The Vision and Creed of Piers Ploughman, Volume 1

Name: The Vision and Creed of Piers Ploughman, Volume 1
Author: Langland, William

Langland, William

Christian pilgrims and pilgrimages -- Poetry

"Pryde now and presumpcion
  Peraventure wol thee appele,
  That Clergie thi compaignye
  Kepeth noght to suwe.
  Shal nevere chalangynge ne chidynge
  Chaste a man so soone,
  As shal shame, and shenden hym,
  And shape hym to amende.
  For lat a dronken daffe
  In a dyk falle,                                         7410
  Lat hym ligge, loke noght on hym,
  Til hym liste aryse.
  For though Reson rebuked hym thanne,
  It were but pure synne.
  Ac whan nede nymeth hym up
  For doute lest he sterve,
  And shame shrapeth hise clothes,
  And hise shynes wassheth.
  Thanne woot the dronken daffe
  Wherfore he is to blame."                               7420

    "Ye siggen sooth," quod I;
  "Ich have y-seyen it ofte,
  Ther smyt no thyng so smerte,
  Ne smelleth so soure,
  As shame, there he sheweth hym;
  For every man hym shonyeth.
  Why ye wisse me thus," quod I,
  "Was for I rebuked Reson."

    "Certes," quod he, "that is sooth;"
  And shoop hym for to walken.                            7430
  And I aroos up right with that,
  And folwed hym after,
  And preyde hym of his curteisie
  To telle me his name.                                   7434

       *       *       *       *       *

{228}

          _Passus Duodecimus, etc._

  "Iam Ymaginatif," quod he,                              7435
  "Ydel was I nevere,
  Though I sitte by myself,
  In siknesse nor in helthe.
  I have folwed thee, in feith!
  Thise fyve and fourty wynter,                           7440
  And manye tymes have meved thee
  To thynke on thyn ende,
  And how fele fernyeres are faren,
  And so fewe to come;
  And of thi wilde wantownesse
  Tho thow yong were,
  To amende it in thi middel age,
  Lest myght the failled
  In thyn olde elde,
  That yvele kan suffre                                   7450
  Poverte or penaunce,
  Or preyeres to bidde.
  _Si non in prima vigilia, nec in secunda, etc._            =

    "Amende thee, while thow myght;
  Thow hast ben warned ofte
  With poustees of pestilences,
  With poverte and with angres;
  {229}
  And with thise bittre baleises
  God beteth his deere children.                          7460
  _Quem diligo, castigo._

    "And David in the Sauter seith
  Of swiche that loveth Jhesus:
  _Virga tua et baculus tuus ipsa me consolati sunt._        =

    "Al though thow strike me with thi staf,
  With stikke or with yerde,
  It is but murthe as for me,
  To amende my soule.
  And thow medlest thee with makynges,                    7470
  And myghtest go seye thi Sauter,
  And bidde for hem that gyveth thee breed,
  For ther are bokes y-knowe
  To telle men what Do-wel is,
  Do-bet and Do-best bothe,
  And prechours to preven what it is
  Of many a peire freres."

    I seigh wel he seide me sooth;
  And som what me to excuse,
  Seide Caton conforted me his sone,                      7480
  That clerk though he were,
  To solacen hym som tyme,
  As I do whan I make:
  _Interpone tuis interdum gaudia curis._

Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.

Opening the text

The Vision and Creed of Piers Ploughman, Volume 1Langland, William

General

The Vision and Creed of Piers Ploughman, Volume 1

Langland, William

Christian pilgrims and pilgrimages -- Poetry

"Pryde now and presumpcion
  Peraventure wol thee appele,
  That Clergie thi compaignye
  Kepeth noght to suwe.
  Shal nevere chalangynge ne chidynge
  Chaste a man so soone,
  As shal shame, and shenden hym,
  And shape hym to amende.
  For lat a dronken daffe
  In a dyk falle,                                         7410
  Lat hym ligge, loke noght on hym,
  Til hym liste aryse.
  For though Reson rebuked hym thanne,
  It were but pure synne.
  Ac whan nede nymeth hym up
  For doute lest he sterve,
  And shame shrapeth hise clothes,
  And hise shynes wassheth.
  Thanne woot the dronken daffe
  Wherfore he is to blame."                               7420

    "Ye siggen sooth," quod I;
  "Ich have y-seyen it ofte,
  Ther smyt no thyng so smerte,
  Ne smelleth so soure,
  As shame, there he sheweth hym;
  For every man hym shonyeth.
  Why ye wisse me thus," quod I,
  "Was for I rebuked Reson."

    "Certes," quod he, "that is sooth;"
  And shoop hym for to walken.                            7430
  And I aroos up right with that,
  And folwed hym after,
  And preyde hym of his curteisie
  To telle me his name.                                   7434

       *       *       *       *       *

{228}

          _Passus Duodecimus, etc._

  "Iam Ymaginatif," quod he,                              7435
  "Ydel was I nevere,
  Though I sitte by myself,
  In siknesse nor in helthe.
  I have folwed thee, in feith!
  Thise fyve and fourty wynter,                           7440
  And manye tymes have meved thee
  To thynke on thyn ende,
  And how fele fernyeres are faren,
  And so fewe to come;
  And of thi wilde wantownesse
  Tho thow yong were,
  To amende it in thi middel age,
  Lest myght the failled
  In thyn olde elde,
  That yvele kan suffre                                   7450
  Poverte or penaunce,
  Or preyeres to bidde.
  _Si non in prima vigilia, nec in secunda, etc._            =

    "Amende thee, while thow myght;
  Thow hast ben warned ofte
  With poustees of pestilences,
  With poverte and with angres;
  {229}
  And with thise bittre baleises
  God beteth his deere children.                          7460
  _Quem diligo, castigo._

    "And David in the Sauter seith
  Of swiche that loveth Jhesus:
  _Virga tua et baculus tuus ipsa me consolati sunt._        =

    "Al though thow strike me with thi staf,
  With stikke or with yerde,
  It is but murthe as for me,
  To amende my soule.
  And thow medlest thee with makynges,                    7470
  And myghtest go seye thi Sauter,
  And bidde for hem that gyveth thee breed,
  For ther are bokes y-knowe
  To telle men what Do-wel is,
  Do-bet and Do-best bothe,
  And prechours to preven what it is
  Of many a peire freres."

    I seigh wel he seide me sooth;
  And som what me to excuse,
  Seide Caton conforted me his sone,                      7480
  That clerk though he were,
  To solacen hym som tyme,
  As I do whan I make:
  _Interpone tuis interdum gaudia curis._

Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.

The Vision and Creed of Piers Ploughman, Volume 1

The Vision and Creed of Piers Ploughman, Volume 1

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