Passus xvjus / sextus decimus &c et primus de Dobet
NOw faire falle yow quod I þo . for youre faire shewyng
For Haukyns loue þe Actif man . euere I shal yow louye
Ac ȝit I am in aweer / a weer . what charite is to mene
It is a ful trie tree quod he . trewely to telle
Mercy is þe more þer-of . þe myddul stok is ruþe
The leues ben lele wordes . þe lawe of holy chirche
The blosmes beþ buxom speche . and benigne lokynge
Pacience hatte þe pure tree . and pure symple of herte
And so þoruȝ god and þoruȝ goode men . groweþ þe fruyt Charite
¶ I wolde trauaille quod I þis tree to se . twenty hundred myle
¶ And for to haue my fulle of þat fruyt . forsake alle oþere saulees
Lord quod I if any wight . wite whider-out it groweþ
¶ It groweþ in a gardyn quod he . þat god made hym-selue
Amyddes mannes body . þe more is of þat stokke
Herte highte þe herber . þat it Inne groweþ
And liberum arbitrium . haþ þeT lond þe ferme
Vnder Piers þe Plowman . to piken it and to weden it
¶ Piers þe Plowman quod I þo . and al for pure Ioye
That I herde nempne his name . anoon I swowned after
And lay longe in a loue-dreem . and at þe laste me þouȝte
That Piers þe Plowman . al þe place me shewed
And bad me to toten on þe tree . on top and on roote
Wiþ þre piles was it vnderpight . I parceyued it soone
¶ Piers quod I . I preie þee . whi stonde þise piles here
¶ For wyndes wiltow wite quod he . to witen it fro fallyng
Cum ceciderit iustus non collidetur . quia dominus supponit ma[num suam]C
And in blowyng tyme abite þe floures . but if þise piles helpe
¶ The world is a wikked wynd . to hem þat willen truþe
Coueitise comþ of þat wynd . and crepeþ among þe leues
And forfreteþ neiȝ þe fruyt . þoruȝ manye faire sightes
¶ The flessh is a fel wynd . and in flouryng tyme
Thoruȝ likynge and lustes . so loude he gynneþ blowe
That it norisseþ nyce sightes . and som-tyme wordes
And wikkede werkes þer-of . wormes of synne
And forbiteþ þe blosmes . riȝt to þe bare leues
¶ Thanne sette I to þe secounde pil . Sapiencia dei patris
¶ That is þe passion and þe power . of oure prince Iesu
Thoruȝ preieres and þoruȝ penaunces . and goddes passion in mynde
I saue it til I se it ripen . and som-del yfruyted
¶ And þanne fondeþ þe fend . my fruyt to destruye
Wiþ alle þe wiles þat he kan . and waggeþ þe roote
And casteþ vp to þe crop . vnkynde Neighebores
Bakbiteris breke þe cheste . brawleris and chideris
And leiþ a laddre þer-to . of lesynges are þe ronges
And feccheþ awey my floures som-tyme . afore boþe myne eighen
Ac liberum arbitrium . letteþ hym som-tyme
That is lieutenaunt to loken it wel . bi leue of my-selue
¶ Videatis qui peccat in spiritum sanctum numquam remittetur &c
Hoc est idem . qui peccat per liberum arbitrium non repugnat
¶ Ac whan þe fend and þe flessh . forþ wiþ þe world
Manacen bihynde me . my fruyt for to fecche
Thanne liberum arbitrium . laccheþ þe firste plante
And palleþ adoun þe pouke . pureliche þoruȝ grace
And help of þe holy goost . and þus haue I þe maistrie
¶ Now faire falle yow Piers quod I . so faire ye discryuen
The power of þise postes . and hire propre myȝtes
Ac I haue þouȝtes a þreve . of þise þre piles
In what wode þei woxen . and where þat þei growed
For alle are þei aliche longe . noon lasse þan ooþer
And to my mynde as me þinkeþ . on o more þei growed
And of o greetnesse . and grene of greyn þei semen
¶ That is sooþ quod Piers . so it may bifalle
I shal telle þee as tid . what þis tree highte
The ground þere it groweþ . goodnesse it hatte
And I haue told þee what hiȝte þe tree . þe Trinite it meneþ
¶ And egreliche he loked on me . and þerfore I spared
To asken hym any moore þer-of . and bad hym ful faire
