Passus Sextus de visione vt supra . —
—
This were a wikked way but ho-so hadde a gyde .
Þat wolde folewe vs ech a fote þus þis folke
hem mened .
I haue an half acre to erie by þe heyȝ weye .
Hadde I hered þis half acre and I-sowen it after .
I wilT wenden with ȝow and þe weye teche .
¶ Þis were a longe lettyng quod a lady in a sclayre
.
¶ Summe schal sowe þe sak quod peres
for scheding of þe whete .
And ȝe loueliche ladyes with ȝoure
longe fyngeres .
Þat ȝe haue selke and sendel to sowe whan tyme is .
Chesibles for chapeleynes cherches to honoure .
¶ Wyues and wydewes wolle and flex spynneth .
Maketh cloth I conseile ȝow ad / a[n]d kenneth so ȝoure douȝtres .
Þe nedy and þe naked nemeth hede how aLX lyggeth .
And casteth hymLX clothes for so comaundeth treuthe .
For I schal lene hem lyflode but if þe londe fayle .
Flesche and brede bothe to riche an{t}d to pouere .
As longe as I lyue for þe lordes loue of heuene .
¶ And alle manere of men þat thorȝ mete and
drynke libbeth .
Helpeth hym to werche wyȝtliche þat wynneth
ȝoure fode .
¶ By crist quod a kniȝt þo he kenneth vs þe
beste .
Ac on þe teem treuly tauȝt was I neuere .
Ac kenne me quod þe kniȝt and by crist I
wil assay .
¶ By seint poule quod perkyn ȝe
profre ȝow so faire .
Þat I schal swynke and swete and sowe for vs bothe .
And other laboreres do for þi loue al my lif-tyme .
Fro wastoures and fro wikked men þat þis world strueth .
¶ And go hunte hardiliche to hares and to foxes .
And go afayte þi faukones wilde foules to kulle .
For swyche cometh to my crofte and croppeth my whete .
¶ Curteiseliche þe kniȝt þanne comsed þes wordes .
By my power peres quod he I pliȝt þe my
treuthe .
To fulfille þiT forwarde þouȝ I fiȝte schulde .
As longe as I lyue I schal þe meyntene .
¶ Ȝe and ȝet a poynt quod peres I preye
ȝow of more .
Loke ȝe tene no tenaunt but treuthe wil assente .
¶ And þouȝ pore men profre ȝow presentes
and ȝiftes .
Nyme it nauȝt an aunter þowT mowe it nauȝt deserue
For þow schalt ȝelde it aȝen at on ȝeres ende
.
In a ful periliouse place purgatorie it hatteth .
¶ And mysbede nauȝt þi bonde-man þe bettere may þow spede .
Þouȝ he be þin vnderlyng here wel may happe in heuene
.
Þat he worth worthier sett and with more blisse .
Amice ascende superius .
Or a kniȝt fram a knaue þere knowe þis in þin herte
.
And þat þow be trewe of tongeT and
tales þat þow hatie .
But if þei ben of wisdom or of witt þi werkmen to chastie
.
Holde nauȝtT with non herlotes ne here
nauȝt here tales .
And nameliche at þe mete swyche men eschewe .
For it beth þe deueles disoures I do þe to vnderstonde .
{¶}[¶] I assente by seint Iame seyde þe
kniȝt þanne .
For to werch by thy wordes þe while my lyf dureth .
¶ And I schal apparaille me quod perkyn in
pilgrimes wise .
And wende with ȝow I wil til we fynde treuthe .
My cokeres and my cuffes for colde of my nayles .
And hange myn hoper at myn hals in stede of a
scrippe .
A buschel of brede-corne
bryng me þere-Inne .
For I wil sowen it my-selue
and sytthen wil I wende .
To pilgrimage as palmeres doun pardon for to
haue .
¶ Ac ho-so helpeth me to erye or
sowen here ere I wende .
Schal haue leue be oure lord to lese here in herueste .
{¶}[¶]
And alle kynne crafty men þat conne lyuen in
treuthe .
I schal fynde hem fode þat feithfullyche libbeth .C
¶
Saue Iakke þe iogelour and Ihonete of þe stiues .
And daniel þe dys pleyere and denote þe bawde .
And frere þe faitoure and folke of hys ordre .
And robyn þe ribauder for his rousty wordes .
Treuthe tolde me ones and badde me tellen it after
Deleantur de libro viuencium
I schulde nauȝt dele with hem .
