University of Virginia Library

In a somer sesoun wen softe was the sonne
Y schope me into schrodus as Y a schep were,
In abite as an hermite vnholy of wercus,
Wente wyde in this world wondres to here
Ant sey many sellys, Y can nat sey alle.
Ac in a May morwen vnder Maluerne hylles
Me befel a ferly, of fayre me thoughte.
I was wery of wandret ant wente me to reste
Vnder a brod birch by a born syde,
Ant as Y lay ant lened ant loked in the water
I slumbred in a slep, hyt sweyed so murye.
Thone gan Y meten a merueylose sweue,
That Y was in a wyldernesse, wyst Y nere were.
As Y byheld in the est, an hey to the sonne,
Y sey a tour on a toft tryeliche ymaked,
A dep dale bynethe, as dym as a cloude:
Hit thondred, as me thouȝte, there ant nawher elles.
A fayre feld ful of folk fond Y there bytwene,
Of alle manere men, bothe mene ant ryche,
Werchyng ant wandryng as the world hasket.
Somme pote hem to plow, pleyuden ful selde,
In settyng, in sowyng, swonken ful harde,
Wonnen that wastres wyth glotenye dystruyen.
Somme pote hem to pruide, parayled hem thereaftur,
In contynance, in clothyng, comen digised.
In pryeres ant in pennaunses potten hem monye;
Al for loue of houre lord leueden ful streyte,
Al for hope to haue heuenriche blysse,
As hankres ant hermytus that holdeth hem in here sellys,
Coueyteth nat in contraye to kayren abowte,
For no licorouse liflode here licam to plese.
Ant summe chosen chaffare, cheued the bettre,
As hit semeth to oure syght that seche men ythryueth.
Ant summe murthus to make as mynstrales conneht:
Nolle noythur swynke ne swete, but swere grete othus
Ant as here licam loueth leueth thereaftur.
Byddares as beggares faste aboute yede
Tyl here bagge ant here baly was bretful ycrammed,
Faytede for here fode ant foughten at the ale.
In glotonye, God wot, goth they to bedde
Ant ryseth wyth ribaudye, tho Robardus knaues:
Slep ant slewthe seueth hem euere.

Freres Y fond there of alle foure ordres,
Preched þe puple for profyt of the wombe,
Glosed the gospel as hem god lyked,
For coueytise of kopys construed hit as they wolde.
Hermytes on an hep wyth hoked staues
Wenten to Walsingham ant here wyues aftur.
Pylegrymes ant palmeres plyhten hem togyderes
To seynt Jemes of Gales ant seyntus of Rome;
Wenten forth on here way wyth many wyse tales,
Ant haueden leue to lye al here lyf aftur.
Bischopes blessed there beren here staues,
Deden dygneliche here offices, Y deme hem neen other;
For tho apostles to prelatus apendeth here status,
Ant so Y leue they lyue ant lere vs the same.
Religious to Rome ronne in a route,
To apropre parsonages that pore clerkus hasketh.
Barones ant borgeys ant bondage alse
Y say in that semble, as ye schal here hereaftur.
Parsones ant parsche prestus preyd here bischop,
For here parsches were so pore sen the pestilence tyme,
To haue a license ant a leue to lauchen annueles
Ant take trentales thereto, to yer togyderus.
Seriauns serued there in selken houes,
Plededen for penyes ant poundes the lawe,
Ant for loue of oure lord vnlose here lyppe ones—
Thow myghtest betur meten myst on Maluerne hilles
Than geten a mom of here mouht or mony were yschewed.
Justices jugged that jeroures wolde schewe:
Were hit wel, were hit wrong, here word most stande.
Forthy lak y nat tho lordus—lawes they kepe
Ant saueth vs fro sorwes of synfol wrochus.
There preched a pardoner, as he prest were,
Ant broughte forth a bille wyth bischopus seles,
Ant seyd that himsylf may soylen hem alle
Of falsenesse, of fasting, of voues ybroken.
Lewed men leuen hym wel, liken ys wordus,
Comen vp knelyng to kyssen ys bulle;
Bunged hem on the hed, blered here eyus
Ant raughte wyth ys rageman ryngus ant brochus.
Thus ye gyuen youre gold glotonye to helpe,
Ant leneth hit thys loseles that in lecherie lybbyth.
Ac were the bischop [blyssed] ant worth bothe eres,
Ys sel scholde nat be sent to deseyue the peple.

