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

"How construeth David the king
  Of men that taketh Mede,
  And men of this moolde
  That maynteneth truthe,
  And how ye shul save yourself,
  The sauter bereth witnesse:
  _Domine, quis habitabit in tabernaculo tuo, etc._          =

    "And now worth this Mede y-maried                      960
  Unto a mansed sherewe,
  To oon fals fikel tonge,
  A fendes biyete;
  Favel thorugh his faire speche
  Hath this folk enchaunted,
  And al is Lieres ledynge,
  That she is thus y-wedded.

    "To-morwe worth y-maked
  The maydenes bridale,
  And there myghtow witen, if thow wilt,                   970
  Whiche thei ben alle
  {31}
  That longen to that lordshipe,
  The lasse and the moore.
  Knowe hem there, if thow kanst,
  And kepe thow thi tonge,
  And lakke hem noght, but lat hem worthe
  Till leauté be justice,
  And have power to punysshe hem,
  Thanne put forth thi reson.
  Now I bikenne thee Crist," quod she,                     980
  "And his clene moder,
  And lat no conscience acombre thee
  For coveitise of Mede."

    Thus lefte me that lady
  Liggynge a-slepe;
  And how Mede was y-maried
  In metels me thoughte,
  That al the riche retenaunce
  That regneth with the false,
  Were boden to the bridale                                990
  On bothe two sides,
  Of alle manere of men
  The meene and the riche;
  To marien this mayde
  Were many men assembled,
  As of knyghtes and of clerkes,
  And oother commune peple,
  As sisours and somonours,
  Sherreves and hire clerkes,
  Bedelles and baillifs,                                  1000
  And brocours of chaffare,
  Forgoers and vitaillers,
  And advokettes of the arches;
  I kan noght rekene the route
  That ran aboute Mede.
  {32}

    Ac Symonie and Cyvylle,
  And sisours of courtes,
  Were moost pryvee with Mede
  Of any men, me thoughte.
  Ac Favel was the firste                                 1010
  That fette hire out of boure,
  And as a brocour broughte hire
  To be with Fals enjoyned.

    Whan Symonye and Cyvylle
  Seighe hir bothe wille,
  Thei assented, for silver,
  To seye as bothe wolde.

    Thanne leep Liere forth, and seide,
  "Lo here a chartre!"
  That Gile with hise grete othes                         1020
  Gaf hem togidere,
  And preide Cyvylle to see,
  And Symonye to rede it.

    Thanne Symonye and Cyvylle
  Stonden forth bothe,
  And unfoldeth the feffement
  That Fals hath y-maked,
  And thus bigynnen thise gomes
  To greden ful heighe:
  _Sciant præsentes et futuri, etc._                      1030

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

The Vision and Creed of Piers Ploughman, Volume 1

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