<div style="background:#fff;border:#bbb dashed 1px;padding:5px"><a href="http://en.citatepedia.ro/comments.php?id=538536" style="color:#000;text-decoration:none"><div style="margin:10px 0"><strong>The Vision Of Piers Plowman - Part 13</strong></div><div style="margin:10px 0">And I awaked therwith, witlees nerhande, <br>And as a freke that fey were, forth gan I walke <br>In manere of a mendynaunt many yer after, <br>And of this metyng many tyme muche thought I hadde<br>First how Fortune me failed at my mooste nede, <br>And how that Elde manaced me, myghte we evere mete; <br>And how that freres folwede folk that was riche, <br>And [peple] that was povere at litel pris thei sette, <br>And no corps in hir kirkyerd ne in hir kirk was buryed <br>But quik he biquethe hem aught or sholde helpe quyte hir dettes; <br>And how this coveitise overcom clerkes and preestes; <br>And how that lewed men ben lad, but Oure Lord hem helpe, <br>Thorugh unkonnynge curatours to incurable peynes; <br>And how that Ymaginatif in dremels me tolde <br>Of Kynde and of his konnynge, and how curteis he is to bestes, <br>And how lovynge he is to bestes on londe and on watre<br>Leneth he no lif lasse ne moore; <br>The creatures that crepen of Kynde ben engendred; <br>And sithen how Ymaginatif seide, ' Vix iustus salvabitur,' <br>And whan he hadde seid so, how sodeynliche he passed. <br>I lay down longe in this thoght, and at the laste I slepte; </div><div style="margin:10px 0">And as Crist wolde ther com Conscience to conforte me that tyme, <br>And bad me come to his court - with Clergie sholde I dyne. <br>And for Conscience of Clergie spak, I com wel the rather; <br>And there I [merkede] a maister - what man he was I nyste - <br>That lowe louted and loveliche to Scripture. <br>Conscience knew hym wel and welcomed hym faire; <br>Thei wesshen and wipeden and wenten to the dyner. <br>Ac Pacience in the paleis stood in pilgrymes clothes, <br>And preyde mete par charite for a povere heremyte. <br>Conscience called hym in, and curteisliche seide, <br>' Welcome, wye, go and wassh; thow shalt sitte soone.' <br>This maister was maad sitte as for the mooste worthi, <br>And thanne Clergie and Conscience and Pacience cam after. <br>Pacience and I were put to be mettes, <br>And seten bi oureselve at a side borde. <br>Conscience called after mete, and thanne cam Scripture <br>And served hem thus soone of sondry metes manye - <br>Of Austyn, of Ambrose, of alle the foure Evaungelistes<br>Edentes et bibentes que apud eos sunt. <br>Ac this maister ne his man no maner flessh eten, <br>Ac thei eten mete of moore cost - mortrews and potages<br>Of that men myswonne thei made hem wel at ese. <br>Ac hir sauce was over sour and unsavourly grounde <br>In a morter, Post mortem, of many bitter peyne - <br>But if thei synge for tho soules and wepe salte teris<br>Vos qui peccata hominum comeditis, nisi pro eis lacrimas et <br>oraciones effuderitis, ea que in deliciis comeditis, in tormentis evometis. <br>Conscience ful curteisly tho commaunded Scripture <br>Bifore Pacience breed to brynge and me that was his mette. <br>He sette a sour loof toforn us and seide, 'Agite penitenciam,' <br>And siththe he drough us drynke'Dia perseverans - </div><div style="margin:10px 0">As longe,' quod he,-'as lif and lycame may dure.' <br>' Here is propre service,' quod Pacience, 'ther fareth no prince bettre!' <br>And he broughte us of Beati quorum of Beatus virres makyng, <br>And thanne he broughte us forth a mees of oother mete, of Miserere mei, Deus <br>Et quorum tecta sunt peccata <br>In a dissh of derne shrifte, Dixi et confitebor