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

"And of holy men I herde, quod I,"                       =
  "How thei outher while
  Pleyden the parfiter,
  To ben in manye places,
  Ac if ther were any wight                               7490
  That wolde me telle
  What were Do-wel and Do-bet
  {230}
  And Do-best at the laste,
  Wolde I nevere do werk,
  But wende to holi chirche,
  And ther bidde my bedes,
  But whan ich ete or slepe."

    "Poul in his pistle," quod he,
  "Preveth what is Do-wel:
  _Fides, spes, caritas, et major horum, etc._               =
  Feith, hope, and charité;                               7502
  And alle ben goode,
  And saven men sondry tymes;
  Ac noon so soone as charité.
  For he dooth wel withouten doute,
  That dooth as lewté techeth;
  That is, if thow be man maryed,
  Thi make thow lovye,
  And lyve forth as lawe wole,                            7510
  While ye lyven bothe.

    "Right so if thow be religious,
  Ren thow nevere ferther
  To Rome ne to Rochemador,
  But as thi rule techeth;
  And hold thee under obedience,
  That heigh wey is to hevene.

    "And if thow be maiden to marye,
  And myght wel continue,
  Seke thow nevere seint ferther                          7520
  For no soule helthe.
  For what made Lucifer
  To lese the heighe hevene?
  Or Salomon his sapience,
  Or Sampson his strengthe?
  Job the Jew his joye
  {231}
  Ful deere a-boughte;
  Aristotle and othere mo,
  Ypocras and Virgile;
  Alisaundre, that al wan,                                7530
  Elengliche ended.
  Catel and kynde wit
  Was combraunce to hem alle.

    "Felice hir fairnesse
  Fel hire al to sclaundre;
  And Rosamounde right so,
  Reufulliche to bileve,
  The beauté of hir body
  In baddenesse she despended.
  Of manye swiche I may rede,                             7540
  Of men and of wommen,
  That wise wordes wolde shewe,
  And werche the contrarie.
  _Sunt homines nequam bene de virtute loquentes._           =

    "And riche renkes right so
  Gaderen and sparen,
  And tho men that thei moost haten
  Mynistren it at the laste.
  And for thei suffren and see                            7550
  So manye nedy folkes,
  And love hem noght as oure Lord bit,
  Thei lesen hir soules.
  _Date et dabitur vobis._

    "And richesse right so,
  But if the roote be trewe.
  Ac grace is a gras therof
  Tho grevaunces to abate.
  Ac grace ne groweth noght
  But amonges lowe;                                       7560
  {232}
  Pacience and poverte
  The place highte ther it groweth,
  And in lele lyvynge men,
  And in lif holy,
  And thorugh the gifte of the Holy Goost,
  As the Gospel telleth.
  _Spiritus ubi vult spirat._

    "Clergie and kynde wit
  Cometh of sighte and techyng;
  As the book bereth witnesse                             7570
  To burnes that kan rede.
  _Quod scimus loquimur, quod vidimus testamur._             =

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

"And of holy men I herde, quod I,"                       =
  "How thei outher while
  Pleyden the parfiter,
  To ben in manye places,
  Ac if ther were any wight                               7490
  That wolde me telle
  What were Do-wel and Do-bet
  {230}
  And Do-best at the laste,
  Wolde I nevere do werk,
  But wende to holi chirche,
  And ther bidde my bedes,
  But whan ich ete or slepe."

    "Poul in his pistle," quod he,
  "Preveth what is Do-wel:
  _Fides, spes, caritas, et major horum, etc._               =
  Feith, hope, and charité;                               7502
  And alle ben goode,
  And saven men sondry tymes;
  Ac noon so soone as charité.
  For he dooth wel withouten doute,
  That dooth as lewté techeth;
  That is, if thow be man maryed,
  Thi make thow lovye,
  And lyve forth as lawe wole,                            7510
  While ye lyven bothe.

    "Right so if thow be religious,
  Ren thow nevere ferther
  To Rome ne to Rochemador,
  But as thi rule techeth;
  And hold thee under obedience,
  That heigh wey is to hevene.

    "And if thow be maiden to marye,
  And myght wel continue,
  Seke thow nevere seint ferther                          7520
  For no soule helthe.
  For what made Lucifer
  To lese the heighe hevene?
  Or Salomon his sapience,
  Or Sampson his strengthe?
  Job the Jew his joye
  {231}
  Ful deere a-boughte;
  Aristotle and othere mo,
  Ypocras and Virgile;
  Alisaundre, that al wan,                                7530
  Elengliche ended.
  Catel and kynde wit
  Was combraunce to hem alle.

    "Felice hir fairnesse
  Fel hire al to sclaundre;
  And Rosamounde right so,
  Reufulliche to bileve,
  The beauté of hir body
  In baddenesse she despended.
  Of manye swiche I may rede,                             7540
  Of men and of wommen,
  That wise wordes wolde shewe,
  And werche the contrarie.
  _Sunt homines nequam bene de virtute loquentes._           =

    "And riche renkes right so
  Gaderen and sparen,
  And tho men that thei moost haten
  Mynistren it at the laste.
  And for thei suffren and see                            7550
  So manye nedy folkes,
  And love hem noght as oure Lord bit,
  Thei lesen hir soules.
  _Date et dabitur vobis._

    "And richesse right so,
  But if the roote be trewe.
  Ac grace is a gras therof
  Tho grevaunces to abate.
  Ac grace ne groweth noght
  But amonges lowe;                                       7560
  {232}
  Pacience and poverte
  The place highte ther it groweth,
  And in lele lyvynge men,
  And in lif holy,
  And thorugh the gifte of the Holy Goost,
  As the Gospel telleth.
  _Spiritus ubi vult spirat._

    "Clergie and kynde wit
  Cometh of sighte and techyng;
  As the book bereth witnesse                             7570
  To burnes that kan rede.
  _Quod scimus loquimur, quod vidimus testamur._             =

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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