[Passus vicesimus de visione vt supra]C
And greue men grettere þan gode feith it
wolde .
And spiritus iusticie
schal iugen wol he nol he .
After þe kynges conseil and þe comune like .
And spiritus prudencie
in many a poynt schal faile .
Of þat he weneth wold falle if his witt ne were .
Wenynge is no wisdom ne wise
ymaginacioun .
Homo proponit & deus disponit
and gouerneth alle .T
Gode vertues and nede is next hym for anon he meketh .
¶ And god alle his grete ioye gostliche he lefteC
And cam and toke mankende & bicam nedy .
Þat he seide in his sorwe on þe selue rode .
Bothe fox and foule may fle to hole and crepe .
And þe fisch hath fyn to flete with orT to reste .
Þere nede hath I-nome me
þat I mote nede a-byde .
And suffre sorwes ful soure þat schal to
ioye turne .
For-þi be nouȝt a-basshed to bidde and to be nedy .
Sith he þat wrouȝte alle þe worlde was wilfullich
nedy .
Ne neuere none so nedy ne
pouerere deyede .
And mette ful merueylously þat in mannes forme .
Antecrist cam þanne and alle croppe of
treuthe .
In ech a contre þere he cam he cutte a-wey treuthe .
And gert gile growe þere as he a god were
¶
Freres folwed þat fende for he ȝaf hem copes .
And alle his as wel as hym saue onliche foles .
And a fals feend antecrist ouer alle folke regned .
Defiede alle falsenesse and folke þat it vsede .
Þei corsed and her conseil were it clerke or lewed .
¶ Antecrist hadde þus sone hundredes at his baner .
And pride it bare boldely aboute .C
With a lorde þat lyueth after lykynge of
body .
Þat cam aȝeyne consience þat keper was and
gyoure .
¶ I conseile quod consience þo cometh with
me ȝe foles .
in-to vnite holy cherche
and holde we vs there .
And crie we to kende þat he come and defende vs .
Foles fro þis fendes lymes for peres loue þe plowman .
And crie we onT alle þe comune þat þei come to vnite .
And þere abide and bikere aȝeyne belialles children
.
¶ Kende consience þo herde and cam out of þe planetes
.
Couȝhes and cardiacles crampes and tothaches .
Rewmes and radegondes and roynouse skalles .
Byles and boches and brennynge aguwes .
Frenesyes and foule eueles forageres of kende .
Hadde I-priked and praied
polles of peple .
¶ Þere was harrow and helpe here cometh
kende .
With deth þat is dredful to vndoen vs alle .
¶ Þe lorde þat lyuede after lust þo a-loud criede .
After kniȝteT to come and bere
his banere .
Alarme alarme quod þat lord ech lyf kepe
his owene .C
¶ ÞanneT mette þise men er mynstralz miȝt pipe .
And er heraudes of armes hadden descreued lordes .
And bare þe baner bifore deth bi riȝt he it claymed
.
Kende cam after hymT
with many kene sores . .
As pokkes and pestilences and muche poeple schente .
So kende thoruȝ corrupciouns
kulled ful manye .
Kynges and kniȝtes caiseres and popes .
Lered ne lewed he leftT no man
stande .
Þat he hitte euene þat euer stired after .
Swouned and swelted for sorwe of dethes dyntes .
¶ Consience of his curtesie to kende he be-souȝte .
To sese and suffre and se where þei wolde
.
Leue pride priueliche and be
parfit cristene .
¶ And kende sesed þo to se þe poeple amende .
Fortune gan flateren þanne þo fewe þat
weren alyue .
And be-hiȝte hem longe lif
and leccherie he sente .
Amonges alle manere men wedded and
vnwedded .
And gadered a grete hoste al agayne consience .
And with priue speche and peynted wordes
.
And armed hym in Idelnesse & in
heȝ berynge .
He bare a bowe in his hande and many blody arwes .
Weren fethered with faire beheste and many
a fals treuthe .