tibi. <br>'Bryng Pacience som pitaunce,' pryveliche quod Conseience; <br>And thanne hadde Pacience a pitaunce, Pro hac orabit ad te <br>omnis sanctus in tempore oportuno. <br>And Conseience conforted us, and carped us murye tales<br>Cor contritum et humiliatum, Deus, non despicies. <br>Pacience was proude of that propre service, <br>And made hym murthe with his mete; ac I mornede evere, <br>For this doctour on the heighe dees drank wyn so faste<br>Ve vobis qui potentes estis ad bibendum vinum ! <br>He eet manye sondry metes, mortrews and puddynges, <br>Wombe cloutes and wilde brawen and egges yfryed with grece. <br>Thanne seide I to myself so Pacience it herde, <br>' It is noght foure dayes that this freke, bifore the deen of Poules, <br>Preched of penaunces that Paul the Apostle suffrede - <br>In fame et frigore and flappes of scourges<br>Ter cesus sum et a Iudeis quinquies quadragenas &c; <br>Ac o word thei overhuppen at ech a tyme that thei preche <br>That Poul in his Pistle to al the peple tolde - <br>Periculum est in falsis fratribus!' </div><div style="margin:10px 0">(Holi Writ bit men be war - I wol noght write it here <br>In Englissh, on aventure it sholde be reherced to ofte <br>And greve therwith that goode men ben - ac gramariens shul rede<br>Unusquisque a fratre se custodiat, quia, ut dicitur, <br>periculum est in falsis fratribus. <br>Ac I wiste nevere freke that as a frere yede bifore men on Englissh <br>Taken it for his teme, and telle it withouten glosyng! <br>They prechen that penaunce is profitable to the soule, <br>And what meschief and maleese Crist for man tholede). <br>'Ac this Goddes gloton,' quod I, 'with hise grete chekes, <br>Hath no pite on us povere; he parfourneth yvele. <br>That he precheth, he preveth noght,' to Pacience I tolde, <br>And wisshed witterly, with wille ful egre, <br>That disshes and doublers bifore this doctour <br>Were molten leed in his mawe, and Mahoun amyddes! <br>'I shal jangle to this jurdan with his juste wombe <br>To telle me what penaunce is, of which he preched rather!' <br>Pacience parceyved what I thoughte, and [preynte] on me to be stille, <br>And seide, 'Thow shalt see thus soone, whan he may na moore, <br>He shal have a penaunce in his paunche and puffe at ech a worde, <br>And thanne shullen his guttes gothele, and he shal galpen after; <br>For now he hath dronken so depe he wole devyne soone <br>And preven it by hir Pocalips and passion of Seint Avereys <br>That neither bacon ne braun ne blancmanger ne mortrews <br>Is neither fissh ne flessh but fode for a penaunt. <br>And thanne shal he testifie of a trinite, and take his felawe to witnesse <br>What he fond in a f[or]el after a freres lyvyng; </div><div style="margin:10px 0">And but the first leef be lesyng, leve me nevere after! <br>And thanne is tyme to take and to appose this doctour <br>Of Dowel and Dobet and if Dobest be any penaunce.' <br>And I sat stille as Pacience seide, and thus soone this doctour, <br>As rody as a rose ruddede hise chekes, <br>Coughed and carped; and Conscience hym herde, <br>And tolde hym of a trinite, and toward us he loked. <br>'What is Dowel, sire doctour?' quod I; 'is Dobest any penaunce?' <br>' Dowel?' quod this doctour - and drank after - <br>' Do noon yvel to thyn evencristen - nought by thi power.' <br>'By this day, sire doctour,' quod I, 'thanne [in Dowel be ye noght]! <br>For ye han harmed us two in that ye eten the puddyng, <br>Mortrews and oother mete - and we no morsel hadde. <br>And if ye fare so in youre fermerye, ferly me thynketh <br>But cheeste be ther charite sholde be, and yonge children