Passus .vijus. / septimus de visione vt supra
TReuþe herde telle her-of . and to Piers he sente
To maken his teme . and tilien þe erþe
And purchaced hym a pardoun . a pena & a culpa
For hym and for hise heires . for euere-moore after
And bad hym holde hym at home . and erien hise leyes
And alle þat holpen hym to erye . to sette or to sowe
Or any ooþer mestier . þat myȝte Piers auaille
Pardon wiþ Piers Plowman . truþe haþ ygraunted
¶ Kynges and knyȝtes . þat kepen holy chirche
And riȝtfully in Remes . rulen þe peple
Han pardon þoruȝ purgatorie . to passen ful liȝtly
Wiþ Patriarkes and prophetes . in paradis to be felawe
¶ Bysshopes yblessed . if þei ben as þei sholde
Legistres of boþe lawes . þe lewed þer-wiþ to preche
And in as muche as þei mowe . amenden alle synfulle
Arn peres wiþ þe Apostles . þis pardon Piers sheweþ
And at þe day of dome . at þe heiȝe deys sitte
¶ Marchauntz in þe margyne . hadde manye yeres
Ac noon A pena & a culpa . þe pope nolde hem graunte
For þei holde noȝt hir halidayes . as holy chirche techeþ
And for þei swere by hir soule . and so god moste hem helpe
Ayein clene Conscience . hir catel to selle
¶ Ac vnder his secret seel . truþe sente hem a lettre
That þei sholde buggen boldely . þat hem best liked
And siþenes selle it ayein . and saue þe wynnyng
And amende Mesondieux þer-myd . and myseise folk helpe
And wikkede weyes . wightly amende
And do boote to brugges . þat tobroke were
Marien maydenes . or maken hem Nonnes
Pouere peple and prisons . fynden hem hir foode
¶ And sette Scolers to scole . or to som oþere craftes
Releue Religion . and renten hem bettre
And I shal sende yow my-selue . Seint Michel myn Archangel
That no deuel shal yow dere . ne fere yow in youre deying
And witen yow fro wanhope . if ye wol þus werche
And sende youre soules in saufte . to my Seintes in Ioye
¶ Thanne were Marchauntz murie . manye wepten for ioye
And preiseden Piers þe Plowman . þat purchaced þis bulle
¶ Men of lawe leest pardon hadde . þat pleteden for Mede
For þe Sauter saueþ hem noȝt . swiche as take ȝiftes
And nameliche of Innocentz . þat noon yuel ne konneþ
Super innocentem munera non accipies
¶ Pledours sholde peynen hem . to plede for swiche and helpe
Princes and prelates . sholde paie for hire trauaille
A Regibus & principibus erit merces eorum
¶ Ac many a Iustice and Iurour . wolde for Iohan do moore
Than pro dei pietate . leue þow noon ooþer
¶ Ac he þat spendeþ his speche . and spekeþ for þe pouere N
That is Innocent and nedy . and no man apeireþ N
Conforteþ hym in þat caas . wiþ-outen coueitise of ȝiftes N
And sheweþ lawe for oure lordes loue . as he it haþ ylerned N
Shal no deuel at his deeþ-day . deren hym a myte
That he ne worþ saaf and his soule . þe Sauter bereþ witnesse
¶ Domine quis habitabit in tabernaculo tuo
¶ Ac to bugge water ne wynd . ne wit ne fir þe ferþe
Thise foure þe fader of heuene . made to þis foold in commune
Thise ben truþes tresores . trewe folk to helpe
That neuere shul wexe ne wanye . wiþ-outen god hym-selue
¶ Whan þei drawen on to deye . and Indulgences wolde haue
Hir pardon is ful petit . at hir partyng hennes
That any Mede of mene men . for hir motyng takeþ
Ye legistres and lawieres . holdeþ þis for truþe
That if þat I lye . Mathew is to blame
For he bad me make yow þis . and þis prouerbe me tolde
Quodcumque vultis vt faciant vobis homines . facite eis N
That treweliche taken . and treweliche wynnen N
And lyuen in loue and in lawe . for hir lowe hertes N
Haueþ þe same absolucion . þat sent was to Piers N
¶ Beggeres ne bidderes . ne beþ noȝt in þe bulle
But if þe suggestion be sooþ . þat shapeþ hem to begge
