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

Now is Piers to the plow;
  And Pride it aspide,
  And gadered hym a greet oost,                          13630
  For to greven he thynketh
  Conscience and alle cristene
  And cardinale vertues,
  Blowe hem doun and breke hem,
  And bite a-two the mores;
  And sente forth Surquidous,
  His sergeaunt of armes,
  And his spye Spille-love,
  Oon Spek-yvel bihynde.

    Thise two coome to Conscience,                       13640
  And to cristen peple,
  And tolde hem tidynges,
  That tyne thei sholde the sedes
  That Piers there hadde y-sowen,
  The cardynale vertues;
  "And Piers bern worth y-broke,
  And thei that ben in _Unitee_
  Shulle come out, and Conscience
  And youre two caples,
  Confession and Contricion;                             13650
  And youre carte the bileeve
  Shal be coloured so queyntely,
  And covered under sophistrie,
  That Conscience shal noght
  Knowe by Contricion
  Ne by Confession
  Who is cristene or hethene;
  Ne no manere marchaunt
  That with moneie deleth,
  Wheither he wynne with right,                          13660
  {417}
  With wrong, or with usure.

    "With swiche colours and queyntise
  Cometh Pride y-armed,
  With the lord that lyveth after
  The lust of his body,
  To wasten on welfare,
  And in wikked lyvynge,
  Al the world in a while
  Thorugh oure wit," quod Pryde.

    Quod Conscience to alle cristene tho,                13670
  "My counseil is to wende
  Hastiliche into Unitee,
  And holde we us there;
  And praye we that a pees weere
  In Piers berne the Plowman.
  For witterly I woot wel,
  We beth noght of strengthe
  To goon agayn Pride,
  But Grace weere with us."

    And thanne kam Kynde Wit                             13680
  Conscience to teche,
  And cryde and comaundede
  Alle cristene peple
  For to delven a dych
  Depe aboute Unitee,
  That holy chirche stode in Unitee,
  As it a pyl weere.

    Conscience comaundede tho
  Alle cristene to delve,
  And make a muche moot,                                 13690
  That myghte ben a strengthe
  To helpe holy chirche
  And hem that it kepeth.

    Thanne alle kynne cristene,
  {418}
  Save comune wommen,
  Repenteden and refused synne,
  Save thei one,
  And false men, flatereris,
  Usurers, and theves,
  Lyeris, and queste-mongeres                            13700
  That were for-sworen ofte,
  Witynge and wilfully
  With the false helden,
  And for silver were for-swore,
  Soothly they wiste it.

    Ther nas no cristene creature
  That kynde wit hadde,
  Save sherewes one
  Swiche as I spak of,
  That he ne halp a quantité                             13710
  Holynesse to wexe,
  Some thorugh bedes biddynge,
  And some thorugh pilgrymages
  And othere pryvé penaunces,
  And somme thorugh penyes delynge.

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

Now is Piers to the plow;
  And Pride it aspide,
  And gadered hym a greet oost,                          13630
  For to greven he thynketh
  Conscience and alle cristene
  And cardinale vertues,
  Blowe hem doun and breke hem,
  And bite a-two the mores;
  And sente forth Surquidous,
  His sergeaunt of armes,
  And his spye Spille-love,
  Oon Spek-yvel bihynde.

    Thise two coome to Conscience,                       13640
  And to cristen peple,
  And tolde hem tidynges,
  That tyne thei sholde the sedes
  That Piers there hadde y-sowen,
  The cardynale vertues;
  "And Piers bern worth y-broke,
  And thei that ben in _Unitee_
  Shulle come out, and Conscience
  And youre two caples,
  Confession and Contricion;                             13650
  And youre carte the bileeve
  Shal be coloured so queyntely,
  And covered under sophistrie,
  That Conscience shal noght
  Knowe by Contricion
  Ne by Confession
  Who is cristene or hethene;
  Ne no manere marchaunt
  That with moneie deleth,
  Wheither he wynne with right,                          13660
  {417}
  With wrong, or with usure.

    "With swiche colours and queyntise
  Cometh Pride y-armed,
  With the lord that lyveth after
  The lust of his body,
  To wasten on welfare,
  And in wikked lyvynge,
  Al the world in a while
  Thorugh oure wit," quod Pryde.

    Quod Conscience to alle cristene tho,                13670
  "My counseil is to wende
  Hastiliche into Unitee,
  And holde we us there;
  And praye we that a pees weere
  In Piers berne the Plowman.
  For witterly I woot wel,
  We beth noght of strengthe
  To goon agayn Pride,
  But Grace weere with us."

    And thanne kam Kynde Wit                             13680
  Conscience to teche,
  And cryde and comaundede
  Alle cristene peple
  For to delven a dych
  Depe aboute Unitee,
  That holy chirche stode in Unitee,
  As it a pyl weere.

    Conscience comaundede tho
  Alle cristene to delve,
  And make a muche moot,                                 13690
  That myghte ben a strengthe
  To helpe holy chirche
  And hem that it kepeth.

    Thanne alle kynne cristene,
  {418}
  Save comune wommen,
  Repenteden and refused synne,
  Save thei one,
  And false men, flatereris,
  Usurers, and theves,
  Lyeris, and queste-mongeres                            13700
  That were for-sworen ofte,
  Witynge and wilfully
  With the false helden,
  And for silver were for-swore,
  Soothly they wiste it.

    Ther nas no cristene creature
  That kynde wit hadde,
  Save sherewes one
  Swiche as I spak of,
  That he ne halp a quantité                             13710
  Holynesse to wexe,
  Some thorugh bedes biddynge,
  And some thorugh pilgrymages
  And othere pryvé penaunces,
  And somme thorugh penyes delynge.

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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