dorste pleyne! <br>I wolde permute my penaunce with youre - for I am in point to dowel.' <br>Thanne Conscience ful curteisly a contenaunce he made, <br>And preynte upon Pacience to preie me to be stille, <br>And seide hymself, 'Sire doctour, and it be youre wille, <br>What is Dowel and Dobet? Ye dyvynours knoweth.' <br>'Dowel?' quod this doctour; 'do as clerkes techeth; <br>And Dobet is he that techeth and travailleth to teche othere; <br>And Dobest doth hymself so as he seith and precheth<br>Qui facit et docuerit magnus vocabitur in regno celorum.' <br>'Now thow, Clergie,' quod Conscience. 'carpe us what is Dowel.' <br>' I have sevene sones,' he seide, 'serven in a castel <br>Ther the lord of lif wonyeth, to leren hem what is Dowel. <br>Til I se tho sevene and myself acorde <br>I am unhardy,' quod he, 'to any wight to preven it. <br>For oon Piers the Plowman hath impugned us alle, <br>And set alle sciences at a sop save love one; <br>And no text ne taketh to mayntene his cause </div><div style="margin:10px 0">But Dilige Deum and Domine quis habitabit; <br>And seith that Dowel and Dobet arn two infinites, <br>Whiche infinites with a feith fynden out Dobest, <br>Which shal save mannes soule - thus seith Piers the Plowman.' <br>' I kan noght heron,' quod Conscience, 'ac I knowe wel Piers. <br>He wol noght ayein Holy Writ speken, I dar x el undertake. <br>Thanne passe we over til Piers come and preve this in dede. <br>Pacience hath be in many place, and paraunter knoweth <br>That no clerk ne kan, as Crist bereth witnesse<br>Pacientes vincunt &c.' <br>'At youre preiere,' quod Pacience tho, 'so no man displese hym<br>Disce,' quod he, ' doce; dilige inimicos. <br>Disce, and Dowel; doce, and Dobet; <br>Dilige, and Dobest - [do] thus taughte me ones <br>A lemman that I lovede - Love was hir name. <br>''With wordes and with werkes,'' quod she, 'and wil of thyn herte <br>Thow love leelly thi soule al thi lif tyme. <br>And so thow lere the to lovye, for the Lordes love of hevene, <br>Thyn enemy in alle wise eveneforth with thiselve. <br>Cast coles on his heed of alle kynde speche; <br>Bothe with werkes and with wordes fonde his love to wynne, <br>And leye on him thus with love til he laughe on the; <br>And but he bowe for this betyng, blynd mote he worthe!' <br>'Ac for to fare thus with thi frend - folie it were; <br>For he that loveth thee leelly, litel of thyne coveiteth. <br>Kynde love coveiteth noght no catel but speche. <br>With half a laumpe lyne in Latyn, Ex vi transicionis, <br>I bere ther, in a bou[s]te, faste ybounde Dowel, <br>In a signe of the Saterday that sette first the kalender, <br>And al the wit of the Wodnesday of the nexte wike after; <br>The myddel of the rnoone is the myght of bothe. <br>And herwith am I welceme ther I have it with me. <br>' Undo it - lat this doctour deme if Dowel be therinne; </div><div style="margin:10px 0">For, by hym that me made, myghte nevere poverte, <br>Misese ne mischief ne man with his tonge, <br>Coold, ne care, ne compaignye of theves. <br>Ne neither hete, ne hayl, ne noon helle pouke, <br>Ne neither fuyr, ne flood, ne feere of thyn enemy. <br>Tene thee any tyme, and thow take it with the<br>Caritas nichil timet. <br>'And ek, have God my soule! and thow wilt it crave, <br>Ther nys neither emperour ne emperesse, erl ne baroun, <br>Pope ne patriark, that pure reson ne shal make thee <br>Maister of alle tho men thorugh myght of this redels - <br>Nought thorugh wicchecraft but thorugh wit; and thow wilt thiselve <br>Do kyng and quene and alle the comune after <br>Yyve thee al that thei may yyve, as thee for best