisili no more

Of preyeris & pen.[a]unce my plow  schal be her-after

And wepe whan I schulde slepe  þouȝ whete breed me fayle

Þe prophete his payn eete  in penaunce & in sorwe

Bi þat þe sauter seiþ  so diden many oþere

Þat loueþ god lelly  his lijflode is ful esye

And but if luke lye  he lereþ vs bi foulis

We schulden not be to bisye  aboute þe werldis blis

Ne soliciti sitis  he seiþ in þe gospel

And schewiþ vs bi ensaumples  oure-seluen to wisse

Þe foules in þe feeld  who fynt hem mete at wynter

Haue þei no gerner to go to  but god fynt hem alle

What quod þe preest to perkyn  peter as me þinkeþ

Þou art letterid a litil  who lernede þee on booke

Abstynence þe abbesse quod peers  myn a b c me tauȝte

And concience come afterward  & kende me myche more

Were þou a preest peers quod he  þou myȝtist preche where þou schuldist

As dyuynour in dyuynyte  wiþ dixit insipiens to þi teme

Lewid lorel quod peers  litil lokest þou on þe bible

OrT on salomons sawes  selden þou biholdist

Þe preest & perkyn  apposede eyþer oþer

And I þoruȝ her wordis  a-woke & waytede aboute

And seyȝ þe sunne in þe souþ  sate þat tyme

Meteles & monyles  on maluerne hilles

Musynge on þeise metelis  & my weye ich ȝede

Many tyme þeise metelis  han maad me studie

Of þat I seyȝ slepynge  if it so be myȝte

And also for peers þe plowman  ful pensyf in herte

And whych a pardoun peers hadde  alle þe peple to counforte

And how þe preest impugnede it  wiþ two propre wordis

Ac I haue no sauour in sompnewarieT  for I see it ofte fayle

Catoun & canonystres  counceylen vs to leue

To sette sadnesse in sompnewarie  for sompnia ne cures

Ac for þe book of þe bible  bereþ wittenesse

How danyel dyuynede  þe dremes of a kyng

Þat was Nabugodonosor  nempned of clerkis

Danyel seyde sire kynge  þi dremelis bitokenen

Þat vnkouþe knyȝtis schul come  þi kyngdam to cleue

Amongys lower lordis  þi loond schal be departid

And as danyel dyuynede  in dede it fel after

Þe kyng lees his lordschip  & lower men it hadde

And Ioseph mette merueylouslich  how þe mone &T sunne

And þe elleuene sterres  haylesede hem alle

Þanne iacob iuggede  iosephs sweuene

Bew fitz quod his fadir  for defaute we schullen 

I my-self & my sones  seche þee for nede

It bifel as his fadir seyde  in pharaoes tyme

Þat ioseph was iustise  egypt to loken

It bifel as {a}his fadir tolde  hise frendis þere hym souȝten

And al þis makiþ me  on þeise meteles to þenke

And how þe preest preuede  no pardoun to do-wel

And demede þat . do-wel  indulgences passede

Byennalis & tryennalis  & bischoppis lettres

And how do-wel at þe day of doom  is dignelich vndirfonge

And passeþ al þe pardoun  of seynt peteris chircheT

For-þi I rede ȝow renkes  þat riche been on þis erþe

Vp-on trist of ȝoure tresore  triennalis to haue

Be ȝe neuere þe balder  to breke þe ten hestis

And namelich ȝe maystris  meyres & iugges

Þat han þe welþe of þis werld  & wise men been holden

To purchace ȝow pardoun  atT þe popes bulles

At þe dredeful doom  whanne dede schul arise

And comeT al bifore crist  acountis to ȝelde

How þou laddist þi lijf heer  & hise lawes keptest

And how þou didist day bi day  þe doom wole reherce

A poke-ful of pardoun þere  ne prouyncialis lettres

Þouȝ ȝe be founden in þe fraternyte of alle þe foure ordris

And haue indulgences double-foold  but if do-wel ȝow helpe

I sette ȝoure patentes & ȝoure pardoun  at a pies hele

For-þi I counceyle alle cristen  to crye god mercy

And marie his modir  be oure mene bitwene

Þat god gyue vs grace heer  er we goon hennys

Swiche werkis to wirche  whyle we been heer

Þat after oure deþ-day  do-wel reherce

At þe day of doom  we didenT as he hyȝte