To discryue þe fruyt . þat so faire hangeþ
¶ Heer now byneþe quod he þo . if I nede hadde
Matrimoyne I may nyme . a moiste fruyt wiþ-alle
Thanne Continence is neer þe crop . as kaylewey bastard
Thanne bereþ þe crop kynde fruyt . and clennest of alle
Maidenhode Aungeles peeris . and raþest wole be ripe
And swete wiþ-outen swellyng . sour worþ it neuere
¶ I preide Piers þoT to pulle adoun . an Appul and he wolde
And suffre me to assaien . what sauour it hadde
¶ And Piers caste to þe crop . and þanne comsed it to crye
And waggede widwehode . and it wepte after
And whan it meued matrimoyne . it made a foul noise
And I hadde ruþe whan Piers rogged . it gradde so rufulliche
For euere as þei dropped adoun . þe deuel was redy
And gadrede hem alle togideres . boþe grete and smale
Adam and Abraham . and Ysaye þe prophete
Sampson and Samuel . and Seint Iohan þe Baptist
Bar hem forþ bodily . no body hym letted
And made of holy men his hoord . In limbo Inferni
There is derknesse and drede . and þe deuel maister
¶ And Piers for pure tene . of þat a pil he rauȝteT
He hitte after hym . hitte how it myȝte
Filius by þe fader wille . and frenesse of spiritus sancti
To go robbe þat Rageman . and reue þe fruyt fro hym
¶ And þanne spak spiritus sanctus . in Gabrielis mouþe
To a maide þat hiȝte Marie . a meke þyng wiþ-alle
That oon Iesus a Iustices sone . moste Iouke in hir chambre
¶ Til plenitudo temporis . fully comen were
That Piers fruyt floured . and felle to be rype
And þanne sholde Iesus Iuste þer-fore . bi Iuggement of armes
Wheiþer sholde fonge þe fruyt . þe fend or hym-selue
¶ The maide myldeliche þo . þe messager graunted
And seide hendeliche to hym . lo me his hand-maiden
For to werchen his wille . wiþ-outen any synne
Ecce ancilla domini fiat michi &c
¶ And in þe wombe of þat wenche . was he fourty woukes
Til he weex a faunt þoruȝ hir flessh . and of fightyng kouþe
To haue yfouȝte wiþ þe fend . er ful tyme come
And Piers þe Plowman . parceyued plener tyme
And lered hym lechecraft . his lif for to saue
That þouȝ he were wounded with his enemy . to warisshen hym-selue
And dide hym assaie his surgenrieT . on hem þat sike were
Til he was parfit praktisour . if any peril fille
And souȝte out þe sike . and synfulle boþe
And saluede sike and synfulle . boþe blynde and crokede
And commune wommen conuertede . and to goode turnede
Non est sanis opus medicus . set in &c
¶ Boþe meseles and mute . and in þe menyson blody
OfteT heeled swiche . he ne held it for no maistrie
Saue þo he leched lazar . þat hadde yleye in graue
Quatriduanus quelt . quyk dide hym walke
Ac as he made þe maistrie . mestus cepit esse
And wepte water with hise eiȝen . þer seiȝen it manye
Some þat þe sighte seiȝen . seiden þat tyme
That he was leche of lif . and lord of heigh heuene
Iewes iangled þer-ayein . and Iuggede lawes
And seide he wroȝte þoruȝ wichecraft . & with þe deueles myȝte
Demonium habetT &c
¶ Thanne are ye cherles quod ich . and youre children boþe
For I haue saued yow-self seiþ crist . and youre sones after
Youre bodies . youre beestes . and blynde men holpen
And fed yow wiþ two fisshes . and wiþ fyue loues
And lefte baskettes ful of broke mete . bere awey who-so wolde
And mysseide þe Iewes manliche . and manaced hem to bete
And knokked on hem wiþ a corde . and caste adoun hir stalles
That in chirche chaffareden . or chaungeden any moneie
And seide it in sighte of hem alle . so þat alle herden
And in þre daies after . edifie it newe
And maken it as muche ouþer moore . in alle manere poyntes
As euere it was and as wid . wher-fore I hote yow
Of preieres and of parfitnesse . þis place þat ye callen
Domus mea domus oracionis vocabitur