yemere, <br>And as thow demest wil thei do alle hir dayes after<br>Pacientes vincunt.' <br>' It is but a dido,' quod this doctour, 'a disours tale! <br>Al the wit of this world and wight mennes strengthe <br>Kan noght [par]formen a pees bitwene the Pope and hise enemys, <br>Ne bitwene two Cristene kynges kan no wight pees make <br>Profitable to either peple - and putte the table fro hym, <br>And took Clergie and Conscience to conseil, as it were, <br>That Pacience tho most passe - for pilgrymes konne wel lye.' <br>Ac Conscience carped loude and curteisliche seide, <br>' Frendes, fareth wel,' and faire spak to Clergie, <br>' For I wol go with this gome, if God wol yeve me grace, <br>And be nilgrym with Pacience til I have preved moore.' <br>'What! ' quod Clergie to Conscience, 'are ye coveitous nouthe <br>After yeresyeves or yiftes. or yernen to rede redels? <br>I shal brynge yow a Bible, a book of the olde lawe, <br>And lere yow, if yow like, the leeste point to knowe, <br>That Pacience the pilgrym parfitly knew nevere.' <br>' Nay, by Crist!' quod Conscience to Clergie, ' God thee foryelde. </div><div style="margin:10px 0">For al that Pacience me profreth, proud am I litel; <br>Ac the wil of the wye and the wil of folk here <br>Hath meved my mood to moorne for my synnes. <br>The goode wil of a wight was nevere bought to the fulle<br>For ther nys no tresour therto to a trewe wille. <br>'Hadde noght Marie Maudeleyne moore for a box of salve <br>Than Zacheus for he seide, ' Dimiaium bonorum meorum do pauperibus,' <br>And the poore widewe for a peire of mytes <br>Than alle tho that offrede into gazophilacium ?' <br>Thus curteisliche Conscience congeyed first the frere, <br>And sithen softeliche he seide in Clergies ere, <br>'Me were levere, by Oure Lord, and I lyve sholde, <br>Have pacience parfitliche than half thi pak of bokes! ' <br>Clergie of Conscience no congie wolde take, <br>But seide ful sobreliche, 'Thow shalt se the tyme <br>Whan thow art wery forwalked, wilne me to counseille.' <br>'That is sooth,' seide Conscience, 'so me God helpe! <br>If Pacience be oure partyng felawe and pryve with us bothe, <br>Ther nys wo in this world that we ne sholde amende, <br>And conformen kynges to pees, and alle kynnes londes - <br>Sarsens and Surre, and so forth alle the Jewes - <br>Turne into the trewe feith and intil oon bileve.' <br>'That is sooth,' quod Clergie, 'I se what thow menest. <br>I shall dwelle as I do, my devoir to shewe, <br>And confermen fauntekyns oother folk ylered <br>Til Pacience have preved thee and parfit thee maked.' <br>Conscience tho with Pacience passed, pilgrymes as it were. <br>Thanne hadde Pacience, as pilgrymes han, in his poke vitailles<br>Sobretee and symple speche and soothfast bileve, <br>To conforte hym and Conscience if thei come in place <br>There unkyndenesse and coveitise is, hungry contrees bothe. <br>And as thei wente by the weye, of Dowel thei carped; <br>Thei mette with a mynstral, as me tho thoughte. </div><div style="margin:10px 0">Pacience apposed hym first and preyde he sholde telle <br>fo Conscience what craft he kouthe, and to what contree he wolde. <br>'I am a mynstral,' quod that man, 'my name is Activa Vita. <br>Al ydel ich hatie, for of Actif is my name, <br>A wafrer, wol ye wite, and serve manye lordes - <br>And fewe robes I fonge or furrede gownes. <br>Couthe I lye and do men laughe, thanne lacchen I sholde <br>Outher mantel or moneie amonges lordes mynstrals. <br>Ac for I kan neither taboure ne trompe ne telle no gestes, <br>Farten ne fithelen at festes, ne harpen, <br>Jape ne jogele ne gentilliche pipe, <br>Ne