With vntidyT tales he tened ful ofte .
¶ Þanne cam coueytise and cast how he miȝte .
His wepne was al wyles to wynnen and to hyden .
With glosynges and gabbynges he giled þe peple .
And preched to þe peple and
prelates þei hem maden .
To holde with antecrist here temporautes to saue .
And come to þe kynges conseil as a kene
baroun .
And kneled to consience in courte be-fore hem alle .
And gert goed faith fle and fals to abide .
Muche of þe witt and wisdomm of
westmynster halle .
He iugged til a iustice and iusted in his ere .
And ouertilte al his treuthe with take
þis vp amendement .
And turned syuile into symonye & sitth he toke þe official
.
For a menyuere mantelT he made lele matrimonie .
Departen ar deth cam and a deuosT schupte .
¶ And þanne louȝ lif and lete dagge his clothes
.
And armed hym in haste in harlotes wordes .
And helde holinesse a iape and hendenesse a
wastoure .
And lete leute a cherle and lyere a fre man .
Consience and conseil he counted it folye .C
¶ Þus relied lif for a litel fortue / fortu[n]e .
And priked forth with pruyde
preiseth he no vertue .
Ne careth nauȝt how kende slow & schal come
atte laste .
Hele and I quod hee and heyȝenesse
of herte .
Schal do þe nauȝt drede nother deth ne elde .
And to forȝete sorwe and ȝif nauȝt of
synne .
¶ Þis liked lif and his lemman fortune .
And geten in here glorie a
gedelynge at þe laste .
On þat muche wrouȝteT
slewthe was his name
Slewthe wex wondere ȝerne and sone
was of age .
And wedded on wanhope a wenche of þe stues .
Hire sire was a sisoure
þat neuere swore treuthe .
¶ Þus sleuthe was war of werre and a slynge made .
And threw drede of dispaire a doseine
myle aboute .
For care consience þo crieden / criedT vppon elde
.
And badT fonde to fiȝte and afere wanhope
.
¶ And elde hente gode hope & hasteliche he schifte
hym .
And wayued away wanhope and with lif he fiȝteth
.
And lif fleyȝ for fere to fisike after helpe .
And bisouȝte hym of socoure and of
his salue hadde .
¶ And þei gyuen hym a-geyne
a glasen houe .
Lif leuede þat lechecrafte lette schulde elde .
¶ And elde auntrede hym on lyf and at þe last he hitte
.
A fisisian with a furred hode þat he fel in a palsie
.
And þere deyede þat doctour ar thre dayes
after .
Now I se seyde lif þat surgerie ne fisike .
May nouȝte a myte auayle to medelen aȝeyne
elde .
¶ And in hope of his hele gode herte hente .T
And rode so to reuel a riche place and a myrie .
And made me balled before and bare on þe croune .
¶ Sire euel ytauȝte elde quod I
vnhende go with þe .
Sith whanne was þe waye ouer mennes hedes
.
Haddestow be hende quod I þow woldest
haue asked leue .
¶ Ȝe leue lordeyne quod he and leyde
on me with age .
And hitte me vnder þe ere vnnethe may ich here .
He buffeded me aboute þe mouthe & bet out my wange tetheT
And gyued me in goutes I may nouȝt go at large
.
And of þe wo þat I was inne my wif hadde reuthe .C
For þe lyme þat sche louede me fore & leef was to
fele .
An niȝtes nameliche whan we naked
were .
I ne miȝte in non maner maken it at
hire wille .
¶ And wasT I seet in þis sorwe I say how kende
passed .
And deth drouȝ neȝ me for drede gan I
quaken .
And cried to kende oute of care me bringe
.
Awreke me ȝif ȝoure wille be
for I wolde be hennes .C
¶ If þow wilt ben IwrekeT wende into vnite .
And halde þe þere euere
til I sende for þe .
And loke þow cune sum crafte ar þow come
þennes .C
How schal I come to catel so to clothe me and to fede
.
