Passus primus de visione
What þis Mountaigne bymeneþ . and þe merke dale
And þe feld ful of folk . I shal yow faire shewe
¶ A louely lady of leere . in lynnen ycloþed
Cam doun from a Castel . and called me faire
And seide sone slepestow . sestow þis peple
How bisie þei ben . alle aboute þe maze
The mooste partie of þis peple . þat passeþ on þis erþe
Haue þei worship in þis world . þei wilne no bettre
Of ooþer heuene þan here . holde þei no tale
¶ I was afered of hire face . þeiȝ she fair weere
And seide mercy madame . what is þis to meene
¶ The tour on þe toft quod she . truþe is þer-Inne
And wolde þat ye wrouȝte . as his word techeþ
For he is fader of feiþ . and formed yow alle
Boþe with fel and with face . and yaf yow fyue wittes
For to worshipe hym þer-wiþ . while þat ye ben here
And þerfore he hiȝte þe erþe . to helpe yow echone
Of wollene of lynnen . of liflode at nede
In mesurable manere . to make yow atese / at ese
And comaunded of his curteisie . in commune þree þynges
Are none nedfulle but þo . and nempne hem I þynke
And rekene hem by reson . reherce þow hem after
And mete at meel . for mysese of þi-selue
And drynke whan þow driest . ac do noȝt out of reson
That þow worþe þe wers . whan þow werche sholdest
Dide by hise douȝtres . þat þe deuel liked
Delited hym in drynke . as þe deuel wolde
And Leccherie hym lauȝte . and lay by hem boþe
And al he witte it þe wyn . þat wikked dede
Inebriamus eum vino . dormiamusque cum eo
Vt seruare possimus de patre nostro semen
¶ Thoruȝ wyn and þoruȝ wommen . þer was loth acombred
And þere gat in glotonie . gerles þat were cherles
¶ For-þi dred delitable drynke . and þow shalt do þe bettre
Mesure is medicine . þouȝ þow muchel yerne
It is nouȝt al good to þe goost . þat þe gut askeþC
Ne liflode to þi likame . for a liere hym techeþT
That is þe wrecched world . wolde þee bitraye
For þe fend and þi flessh . folwen togidere
This and that seeþ þi soule . and seith it in þin herte
And for þow sholdest ben ywar . I wisse þee þe beste
¶ Madame mercy quod I . me likeþ wel youre wordes
Ac þe moneie of þis molde . þat men so faste holdeþ
Tel me to whom madame . þat tresour appendeþ
¶ Go to þe gospel quod she . þat god seide hym-seluen
Tho þe poeple hym apposede . wiþ a peny in þe temple
Wheiþer þei sholde þer-wiþ . worshipe þe kyng Cesar
¶ Cesares þei seiden . we seen it wel echone
¶ Reddite Cesari . quod god . þat Cesari bifalleþ
Et que sunt dei deo . or ellis ye don ille
For riȝtfullyT reson . sholde rule yow alle
And kynde wit be wardeyn . youre welþe to kepe
And tutour of youre tresor . and take it yow at nede
For housbondrie and hij . holden togidres
¶ Thanne I frayned hire faire . for hym þat me made
That dongeon in þe dale . þat dredful is of siȝte
What may it be to meene . madame I yow biseche
¶ That is þe castel of care . who-so comþ þer-Inne
May banne þat he born was . to bodi or to soule
Ther-Inne wonyeþ a wight . þat wrong is yhote
Fader of falshede . and founded it hym-selue
Adam and Eue . he egged to ille
Counseilled Kaym . to killen his broþer
Iudas he iaped . wiþ Iewen siluer
And siþen on an Eller . hanged hym-selue
He is lettere of loue . and lieþ hem alle
That trusten on his tresour . bitrayeþ he hem sonnest
¶ Thanne hadde I wonder in my wit . what womman it weere
That swiche wise wordes . of holy writ shewed