neither saille ne sautrie ne synge with the gyterne, <br>I have no goode giftes of thise grete lordes <br>For no breed that I brynge forth - save a benyson on the Sonday, <br>Whan the preest preieth the peple hir Paternoster to bidde <br>For Piers the Plowman and that hym profit waiten - <br>And that am I, Actif, that ydelnesse hatie; <br>For alle trewe travaillours and tiliers of the erthe, <br>Fro Mighelmesse to Mighelmesse I fynde hem with wafres. <br>'Beggeris and bidderis of my breed craven, <br>Faitours and freres and folk with brode crounes. <br>I fynde payn for the Pope and provendre for his palfrey, <br>And I hadde nevere of hym, have God my trouthe, <br>Neither provendre ne personage yet of the Popes yifte, <br>Save a pardon with a peis of leed and two polles amyddes! <br>Hadde ich a clerc that couthe write I wolde caste hym a bille <br>That he sente me under his seel a salve for the pestilence, <br>And that his blessynge and hise bulles bocches myghte destruye<br>In nomine meo demonia eicient et super egros manus imponent et bene habebunt. <br>And thanne wolde I be prest to the peple, paast for to make, <br>And buxom and busy aboute breed and drynke <br>For hyrn and for alle hise, founde I that his pardoun </div><div style="margin:10px 0">Mighte lechen a man - as I bileve it sholde. <br>For sith he hath the power that Peter hadde, he hath the pot with the salve<br>Argentum et aurum non est michiquod autem habeo, <br>tibi doIn nomine Domini surge et ambula. <br>'Ac if myght of myracle hym faille, it is for men ben noght worthi <br>To have the grace of God, and no gilt of the Pope. <br>For may no blessynge doon us boote but if we wile amende, <br>Ne mannes masse make pees among Cristene peple, <br>Til pride be pureliche fordo, and that thorugh payn defaute. <br>For er I have breed of mele, ofte moot I swete, <br>And er the commune have corn ynough many a cold morwenyng; <br>So, er my wafres be ywroght, muche wo I tholye. <br>'Al Londoun, I leve, liketh wel my wafres, <br>And louren whan thei lakken hem; it is noght longe ypassed <br>There was a careful commune whan no cart com to towne <br>With bake breed fro Stratford; tho gonnen beggeris wepe, <br>And werkmen were agast a lite - this wole be thought longe; <br>In the date of Oure Drighte, in a drye Aprill, <br>A thousand and thre hundred, twies thritty and ten, <br>My wafres there were gesene, whan Chichestre was maire.' <br>I took greet kepe, by Crist, and Conscience bothe, <br>Of Haukyn the Actif Man, and how he was yclothed. <br>He hadde a cote of Cristendom as Holy Kirke bileveth; <br>Ac it was moled in many places with manye sondry plottes - <br>Of pride here a plot, and there a plot of unbuxom speche, <br>Of scornyng and of seoffyng and of unskilful berynge; <br>As in apparaill andin porte proud amonges the peple; <br>Ootherwise than he hath with herte or sighte shewynge; <br>Hym wilnyng that alle men wende he were that he is noght, </div><div style="margin:10px 0">Forwhy he bosteth and braggeth with manye bolde othes; <br>And inobedient to ben undernome of any lif lyvynge; <br>And so singuler by hymself as to sighte of the peple <br>Was noon swich as hymself, ne noon so pope holy; <br>Yhabited as an heremyte, an ordre by hymselve - <br>Religion saunz rule and resonable obedience; <br>Lakkynge lettrede men and lewed men bothe; <br>In likynge of lele lif and a liere in soule; <br>With inwit and with outwit ymagynen and studie <br>As best for his body be to have a bold name; <br>And entremetten hym over al ther he hath noght to doone; <br>Wilnyge that men wende his wit were the