Þoruȝ contricioun and
confessioun til I cam to vnite .
And biseged sothly with seuene grete geauntes .
Þat with antecriste helden harde aȝeine consience
.
¶ Sleuthe with his slynge and harde saute he made .
Proude prestes come with hym passynge an hundreth .T
In paltokes and piked shoes and pisseres longe kniues .
Comen aȝeyne consience with coueitise þei helden
.
I counte namore consience bi so I cacche
siluer .
Þan I do to drinke a drauȝte of gode ale .
And so seide sixti of þe same contray .
And shoten aȝeine with shote many a shef of othes
.
And brode hoked arwes godes herte and his nailes .
And hadden almoste vnite and holinesse adowne .C
¶ Consience cride helpe clergie or elles I falle .
Þoruȝ inparfit prestes and prelates
of holy cherche .
Freres herden hym crie and comen hym to helpe .
Ac for þei coude nauȝt wel her crafte
consience forsoke hem .
¶ Nede neyȝede þo neere and
consience he tolde .
And for þei aren pouer par
auenture for patrimonye hem faileth .
Þei wil flatere to fare wel folke þat ben
riche .
And sitthen þei chosen chele and cheytifteT pouerte .
Late hem chewe as þei chese and charge hem with no cure
.T
Late hem be as beggeres or lyue be angeles fode .
¶ Consience of þis conseileT comsed for to lauȝwe .
And curteisliche conforted hem and calde
in alle freres .
And seide sires sothly welcome be ȝe alle .
To vnite and holy cherche ac o thyng I ȝow preye
.
Holdeth ȝow in vnite and haueth non enuye .
To lered ne to lewed but lyueth after
ȝoure reule .
And I wil be ȝoure borwe ȝe
schul haue brede & clothes .
With þat ȝe leue logik and lerneth for to louye .
For loue lefte þei lordschipe both lond and scole
.
Þat in mesure god made alle
manere thynges .
And sette it at a certeyne and at a siker nombre .
Quis numerat multitudinem stellarum .T
Kynges and kniȝtes þat keptenT and defenden .
And if þei wage men to werre þei writen
hem in nombre .
¶ Alle other in bataille ben yholde
briboures .
Monkes and moneales and alle men of religion .
Of lewed and of lered þe lawe wil and asketh .
A certeyn for a certeyne saue onlich of freres .
For-þi quod consience be criste
kende witt me telleth .
¶ Heuene hath euene nombre and helle is
withoute nombre .
For-þi I wolde witterly
þat ȝe were in þe registre .
And ȝoure nombre vnder notari sygne & noþer mo no lesse .
Enuye herde þis and hett freres go to scole .
And lerne logik and law and eke
contemplacioun .
And preche men of plato and
preuen it be senecca .
Þat alle thynges vnder heuene ouȝte to be in comune
.
¶ He lyethT as I leue þat to þe lewed so
precheth .
For god made to men a lawe & moyses it tauȝte
.
Non concupisces rem
proximi tui &cetera .
And euele is þis I-holde
in paresches of englonde .
For persones & paresch prestes
þat schuld þe peple schryue .
BethT curatoures calde to
know and to hele .
And fle to þe freres as fals folke to
westmenster .
Þat borweth and bereth it þider & þanne biddeth
frendes .
¶ Ac while he is in westmynstre he wil be
bifore .
And so it fareth with muche folke þat to
freresT shriueth .
And suffre þe dede in dette to þe day of dome .
¶ Enuye here-fore
hatede consience .
And freres to filosophie he fonde hem to scole .
Þe while coueytise and vnkendenesse consience assailed
.
In vnite holy cherche consience helde hym .
And made pees portere to pynne þe
ȝates . .
¶ Of alle tale telleres and tytereres anT ydel .
Ipocrisie and he an harde sawte þei made .C
Ipocrisie at þe ȝate harde gan fiȝte .
