Part 11

'This were a wikked way, but whoso hadde a gyde That wolde folwen vs eche a fote:' þus þis folke hem mened. Quatȝ Perkyn þe plouman: 'Bi Seynt Peter of Rome! I haue an half-acre to erye bi þe heigh way. Hadde I eried þis half-acre, and sowen it after, 5 I w_o_l_de_ wende with ȝow, and þe way teche.' 'Þis were a longe lettynge,' quod a lady in a sklayre; 'What sholde we wommen worche þerewhiles?' 'Somme shal sowe <þe> sakke,' quod Piers, 'for shedyng of þe whete; And ȝe, louely ladyes, with ȝoure longe fyngres, 10 Þat ȝe han silke and sendal to sowe, whan tyme is, Chesibles for chapelleynes, cherches to honoure; Wyues and wydwes wolle and flex spynneth, Maketh cloth, I conseille ȝow, and kenneth so ȝowre douȝtres; Þe nedy and þe naked, nymmeth hede how hii liggeth, 15 And casteth hem clothes, for so comaundeth Treuthe. For I shal lene hem lyflode, but ȝif þe londe faille, Flesshe and bred, bothe to riche and to pore, As longe as I lyue, for þe Lordes loue of heuene. And alle manere of men þat þorw mete and drynke lybbeth, 20 Helpith hym to worche wiȝtliche þat wynneth ȝowre fode.' 'Bi Crist!' quod a knyȝte þo, 'he kenneth vs þe best; Ac on þe teme trewly tauȝte was I neuere. Ac kenne me,' quod þe knyȝte, 'and, bi Cryst! I wil assaye.' 'Bi seynt Poule!' quod Perkyn, 'ȝe profre ȝow so faire, 25 Þat I shal swynke, and swete, and sowe for vs bothe, And oþer laboures do for þi loue al my lyf tyme, In couenaunt þat þow kepe Holi Kirke and myselue Fro wastoures and fro wykked men þat þis worlde struyeth; And go hunte hardiliche to hares and to foxes, 30 To bores and to brockes þat breketh adown myne hegges, And go affaite þe faucones wilde foules to kille, For suche cometh to my croft, and croppeth my whete.' Curteislich þe knyȝte þanne comsed þise wordes: 'By my power, Pieres,' quod he, 'I pliȝte þe my treuthe 35 To fulfille þis forward, þowȝ I fiȝte sholde; Als longe as I lyue, I shal þe mayntene.' 'Ȝe, and ȝit a poynt,' quod Pieres, 'I preye ȝow of more; Loke ȝe tene no tenaunt, but Treuthe wil assent. And þowgh ȝe mowe amercy hem, late Mercy be taxoure, 40 And Mekenesse þi mayster, maugré Medes chekes; And þowgh pore men profre ȝow presentis and ȝiftis, Nym it nauȝte, an auenture ȝe mowe it nauȝte deserue; For þow shalt ȝelde it aȝein at one ȝeres ende In a ful perillous place, Purgatorie it hatte. 45 And mysbede nouȝte þi bondemen, þe better may þow spede; Þowgh he be þyn vnderlynge here, wel may happe in heuene Þat he worth worthier sette and with more blisse: _Amice, ascende superius_. For in charnel atte chirche cherles ben yuel to knowe, 50 Or a kniȝte fram a knaue þere,—knowe þis in þin herte. And þat þow be trewe of þi tonge, and tales þat þow hatie, But if þei ben of wisdome or of witte, þi werkmen to chaste. Holde with none harlotes, ne here nouȝte her tales, And nameliche atte mete suche men eschue, 55 For it ben þe deueles disoures, I do þe to vnderstande.' 'I assente, bi Seynt Iame!' seyde þe kniȝte þanne, 'Forto worche bi þi wordes þe while my lyf dureth.' 'And I shal apparaille me,' quod Perkyn, 'in pilgrimes wise, And wende with ȝow I wil til we fynde Treuthe, 60 And cast on me my clothes, yclouted and hole, My cokeres and my coffes, for colde of my nailles, And hange myn hoper at myn hals, in stede of a scrippe, A busshel of bredcorne brynge me þerinne, For I wil sowe it myself; and sitthenes wil I wende 65 To pylgrymage, as palmers don, pardoun forto haue. Ac whoso helpeth me to erie or sowen here, ar I wende, Shal haue leue, bi owre Lorde, to lese here in heruest, And make hem mery þeremydde, maugré whoso bigruccheth it. And alkyn crafty men, þat konne lyuen in treuthe, 70 I shal fynden hem fode, þat feithfulliche libbeth.'