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

Marchauntz in the margyne
  Hadde manye yeres,                                      4500
  Ac noon _a poena et a culpa_
  The pope nolde hem graunte,
  For thei holde noght hir hali-dayes
  As holy chirche techeth,
  And for thei swere by hir soule,
  And so God moste hem helpe,
  Ayein clene Conscience,
  Hir catel to selle.

    Ac under his secret seel
  Truthe sente hem a lettre,                              4510
  That thei sholde buggen boldely
  That hem best liked,
  And sithenes selle it ayein,
  And save the wynnyng,
  And amende meson-dieux thermyd,
  And mys-eise folk helpe,
  And wikkede weyes
  Wightly amende,
  And do boote to brugges
  That to-broke were,                                     4520
  Marien maydenes,
  Or maken hem nonnes,
  {140}
  Povere peple and prisons
  Fynden hem hir foode,
  And sette scolers to scole,
  Or to som othere craftes,
  Releve religion,
  And renten hem bettre;
  "And I shal sende yow myselve
  Seint Michel myn archangel,                             4530
  That no devel shal yow dere,
  Ne fere yow in youre deying,
  And witen yow fro wanhope,
  If ye wol thus werche,
  And sende youre soules in saufté
  To my seintes in joye."

    Thanne were marchauntz murie,
  Manye wepten for joye,
  And preiseden Piers the Plowman,
  That purchaced this bulle.                              4540

    Men of lawe leest pardon hadde,
  That pleteden for Mede;
  For the Sauter saveth hem noght,
  Swiche as take giftes,
  And nameliche of innocentz
  That noon yvel ne konneth.
  _Super innocentem munera non accipies._                    =

    Pledours sholde peynen hem
  To plede for swiche and helpe;                          4550
  Princes and prelates
  Sholde paie for hire travaille.
  _A regibus et principibus erit merces eorum._              =

    Ac many a justice and jurour
  Wolde for Johan do moore
  {141}
  Than _pro Dei pietate_,
  Leve thow noon oother.

    Ac he that spendeth his speche,
  And speketh for the povere                              4560
  That is innocent and nedy,
  And no man apeireth,
  Conforteth hym in that caas
  Withouten coveitise of giftes,
  And sheweth lawe for oure Lordes love,
  As he it hath y-lerned,
  Shal no devel at his deeth day
  Deren hym a myte,
  That he ne worth saaf and his soule,
  The Sauter bereth witnesse:                             4570
  _Domine, quis habitabit in tabernaculo tuo?_               =

    Ac to bugge water, ne wynd,
  Ne wit, ne fir the ferthe,
  Thise foure the fader of hevene
  Made to this foold in commune.
  Thise ben Truthes tresores
  Trewe folk to helpe,
  That nevere shul wexe ne wanye,
  Withouten God hymselve.                                 4580

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

Opening the text

The Vision and Creed of Piers Ploughman, Volume 1Langland, William

General

The Vision and Creed of Piers Ploughman, Volume 1

Langland, William

Christian pilgrims and pilgrimages -- Poetry

Marchauntz in the margyne
  Hadde manye yeres,                                      4500
  Ac noon _a poena et a culpa_
  The pope nolde hem graunte,
  For thei holde noght hir hali-dayes
  As holy chirche techeth,
  And for thei swere by hir soule,
  And so God moste hem helpe,
  Ayein clene Conscience,
  Hir catel to selle.

    Ac under his secret seel
  Truthe sente hem a lettre,                              4510
  That thei sholde buggen boldely
  That hem best liked,
  And sithenes selle it ayein,
  And save the wynnyng,
  And amende meson-dieux thermyd,
  And mys-eise folk helpe,
  And wikkede weyes
  Wightly amende,
  And do boote to brugges
  That to-broke were,                                     4520
  Marien maydenes,
  Or maken hem nonnes,
  {140}
  Povere peple and prisons
  Fynden hem hir foode,
  And sette scolers to scole,
  Or to som othere craftes,
  Releve religion,
  And renten hem bettre;
  "And I shal sende yow myselve
  Seint Michel myn archangel,                             4530
  That no devel shal yow dere,
  Ne fere yow in youre deying,
  And witen yow fro wanhope,
  If ye wol thus werche,
  And sende youre soules in saufté
  To my seintes in joye."

    Thanne were marchauntz murie,
  Manye wepten for joye,
  And preiseden Piers the Plowman,
  That purchaced this bulle.                              4540

    Men of lawe leest pardon hadde,
  That pleteden for Mede;
  For the Sauter saveth hem noght,
  Swiche as take giftes,
  And nameliche of innocentz
  That noon yvel ne konneth.
  _Super innocentem munera non accipies._                    =

    Pledours sholde peynen hem
  To plede for swiche and helpe;                          4550
  Princes and prelates
  Sholde paie for hire travaille.
  _A regibus et principibus erit merces eorum._              =

    Ac many a justice and jurour
  Wolde for Johan do moore
  {141}
  Than _pro Dei pietate_,
  Leve thow noon oother.

    Ac he that spendeth his speche,
  And speketh for the povere                              4560
  That is innocent and nedy,
  And no man apeireth,
  Conforteth hym in that caas
  Withouten coveitise of giftes,
  And sheweth lawe for oure Lordes love,
  As he it hath y-lerned,
  Shal no devel at his deeth day
  Deren hym a myte,
  That he ne worth saaf and his soule,
  The Sauter bereth witnesse:                             4570
  _Domine, quis habitabit in tabernaculo tuo?_               =

    Ac to bugge water, ne wynd,
  Ne wit, ne fir the ferthe,
  Thise foure the fader of hevene
  Made to this foold in commune.
  Thise ben Truthes tresores
  Trewe folk to helpe,
  That nevere shul wexe ne wanye,
  Withouten God hymselve.                                 4580

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

The Vision and Creed of Piers Ploughman, Volume 1

The Vision and Creed of Piers Ploughman, Volume 1

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