¶ Consience calde a leche þat cowde wel shriue .
Go salue þo þat syke wereT
and thoruȝ synne ywounded .
Shrifte shuppte scharpe salue and made men do
penaunce .
For here misdedes þat þei wrouȝt
hadden .
And þat peres were payed redde quod debes .
¶ Summe liked nouȝt þis leche and
lettres þei sente .
For fastynge of o fridayT he ferde as he wolde deye .
Þere is a surgien in þis sege þat softe can handele
.
And more of fisike be fer and fairere he
plastreth .
On frere flaterere is fisisien and surgien .
For here is many a man hert þoruȝ
Ipocrisye .
¶ We han non nede quod consience I wote
no bettere leche .
And indulgence may do but if dette lette it .
I may wel suffre seyde consience synnes
ȝe desiren .
Þat frere flaterere be fette and fisike
ȝow seke .
¶ Þe frere here-of
herde and hyȝede faste
To a lorde for a lettere leue to haue to
curen .
Boldely to þe bischope and his breef
hadde .
And cam þere consience was & knocked
at þe ȝate .
¶ Pees vnpynned it was porter of vnite .
And in haste asked what his wille were .
In faith quod þis frere
for profit and for helthe .
Carpe I wolde with contricioun
& þerefore cam I hider .
¶ He is syke seyde pees and so ar many other .
Ipocrisie hath herte hem ful harde is if þei keuere
.
Consience knoweth me wel & what I can do bothe .
I preye þe quod pees þo ar þow passe
forther .
What hatestow I preye þe hele nauȝte þi name .
¶ Certes seyde his felawe sir penetrans domos .
¶ Ȝee go þi gate quod pees bi god
for alle þi fisike .
I knewe swich on ones nouȝt eyȝte
wynter passed .
Come in þus Icoped at a court þere I
dwelte .
And was my lordes leche and my ladyes bothe .
And at þe last þis lymitoure þo my lord was oute
.
He salued so oure wymmen til summe
were with childe .
¶ Hende speche heet pees þo T opene þe ȝates .
He may se and here her soT may befalle .
Þat lif thoruȝ his lore schal leue coueitise .
And be adrad of deth and withdrawe hym fram pride .
And acorde with consience and kysse her eyther
othere .
¶ Þus þoruȝ hende speche entred
þe frere .
And cam in to consience and curteiseliche hym grette
.
Here is contricion quod consience
my cosyn I-wounded .
Conforte hym quod consience and take kepe
to his sores .
AndT late hem liggen ouerlonge and lothe is to chaunge hem .
Fro lente to lente he lette his plastres bitte .
¶ Þat is ouer-longe
quod þis lymitoure I leue I schal amende it .
And gothT gropeth contricion and gaf hym a plaistre .
Of a priue paiement and I schal praie for ȝow .
For alle þat ȝe be holde to al my Iif-tyme .
And make ȝow my lady in masse and in matynes .
As freres of oure fraternite for a litel
siluer .
Til contricioun had .[c]lene for-ȝetene to crie and to wepe .
And wake for his wikked werkes as he wonedT to done .
For confort of his confessoure contricion
he lefte .
Þat is þe souereynest salue for alle kynne synnes
.
¶ Sleuthe seye þat and so dede pruyde .
And come with a kene wille consience to assaile .
Consience cride eft and bad clergye helpe hym .C
And al-so
contricion for to kepe þe ȝate .
¶ He lyeth and dremeth seyde pees and so doth many other
.
And plastred hem so hesily þei drede no synne .
¶ By crist quod consience þo I wil become
a pilgrime .
And walken as wide as alle þe worlde
lasteth .
And þat freres had a fyndynge þat for
nede flateren .
And contrepleteth me consience
now kende me auenge .
And sende me hap and hele til I haue peres þe
plowman .
Passus ijus de dobest —
—
C
Passus
vicessimus
nota
love
confession made to Fryers
penetrans
domos
William
Buttes