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

"Of _quod scimus_ cometh clergie
  And konnynge of hevene;
  And of _quod vidimus_ cometh kynde wit,
  Of sighte of diverse peple.
  Ac grace is a gifte of God,
  And of greet love spryngeth;
  Knew nevere clerk how it cometh forth,                  7580
  Ne kynde wit the weyes.
  _Nescit aliquis unde venit, aut quo vadit, etc._           =

    "Ac yet is clergie to comende,
  And kynde wit bothe;
  And namely clergie, for Cristes love
  That of clergie is roote.
  For Moyses witnesseth that God wroot
  For to wisse the peple
  In the olde lawe, as the lettre telleth,                7590
  That was the lawe of Jewes,
  That what womman were in avoutrye taken,
  Were she riche or poore,
  With stones men sholde hir strike,
  {233}
  And stone hire to dethe.

    "A womman, as I fynde,
  Was gilty of that dede.
  Ac Crist of his curteisie
  Thorugh clergie hir saved;
  And thorugh caractes that Crist wroot,                  7600
  The Jewes knewe hemselve
  Giltier as a-fore God,
  And gretter in synne,
  Than the womman that there was,
  And wenten awey for shame.

    "The clergie that there was,
  Conforted the womman.
  Holy kirke knoweth this,
  That Cristes writyng saved hire.
  So clergie is confort                                   7610
  To creatures that repenten,
  And to mansede men
  Meschief at hire ende.

    "For Goddes body myghte noght ben
  Of breed, withouten clergie;
  The which body is bothe
  Boote to the rightfulle,
  And deeth and dampnacion
  To hem that deyeth yvele,
  As Cristes caracte confortede,                          7620
  And bothe coupable shewed,
  The womman that the Jewes broughte,
  That Jhesus thoughte to save.
  _Nolite judicare, et non judicabimini._
  Right so Goddes body, bretheren,
  But if it be worthili taken,
  Dampneth us at the day of dome,
  {234}
  As the caractes dide the Jewes.

    "For-thi I counseille thee, for Cristes sake,
  Clergie that thow lovye.                                7630
  For kynde wit is of his kyn,
  And neighe cosynes bothe
  To oure Lord, leve me;
  For-thi love hem, I rede.
  For bothe ben as mirours
  To amenden oure defautes,
  And lederes for lewed men
  And for lettred bothe.

    "For-thi lakke thow nevere logik,
  Lawe ne hise custumes;                                  7640
  Ne countreplede clerkes,
  I counseille thee for evere.
  For as a man may noght see,
  That mysseth hise eighen;
  Na-moore kan no clerk,
  But if he caughte it first thorugh bokes.
  Al though men made bokes,
  God was the maister,
  And seint spirit the samplarie,
  And seide what men sholde write.                        7650

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

"Of _quod scimus_ cometh clergie
  And konnynge of hevene;
  And of _quod vidimus_ cometh kynde wit,
  Of sighte of diverse peple.
  Ac grace is a gifte of God,
  And of greet love spryngeth;
  Knew nevere clerk how it cometh forth,                  7580
  Ne kynde wit the weyes.
  _Nescit aliquis unde venit, aut quo vadit, etc._           =

    "Ac yet is clergie to comende,
  And kynde wit bothe;
  And namely clergie, for Cristes love
  That of clergie is roote.
  For Moyses witnesseth that God wroot
  For to wisse the peple
  In the olde lawe, as the lettre telleth,                7590
  That was the lawe of Jewes,
  That what womman were in avoutrye taken,
  Were she riche or poore,
  With stones men sholde hir strike,
  {233}
  And stone hire to dethe.

    "A womman, as I fynde,
  Was gilty of that dede.
  Ac Crist of his curteisie
  Thorugh clergie hir saved;
  And thorugh caractes that Crist wroot,                  7600
  The Jewes knewe hemselve
  Giltier as a-fore God,
  And gretter in synne,
  Than the womman that there was,
  And wenten awey for shame.

    "The clergie that there was,
  Conforted the womman.
  Holy kirke knoweth this,
  That Cristes writyng saved hire.
  So clergie is confort                                   7610
  To creatures that repenten,
  And to mansede men
  Meschief at hire ende.

    "For Goddes body myghte noght ben
  Of breed, withouten clergie;
  The which body is bothe
  Boote to the rightfulle,
  And deeth and dampnacion
  To hem that deyeth yvele,
  As Cristes caracte confortede,                          7620
  And bothe coupable shewed,
  The womman that the Jewes broughte,
  That Jhesus thoughte to save.
  _Nolite judicare, et non judicabimini._
  Right so Goddes body, bretheren,
  But if it be worthili taken,
  Dampneth us at the day of dome,
  {234}
  As the caractes dide the Jewes.

    "For-thi I counseille thee, for Cristes sake,
  Clergie that thow lovye.                                7630
  For kynde wit is of his kyn,
  And neighe cosynes bothe
  To oure Lord, leve me;
  For-thi love hem, I rede.
  For bothe ben as mirours
  To amenden oure defautes,
  And lederes for lewed men
  And for lettred bothe.

    "For-thi lakke thow nevere logik,
  Lawe ne hise custumes;                                  7640
  Ne countreplede clerkes,
  I counseille thee for evere.
  For as a man may noght see,
  That mysseth hise eighen;
  Na-moore kan no clerk,
  But if he caughte it first thorugh bokes.
  Al though men made bokes,
  God was the maister,
  And seint spirit the samplarie,
  And seide what men sholde write.                        7650

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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