For holy cherche is hote of hem no tythe to aske .T
Quia cum iustis non scribantur
.
Þei ben aschaped good auntour nowT god hem amende .
¶ Dame worche whan tyme is peres wif hyȝte .
His douȝte / douȝte[r] hiȝt do
riȝt so or þi dame schal þe bete .
His sone hiȝt suffre þi souereynes haueT here wille
.
Deme hem nauȝt for if þow dost þow schalt it
dere a-bugge .
Lat god I-worth with al for
so his worde techeth .
{¶}[¶] For now I am holde and hore and
haue of myn owene .
To penaunce and to pilgrimage I wil passe with þis
othere .
To haue a reles and a remissioun on þat
rental I leue .
¶ Þe kyrke schal haue my carayne and kepe myn bones .
For of my corne and catel he crauede tithe .T
I payede it hym prestly for peryl of my soule .
For-thi is he holden I hope
to haue me in his messe .
And mengen in his memorie amonge alle cristene
{¶}[¶] My wif schal haue of þat I wan with
treuthe and namore .
I bare hom þat I borwede ar I to bedde ȝede .
¶
And with þe residue and þe remenaunt be þe rode of
lukes .
I wil worschipe þerewith treuthe by my lyue .
And ben his pilgrime at þe plow for pore menne sake .
And helpe my culter to kerue and clenese þe forewes .
To herye þis haf hacre holpen hym manye .
Dikeres and delueres digged vp þe balkes .
Þerewith was perkyn apayd
and preised hem faste .
Other werkmen þere were þat woruten ful
ȝerne .
Vch man in his manere made hym-self to done .
And somme to plese perkyn piked vp þe wedes
.
{¶}[¶] At heȝ prime peres lete þe
plow stande .
He schuld be huyred þere-after whan heruest-tyme come .
¶ And þanne sete somme and songen at þe ale .
{¶}[¶] Now be þe perille of my soule
quod peres alle in puer tene .
But ȝe arise þe rathere and rape
ȝow to werche .
Schal no greyn þat groweth glade ȝow at nede .
¶ Þo were faitoures aferde and feyned hem blynde .
Somme leyde here legges a-lyry as swiche loseles conneth .
And made here mone to peres and preyed hym of grace .
For we haue no lymes to labore with lord graced be ȝe
.
{¶}[¶] Ac we preye for ȝow peres and
for ȝoure plow bothe .
Þat god of his grace ȝoure greyne multiplye .
And ȝelde ȝow of ȝoure almesse
þat ȝe ȝiuen vs here .
For we may nouȝt swynk ne swete suche seknesse vs
ayleth .
¶ If it be soth quod peres þat ȝe seyne
I schal it sone aspie .
And I am his olde hyne and hiȝte hym to warne .
Whiche þei weren in þis world his werkemen apayreth .T
{¶}[¶] Ȝe wasten þat men wynnen with
trauayle and with tene .
Ac treuthe schal teche ȝow his teme to driue .
Or ȝe schal ete barly brede and of þe broke drynke
.
But if he blyndeT or brokelegged or bolted with yrenes
. .
He schal ete whete brede and drinke with me-selue .
Til god of his goednesse amendement hym sende .
{¶}[¶] Ac ȝe miȝt trauaile as treuthe
wolde & take mete & huyre .
To kepe ken in þe felde þe corne fro þe bestes .
Diken or deluen or dyngen vppon scheues .
Or helpe make morter or bere muk a-felde .
And al is thorȝ suffraunce þat
vengance ȝow ne taketh .
{¶}[¶] Ac ancres and heremites þat eten
but at nones .
And namore ar morewe myn almesse schul þei haue .
Ac robert renneaboute schal nauȝt haue of myne .
Þei schal haue payn and potage and make hem-self at ese .
For it is an vnresonable religion þat hath riȝt
nauȝt of certeyne .
{¶}[¶] And þanne gan a wastour to wra{.}the hym
& wold haue I-fouȝte .
And to peres þe plowman he profered his gloue .
And bad hym go pissen onT his plow forpyned schrewe .
Wil þow or nelle þow we wil haue oure wille
.
And make vs merie þere-myde maugre þi chekes .
{¶}[¶] Þanne peres þe plowman pleyned hym
to þe kniȝte .
To kepe hym as couenant was fram cursed schrewes .
For þo waste and wynnen nauȝt and þat ilke while
.