beste, <br>Or for his crafty konnynge or of clerkes the wisest, <br>Or strengest on stede, or styvest under girdel, <br>And lovelokest to loken on and lelest of werkes, <br>And noon so holy as he ne of lif clennere, <br>Or feirest of feitures, of forme and of shafte, <br>And most sotil of song other sleyest of hondes, <br>And large to lene lo[o]s therby to cacche; <br>And if he gyveth ought to povere gomes, [go] telle what he deleth; <br>Povere of possession in purs and in cofre,' <br>And as a lyoun on to loke and lordlich of speche; <br>Boldest of beggeris, a bostere that noght hath, <br>In towne and in tavernes tales to telle <br>And segge thyng that he nevere seigh and for sothe sweren it, <br>Of dedes that he nevere dide demen and bosten, <br>And of werkes that he wel dide witnesse and siggen, </div><div style="margin:10px 0">'Lo! if ye leve me noght, or that I lye wenen, <br>Asketh at hym or at hym, and he yow kan telle <br>What I suffrede and seigh and somtymes hadde, <br>And what I kouthe and knew, and what kyn I com of.' <br>Al he wolde that men wiste of werkes and of wordes -<br>Which myghte plese the peple and preisen hymselve<br>Si hominibus placerem, Christi servus non essem. Et alibi<br>Nemo potest duobus dominis servire. <br>'By Crist!' quod Conseience tho, 'thi beste cote, Haukyn, <br>Hath manye moles and spottes - it moste ben ywasshe!' <br>'Ye, whoso toke hede,' quod Haukyn, 'bihynde and bifore, <br>What on bak and what on body half and by the two sides - <br>Men sholde fynde manye frounces and manye foule plottes.' <br>And he torned hym as tyd, and thanne took I hede; <br>It was fouler bi fele fold than it first semed. <br>It was bidropped with wrathe and wikkede wille, <br>With envye and yvel speche entisynge to fighte, <br>Lying and lakkynge and leve tonge to chide; <br>Al that he wiste wikked by any wight, tellen it, <br>And blame men bihynde hir bak and bidden hem meschaunce; <br>And that he wiste by Wille, [to Watte tellen it], <br>And that Watte wiste, Wille wiste it after, <br>And made of frendes foes thorugh a fals tonge<br>'Or with myght of mouth or thorugh mannes strengthe <br>Avenged me fele tymes, other frete myselve withinne <br>As a shepsteres shere, ysherewed men and cursed hem.' <br>Cuius malediccione os plenum est et amaritudine; sub lingua <br>eius labor et dolor. Et alibiFilii hominum dentes eorum <br>arma et sagitte et lingua eorum gladius acutus. </div><div style="margin:10px 0">'Ther is no lif that I lovye lastynge any while; <br>For tales that I telle no man trusteth to me. <br>And whan I may noght have the maistrie, swich malencolie I take <br>That I cacche the crampe, the cardiacle som tyme, <br>Or an ague in swich an angre, and som tyme a fevere <br>That taketh me al a twelvemonthe, til that I despise <br>Lechecraft of Oure Lord and leve on a wicche, <br>And seye that no clerc ne kan - ne Crist, as I leve - <br>To the Soutere of Southwerk, or of Shordych Dame Emme, <br>And seye that [God ne] Goddes word gaf me nevere boute, <br>But thorugh a charme hadde I chaunce and my chief heele.' <br>I waitede wisloker, and thanne was it soilled <br>With likynge of lecherie as by lokynge of his eighe. <br>For ech a maide that he mette, he made hire a signe <br>Semynge to synneward, and somtyme he gan taste <br>Aboute the mouth or bynethe bigynneth to grope, <br>Til eitheres wille wexeth kene, and to the werke yeden, <br>As wel fastyng dayes as Fridaies and forboden nyghtes, <br>And as lef in Lente as out of Lente, alle tymes yliche<br>Swiche werkes with hem were nevere out of seson, <br>Til thei myghte na moore - and thanne