... (Dame 'Worche-whan-tyme-is' Pieres wyf hiȝte; His douȝter hiȝte 'Do-riȝte-so- or-þi-dame-shal-þe-bete'; His sone hiȝte 'Suffre-þi-souereynes- to-hauen-her-wille-, Deme-hem-nouȝte-, for-, if-þow-doste-, þow-shalt-it-dere-abugge.') 75 'Late God yworth with al, for so His worde techeth; For now I am olde and hore, and haue of myn owen, To penaunce and to pilgrimage I wil passe with þise other. Forþi I wil, or I wende, do wryte my biqueste. _In Dei nomine, amen_, I make it myseluen. 80 He shal haue my soule þat best hath yserued it, And fro þe fende it defende, for so I bileue, Til I come to His acountes, as my _Credo_ me telleth, To haue a relees and a remissioun on þat rental I leue. Þe kirke shal haue my caroigne and kepe my bones, 85 For of my corne and catel he craued þe tythe; I payed it hym prestly, for peril of my soule, Forthy is he holden, I hope, to haue me in his masse, And mengen in his memorye amonge alle Crystene. My wyf shal haue of þat I wan with treuthe, and nomore, 90 And dele amonge my douȝtres and my dere children; For þowgh I deye todaye, my dettes ar quitte; I bare home þat I borwed, ar I to bedde ȝede. And with þe residue and þe remenaunte, bi þe rode of Lukes! I wil worschip þerwith Treuthe bi my lyue, 95 And ben his pilgryme atte plow, for pore mennes sake. My plow-fote shal be my pyk-staf, and picche atwo þe rotes, And helpe my culter to kerue, and clense þe forwes.' Now is Perkyn and his pilgrymes to þe plowe faren; To erie þis halue-acre holpyn hym manye. 100 Dikeres and delueres digged vp þe balkes; Þerewith was Perkyn apayed, and preysed hem faste. Other werkemen þere were þat wrouȝten ful ȝerne; Eche man in his manere made hymself to done, And some, to plese Perkyn, piked vp þe wedes. 105 At heighe pryme Peres lete þe plowe stonde, To ouersen hem hymself, and whoso best wrouȝte He shulde be huyred þerafter whan heruest-tyme come. And þanne seten somme and songen atte nale, And hulpen erie his half-acre with 'how! trollilolli!' 110 'Now, bi þe peril of my soule!' quod Pieres, al in pure tene, 'But ȝe arise þe rather, and rape ȝow to worche, Shal no greyne þat groweth glade ȝow at nede; And þough ȝe deye for dole, þe deuel haue þat reccheth!' Tho were faitoures aferde, and feyned hem blynde; 115 Somme leyde here legges aliri, as suche loseles conneth, And made her mone to Pieres, and preyde hym of grace: 'For we haue no lymes to laboure with, lorde, ygraced be ȝe! Ac we preye for ȝow, Pieres, and for ȝowre plow bothe, Þat God of His grace ȝowre grayne multiplye, 120 And ȝelde ȝow of ȝowre almesse þat ȝe ȝiue vs here; For we may nouȝte swynke ne swete, suche sikenesse vs eyleth.' 