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

Barons and burgeises,                                  430
  And bonde-men als,
  I seigh in this assemblee,
  As ye shul here after:
  Baksteres and brewesteres,
  And bochiers manye;
  Wollen webbesters,
  And weveres of lynnen,
  Taillours and tynkers,
  And tollers in markettes,
  Masons and mynours,                                      440
  And many othere craftes.
  Of alle kynne lybbynge laborers
  Lopen forth somme,
  As dikeres and delveres,
  That doon hire dedes ille,
  And dryveth forth the longe day
  With _Dieu save dame Emme_.

    Cokes and hire knaves
  Cryden, "Hote pies, hote!
  Goode gees and grys!                                     450
  Gowe, dyne, gowe!"

    Taverners until hem
  Trewely tolden the same,
  Whit wyn of Oseye,
  And reed wyn of Gascoigne,
  Of the Ryn and of the Rochel,
  The roost to defie.
  [Al this I saugh slepynge,
  And seve sithes more.]                                   459

       *       *       *       *       *

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          _Passus Primus de Visione._

  What this mountaigne by-meneth                           460
  And the merke dale,
  And the feld ful of folk,
  I shal yow faire shewe.

    A lovely lady of leere,
  In lynnen y-clothed,
  Cam doun from a castel
  And called me faire,
  And seide, "Sone, slepestow?
  Sestow this peple,
  How bisie thei ben                                       470
  Alle aboute the maze?
  The mooste partie of this peple
  That passeth on this erthe,
  Have thei worship in this world,
  Thei wilne no bettre;
  Of oother hevene than here
  Holde thei no tale."

    I was a-fered of hire face,
  Theigh she fair weere,
  And seide, "Mercy, madame,                               480
  What is this to meene?"

    "The tour on the toft," quod she,
  "Truthe is therinne;
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  And wolde that ye wroughte,
  As his word techeth!
  For he is fader of feith,
  And formed yow alle
  Bothe with fel and with face,
  And yaf yow fyve wittes,
  For to worshipe hym therwith,                            490
  While that ye ben here.
  And therfore he highte the erthe
  To helpe yow echone,
  Of wollene, of lynnen,
  Of liflode at nede,
  In mesurable manere
  To make yow at ese;
  And comaunded of his curteisie
  In commune three thynges,
  Are none nedfulle but tho,                               500
  And nempne hem I thynke,
  And rekene hem by reson;
  Reherce thow hem after.

    "That oon vesture,
  From cold thee to save;
  And mete at meel
  For mysese of thiselve;
  And drynke whan thow driest;
  Ac do noght out of reson,
  That thow worthe the wers                                510
  Whan thow werche sholdest.

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The Vision and Creed of Piers Ploughman, Volume 1

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