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

"The fifte is moder of helthe,
  A frend in alle fondynges,
  And for the land evere a leche,
  A lemman of alle clennesse.
  _Sanitatis mater._

    "The sixte is a path of pees,
  Ye, thorugh the paas of Aultone
  Poverte myghte passe
  Withouten peril of robbyng.
  For ther that poverte passeth,                          9520
  Pees folweth after;
  And ever the lasse that he bereth,
  {292}
  The hardier he is of herte.
  For-thi seith Seneca,
  _Paupertas est absque sollicitudine semita_                =
  And an hardy man of herte,
  Among an heep of theves.
  _Cantabit paupertas coram latrone
      viatore._                                           9530

    "The seventhe is welle of wisedom,
  And fewe wordes sheweth;
  Therfore lordes alloweth hym litel,
  Or listneth to his reson,
  For he tempreth the tonge to trutheward,
  And no tresor coveiteth
  _Sapientiæ temperatrix._

    "The eightethe is a lele labour,
  And looth to take moore
  Than he may wel deserve,                                9540
  In somer or in wynter.
  And if he chaffareth, he chargeth no losse,
  Mowe he charité wynne.
  _Negotium sine damno._

    "The nynthe is swete to the soule,
  No sugre is swetter.
  For pacience is payn
  For poverte hymselve,
  And sobretee swete drynke
  And good leche in siknesse.                             9550
  Thus lered me a lettred man,
  For oure Lordes love of hevene;
  Seint Austyn a blessed lif
  Withouten bisynesse ladde
  For body and for soule,
  _Absque sollicitudine felicitas_.
  {293}
  Now God, that alle good gyveth,
  Graunte his soule reste
  That this first wroot to wissen men
  What poverte was to mene!"                              9560

    "Allas!" quod Haukyn the actif man tho,
  "That after my cristendom
  I ne hadde be deed and dolven
  For Do-welis sake!
  So hard it is," quod Haukyn,
  "To lyve and to do no synne.
  Synne seweth us evere," quod he,
  And sory gan wexe,
  And wepte water with hise eighen,
  And weyled the tyme                                     9570
  That he evere dide dede
  That deere God displesed;
  Swound and sobbed
  And siked ful ofte,
  That evere he hadde lond outher lordshipe,
  Lasse other moore,
  Or maistrie over any man
  Mo than of hymselve.
  "I were noght worthi, woot God!" quod Haukyn,
  "To werien any clothes,                                 9580
  Ne neither sherte ne shoon,
  Save for shame one
  To covere my careyne," quod he;
  And cride mercy faste,
  And wepte and wailede;
  And therwith I awakede.                                 9586

       *       *       *       *       *

{294}

          _Passus Decimus Quintus, etc. finit Do-wel, et incipit Do-bet._

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

The Vision and Creed of Piers Ploughman, Volume 2

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