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

Pacience was proud
  Of that propre service,
  And made hym murthe with his mete;
  Ac I mornede evere,                                     8150
  For this doctour on the heighe dees
  Drank wyn so faste.
  _Væ vobis qui potentes estis ad bibendum vinum!_           =
  He eet manye sondry metes,
  Mortrews and puddynges,
  Wombe-cloutes and wilde brawen,
  And egges y-fryed with grece.

    Thanne seide I to myself so
  Pacience it herde,                                      8160
  "It is noght foure dayes that this freke
  Bifore the deen of Poules
  Preched of penaunces
  That Poul the apostle suffrede,
  _In fame et frigore_
  And flappes of scourges."
  _Ter cæsus sum, et a Judeis quinquies
      quadragenas, etc._

    Ac o word thei over-huppen
  At ech a tyme that thei preche,                         8170
  That Poul in his Pistle
  To al the peple tolde:
  _Periculum est in falsis fratribus._

    Holi writ bit men be war,
  I wol noght write it here
  In Englisshe, on aventure
  It sholde be reherced to ofte,
  And greve therwith goode men,
  Ac gramariens shul redde.
  _Unusquisque a fratre se custodiat,                     8180
  {251}
      quia, ut dicitur, periculum est
      in falsis fratribus._

    Ac I wiste nevere freke that as a frere yede
  Bifore men on Englisshe
  Taken it for his teme,
  And telle it withouten glosyng.
  They prechen that penaunce is
  Profitable to the soule,
  And what meschief and _male ese_
  Crist for man tholede.                                  8190

    "Ac this Goddes gloton," quod I,
  "With hise grete chekes,
  Hath no pité on us povere,
  He perfourneth yvele;
  That he precheth he preveth noght,"
  To Pacience I tolde,
  And wisshed ful witterly,
  With wille ful egre,
  That disshes and doublers
  Bifore this ilke doctour                                8200
  Were molten leed in his mawe,
  And Mahoun amyddes.
  "I shal jangle to this jurdan
  With his juste wombe,
  To telle me what penaunce is,
  Of which he preched rather."

    Pacience perceyved what I thoughte,
  And wynked on me to be stille,
  And seide, "Thow shalt see thus soone,
  Whan he may na-moore,                                   8210
  He shal have a penaunce in his paunche,
  {252}
  And puffe at ech a worde;
  And thanne shullen his guttes gothele,
  And he shal galpen after.
  For now he hath dronken so depe,
  He wole devyne soone,
  And preven it by hir Pocalips
  And passion of seint Avereys,
  That neither bacon ne braun,
  Blancmanger ne mortrews,                                8220
  Is neither fissh nor flesshe,
  But fode for a penaunt
  And thanne shal he testifie of the Trinité,
  And take his felawe to witnesse,
  What he fond in a frayel,
  After a freres lyvyng;
  And but he first lyve be lesyng,
  Leve me nevere after.
  And thanne is tyme to take,
  And to appose this doctour                              8230
  Of Do-wel and Do-bet,
  And if Do-wel be any penaunce."

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

Pacience was proud
  Of that propre service,
  And made hym murthe with his mete;
  Ac I mornede evere,                                     8150
  For this doctour on the heighe dees
  Drank wyn so faste.
  _Væ vobis qui potentes estis ad bibendum vinum!_           =
  He eet manye sondry metes,
  Mortrews and puddynges,
  Wombe-cloutes and wilde brawen,
  And egges y-fryed with grece.

    Thanne seide I to myself so
  Pacience it herde,                                      8160
  "It is noght foure dayes that this freke
  Bifore the deen of Poules
  Preched of penaunces
  That Poul the apostle suffrede,
  _In fame et frigore_
  And flappes of scourges."
  _Ter cæsus sum, et a Judeis quinquies
      quadragenas, etc._

    Ac o word thei over-huppen
  At ech a tyme that thei preche,                         8170
  That Poul in his Pistle
  To al the peple tolde:
  _Periculum est in falsis fratribus._

    Holi writ bit men be war,
  I wol noght write it here
  In Englisshe, on aventure
  It sholde be reherced to ofte,
  And greve therwith goode men,
  Ac gramariens shul redde.
  _Unusquisque a fratre se custodiat,                     8180
  {251}
      quia, ut dicitur, periculum est
      in falsis fratribus._

    Ac I wiste nevere freke that as a frere yede
  Bifore men on Englisshe
  Taken it for his teme,
  And telle it withouten glosyng.
  They prechen that penaunce is
  Profitable to the soule,
  And what meschief and _male ese_
  Crist for man tholede.                                  8190

    "Ac this Goddes gloton," quod I,
  "With hise grete chekes,
  Hath no pité on us povere,
  He perfourneth yvele;
  That he precheth he preveth noght,"
  To Pacience I tolde,
  And wisshed ful witterly,
  With wille ful egre,
  That disshes and doublers
  Bifore this ilke doctour                                8200
  Were molten leed in his mawe,
  And Mahoun amyddes.
  "I shal jangle to this jurdan
  With his juste wombe,
  To telle me what penaunce is,
  Of which he preched rather."

    Pacience perceyved what I thoughte,
  And wynked on me to be stille,
  And seide, "Thow shalt see thus soone,
  Whan he may na-moore,                                   8210
  He shal have a penaunce in his paunche,
  {252}
  And puffe at ech a worde;
  And thanne shullen his guttes gothele,
  And he shal galpen after.
  For now he hath dronken so depe,
  He wole devyne soone,
  And preven it by hir Pocalips
  And passion of seint Avereys,
  That neither bacon ne braun,
  Blancmanger ne mortrews,                                8220
  Is neither fissh nor flesshe,
  But fode for a penaunt
  And thanne shal he testifie of the Trinité,
  And take his felawe to witnesse,
  What he fond in a frayel,
  After a freres lyvyng;
  And but he first lyve be lesyng,
  Leve me nevere after.
  And thanne is tyme to take,
  And to appose this doctour                              8230
  Of Do-wel and Do-bet,
  And if Do-wel be any penaunce."

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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