hadde murye tales, <br>And how that lecchours lovye laughen and japen, <br>And of hir harlotrye and horedom in hir elde tellen. <br>Thanne Pacience parceyved, of pointes his cote <br>Was colomy thorugh coveitise and unkynde desiryng. <br>Moore to good than to God the gome his love caste, <br>And ymagynede how he it myghte have <br>With false mesures and met, and [mid] fals witnesse <br>Lened for love of the wed and looth to do truthe, <br>And awaited thorugh w[itte]s wyes to bigile, </div><div style="margin:10px 0">And menged his marchaundise and made a good moustre<br>'The worst withinne was - a greet wit I let it! <br>And if my neghebore hadde an hyne, or any beest ellis, <br>Moore profitable than myn, manye sleightes I made <br>How I myghte have it - al my wit I caste; <br>And but I it hadde by oother wey, at the laste I stale it, <br>Or pryveliche his purs shook, unpikede hise lokes; <br>Or by nyghte or by daye, aboute was ich evere <br>Thorugh gile to gaderen the good that ich have. <br>'If I yede to the plowgh, I pynched so narwe <br>That a foot lond or a forow fecchen I wolde <br>Of my nexte neghebore, nymen of his erthe; <br>And if I rope, overreche, or yaf hem reed that ropen <br>To seise to me with hir sikel that I ne sew nevere. <br>'And whoso borwed of me aboughte the tyme <br>With presentes pryvely, or paide som certeyn - <br>So wolde he or noght wolde he, wynnen I wolde; <br>And bothe to kith and to kyn unkynde of that ich hadde. <br>'And whoso cheped my chaffare, chiden I wolde <br>But he profrede to paie a peny or tweyne <br>Moore than it was worth, and yet wolde I swere <br>That it coste me muche moore - swoor manye othes. <br>'In haly daies at holy chirche, whan ich herde masse <br>Hadde I nevere wille, woot God, witterly to biseche <br>Mercy for my mysdedes, that I ne moorned moore <br>For losse of good, leve me, than for likames giltes; <br>As, if I hadde dedly synne doon, I dredde noght that so soore <br>As whan I lened and leved it lost or longe er it were paied. <br>So if I kidde any kyndenesse myn evencristen to helpe, <br>Upon a cruwel coveitise my conscience gan hange. <br>'And if I sente over see my servaunts to Brugges, <br>Or into Prucelond my Prentis my profit to waiten, </div><div style="margin:10px 0">To marchaunden with moneie and maken here esehaunges, <br>Mighte nevere me conforte in the mene tyme <br>Neither masse ne matynes, ne none maner sightes; <br>Ne nevere penaunce parfournede ne Paternoster seide <br>That my mynde ne was moore on my good in a doute <br>Than in the grace of God and hise grete helpes.' <br>Ubi thesaurus tuus, ibi et cor tuum. <br>Yet that glotoun with grete othes his garnement hadde soiled <br>And foule beflobered it, as with fals speche, <br>As, there no nede ne was, Goddes name an idel - <br>Swoor therby swithe ofte and al biswatte his cote; <br>And moore mete eet and dronk than kynde myghte defie - <br>'And kaughte siknesse somtyme for my surfetes ofte; <br>And thanne I dradde to deye in dedlich synne' - <br>That into wanhope he w[orth] and wende nought to be saved, <br>The whiche is sleuthe, so slow that may no sleightes helpe it, <br>Ne no mercy amenden the man that so deieth. <br>Ac whiche ben the braunches that bryngen a man to sleuthe? <br>Is whan a man moorneth noght for hise mysdedes, ne maketh no sorwe, <br>Ac penaunce that the preest enjoyneth parfourneth yvele, <br>Dooth non almesdede, dred hym of no synne, <br>Lyveth ayein the bileve and no lawe holdeth. <br>Ech day is halyday with hym or an heigh ferye, ' <br>And if he aught wol here, it is an harlotes tonge. <br>Whan men carpen