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

"_Homo proponit_ quod a poete,
  And Plato he highte,
  And _Deus disponit_ quod he,
  Lat God doon his wille.
  If Truthe wol witnesse it be wel do
  Fortune to folwe,
  _Concupiscentia-carnis_,                                6650
  Ne Coveitise-of-eighes,
  Ne shal noght greve thee gretly,
  Ne bigile, but if thow wolt thiselve."

    "Ye, fare wel Phippe and Faunteltee,"
  And forth gan me drawe,
  Til _Concupiscentia-carnis_
  Acorded alle my werkes.

    "Alas! eighe," quod Elde
  And Holynesse bothe,
  "That wit shal torne to wrecchednesse,                  6660
  For wil to have his likyng."

    Coveitise-of-eighes
  {205}
  Conforted me anoon after,
  And folwed me fourty wynter
  And a fifte moore,
  That of Do-wel ne Do-bet
  Ne deyntee me thoughte.
  I hadde no likyng, leve me if thee list,
  Of hem ought to knowe.
  Coveitise-of-eighes                                     6670
  Com ofter in mynde
  Than Do-wel or Do-bet,
  Among my dedes alle.

    Coveitise-of-eighes
  Conforted me ofte,
  And seide, "Have no conscience
  How thow come to goode.
  Go confesse thee to som frere,
  And shewe hym thi synnes;
  For whiles Fortune is thi frend                         6680
  Freres wol thee lovye,
  And fecche thee to hir fraternitee,
  And for the biseke
  To hir priour provincial
  A pardon for to have,
  And preien for thee pol by pol,
  If thow be _pecuniosus_."
  _Sed poena pecuniaria non sufficit pro
      spiritualibus delictis._

    By wissynge of this wenche I wroughte,                6690
  Hir wordes were so swete,
  Til I for-yat youthe,
  And yarn into elde.

    And thanne was Fortune my foo,
  For al hir faire speche;
  {206}
  And poverte pursued me,
  And putte me lowe.

    And tho fond I the frere a-fered,
  And flittynge bothe
  Ayeins oure firste for-warde;                           6700
  For I seide I nolde
  Be buried at hire hous,
  But at my parisshe chirche.
  For I herde ones
  How Conscience it tolde,
  That there a man were cristned
  Be kynde he sholde be buryed;
  Or where he were parisshen,
  Right there he sholde be graven.
  And for I seide thus to freres,                         6710
  A fool thei me helden,
  And loved me the lasse
  For my lele speche.

    Ac yet I cryde on my confessour,
  That heeld hymself so konnyng;
  "By my feith! frere," quod I,
  "Ye faren lik thise woweris
  That wedde none widwes
  But for to welden hir goodes.
  Right so, by the roode!                                 6720
  Roughte ye nevere
  Where my body were buryed,
  By so ye hadde my silver.

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

"_Homo proponit_ quod a poete,
  And Plato he highte,
  And _Deus disponit_ quod he,
  Lat God doon his wille.
  If Truthe wol witnesse it be wel do
  Fortune to folwe,
  _Concupiscentia-carnis_,                                6650
  Ne Coveitise-of-eighes,
  Ne shal noght greve thee gretly,
  Ne bigile, but if thow wolt thiselve."

    "Ye, fare wel Phippe and Faunteltee,"
  And forth gan me drawe,
  Til _Concupiscentia-carnis_
  Acorded alle my werkes.

    "Alas! eighe," quod Elde
  And Holynesse bothe,
  "That wit shal torne to wrecchednesse,                  6660
  For wil to have his likyng."

    Coveitise-of-eighes
  {205}
  Conforted me anoon after,
  And folwed me fourty wynter
  And a fifte moore,
  That of Do-wel ne Do-bet
  Ne deyntee me thoughte.
  I hadde no likyng, leve me if thee list,
  Of hem ought to knowe.
  Coveitise-of-eighes                                     6670
  Com ofter in mynde
  Than Do-wel or Do-bet,
  Among my dedes alle.

    Coveitise-of-eighes
  Conforted me ofte,
  And seide, "Have no conscience
  How thow come to goode.
  Go confesse thee to som frere,
  And shewe hym thi synnes;
  For whiles Fortune is thi frend                         6680
  Freres wol thee lovye,
  And fecche thee to hir fraternitee,
  And for the biseke
  To hir priour provincial
  A pardon for to have,
  And preien for thee pol by pol,
  If thow be _pecuniosus_."
  _Sed poena pecuniaria non sufficit pro
      spiritualibus delictis._

    By wissynge of this wenche I wroughte,                6690
  Hir wordes were so swete,
  Til I for-yat youthe,
  And yarn into elde.

    And thanne was Fortune my foo,
  For al hir faire speche;
  {206}
  And poverte pursued me,
  And putte me lowe.

    And tho fond I the frere a-fered,
  And flittynge bothe
  Ayeins oure firste for-warde;                           6700
  For I seide I nolde
  Be buried at hire hous,
  But at my parisshe chirche.
  For I herde ones
  How Conscience it tolde,
  That there a man were cristned
  Be kynde he sholde be buryed;
  Or where he were parisshen,
  Right there he sholde be graven.
  And for I seide thus to freres,                         6710
  A fool thei me helden,
  And loved me the lasse
  For my lele speche.

    Ac yet I cryde on my confessour,
  That heeld hymself so konnyng;
  "By my feith! frere," quod I,
  "Ye faren lik thise woweris
  That wedde none widwes
  But for to welden hir goodes.
  Right so, by the roode!                                 6720
  Roughte ye nevere
  Where my body were buryed,
  By so ye hadde my silver.

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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