'If it be soth,' quod Pieres, 'þat ȝe seyne, I shal it sone asspye. Ȝe ben wastoures, I wote wel, and Treuthe wote þe sothe, And I am his olde hyne, and hiȝte hym to warne 125 Which þei were in þis worlde his werkemen appeyred. Ȝe wasten þat men wynnen with trauaille and with tene, Ac Treuthe shal teche ȝow his teme to dryue, Or ȝe shal ete barly bred and of þe broke drynke. But if he be blynde, _or_ broke-legged, or bolted with yrnes, 130 He shal ete whete bred and drynke with myselue, Tyl God of his goodnesse amendement hym sende. Ac ȝe myȝte trauaille as Treuthe wolde, and take mete and huyre To kepe kyne in þe felde, þe corne fro þe bestes, Diken, or deluen, or dyngen vppon sheues, 135 Or helpe make morter, or bere mukke afelde. In lecherye an in losengerye ȝe lyuen, and in sleuthe, And al is þorw suffrance þat veniaunce ȝow ne taketh. Ac ancres and heremytes, þat eten but at nones, And namore er morwe, myne almesse shul þei haue, 140 And of my catel to cope hem with þat han cloistres and cherches. Ac Robert Renne-aboute shal nouȝe haue of myne, Ne posteles, but þey preche conne, and haue powere of þe bisschop; They shal haue payne and potage, and make hemself at ese, For it is an vnresonable religioun þat hath riȝte nouȝte of certeyne.' 145 And þanne gan a Wastoure to wrath hym, and wolde haue yfouȝte, And to Pieres þe plowman he profered his gloue; A Brytonere, a braggere, abosted Pieres als:— 'Wiltow or neltow, we wil haue owre wille Of þi flowre and of þi flessche, fecche whan vs liketh, 150 And make vs myrie þermyde, maugré þi chekes!' Thanne Pieres þe plowman pleyned hym to þe knyȝte, To kepe hym, as couenaunte was, fram cursed shrewes, And fro þis wastoures wolues-kynnes, þat maketh þe worlde dere: 'For þo waste, and wynnen nouȝte, and þat ilke while 155 Worth neuere plenté amonge þe poeple þerwhile my plow liggeth.' Curteisly þe knyȝte þanne, as his kynde wolde, Warned Wastoure, and wissed hym bettere, 'Or þow shalt abugge by þe lawe, by þe ordre þat I bere!' 'I was nouȝt wont to worche,' quod Wastour, 'and now wil I nouȝt bigynne', 160 And lete liȝte of þe lawe, and lasse of þe knyȝte, And sette Pieres at a pees, and his plow bothe, And manaced Pieres and his men ȝif þei mette eftsone. 'Now, by þe peril of my soule!' quod Pieres, 'I shal apeyre ȝow alle!' And houped after Hunger, þat herd hym atte firste: 165 'Awreke me of þise wastoures,' quod he 'þat þis worlde schendeth!' Hunger in haste þo hent Wastour bi þe mawe, And wronge hym so bi þe wombe þat bothe his eyen wattered. He buffeted þe Britoner aboute þe chekes, Þat he loked like a lanterne al his lyf after. 170 He bette hem so bothe, he barste nere here guttes; Ne hadde Pieres with a pese-lof preyed Hunger to cesse, They hadde ben doluen bothe, ne deme þow non other. 'Suffre hem lyue,' he seyde 'and lete hem ete with hogges, Or elles benes and bren ybaken togideres, 175 Or elles melke and mene ale;' þus preyed Pieres for hem. Faitoures for fere herof flowen into bernes, And flapten on with flayles fram morwe til euen, That Hunger was nouȝt so hardy on hem for to loke, For a potful of peses þat Peres hadde ymaked. 180 An heep of heremites henten hem spades, And ketten here copes, and courtpies hem made, And wenten as werkemen with spades and with schoueles, And doluen and dykeden to dryue aweye Hunger. Blynde and bedreden were botened a þousande, 185 Þat seten to begge syluer; sone were þei heled. For þat was bake for Bayarde was bote for many hungry, And many a beggere for benes buxome was to swynke, And eche a pore man wel apayed to haue pesen for his huyre, And what Pieres preyed hem to do as prest as a sperhauke. 190 And þereof was Peres proude, and put hem to werke, And ȝaf hem mete as he myȝte aforth, and mesurable huyre. Þanne hadde Peres pité, and preyed Hunger to wende Home into his owne erde, and holden hym þere: 'For I am wel awroke now of wastoures, þorw þi myȝte. 