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

"Ac cristene men withoute moore
  Maye noght come to hevene;
  For that Crist for cristene men
  Deide and confermed the lawe,
  That who so wolde and wilneth
  With Crist to arise,
  _Si cum Christo surexistis, etc._
  He sholde lovye and leve,
  And the lawe fulfille.
  That is, love thi lord God                              6330
  Levest aboven alle;
  {195}
  And after, alle cristene creatures
  In commune, ech man oother;
  And thus bi-longeth to lovye,
  That leveth be saved.
  And but we do thus in dede,
  At the day of dome
  It shal bi-sitten us ful soure
  The silver that we kepen;
  And oure bakkes that mothe-eten be,                     6340
  And seen beggeris go naked;
  Or delit in wyn and wilde fowel,
  And wite any in defaute.
  For every cristene creature
  Sholde be kynde til oother,
  And sithen hethen to helpe,
  In hope of amendement.

    "God hoteth heighe and lowe
  That no man hurte oother;
  And seith, 'Slee noght that semblable is                6350
  To myn owene liknesse,
  But if I sende thee som tokene;'
  And seith '_Non moechaberis_.
  Is slee noght, but suffre,
  And al for the beste;
  For I shal punysshe hem in purgatorie
  Or in the put of helle,
  Ech man for hise mysdedes,
  But mercy it lette.'"

  "This is a long lesson," quod I,                        6360
  "And litel am I the wiser;
  Where Do-wel is or Do-bet,
  Derkliche ye shewen.
  Manye tales ye tellen
  {196}
  That Theologie lerneth;
  And that I man maad was,
  And my name y-entred
  In the legende of lif
  Longe er I were,
  Or ellis un-writen for som wikkednesse,                 6370
  As Holy Writ witnesseth:
  _Nemo ascendit ad coelum, nisi qui
      de coelo descendit._

    "I leve it wel," quod I, "by oure Lord!
  And on no lettrure bettre.
  For Salomon the sage,
  That Sapience taughte,
  God gat hym grace of wit,
  And alle hise goodes after;
  He demed wel and wisely,                                6380
  As Holy Writ telleth.
  Aristotle and he,
  Who wissed men bettre?
  Maistres that of Goddes mercy
  Techen men and prechen,
  Of hir wordes thei wissen us
  For wisest as in hir tyme,
  And al holy chirche
  Holdeth hem bothe y-dampned.

    "And if I sholde werche by hir werkes                 6390
  To wynne me hevene,
  That for hir werkes and wit
  Now wonyeth in pyne,
  Thanne wroughe I un-wisly,
  What so evere ye preche.

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

"Ac cristene men withoute moore
  Maye noght come to hevene;
  For that Crist for cristene men
  Deide and confermed the lawe,
  That who so wolde and wilneth
  With Crist to arise,
  _Si cum Christo surexistis, etc._
  He sholde lovye and leve,
  And the lawe fulfille.
  That is, love thi lord God                              6330
  Levest aboven alle;
  {195}
  And after, alle cristene creatures
  In commune, ech man oother;
  And thus bi-longeth to lovye,
  That leveth be saved.
  And but we do thus in dede,
  At the day of dome
  It shal bi-sitten us ful soure
  The silver that we kepen;
  And oure bakkes that mothe-eten be,                     6340
  And seen beggeris go naked;
  Or delit in wyn and wilde fowel,
  And wite any in defaute.
  For every cristene creature
  Sholde be kynde til oother,
  And sithen hethen to helpe,
  In hope of amendement.

    "God hoteth heighe and lowe
  That no man hurte oother;
  And seith, 'Slee noght that semblable is                6350
  To myn owene liknesse,
  But if I sende thee som tokene;'
  And seith '_Non moechaberis_.
  Is slee noght, but suffre,
  And al for the beste;
  For I shal punysshe hem in purgatorie
  Or in the put of helle,
  Ech man for hise mysdedes,
  But mercy it lette.'"

  "This is a long lesson," quod I,                        6360
  "And litel am I the wiser;
  Where Do-wel is or Do-bet,
  Derkliche ye shewen.
  Manye tales ye tellen
  {196}
  That Theologie lerneth;
  And that I man maad was,
  And my name y-entred
  In the legende of lif
  Longe er I were,
  Or ellis un-writen for som wikkednesse,                 6370
  As Holy Writ witnesseth:
  _Nemo ascendit ad coelum, nisi qui
      de coelo descendit._

    "I leve it wel," quod I, "by oure Lord!
  And on no lettrure bettre.
  For Salomon the sage,
  That Sapience taughte,
  God gat hym grace of wit,
  And alle hise goodes after;
  He demed wel and wisely,                                6380
  As Holy Writ telleth.
  Aristotle and he,
  Who wissed men bettre?
  Maistres that of Goddes mercy
  Techen men and prechen,
  Of hir wordes thei wissen us
  For wisest as in hir tyme,
  And al holy chirche
  Holdeth hem bothe y-dampned.

    "And if I sholde werche by hir werkes                 6390
  To wynne me hevene,
  That for hir werkes and wit
  Now wonyeth in pyne,
  Thanne wroughe I un-wisly,
  What so evere ye preche.

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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