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

"For Mede is muliere                                  1120
  Of Amendes engendred,
  And God graunteth to gyve
  Mede to Truthe;
  And thow hast gyven hire to a gilour;
  Now God gyve thee sorwe!
  Thi text telleth thee noght so,
  Truthe woot the sothe;
  For _Dignus est operarius_
  His hire to have,
  And thow hast fest hire to Fals,                        1130
  Fy on thi lawe!
  For al bi lesynges thow lyvest
  And lecherouse werkes.
  Symonye and thiself
  Shenden holi chirche;
  The notaries and ye
  Noyen the peple;
  Ye shul a-biggen it bothe,
  By God that me made!

    "Wel ye witen, wernardes,                             1140
  But if youre wit faille,
  {36}
  That Fals is feithlees
  And fikel in hise werkes,
  And was a bastarde y-bore
  Of Belsabubbes kynne;
  And Mede is muliere,
  A maiden of goode,
  And myghte kisse the kyng
  For cosyn, and she wolde.

    "For-thi wercheth by wisdom,                          1150
  And by wit also;
  And ledeth hire to Londone,
  There it is y-shewed,
  If any lawe wol loke
  Thei ligge togideres;
  And though justices juggen hire
  To be joyned to Fals,
  Yet be war of weddynge;
  For witty is Truthe,
  And Conscience is of his counseil,                      1160
  And knoweth yow echone,
  And if he fynde yow in defaute
  And with the false holde,
  It shal bi-sitte youre soules
  Ful soure at the laste."

    Herto assenteth Cyvyle,
  Ac Symonye ne wolde,
  Til he hadde silver for his service,
  And also the notaries.

    Thanne fette Favel forth                              1170
  Floryns ynowe,
  And bad Gile to gyven
  Gold al aboute,
  And namely to the notaries
  That hem noon ne faille,
  {37}
  And feffe false witnesses
  With floryns ynowe,
  "For thei may Mede a-maistrye,
  And maken at my wille."

    Tho this gold was y-gyve,                             1180
  Gret was the thonkyng
  To Fals and to Favel
  For hire faire giftes,
  And comen to conforten
  From care the false,
  And seiden, "Certes, sire,
  Cessen shul we nevere,
  Til Mede be thi wedded wif
  Thorugh wittes of us alle;
  For we have Mede a-maistried                            1190
  With oure murie speche,
  That she graunteth to goon,
  With a good wille,
  To London, to loken
  If the lawe wolde
  Juggen yow joyntly
  In joie for evere."

    Thanne was Falsnesse fayn,
  And Favel as blithe,
  And leten somone alle segges                            1200
  In shires aboute,
  And bad hem alle be bown,
  Beggers and othere,
  To wenden with hem to Westmynstre
  To witnesse this dede.

    Ac thanne cared thei for caples
  To carien hem thider,
  And Favel fette forth thanne
  Foles ynowe,
  {38}
  And sette Mede upon a sherreve                          1210
  Shoed al newe.

    And Fals sat on a sisour,
  That softeli trotted;
  And Favel on a flaterere
  Fetisly atired.

    Tho hadde notaries none,
  Anoyed thei were,
  For Symonye and Cyvylle
  Sholde on hire feet gange.

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

The Vision and Creed of Piers Ploughman, Volume 1

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