195 Ac I preye þe, ar þow passe,' quod Pieres to Hunger, 'Of beggeres and of bidderes what best be done? For I wote wel, be þow went, þei wil worche ful ille; For myschief it maketh þei beth so meke nouthe, And for defaute of her fode þis folke is at my wille. 200 Þey are my blody bretheren,' quod Pieres, 'for God bouȝte vs alle; Treuthe tauȝte me ones to louye hem vchone, And to helpen hem of alle þinge ay as hem nedeth. And now wolde I witen of þe what were þe best, An how I myȝte amaistrien hem, and make hem to worche.' 205 'Here now,' quod Hunger 'and holde it for a wisdome: Bolde beggeres and bigge, þat mowe her bred biswynke, With houndes bred and hors bred holde vp her hertis, Abate hem with benes for bollyng of her wombe; And ȝif þe gomes grucche, bidde hem go swynke, 210 And he shal soupe swettere whan he it hath deseruid. And if þow fynde any freke, þat fortune hath appeyred Or any maner fals men, fonde þow suche to cnowe; Conforte hym with þi catel, for Crystes loue of heuene; Loue hem and lene hem, so lawe of God techeth:— 215 _Alter alterius onera portate_. And alle maner of men þat þow myȝte asspye That nedy ben and nauȝty, helpe hem with þi godis; Loue hem, and lakke hem nouȝte; late God take þe veniaunce; Theigh þei done yuel, late þow God aworthe:— 220 _Michi vindictam, et ego retribuam_. And if þow wil be graciouse to God, do as þe Gospel techeth, And bilow þe amonges low men; so shaltow lacche grace:— _Facite vobis amicos de mamona iniquitatis_.' 'I wolde nouȝt greue God,' quod Piers, 'for al þe good on grounde; 225 Miȝte I synnelees do as þow seist?' seyde Pieres þanne. 'Ȝe, I bihote þe,' quod Hunger, 'or ellis þe Bible lieth; Go to Genesis þe gyaunt, þe engendroure of vs alle:— "_In sudore_ and swynke þow shalt þi mete tilye, And laboure for þi lyflode," and so owre Lorde hyȝte. 230 And Sapience seyth þe same, I seigh it in þe Bible:— "_Piger pro frigore_ no felde nolde tilye, And þerfore he shal begge and bidde, and no man bete his hunger." Mathew with mannes face mouthed þise wordis:— Þat _seruus nequam_ had a nam, and for he wolde nouȝte chaffare, 235 He had maugré of his maistre for euermore after, And binam his mnam, for he ne wolde worche, And ȝaf þat mnam to hym þat ten mnames hadde; And with þat he seyde, þat Holi Cherche it herde, "He þat hath shal haue, and helpe þere it nedeth, 240 And he þat nouȝt hath shal nouȝt haue, and no man hym helpe; And þat he weneth wel to haue, I wil it hym bireue." Kynde Witt wolde þat eche a wyght wrouȝte, Or in dykynge, or in deluynge, or trauaillynge in preyeres, Contemplatyf lyf or actyf lyf, Cryst wolde men wrouȝte. 245 Þe Sauter seyth in þe psalme of _Beati omnes_, Þe freke þat fedeth hymself with his feythful laboure, He is blessed by þe boke, in body and in soule:— _Labores manuum tuarum, etc._' 'Ȝet I prey ȝow,' quod Pieres, '_par charité!_ and ȝe kunne 250 Eny leef of lechecraft, lere it me, my dere. For somme of my seruauntȝ, and myself bothe, Of al a wyke worche nouȝt, so owre wombe aketh.' 'I wote wel,' quod Hunger, 'what sykenesse ȝow eyleth; Ȝe han maunged ouermoche, and þat maketh ȝow grone. 255 Ac I hote þe,' quod Hunger, 'as þow þyne hele wilnest, That þow drynke no day ar þow dyne somwhat. Ete nouȝte, I hote þe, ar hunger þe take, And sende þe of his sauce to sauoure with þi lippes; And kepe some tyl sopertyme, and sitte nouȝt to longe; 260 Arise vp ar appetit haue eten his fulle. Lat nouȝt Sire Surfait sitten at þi borde.... And ȝif þow diete þe þus, I dar legge myne eres Þat Phisik shal his furred hodes for his fode selle, And his cloke of Calabre, with alle þe knappes of golde, 265 And be fayne, bi my feith, his phisik to lete, And lerne to laboure with londe, for lyflode is swete; For morthereres aren mony leches, Lorde hem amende! Þei do men deye þorw here drynkes, ar Destiné it wolde.' 