The Vision and Creed of Piers Ploughman, Volume 2

Name: The Vision and Creed of Piers Ploughman, Volume 2
Author: Langland, William

Langland, William

Christian pilgrims and pilgrimages -- Poetry

"Thow seist sooth," quod Rightwisnesse;
  And reverentliche hire kiste.
  {395}
  "Pees and pees here!
  _Per sæcula sæculorum._"
  _Misericordia et veritas obviaverunt
      sibi, justitia et pax osculatæ sunt._

    Truthe trumpede tho,
  And song _Te Deum laudamus_;                           12940
  And thanne lutede,
  In a loud note,
  _Ecce quam bonum et quam jocundum, etc._

    Til the day dawed
  Thise damyseles dauncede,
  That men rongen to the resurexion.
  And right with that I wakede,
  And callede Kytte my wif,
  And Calote my doghter;
  And bad hem rise and reverence                         12950
  Goddes resurexion;
  And crepe to the cros on knees,
  And kisse it for a juwel,
  For Goddes blissede body
  It bar for oure boote;
  And it a-fereth the fend,
  For swich is the myghte,
  May no grisly goost
  Glide there it walketh.                                12959

       *       *       *       *       *

{396}

          _Passus Decimus Nonus, explicit Do-bet, et incipit Do-best._

  Thus I awaked and wroot                                12960
  What I hadde y-dremed;
  And dighte me derely,
  And dide me to chirche,
  To here holly the masse,
  And to be housled after.

    In myddes of the masse,
  Tho men yede to offryng,
  I fel eft-soones a-slepe;
  And sodeynly me mette
  That Piers the Plowman                                 12970
  Was peynted al blody,
  And com in with a cros
  Bifore the comune peple,
  And right lik in alle thynges
  To oure Lord Jhesus.

    And thanne called I Conscience,
  To kenne me the sothe;
  "Is this Jhesus the justere," quod I,
  "That Jewes dide to dethe?
  Or it is Piers the Plowman.                            12980
  Who peynted hym so rede?"

    Quod Conscience, and kneled tho,
  "Thise arn Piers armes,
  {397}
  Hise colours and his cote armure;
  Ac he that cometh so blody
  Is Crist with his cros,
  Conquerour of cristene."

    "Why calle hym Crist," quod I,
  "Sithen Jewes calle hym Jhesus?
  Patriarkes and prophetes                               12990
  Prophecied bifore
  That alle kynne creatures
  Sholden knelen and bowen,
  Anoon as men nempned
  The name of God Jhesu.
  _Ergo_ is no name
  To the name of Jhesus;
  Ne noon so nedeful to nempne
  By nyghte ne by daye.
  For alle derke develes                                 13000
  Arn a-drad to heren it;
  And synfulle aren solaced
  And saved by that name.
  And ye callen hym Crist;
  For what cause telleth me?
  Is Crist moore of myght,
  And moore worthi name,
  Than Jhesu or Jhesus,
  That al oure joye com of?"

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

Opening the text

The Vision and Creed of Piers Ploughman, Volume 2Langland, William

General

The Vision and Creed of Piers Ploughman, Volume 2

Langland, William

Christian pilgrims and pilgrimages -- Poetry

"Thow seist sooth," quod Rightwisnesse;
  And reverentliche hire kiste.
  {395}
  "Pees and pees here!
  _Per sæcula sæculorum._"
  _Misericordia et veritas obviaverunt
      sibi, justitia et pax osculatæ sunt._

    Truthe trumpede tho,
  And song _Te Deum laudamus_;                           12940
  And thanne lutede,
  In a loud note,
  _Ecce quam bonum et quam jocundum, etc._

    Til the day dawed
  Thise damyseles dauncede,
  That men rongen to the resurexion.
  And right with that I wakede,
  And callede Kytte my wif,
  And Calote my doghter;
  And bad hem rise and reverence                         12950
  Goddes resurexion;
  And crepe to the cros on knees,
  And kisse it for a juwel,
  For Goddes blissede body
  It bar for oure boote;
  And it a-fereth the fend,
  For swich is the myghte,
  May no grisly goost
  Glide there it walketh.                                12959

       *       *       *       *       *

{396}

          _Passus Decimus Nonus, explicit Do-bet, et incipit Do-best._

  Thus I awaked and wroot                                12960
  What I hadde y-dremed;
  And dighte me derely,
  And dide me to chirche,
  To here holly the masse,
  And to be housled after.

    In myddes of the masse,
  Tho men yede to offryng,
  I fel eft-soones a-slepe;
  And sodeynly me mette
  That Piers the Plowman                                 12970
  Was peynted al blody,
  And com in with a cros
  Bifore the comune peple,
  And right lik in alle thynges
  To oure Lord Jhesus.

    And thanne called I Conscience,
  To kenne me the sothe;
  "Is this Jhesus the justere," quod I,
  "That Jewes dide to dethe?
  Or it is Piers the Plowman.                            12980
  Who peynted hym so rede?"

    Quod Conscience, and kneled tho,
  "Thise arn Piers armes,
  {397}
  Hise colours and his cote armure;
  Ac he that cometh so blody
  Is Crist with his cros,
  Conquerour of cristene."

    "Why calle hym Crist," quod I,
  "Sithen Jewes calle hym Jhesus?
  Patriarkes and prophetes                               12990
  Prophecied bifore
  That alle kynne creatures
  Sholden knelen and bowen,
  Anoon as men nempned
  The name of God Jhesu.
  _Ergo_ is no name
  To the name of Jhesus;
  Ne noon so nedeful to nempne
  By nyghte ne by daye.
  For alle derke develes                                 13000
  Arn a-drad to heren it;
  And synfulle aren solaced
  And saved by that name.
  And ye callen hym Crist;
  For what cause telleth me?
  Is Crist moore of myght,
  And moore worthi name,
  Than Jhesu or Jhesus,
  That al oure joye com of?"

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

The Vision and Creed of Piers Ploughman, Volume 2

The Vision and Creed of Piers Ploughman, Volume 2

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