¶ Enuye and yuel wil . was in þe Iewes
Thei casten and contreueden . to kulle hym whan þei myȝte
Eche day after ooþer . hir tyme þei awaiteden
Til it bifel on a friday . a litel bifore Pasqe
The þursday bifore . þere he made his maundee
Sittynge at þe soper . he seide þise wordes
I am sold þoruȝ oon of yow . he shal þe tyme rewe
That euere he his Saueour solde . for siluer or ellis
¶ Iudas iangled þer-ayein . ac Iesus hym tolde
It was hym-self sooþly . and seide tu dicis
¶ Thanne wente forþ þat wikked man . and wiþ þe Iewes mette
And tolde hem a tokne . how to knowe wiþ Iesus
And which tokne to þis day . to muche is yvsed
That is kissynge and fair contenaunce . and vnkynde wille
And so was wiþ Iudas þo . þat Iesus bitrayed
Aue raby quod þat Ribaud . and riȝt to hym he yede
And kiste hym to be caught þer-by . and kulled of þe Iewes
¶ Thanne Iesus to Iudas . and to þe Iewes seide
Falsnesse I fynde . in þi faire speche
And gile in þi glad chere . and galle is in þi laughyng
Thow shalt be myrour . to many men to deceyue
Ac þe worse and þi wikkednesse . shal worþe vp-on þi-selue
Necesse est vt veniant scandala . ve homini illi per quem scandalum venit
¶ Thouȝ I bi treson be take . at youre owene wille
Suffreþ myne Apostles in pees . and in pays gange
On a þursday in þesternesse . þus was he taken
Thoruȝ Iudas and Iewes . Iesus was his name
That on þe friday folwynge . for mankyndes sake
Iusted in Iherusalem . a ioye to vs alle
On cros vp-on Caluarie . crist took þe bataille
Ayeins deeþ and þe deuel . destruyed hir boþeres myȝtes
Deide and deedT for-dide . and day of nyȝt made
¶ And I awaked þer-wiþ . and wiped myne eiȝen
And after Piers þe Plowman . pried and stared
Estward and westward . I waited after faste
And yede forþ as an ydiot . in contree to aspie
After Piers þe Plowman . many a place I souȝte
And þanne mette I wiþ a man . a mydlenten sonday
As hoor as an haweþorn . and Abraham he highte
I frayned hym first . fram whennes he come
And of whennes he were . and whider þat he souȝteT
I am feiþ quod þat freke . it falleþ noȝt to lye
And of Abrahames hous . an heraud of armes
AndT seke after a segge . þat I seiȝ ones
A ful bold bacheler . I knew hym by his blasen
¶ What berþ þat buyrn quod I þo . so blisse þee bitide
¶ Thre leodes in oon lyth . noon lenger þan ooþer
Of oon muchel and myght . in mesure and in lengþe
That oon dooþ alle dooþ . and ech dooþ bi his one
¶ The firste haþ myȝt and maiestee . makere of alle þynges
Pater is his propre name . a persone by hym-selue
Wardeyn of þat wit haþ . was euere wiþ-outen gynnyng
¶ The þridde highte þe holi goost . a persone by hym-selue
The light of al þat lif haþ . alonde and a-watre
Confortour of creatures . of hym comeþ alle blisse
¶ So þre bilongeþ for a lord . þat lordshipe cleymeþ
Might and mene . to knowe his owene myȝte
Of hym and of his seruaunt . and what þei suffre boþe
¶ So god þat gynnyng hadde neuere . but þo hym good þouȝte
Sente forþ his sone . as for seruaunt þat tyme
To ocupie hym here . til issue were spronge
That is children of charite . and holi chirche þe moder
Patriarkes and prophetes . and Apostles were þe children
And Crist and cristendom . and cristene holy chirche
In menynge þat man moste . on o god bileue
And þere hym likede and louede . in þre persones hym shewede
And þat it may be so and sooþ . manhode it sheweþ
Wedlok and widwehode . wiþ virginite ynempned
In tokenynge of þe Trinite . was out of man taken
¶ Adam was oure aller fader . and Eue was of hym-selue
And þe issue þat þei hadde . it was of hem boþe
And eiþer is oþeres ioye . in þre sondry persones
And in heuene and here . oon singuler name
And þus is mankynde and manhede . of matrimoyne yspronge