Worth neuer plente amonge poepleT þe
while my plow liggeth .
¶ Corteyseliche þe kniȝt þanne as his kende wolde .
Warned wastour and wissede hym bettere .
And leet liȝtly of þe lawe and lasse of þe knyȝt .C
And sette peres at a pese and his plow bothe .
And manseyd peres and his men if þei mette efte-sone .
And houped after honger þat herde hym at þe furste .
Awreke me of þis wastoures quod he þat þis
world schenden .T
{¶}[¶] Honger in haste þo hente
wastoure by þe mawe .
And wronge hym so by þe wombe þat al watred his eyȝes .T
He boffette þe bretoner aboute þe chekes .
Þat he loked like a lanterne al his lif after .
He bette hem so bothe he braste nere her guttes .
Ne hadde peres with a pese lofe preyed honger sese .T
Þei hadde be dolue bothe ne deme þow non other .
Suffre hem lyue he seyde and late hem ete with hogges
.
Or elles benes and bren I-bake to-gyderes .
Or elles melke and meyne ale þus preyed peres for hem
.
And flapten on with flailes fram morwen til euen .
For a potful of peses þat peres hadde I-maked .
{¶}[¶] An hepe of heremites hent hem spades .
And ketten here copes and curtebies hem made .
And wenten as werkmen with spades and with schoueles .
And doluen and dikeden to driue awey honger .
¶ Blynde and bedredene were botened a thousend .
Þat seten to begge seluer sone were þei heled .
For þat was bake for bayarde was bote to manyT hungri .
And ech a pore man wel apayde to haue pesen for his
huyre .
And what peres preyed hem for toT do as
prest as a sparhauke .
And þere-of was peres proude
and putte hem to werke .
And ȝaf hem mete as he miȝt a-forth and mesurable huyre .
{¶}[¶] Þanne hadde peres pyte and preyed
honger to wende .
Home in-to his owene
erde and holden hym þere .
For I am wel awreke now of wastoures þorȝ þi
miȝte .
Of beggeres and of bydderes what best is to doneT .
For I wote wel be þow wente þei wil werche ful ille .
For meschef it maketh þei beth so meke nouthe .
And for defaute of here fode þis folk is at my wille .
Treuthe tauȝte me ones to louye hem vch one .
And to helpen hem of alle thynge ay as hem nedeth .
And now wolde I witen of þe what were þe beste .
And how I miȝt amaystrien hem & maken hem to
werche .
Bolde beggeres and bigge þat mowen here brede by-swynken .
With houndes bred and hors-bred
holde vppe here hertes .
Abate hem with benes for bollyng of here {..}wombe .
Or eny maner fals men fond þow suche to knowe .
Conforte hem with þi catel for cristes loue of heuene
.
Loue hem and lene hem so lawe of god techeth .
Alter alterius honera portate
And alle manere men þat þow miȝt
aspie
Þat nedy ben and nauȝti helpe hem with þi godes .
Loue hem and lak hem nauȝt late god take þe veniaunce
.
Þeyȝ þei don euel lat þowT god a-worthe .
Michi vindictam et ego retribuam .
And if þow beT
gracious to god do as þe gospel techeth .
Facite vobis amicos de mamona iniquitatis
.C
¶ I wald nauȝt greue god quod peres for alle
þe good on grounde .
Miȝte I synneles do as þow seyste seyde peres þanne
.
Go to genesis þe geaunt þe engendrour of vs alle .
In sudore and in swynke þow schalt þi mete tilye .
And labore for thi lyflode and so oure lord hiȝte
.
Pige / Pige[r] pro frigore non feld wolde tylie .
And þere-for he schal begge and
bydde . & noman bete his hunger .
He hadde maugre of his meystre for euermore after .
And by-nam hym his napmLX for he ne wold werche .
And ȝaf þat nam til hym þat ten napmes hadde .
And with þat he seyde þat holy cherche it herde .
He þat hath schal haue and helpe þere it
nedeth .
And he þat nauȝt hath schal nauȝt haue & no
man hym helpe .
¶ Kende witt wolde þat vche a wiȝt wrouȝte .
Or in dichyng or in deluynge or trauaylyng in preyeres .
Contemplatif lyf or actif lyf crist wolde men wrouȝte
.
Þe sauter seith in a psalme of beati omnes .
Þe freke þat fedeth hym-selue
with his faythful laboure .
He is blissed by þe book in body and in soule .