'By Seynt Poule!' quod Pieres, 'þise aren profitable wordis. 270 Wende now, Hunger, whan þow wolt, þat wel be þow euere, For this is a louely lessoun; Lorde it þe forȝelde!' 'Byhote God,' quod Hunger, 'hennes ne wil I wende, Til I haue dyned bi þis day, and ydronke bothe.' 'I haue no peny,' quod Peres 'poletes forto bigge, 275 Ne neyther gees ne grys, but two grene cheses, A fewe cruddes and creem, and an hauer-cake, And two loues of benes and bran ybake for my fauntis; And ȝet I sey, by my soule, I haue no salt bacoun Ne no kokeney, bi Cryst, coloppes forto maken. 280 Ac I haue percil, and porettes, and many koleplantes, And eke a cow and a kalf, and a cart-mare To drawe afelde my donge þe while þe drought lasteth. And bi þis lyflode we mot lyue til Lammasse tyme; And bi þat I hope to haue heruest in my croft, 285 And þanne may I diȝte þi dyner as me dere liketh.' Alle þe pore peple þo pesecoddes fetten, Benes and baken apples þei brouȝte in her lappes, Chibolles and cheruelles and ripe chiries manye, And profred Peres þis present to plese with Hunger. 290 Al Hunger eet in hast, and axed after more. Þanne pore folke for fere fedde Hunger ȝerne With grene poret and pesen—to poysoun Hunger þei þouȝte. By þat it neighed nere heruest, newe corne cam to chepynge; Þanne was folke fayne, and fedde Hunger with þe best, 295 With good ale, as Glotoun tauȝte, and gerte Hunger go slepe. And þo wolde Wastour nouȝt werche, but wandren aboute, Ne no begger ete bred that benes inne were, But of coket, or clerematyn, or elles of clene whete, Ne none halpeny ale in none wise drynke, 300 But of þe best and of þe brounest þat in borgh is to selle. Laboreres þat haue no lande to lyue on but her handes, Deyned nouȝt to dyne aday nyȝt-olde wortes; May no peny-ale hem paye, ne no pece of bakoun, But if it be fresch flesch, other fische, fryed other bake, 305 And that _chaude_ or _plus chaud_, for chillyng of here mawe. And but if he be heighlich huyred, ellis wil he chyde, And þat he was werkman wrouȝt waille þe tyme; Aȝeines Catones conseille comseth he to iangle:— _Paupertatis onus pacienter ferre memento_. 310 He greueth hym aȝeines God, and gruccheth aȝeines resoun, And þanne curseth he þe kynge, and al his conseille after, Suche lawes to loke, laboreres to greue. Ac whiles Hunger was her maister, þere wolde none of hem chyde, Ne stryue aȝeines his statut, so sterneliche he loked. 315 Ac I warne ȝow, werkemen, wynneth while ȝe mowe, For Hunger hide ward hasteth hym faste, He shal awake with water wastoures to chaste. Ar fyue <ȝere> be fulfilled suche famyn shal aryse, Thorwgh flodes and þourgh foule wederes frutes shul faille; 320 And so sayde Saturne, and sent ȝow to warne: Whan ȝe se þe sonne amys, and two monkes hedes, And a mayde haue þe maistrie, and multiplied bi eight, Þanne shal Deth withdrawe, and Derthe be Iustice, And Dawe þe Dyker deye for hunger, 325 But if God of his goodnesse graunt vs a trewe.

[Foot-note: 6 wolde] wil _MS._]

[Foot-note: 130 or] and _MS._]

B. FROM THE C-TEXT, PASSUS VI, ll. 1-104.

MS. Phillips 8231 (about 1400).