Baksteres ant bocheres ant brewstres manye,
Wollen webbestares ant weuares of lynnen,
Taylours, towkares and tollares bothe,
Myllares ant mynstrales and masones somme,
Of alle libbynge labores lopen forth there,
As dicares an delueres that doth here dedus ylle
Ant dryueht forth the day wyth “Deux saue dame Emme!”
Al this Y say in my slep ant seuene sithes more,

Ac the heye hyl in the Est, here wat hit menes:
A louely laydy of lere in lynnen yclothed
Com fro the castel ant calde me twius
Ant seyde, “Sone, slepest thow? Sest this peple,
How besy they ben the body for to plese?
They an no ward to the hil that on hey standes,
Ne no dred of the dongen in the depe dale.”
Y was aferd of here face, thow he fayr were,
Ant seyde, “Mercy, ma dame, wat ys this to mene?”
“The tour wyth the tofte,” quad sche, “Trewthe ys therinne
Ant wolde that ye wroughten as ys word techeth,
For he ys fader of fayth ant formed yow alle,
Bothe wyth fel ant wyth flesch, ant yaf how fiue wyttes
To wyrschepe hym therewyth wyle ye ben here,
Ant therefor hygte the ereth to helpe you vchone
Of wollone, of lynnen, of lyflode at nede,
In mesurable manere to make yow at ese,
Ant comaunded of ys cortesye in comewn thre thyngus—
Aren no nedeful but tho, ant nempne hem Y thenke
Ant rykene hem by resoun: rehers[e] ye hem aftur!
That on ys vesture, fram chele the to saue,
Ant mete at the mele for myseyse of thysylf,
Ant drynke wen the druyeth, ac do nat out of resoun
That the worthe the wors wen thow wyrche scholdest.
For Loth in his lyueday, for lykying of drynk,
Dede by ys dowtres that the deuel lyked,
For lecherye hym lawghte, ant lay by hem bothe,
An al a wit hit the wyn that wyked dede.
Dred dylitable drynke—thou schalt do the bettre—
Ant mesure his medicine, thowȝ thow myche yerne.
Hit ys nat al god to the gost that the guth hascuht,
Ne lyflode to the lycam that leue ys the soule.
Lef nat thy licam, for a lyare hym thecheth:
That his the wrechyd werld, wolde the bytraye,
For the fend ant thy flesch foleweth togyderus,
Ant that seuth thy soule ant seyth in thyn herte.”

“A, ma dame, mercy,” quad Y, “me lecuth wel youre wordes.
Ac the money of thys molde that men so faste holdeth,
Telleth me to wam that tresor apendeth.”
“Go to the gospel that God sayde hymsylfe,
Tho the peple hym aposed wyth a peny in the temple
Were they scholde wyrschepe therewyth Cesar the kinge.
Ant God hasked of hem, ‘Of wam spak þe letre
Ant ymage ylych that therein standes?’
‘Sesaris,’ they seyden, ‘we seen wel vchone,’
‘Reddite Cesari,’ quad God, ‘that Cesari byfalleth,
Et que sunt Dei Deo, or ye don ylle.’
For ryghtfoullyche Resoun scholde reule yow alle
Ant Kynde Wyt be wardeyn, youre welthe to kepe,
Ant tutor of youre tresor to take hit yow at nede,
For hosebondry ant he holdeth togyderes:
Trewthe techeth vs so to wyrche thereaftur.”