Labores manuum tuarum
&cetera .
¶ Ȝet I prey ȝow quod peres par charite and ȝe kunne .
Eny lef of leche-craft lere
it me my dere .
For somme of my seruantes
and my-self bothe
Of alle a wokeLX werche nauȝt so oure wombe aketh .
{¶}[¶] I wot wel quod hunger
what seknesse ȝow eyleth .
Ȝe haue manged ouer-muche
and þat maketh ȝow grone .
Ac I hote þe quod hunger as þow þin hele
wilneste .
Þat þow drynke no day ar þow dyne sumwhat .
And sende þe of his sauce to sauoure with þi lippes
.
And kepe summe to soper tyme and sitte nauȝt to
longe .
Arise vppe ar apetit haue I-ete his fille .
Late nauȝt sire surfet sitten at þi borde .
Leue hym nauȝt for he is lecherous and likerous of tonge
.
And after many maner metus his mawe is affyngred
.
¶
And if þow diete þe þus I dar legge myn eres
Þat fisik schal his furred hodes for his fode selle .
And his cloke of calabre with alle knappesT of golde .
And be fayne by my faith his fisik to lete .
And lerne to labori with londe for liflode is swete .
Þer aren mo morareres þanT leches lord hem amende .
Þei don men deye þorȝ here drinkes ar
destine it wolde .
{¶}[¶] By seint poule quod peres
þis aren profitable wordes .
For þis is a louely lesson lord it þe forȝelde .
¶ By-hote god quod hunger
hennes ne wil I wende .
Til I haue dyned by þis day and I-dronke bothe .
{¶}[¶] I haue no peny quod peres
polettes forto bugge .
Ne noyther gees ne gris but to grene cheses .
A fewe cruddes and creme and an hauer-cake .
And to loues of benes and bren I-bake for my fauntes .
And ȝet I sey by my soule I haue no salt bakun .
Ne no cokenay by crist coloppes for to make .
Ac I haue percyle and porett and many queynte herbes .T
{¶}[¶] And eke a kow and a kalf and a
carte mare .
To drawe a-felde my donge
þe while þe drouȝthe lasteth .
And by þis lyflode we mote lyue til lammasse tyme .
And by þat I hope to haue heruest in my crofte .
And þanne may I diȝte þi diner as me dere liketh
.
¶ Alle þe pore poeple þo pesecoddes fetten .
Benes and baken apples þei brouȝten in here lappe .T
Chibolles and chiruilles and ripe chiries manye .
And profered peres þis present to plese
with hunger .
{¶}[¶] Alle hunger ete in haste and asked
after more .
Þanne pore folke for fere fedde hunger ȝerne .
With grene poret and pesesLX to poyson hunger þei
thouȝte .
¶ By þat it neyed nere heruest newe corn come to
chepyng .
Þanne was folke fayne and fedden hunger with þe beste
.
With good ale as glotoun tauȝte and
gerte hunger go slepe .
Ne no beggere ete brede þat benes inne were
.
But of coket or ofT clerematyn or
elles of clene whete .
Ne non halpeni ale in nonewyse / none
wyse drinke .
But of þe best and of þe brounest þat in
borewe is to selle .
¶ Laboreres þat haue no londe to lyue on but here
handes .
May no peny-ale hem paye ne
no pece of bakun .
And but if he be hylyche huyred elles wil he chide .
And þat he was werkeman wrouȝte waile þe tyme .
Aȝeynes catones conseile comseth he to iangle .
Paupertatis onus pacienter ferre memento
.
¶ He greueth hym aȝeynes god and gruccheth
aȝeynes reson .
Suche lawes to loke laboreres to greue .
Ac whiles hunger was here maistre þere
wolde non of hem chyde .
Ne strue / str[i]ue aȝeynes his statute so sterneliche he lokede .
¶ Ac I warne ȝow werkemen wynneth while ȝe mowe
.
For hunger hiderward hasteth hym fulT faste .
Ar fyue ȝere be fulfilled swich famyn schal arise
.
Thorȝ flodT
and foule wederes fruytes schullen fayle .
And so seyde saturne and sent ȝow to warne .
Whanne ȝe se þe sonne amys and to monkes hedes .
Þanne schal deth withdrawe and derth be iustice .
And dauwe þe dikere deye for hunger .
wyues and wydewes .
e j
e ij
eiij
ye be so wanton so pro.e so
e iiij