For he þat beggeþ or bit . but if he haue nede N
He is fals wiþ þe feend . and defraudeþ þe nedy N
And also he bigileþ þe gyuere . ageynes his wille
For if he wiste he were noȝt nedy . he wolde ȝyue þat anoþer
That were moore nedy þan he . so þe nedieste sholde be holpe
Caton kenneþ me þus . and þe clerc of stories
Cui des videto . is Catons techyng N
¶ And in þe stories he techeþ . to bistowe þyn almesse
Sit elemosina tua in manu tua donec studes cui des N
¶ Ac Gregory was a good man . and bad vs gyuen alle N
That askeþ for his loue . þat vs al leneþ N
Non eligas cui miseriaris neforte / ne forte pretereas illum qui meretur accipereC
Quia incertum est pro quo deo magis placeas N
In hym þat takeþ is þe trecherie . if any treson walke N
For he þat yeueþ yeldeþ . and yarkeþ hym to reste
And he þat biddeþ borweþ . and bryngeþ hym-self in dette
For beggeres borwen euere-mo . and hir borgh is god almyȝty
To yelden hem þat yeueþ hem . and yet vsure moore
¶ Quare non dedisti pecuniam meam ad mensam
vt ego veniam cum vsuris exigere
¶ For-þi biddeþ noȝt ye beggeres . but if ye haue gret nede
For who-so haþ to buggen hym breed . þe book bereþ witnesse
He haþ ynouȝ þat haþ breed ynouȝ . þouȝ he haue noȝt ellis
¶ Lat vsage be youre solas . of seintes lyues redyng
The book banneþ beggerie . and blameþ hem in þis manere
¶ Iunior fui etenim senui & non vidi iustum derelictum ne / ne[c]T semen eius &c
¶ For ye lyue in no loue . ne no lawe holde
Manye of yow ne wedde noȝt . þe womman þat ye wiþ deele
But as wilde bestes with wehee . worþen vppe and werchen
And bryngen forþ barnes . þat bastardes men calleþ
Or þe bak or som boon . he brekeþ in his youþe
And siþþe goon faiten with youre fauntes . for euere-moore after
Ther is moore mysshapen peple . amonges þise beggeres N
Than of alle manere men . þat on þis moolde walkeþ N
And þei þat lyue þus hir lif . mowe loþe þe tyme N
That euere þei were men wroȝt . whan þei shal hennes fare N
Ac olde men and hore . þat helplees ben of strengþe
And wommen wiþ childe . þat werche ne mowe
Blynde and bedreden . and broken hire membres
That taken þise myschiefs mekeliche . as Mesels and oþere
Han as pleyn pardon . as þe Plowman hym-selue
For loue of hir lowe hertes . oure lord haþ hem graunted
Hir penaunce and hir Purgatorie . here on þis erþe
¶ Piers quod a preest þoo . þi pardon moste I rede
For I wol construe ech clause . and kenne it þee on englissh
¶ And Piers at his preiere . þe pardon vnfoldeþ
And I bihynde hem boþe . biheld al þe bulle
And in two lynes it lay . and noȝt a leef moore
And was writen riȝt þus . in witnesse of truþe
¶ Peter quod þe preest þoo . I kan no pardon fynde
But dowel and haue wel . and god shal haue þi soule N
And do yuel and haue yuel . hope þow noon ooþer N
But after þi deeþ-day . þe deuel shal haue þi soule N
¶ And Piers for pure tene . pulled it atweyne
And seide Si ambulauero in medio vmbre mortis N
non timebo mala quoniam tu mecum es
¶ I shal cessen of my sowyng quod Piers . & swynke noȝt so harde
Ne aboute my bely ioye . so bisy be namoore
Of preieres and of penaunce . my plouȝ shal ben her-after
And wepen whan I sholde slepe . þouȝ whete breed me faille
¶ The prophete his payn eet . in penaunce and in sorwe
¶ By þat þe Sauter seith . so dide othere manye
That loueþ god lelly . his liflode is ful esy
¶ And but if luc lye . he lereþ vs by foweles
We sholde noȝt be to bisy . aboute þe worldes blisse
Ne soliciti sitis he seiþ in þe gospel
And sheweþ vs by ensamples . vs-selue to wisse
The foweles in þe feld . who fynt hem mete at wynter N
Haue þei no gerner to go to . but god fynt hem alle N
¶ What quod þe preest to Perkyn . Peter as me þynkeþ