And asked hire on þe heiȝe name . er she þennes yede
What she were witterly . þat wissed me so faire
¶ Holi chirche I am quod she . þow ouȝtest me to knowe
I vnderfeng þee first . and þe feiþ tauȝte
And brouȝtest me borwes . my biddyng to fulfille
And to louen me leelly . þe while þi lif dureþ
¶ Thanne I courbed on my knees . and cried hire of grace
And preide hire pitously . preye for my synnes
And also kenne me kyndely . on crist to bileue
That I myȝte werchen his wille . þat wroȝte me to man
Teche me to no tresor . but tel me þis ilke
How I may saue my soule . þat Seint art yholden
¶ Whan alle tresors arn tried quod she . treuþe is þe besteC
I do it on Deus caritas . to deme þe soþe
It is as dereworþe a drury . as deere god hym-seluen
He is a god by þe gospel . a-grounde and olofte
And ylik to oure lord . by Seint Lukes wordes
The clerkes þat knowen þis . sholde kennen it aboute
For cristen and vncristen . cleymeþ it echone
¶ Kynges and knyȝtes . sholde kepen it by reson
Riden and rappen doun . in Reaumes aboute
And taken transgressores . and tyen hem faste
Til treuþe hadde y-termyned . hire trespas to þe ende N
And þat isT profession apertli . þat apendeþ to knyȝtes
And nauȝt to fasten o friday . in fyue score wynter
But holden wiþ hym and with here . þat wolden alle truþe
And neuere leue hem for loue . ne for lacchynge of siluer
For Dauid in hise dayes . dubbed knyȝtes
And dide hem sweren on hir swerd . to seruen truþe euere
And who-so passed þat point . was Apostata in þe ordre
¶ But crist kyngene kyng . knyȝted ten
Cherubyn and Seraphyn . swiche seuene & oþere
And yaf hem myȝt in his maiestee . þe murier hem þouȝte
And ouer his meene meynee . made hem Archangeles
Tauȝte hem by þe Trinitee . treuþe to knowe
To be buxom at his biddyng . he bad hem nouȝt ellis
¶ Lucifer wiþ legions . lerned it in heuene
But for he brak buxomnesse . his blisse gan he tyne
And fel fro þat felawshipe . in a fendes liknesse
In-to a deep derk helle . to dwelle þere for euere
And mo þousandes mydT hym . þan man kouþe nombre
Lopen out wiþ Lucifer . in loþliche forme
For þei leueden vp-on hym . þat lyed in þis manere
Ponam pedem in aquilone . & similis ero altissimo .
¶ And alle þat hoped it myȝte be so . noon heuene myȝte hem holde
But fellen out in fendes liknesse . nyne dayes togideres
Til god of his goodnesse . gan stablisseT and stynte
And garte þe heuene to stekie . and stonden in quiete
¶ Whan þise wikkede wenten out . in wonder-wise þei fellen
Somme in þe Eyr somme in erþe . and somme in helle depe
Ac Lucifer lowest liþ . yet of hem alle
For pride þat he putte out . his peyne haþ noon ende
And alle þat werchen with wrong . wende þei shulle
After hir deþ-day . and dwelle with þat sherewe
¶ And þo þat werche wel . as holy writ telleþ
And enden as I er seide . in truþe þat is þe beste
Mowe be siker þat hire soules . shul wende to heuene
Ther Treuþe is in Trinitee . and troneþ hem alle
For-þi I seye as I seyde er . by siȝte of þise textes
Whan alle tresors arn tried . truþe is þe beste N
Lereþ it þise lewed men . for lettred men it knoweþ
That Treuþe is tresor . þe trieste on erþe
¶ YetP haue I no kynde knowyng quod I . ye mote kenne me bettre
By what craft in my cors . it comseþ and where
¶ Thow doted daffe quod she . dulle are þi wittes
To litel latyn þow lernedest . leode in þi youþe
Heu michi quia sterilem duxi vitam Iuuenilem
