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

I lay doun longe in this thoght,
  And at the laste I slepte.
  And as Crist wolde, ther com Conscience
  To conforte me that tyme,
  And bad me come to his court,
  With Clergie sholde I dyne;                             8070
  And for Conscience of Clergie spak,
  I com wel the rather.
  And there I seigh a maister,
  What man he was I nyste,
  That lowe louted
  And loveliche to Scripture.

    Conscience knew hym wel,
  And welcomed hym faire.
  Thei wesshen and wipeden,
  And wenten to the dyner.                                8080
  And Pacience in the paleis stood
  In pilgrymes clothes,
  {248}
  And preyde mete _par charité_
  For a povere heremyte.

    Conscience called hym in,
  And curteisliche seide,
  "Welcome! wye; go and wasshe;
  Thow shalt sitte soone."

    This maister was maad sitte,
  As for the mooste worthi.                               8090
  And thanne Clergie and Conscience
  And Pacience cam after.

    Pacience and I
  Were put to be macches,
  And seten bi oureselve
  At the side borde.

    Conscience called after mete;
  And thanne cam Scripture,
  And served hem thus soone
  Of sondry metes manye,                                  8100
  Of Austyn, of Ambrose,
  And of the foure Euvangelistes,
  _Edentis et bibentis quæ apud eos sunt._                   =

    Ac this maister nor his man
  No maner flesshe eten;
  Ac thei eten mete of moore cost,
  Mortrews and potages
  Of that men mys-wonne
  Thei made hem wel at ese.                               8110
  Ac hir sauce was over sour,
  And unsavourly grounde
  In a morter _post mortem_
  Of many a bitter peyne,
  But if thei synge for tho soules,
  And wepe salte teris.
  {249}
  _Vos qui peccata hominum comeditis,
      nisi pro eis lacrimas et orationes
      effunderitis, ea quæ in
      deliciis comeditis, in tormentis                    8120
      evometis._

    Conscience ful curteisly tho
  Comaunded Scripture
  Bifore Pacience breed to brynge
  And me that was his macche.
  He sette a sour loof to-forn us,
  And seide, "_agite pænitentiam_."
  "As longe," quod I, "as I lyve,
  And lycame may dure."
  "Here is propre service," quod Pacience,                8130
  "Ther fareth no prince bettre,"

    And thanne he broughte us forth a mees of oother mete,
  Of _Miserere mei, Deus_,
  And he broughte us of _Beati quorum_,
  Of _Beatus-virres_ makyng.
  _Et quorum tecta sunt peccata_ in a disshe,
  Of derne shrifte _Dixi et confitebor tibi_.
  "Bryng Pacience som pitaunce,"
  Pryveliche quod Conscience.

    And thanne hadde Pacience a pitaunce.                 8140
  _Pro hac orabit ad te omnis sanctus
      in tempore oportuno._
  And Conscience conforted us,
  And carped us murye tales.
  _Cor contritum et humiliatum Deus non despicies._          =
  {250}

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

I lay doun longe in this thoght,
  And at the laste I slepte.
  And as Crist wolde, ther com Conscience
  To conforte me that tyme,
  And bad me come to his court,
  With Clergie sholde I dyne;                             8070
  And for Conscience of Clergie spak,
  I com wel the rather.
  And there I seigh a maister,
  What man he was I nyste,
  That lowe louted
  And loveliche to Scripture.

    Conscience knew hym wel,
  And welcomed hym faire.
  Thei wesshen and wipeden,
  And wenten to the dyner.                                8080
  And Pacience in the paleis stood
  In pilgrymes clothes,
  {248}
  And preyde mete _par charité_
  For a povere heremyte.

    Conscience called hym in,
  And curteisliche seide,
  "Welcome! wye; go and wasshe;
  Thow shalt sitte soone."

    This maister was maad sitte,
  As for the mooste worthi.                               8090
  And thanne Clergie and Conscience
  And Pacience cam after.

    Pacience and I
  Were put to be macches,
  And seten bi oureselve
  At the side borde.

    Conscience called after mete;
  And thanne cam Scripture,
  And served hem thus soone
  Of sondry metes manye,                                  8100
  Of Austyn, of Ambrose,
  And of the foure Euvangelistes,
  _Edentis et bibentis quæ apud eos sunt._                   =

    Ac this maister nor his man
  No maner flesshe eten;
  Ac thei eten mete of moore cost,
  Mortrews and potages
  Of that men mys-wonne
  Thei made hem wel at ese.                               8110
  Ac hir sauce was over sour,
  And unsavourly grounde
  In a morter _post mortem_
  Of many a bitter peyne,
  But if thei synge for tho soules,
  And wepe salte teris.
  {249}
  _Vos qui peccata hominum comeditis,
      nisi pro eis lacrimas et orationes
      effunderitis, ea quæ in
      deliciis comeditis, in tormentis                    8120
      evometis._

    Conscience ful curteisly tho
  Comaunded Scripture
  Bifore Pacience breed to brynge
  And me that was his macche.
  He sette a sour loof to-forn us,
  And seide, "_agite pænitentiam_."
  "As longe," quod I, "as I lyve,
  And lycame may dure."
  "Here is propre service," quod Pacience,                8130
  "Ther fareth no prince bettre,"

    And thanne he broughte us forth a mees of oother mete,
  Of _Miserere mei, Deus_,
  And he broughte us of _Beati quorum_,
  Of _Beatus-virres_ makyng.
  _Et quorum tecta sunt peccata_ in a disshe,
  Of derne shrifte _Dixi et confitebor tibi_.
  "Bryng Pacience som pitaunce,"
  Pryveliche quod Conscience.

    And thanne hadde Pacience a pitaunce.                 8140
  _Pro hac orabit ad te omnis sanctus
      in tempore oportuno._
  And Conscience conforted us,
  And carped us murye tales.
  _Cor contritum et humiliatum Deus non despicies._          =
  {250}

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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