Thow art lettred alitel / a litel . who lerned þee on boke
¶ Abstynence þe Abbesse quod Piers . myn / a / . b / . c . / me tauȝte
And Conscience cam afterward . and kenned me muche moore
¶ Were þow a preest quod he . þou myȝtest preche where þou sholdest
As diuinour in diuinite . wiþ Dixit insipiens to þi teme
¶ Lewed lorel quod Piers . litel lokestow on þe bible
On Salomons sawes . selden þow biholdest
Ecce derisores & iurgia cum eis ne crescant &c
¶ The preest and Perkyn . opposeden eiþer ooþer
And I þoruȝ hir wordes awook . and waited aboute
And seiȝ þe sonne in þe South . sitte þat tyme
Metelees and moneilees . on Maluerne hulles
Musynge on þis metels . and my wey ich yede
MAny tyme þis metels . haþ maked me to studie
Of þat I seiȝ slepynge . if it so be myȝte
And also for Piers þe Plowman . ful pencif in herte
And which a pardon Piers hadde . al þe peple to conforte
And how þe preest inpugned it . wiþ two propre wordes
Ac I haue no sauour in Songewarie . for I se it ofte faille
Caton and Canonistres . counseillen vs to leue
To sette sadnesse in Songewarie . for sompnia ne cures
¶ Ac for þe book bible . bereþ witnesse
How Daniel diuined . þe dreem of a kyng
That was Nabugodonosor . nempned of clerkes
¶ Daniel . seide sire kyng . þi dremels bitokneþ
That vnkouþe knyȝtes shul come . þi kyngdom to cleyme
Amonges lower lordes . þi lond shal be departed
And as Daniel diuined . in dede it fel after
The kyng lees his lordshipe . and lower men it hadde
¶ And Ioseph mette merueillously . how þe moone and þe sonne
And þe elleuene sterres . hailsed hym alle
¶ Thanne Iacob iugged . Iosephes sweuene
Beau fitz quod his fader . for defaute we shullen
I my-self and my sones . seche þee for nede
¶ It bifel as his fader seide . in Pharaoes tyme
That Ioseph was Iustice . Egipte to loke
It bifel as his fader tolde . hise frendes þere hym souȝte
And al þis makeþ me . on þis metels to þynke
¶ And how þe preest preued . no pardon to dowel
And demed þat dowel . Indulgences passed
Biennals and triennals . and Bisshopes lettres
And how dowel at þe day of dome . is digneliche vnderfongen
And passeþ al þe pardon . of Seint Petres cherche
¶ Now haþ þe pope power . pardon to graunte þe peple
Wiþ-outen any penaunce . to passen in-to heuene
This is oure bileue . as lettred men vs techeþ
¶ Quodcumque ligaueris super terram . erit ligatum & in celis &c
¶ And so I leue leelly . lordes forbode ellis
That pardon and penaunce . and preieres doon saue
Soules þat haue synned . seuen siþes dedly
Ac to truste to þise triennals . trewely me þynkeþ
Is noȝt so siker for þe soule . certes as is dowel
¶ For-þi I rede yow renkes . þat riche ben on þis erþe
Vp-on trust of youre tresor . triennals to haue
Be ye neuer þe bolder . to breke þe .x. / ten hestes
And namely ye maistres . Meires and Iugges
That haue þe welþe of þis world . and for wise men ben holden
To purchace yow pardon . and þe popes bulles
At þe dredful dome . whan dede shulle rise
And comen alle tofore crist . acountes to yelde
How þow laddest þi lif here . and hise lawes keptest
And how þow didest day by day . þe doom wole reherce
A poke-ful of pardon þere . ne prouincials lettres
Theiȝ ye be founde in þe fraternite . of alle þe foure ordres
And haue Indulgences double-fold . but if dowel yow helpe
I sette youre patentes and youre pardon . at one pies hele
¶ For-þi I counseille alle cristene . to crie god mercy .
And Marie his moder . be oure meene bitwene
That god gyue vs grace here . er we go hennes
Swiche werkes to werche . while we ben here
That after oure deeþ-day . dowel reherce
At þe day of dome . we dide as he hiȝte