¶ It is a kynde knowyng quod she . þat kenneþ in þyn herte
For to louen þi lord . leuere þan þi-selue
No dedly synne to do . deye þeiȝ þow sholdest
This I trowe be truþe . who kan teche þee bettre
¶ Loke þow suffre hym to seye . and siþen lere it after
For truþe telleþ þat loue . is triacle of heuene N
May no synne be on hym seene . þat vseþ þat spice N
And alle hise werkes he wrouȝte . with loue as hym liste
And lered it Moyses for þe leueste þyng . and moost lik to heuene
And also þe plentee of pees . moost precious of vertues
For heuene myȝte nat holden it . it was so heuy of hym-self
Til it hadde of þe erþe . eten his fille
¶ And whan it hadde of þis fold . flessh and blood taken
Was neuere leef vp-on lynde . lighter þer-after
And portatif and persaunt . as þe point of a nedle
That myȝte noon Armure it lette . ne none heiȝe walles
¶ For-þi is loue ledere . of þe lordes folk of heuene
And a meene as þe Mair is . bitwene þe kyng & þe commune N
Right so is loue a ledere . and þe lawe shapeþ
Vp-on man for hise mysdedes . þe mercyment he taxeþ
And for to knowen it kyndely . it comseþ by myght
And in þe herte þere is þe heed . and þe heiȝe welle
For in kynde knowynge in herte . þer a myȝt bigynneþ N
And þat falleþ to þe fader . þat formed vs alle
Loked on vs wiþ loue . and leet his sone dye
¶ Mekely for oure mysdedes . to amenden vs alle
And yet wolde he hem no wo . þat wrouȝte hym þat peyne
But mekely wiþ mouþe . mercy bisouȝteT
To haue pite of þat peple þat peyned hym to deþe
¶ Here myȝtow sen ensample . in hym-self oone
That he was myȝtful and meke . and mercy gan graunte
To hem þat hengen hym onheiȝ / on heiȝ . and his herte þirled
Thouȝ ye be myȝtful to mote . beeþ meke in youre werkes
For þe same mesures þat ye mete . amys ouþer ellis
Ye shulle ben weyen þer-wiþ . whan ye wenden hennes
Eadem mensura qua mensi fueritis . remecietur vobis
¶ For þouȝ ye be trewe of youre tonge . and treweliche wynne
And as chaste as a child . þat in chirche wepeþ
But if ye louen leelly . and lene þe pouere
Swich good as god yow sent . goodliche parteþ
Ye ne haue namoore merite . in masse nor in houres
Than Malkyn of hire maydenhede . þat no man desireþ
¶ For Iames þe gentile . Iugged in hise bokes
And as deed as a dore-tree . but if þe dedes folwe
Fides sine operibus mortua est &c
It is as lewed as a lampe . þat no liȝt is Inne N
Manye Chapeleyns arn chaste . ac charite is aweye
Are no men Auarouser þan hij . whan þei ben auaunced
Vnkynde to hire kyn . and to alle cristene
Chewen hire charite . and chiden after moore
Swich chastite wiþ-outen charite . worþ cheyned in helle
¶ Manye curatours kepen hem . clene of hire bodies
Thei ben acombred wiþ coueitise . þei konne noȝt doon it from hem
So harde haþ Auarice . yhasped hem togideres
And þat is no truþe of þe Trinite . but tricherie of helle
And lernynge to lewed men . þe latter for to deele
For-þi þise wordes . ben writen in þe gospel
Date & dabitur vobis . for I deele yow alle
And þat is þe lok of loue . and leteþ out my grace
To conforten þe carefulle . acombred wiþ synne
And also þe graiþe gate . þat goþ in-to heuene
For-þi I seye as I seide . er by þe textes
Whan alle tresors ben tried . treuþe is þe beste N
¶ Now haue I told þee what truþe is . þat no tresor is bettre
I may no lenger lenge þee wiþ . now loke þee oure lord