of Crist, or of clennesse of soule, <br>He wexeth wroth and wol noght here but wordes of murthe. <br>Penaunce and povere men and the passion of seintes - <br>He hateth to here therof and alle that it telleth. </div><div style="margin:10px 0">Thise been the braunches, beth war! that bryngen a man to wanhope. <br>Ye lordes and ladies and legates of Holy Chirche <br>That fedeth fooles sages, flatereris and lieris, <br>And han likynge to lithen hem [in hope] to do yow laughe - <br>Ve vobis qui ridetis &c - <br>And yyveth hem mete and mede, and povere men refuse, <br>In youre deeth deyinge, I drede me soore <br>Lest tho thre maner men to muche sorwe yow brynge<br>Consencientes et agentes pari pena punientur. <br>Patriarkes and prophetes, prechours of Goddes wordes, <br>Saven thorugh hir sermon mannes soule fro helle; <br>Right so flatereris and fooles arn the fendes disciples <br>To entice men thorugh hir tales to synne and harlotrie. <br>Ac clerkes, that knowen Holy Writ, sholde kenne lordes <br>What David seith of swiche men, as the Sauter telleth<br>Non habitabit in medio domus mee qui facit superbiam; qui loquitur iniqua . . . <br>Sholde noon harlot have audience in halle ne in chambre <br>Ther wise men were - witnesseth Goddes wordes - <br>Ne no mysproud min amonges lordes ben allowed. <br>Clerkes and knyghtes welcometh kynges minstrales, <br>And for love of hir lord litheth hem at festes; <br>Muche moore, me thynketh, riche men sholde <br>Have beggeres bifore hem, the whiche ben Goddes minstrales, <br>As he seith hymself - Seynt Johan bereth witnesse<br>Qui vos spernit me spernit. <br>Forthi I rede yow riche, reveles whan ye maketh, <br>For to solace youre soules, swiche minstrales to have - <br>The povere for a fool sage sittynge at th[i] table, <br>And a lered man to lere thee what Oure Lord suffred <br>For to save thi soule fram Sathan thyn enemy, <br>And fithele thee, withoute flaterynge, of Good Friday the storye, </div><div style="margin:10px 0">And a blynd man for a bourdeour, or a bedrede womman <br>To crie a largesse bifore Oure Lord, your good loos to shewe. <br>Thise thre maner minstrales maketh a man to laughe, <br>And in his deeth deyinge thei don hym gret confort <br>That bi his lyve lithed hem and loved hem to here. <br>Thise solaceth the soule til hymself be falle <br>In a welhope, [for he wroghte so], amonges worthi seyntes, <br>There flatereres and fooles thorugh hir foule wordes <br>Leden tho that loved hem to Luciferis feste <br>With turpiloquio, a lay of sorwe, and Luciferis fithele. <br>Thus Haukyn the actif man hadde ysoiled his cote, <br>Til Conscience acouped hym therof in a curteis manere, <br>Why he ne hadde wasshen it or wiped it with a brusshe.</div><div style="margin:10px 0"><br /></a><br />poem by <a href="http://en.citatepedia.ro/by.php?a=William+Langland">William Langland</a><div class=q> <img src="https://www.citatepedia.ro/g/32share.png" style="float:left" alt="Share"> <script type="text/javascript" src="//s7.addthis.com/js/300/addthis_widget.js#pubid=citatepedia" async="async"></script><div style="display:inline-block" class="addthis_sharing_toolbox" data-url="http://en.citatepedia.ro/comments.php?id=538536" data-title="The Vision Of Piers Plowman - Part 13 de William Langland" data-description="And I awaked therwith, witlees nerhande, And as a freke that fey were, forth gan I walke In manere of a mendynaunt many yer after, And of this metyng many tyme muche thought I hadde First how Fortune me failed at my mooste nede, And how that E..."></div> </div> </div>

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