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

This Lecherie leide on
  With a janglynge chiere,
  And with pryvee speche
  And peyntede wordes;
  And armede hym in ydelnesse,
  And in heigh berynge.
  He bar a bowe in his hand,
  And manye brode arewes,
  Weren fethered with fair bi-heste                      14160
  And many a fals truthe.
  With hise un-tidy tales
  He tened ful ofte.
  Conscience and his compaignye,
  Of holy chirche the techeris.

    Thanne cam Coveitise,
  And caste how he myghte
  Overcome Conscience
  And cardinale vertues,
  And armed hym in avarice,                              14170
  And hungriliche lyvede.
  His wepne was al wiles
  To wynnen and to hiden;
  With glosynges and with gabbynges
  He giled the peple.

    Symonye hym sente
  To assaille Conscience,
  And preched to the peple;
  And prelates thei hem maden
  To holden with Antecrist,                              14180
  His temporaltees to save;
  And cam to the kynges counseille
  As a kene baroun,
  And kneled to Conscience
  In court afore hem alle,
  {433}
  And garte good feith flee,
  And fals to abide;
  And boldeliche bar a-doun,
  With many a bright noble,
  Muche of the wit and wisdom                            14190
  Of Westmynstre Halle.
  He jogged to a justice,
  And justed in his eere,
  And over-tilte al his truthe
  With "Tak this up amendement."

    And to the Arches in haste
  He yede anoon after,
  And tornede cyvyle into symonye,
  And siththe he took the official
  For a mantel of menever,                               14200
  And made lele matrymoyne
  Departen er deeth cam,
  And devors shapte.

    "Allas!" quod Conscience, and cryde tho,
  "Wolde Crist of his grace
  That coveitise were cristene!
  That is so kene a fightere,
  And boold and bidynge
  While his bagge lasteth."

    And thanne lough Lyf,                                14210
  And leet daggen hise clothes,
  And armed hym an haste
  With harlotes wordes;
  And heeld holynesse a jape,
  And hendenesse a wastour;
  And leet leautee a cherl,
  And lyere a fre man;
  Conscience and his counseil
  He counted at a flye
  {434}
  Thus relyede Lif,                                      14220
  For a litel fortune;
  And priketh forth with Pride,
  Preiseth he no vertue,
  Ne careth noght how Kynde slow,
  And shal come at the laste,
  And kille alle erthely creatures,
  Save Conscience oone.
  Lyf lepte aside,
  And laughte hym a lemman;
  "Heele and I," quod he,                                14230
  "And heighnesse of herte,
  Shal do thee noght drede
  Neither deeth ne elde,
  And to forgyte sorwe,
  And gyve noght of synne."

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

This Lecherie leide on
  With a janglynge chiere,
  And with pryvee speche
  And peyntede wordes;
  And armede hym in ydelnesse,
  And in heigh berynge.
  He bar a bowe in his hand,
  And manye brode arewes,
  Weren fethered with fair bi-heste                      14160
  And many a fals truthe.
  With hise un-tidy tales
  He tened ful ofte.
  Conscience and his compaignye,
  Of holy chirche the techeris.

    Thanne cam Coveitise,
  And caste how he myghte
  Overcome Conscience
  And cardinale vertues,
  And armed hym in avarice,                              14170
  And hungriliche lyvede.
  His wepne was al wiles
  To wynnen and to hiden;
  With glosynges and with gabbynges
  He giled the peple.

    Symonye hym sente
  To assaille Conscience,
  And preched to the peple;
  And prelates thei hem maden
  To holden with Antecrist,                              14180
  His temporaltees to save;
  And cam to the kynges counseille
  As a kene baroun,
  And kneled to Conscience
  In court afore hem alle,
  {433}
  And garte good feith flee,
  And fals to abide;
  And boldeliche bar a-doun,
  With many a bright noble,
  Muche of the wit and wisdom                            14190
  Of Westmynstre Halle.
  He jogged to a justice,
  And justed in his eere,
  And over-tilte al his truthe
  With "Tak this up amendement."

    And to the Arches in haste
  He yede anoon after,
  And tornede cyvyle into symonye,
  And siththe he took the official
  For a mantel of menever,                               14200
  And made lele matrymoyne
  Departen er deeth cam,
  And devors shapte.

    "Allas!" quod Conscience, and cryde tho,
  "Wolde Crist of his grace
  That coveitise were cristene!
  That is so kene a fightere,
  And boold and bidynge
  While his bagge lasteth."

    And thanne lough Lyf,                                14210
  And leet daggen hise clothes,
  And armed hym an haste
  With harlotes wordes;
  And heeld holynesse a jape,
  And hendenesse a wastour;
  And leet leautee a cherl,
  And lyere a fre man;
  Conscience and his counseil
  He counted at a flye
  {434}
  Thus relyede Lif,                                      14220
  For a litel fortune;
  And priketh forth with Pride,
  Preiseth he no vertue,
  Ne careth noght how Kynde slow,
  And shal come at the laste,
  And kille alle erthely creatures,
  Save Conscience oone.
  Lyf lepte aside,
  And laughte hym a lemman;
  "Heele and I," quod he,                                14230
  "And heighnesse of herte,
  Shal do thee noght drede
  Neither deeth ne elde,
  And to forgyte sorwe,
  And gyve noght of synne."

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

No reviews yet