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

Were the bisshope y-blessed,
  And worth bothe hise eris,
  {6}
  His seel sholde noght be sent
  To deceyve the peple.
  Ac it is noght by the bisshope
  That the boy precheth;                                   160
  For the parisshe preest and the pardoner
  Parten the silver,
  That the poraille of the parisshe
  Sholde have, if thei ne were.

    Parsons and parisshe preestes
  Pleyned hem to the bisshope,
  That hire parisshes weren povere
  Sith the pestilence tyme,
  To have a licence and leve
  At London to dwelle,                                     170
  And syngen ther for symonie;
  For silver is swete.

    Bisshopes and bachelers,
  Bothe maistres and doctours,
  That han cure under Crist,
  And crownynge in tokene
  And signe that thei sholden
  Shryven hire parisshens,
  Prechen and praye for hem,
  And the povere fede,                                     180
  Liggen at Londone
  In Lenten and ellis.

    Somme serven the kyng,
  And his silver tellen
  In cheker and in chauncelrie,
  Chalangen hise dettes
  Of wardes and of wardemotes,
  Weyves and streyves.

    And somme serven as servauntz
  Lordes and ladies,                                       190
  {7}
  And in stede of stywardes
  Sitten and demen;
  Hire messe and hire matyns
  And many of hire houres
  Arn doon un-devoutliche;
  Drede is at the laste,
  Lest Crist in consistorie
  A-corse ful manye.

    I perceyved of the power
  That Peter hadde to kepe,                                200
  To bynden and unbynden,
  As the book telleth;
  How he it lefte with love,
  As oure Lord highte,
  Amonges foure vertues,
  The beste of alle vertues,
  That cardinals ben called,
  And closynge yates.
  There is Crist in his kingdom
  To close and to shette,                                  210
  And to opene it to hem,
  And hevene blisse shewe.

    Ac of the cardinals at court
  That kaughte of that name,
  And power presumed in hem
  A pope to make,
  To han that power that Peter hadde,
  Impugnen I nelle;
  For in love and in lettrure
  The election bilongeth,                                  220
  For-thi I kan and kan naught
  Of court speke moore.

    Thanne kam ther a kyng,
  Knyghthod hym ladde,
  {8}
  Might of the communes
  Made hym to regne.

    And thanne cam kynde wit,
  And clerkes he made,
  For to counseillen the kyng,
  And the commune save.                                    230

    The kyng and knyghthod,
  And clergie bothe,
  Casten that the commune
  Sholde hemself fynde.

    The commune contreved
  Of kynde wit craftes,
  And for profit of al the peple
  Plowmen ordeyned,
  To tilie and to travaille,
  As trewe lif asketh.                                     240

    The kyng and the commune,
  And kynde wit the thridde,
  Shopen lawe and leauté,
  Ech man to knowe his owene.

    Thanne loked up a lunatik,
  A leene thyng with-alle,
  And, knelynge to the kyng,
  Clergially he seide:

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The Vision and Creed of Piers Ploughman, Volume 1

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