And bitokneþ þe Trinite . and trewe bileue
¶ Mighty is matrimoyne . þat multiplieþ þe erþe
And bitokneþ trewely . telle if I dorste
Hym þat first formed al . þe fader of heuene
The sone if I it dorste seye . resembleþ wel þe widewe
Deus meus Deus meus vt quid dereliquisti me
¶ That is creatour weex creature . to knowe what was boþe
As widewe wiþ-outen wedlok . was neuere ȝit yseyȝe
Namoore myȝte god be man . but if he moder hadde
So widewe with-outen wedlok . may noȝt wel stande
Ne matrimoyne with-outen Muliere . is noȝt muche to preise
Maledictus homo qui non reliquit semen in Israel &c
¶ Thus in þre persones . is parfitliche manhede
That is man and his make . and mulliere children
And is noȝt but gendre of a generacion . bifore Iesu crist in heuene
So is þe fader forþ with þe sone . and fre wille of boþe
Spiritus procedens a patre & filio &c
Which is þe holy goost of alle . and alle is but o god
¶ Thus in a somer I hym seiȝ . as I sat in my porche
I roos vp and reuerenced hym . and riȝt faire hym grette
Thre men to my siȝte . I made wel atese / at ese
Wessh hir feet and wiped hem . and afterward þei eten
Calues flessh and Cakebreed . and knewe what I þouȝte
Ful trewe toknes bitwene vs is . to telle whan me likeþ
¶ First he fonded me . if I louede bettre
Hym or ysaak myn heir . þe which he hiȝte me kulle
He wiste my wille bi hym . he wol me it allowe
I am ful siker in soule þer-of . and my sone boþe
I circumscised my sone . siþen for his sake
My-self and my meynee . and alle þat male weere
Bledden blood for þat lordes loue . and hope to blisse þe tyme
Myn affiaunce and my feiþ . is ferme in þis bileue
For hym-self bihiȝte to me . and to myn issue boþe
Lond and lordshipe . and lif wiþ-outen ende
To me and to myn issue . moore yet he grauntedeT
Mercy for oure mysdedes . as many tyme as we asken
Quam olim Abrahe promisisti & semini eius
¶ And siþþe he sente me to seye . I sholde do sacrifise
And doon hym worship with breed . and wiþ wyn boþe
And called me þe foot of his feiþ . his folk for to saue
And defende hem fro þe fend . folk þat on me leuedenT
¶ Thus haue I ben his heraud . here and in helle
And conforted many a careful . þat after his comynge waiteden
And þus I seke hym he seide . for I herde seyn late
Of a barn þat baptised hym . Iohan Baptist was his name
That to patriarkes & to prophetes . and to ooþer peple in derknesse
Seide þat he seiȝ here . þat sholde saue vs alle
Ecce agnus dei &c
¶ I hadde wonder of hise wordes . and of hise wide cloþes
For in his bosom he bar a þyng . þat he blissed euere
And I loked in his lappe . a lazar lay þer-Inne
Amonges patriarkes and prophetes . pleyinge togideres
¶ What awaitestow quod he . and what woldestow haue
¶ I wolde wite quod I þo . what is in youre lappe
¶ Loo quod he and leet me see . lord mercy I seide
This is a present of muche pris . what prynce shal it haue
¶ It is a precious present quod he . ac þe pouke it haþ attached
And me þer-myde quod þat man . may no wed vs quyte
Ne no buyrn be oure borgh . ne brynge vs fram his daunger
Out of þe poukes pondfold . no maynprise may vs fecche
Til he come þat I carpe of . crist is his name
That shal deliuere vs som day . out of þe deueles power
And bettre wed for vs legge . þan we ben alle worþi
That is lif for lif . or ligge þus euere
Lollynge in my lappe . til swich a lord vs fecche
¶ Allas I seide þat synne . so longe shal lette
The myght of goddes mercy . þat myȝte vs alle amende
I wepte for hise wordes . wiþ þat sauȝ I anoþer
Rapeliche renne forþ . þe riȝte wey he wente
I affrayned hym first . fram whennes he come
And what he highte & whider he wolde . and wightly he tolde
And for to haue