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

"Holi chirche I am," quod she,
  "Thow oughtest me to knowe;                              610
  I underfeng thee first,
  And the feith taughte;
  And broughtest me borwes
  My biddyng to fulfille,
  And to loven me leelly
  The while thi lif dureth."

    Thanne I courbed on my knees,
  And cried hire of grace;
  And preide hire pitously
  {20}
  Preye for my sinnes,                                     620
  And also kenne me kyndely
  On Crist to bi-leve,
  That I myghte werchen his wille
  That wroghte me to man.
  "Teche me to no tresor,
  But tel me this ilke,
  How I may save my soule,
  That seint art y-holden."

    "Whan alle tresors arn tried," quod she,
  "Treuthe is the beste;                                   630
  I do it on _Deus caritas_,
  To deme the sothe,
  It is as dereworthe a drury
  As deere God hymselven.

    "Who is trewe of his tonge,
  And telleth noon oother,
  And dooth the werkes therwith,
  And wilneth no man ille,
  He is a God by the gospel
  A-grounde and o-lofte,                                   640
  And y-lik to oure Lord,
  By seint Lukes wordes.
  The clerkes that knowen this,
  Sholde kennen it aboute,
  For cristen and un-cristen
  Cleymeth it echone.

    "Kynges and knyghtes
  Sholde kepen it by reson,
  Riden and rappen doun
  In reaumes aboute,                                       650
  And taken _transgressores_,
  And tyen hem faste,
  Til treuthe hadde y-termyned
  {21}
  Hire trespas to the ende.
  And that is profession apertli
  That apendeth to knyghtes;
  And naught to fasten o friday
  In fyve score wynter,
  But holden with hym and with here
  That wolden alle truthe,                                 660
  And nevere leve hem for love
  Ne for lacchynge of silver.
  For David in hise dayes
  Dubbed knyghtes,
  And dide hem sweren on hir swerdes
  To serven truthe evere;
  And who so passed that point
  Was apostata in the ordre.

    "But Crist kyngene kyng
  Knyghted ten,                                            670
  Cherubyn and seraphyn,
  Swiche sevene and othere
  And yaf hem myght in his majestee,
  The murier hem thoughte,
  And over his meene meynee
  Made hem archangeles;
  Taughte hem by the Trinitee
  Treuthe to knowe;
  To be buxom at his biddyng,
  He bad hem nought ellis.                                 680

    "Lucifer with legions
  Lerned it in hevene;
  But for he brak buxomnesse
  His blisse gan he tyne,
  And fel fro that felawshipe
  In a fendes liknesse,
  Into a deep derk helle,
  {22}
  To dwelle there for evere;
  And mo thousandes myd hym
  Than man kouthe nombre                                   690
  Lopen out with Lucifer
  In lothliche forme,
  For thei leveden upon hym
  That lyed in this manere:
  _Ponam pedem in aquilone, et similis ero altissimo._       =

Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.

The Vision and Creed of Piers Ploughman, Volume 1

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