Twenty-six political and other poems (including 'Petty Job') from the Oxford mss. Digby 102 and Douce 322. Ed., with introduction and glossarial index, by D. J. Kail ...

XV. The descryuyng of mannes membres.

[Digby 102, leaf 114.] [19 stanzas of 8, abab, abab.]

(1)

Where-of is mad al mankynde? Of seuene þynges, and it be souȝt: Erþe and water, fyre and wynde, Þerof is þe body wrouȝt; Line 4 Þe soule of þre, þat haþ þe mynde, Of lyf, felyng, and of þouȝt. Þe soule fro þe body vnbende, Whan on of þese lakkeþ ouȝt. Line 8

(2)

¶ The heued, y likne to a kyng, For he is lord souereyn of al, Haþ foure to his gouernyng: Mouþ and nose, and eyen wiþ-al, Line 12 Eryn fayre to his heryng, To serue þe brayn is pryncypal Chef of counseil ymagenyng, To caste before, er after fal. Line 16

Line 16

(3)

¶ I lykne þe nekke, moche of myȝt, Þat body and heued to-gydre knyt, To a Iustice þat demeþ ryȝt; For, þurgh it, comeþ all wordis of wyt. Line 20 ȝif a man take ordre of knyȝt, Þe coler in þe nekke het; And feloun forfete in þefte or fyȝt, Þe iugement in þe nekke set. Line 24

(4)

¶ Now I lykne mannys brest, To presthod in good degre, Most in perile, lest in rest For besynesse in spiritualte; Line 28 In penaunce and in preyer prest; Meke of spirit in pouerte Holde hospytal to goddis gest, [folio 114b] And fede þe pore in charyte. Line 32

(5)

¶ Þe shuldres and þe bakebon, I likne to lordis of þe lond; Þe armes, to knyȝtes, to fende fro fon; Þe squyers, I likne to þe hondes; Line 36 Þe fyngres, to ȝemen þat byfore gon Wiþ bent bowes and bryȝt brondes. While all þys lymes arn wel at on, Þe body, in good plyt it stondes. Line 40

(6)

¶ Mannys rybbes, y likne now— Flesch and skyn in body hydes,— To men of lawe is to alow, Þat kepes in loue boþe sydes. Line 44 Rybbes, to resoun þouȝ þey bow, So lawe doþ: ofte in fauour bydes, Tyl ground be souȝt þere lawe doþ grow, Ende in charite, þat no man chydes. Line 48

Line 48

(7)

¶ I likne þe thies, flesch and bon, Þat beren þe body quantite, To marchaundes, in perile ride and gon, Bryngen wynnyng, gold, and fee, Line 52 Make hiȝe houses of lym and ston, Mayntene burgh, toun, and cyte, Welþe and worschip in here won, And good houshold of gret plente. Line 56

(8)

¶ Mannys leggis, likne y may To all craftes þat worche wiþ handes, For al þe body beren þay, As a tre þat bereþ wandes. Line 60 Þe feet, to lykne, y wole assay, To alle trewe tylyers of landes, Þe plough, and all þat dygge in clay; Alle þe world on hem standes. Line 64

(9)

¶ The toes of þe mennys feet, Þo y likne to trewe hyne Þat trauayle boþe in drye and weet, In þurst, in hungere, and in pyne, Line 68 In het, in cold, in snow and slet, Many hiȝe none, er þey dyne, And wiþ good mete selde met; But after howsel þey drynke no wyn. Line 72

(10)

¶ Toes helpeþ man fro fal to ryse. He may not stonde, þat haþ no toon, Lepe ne renne, ne ryde in syse, Wrastle ne fyȝte, ne put þe ston. Line 76 Ȝif seruant þe maystere refuse, Þe seruant lyuyng sone were gon. And maystres, þouȝ þey ben wyse, Wiþ-out seruant lyue not alon. Line 80

Line 80

(11)

¶ I likne þe wombe, and þat wiþ-ynne, To botemeles purs, þat moche doþ take; To couetous, no wyket pynne; To glotoun, þe garner wyd open make. Line 84 Þe wombe preyed þe mouþ to blynne: "Þou etest and drynkest, þat y ake." "To slepe," quod þe eyȝe, "we may not wynne Þe wrecched wombe so doþ vs wake." Line 88

(12)

¶ "We dulle of heryng," quod þe ere. "We dase for dronken," quod þe eyȝe: "I wende but o mone þere were, And me þouȝte two y seyȝe." Line 92 Quod þe handis, "fro mouþ may we not vs were." Quod [folio 115a] þe mouþ, "y drank while y myȝte drye." "Allas," quod þe feet, "all we bere, And ȝoure bargayn dere abye." Line 96

(13)

¶ The handes and feet, þe mouþ gan preye, "Let vs thre dayes reste, Wiþ alle þyn oþere lymes pleye, Wiþ felaschip, frend, and geste." Line 100 Þe mouþ, in anger he dede saye, "Þes þre dayes do ȝour best. Al þat tyme, nyȝt ne daye, No mete ne drynk come in my brest." Line 104

(14)

¶ Thre dayes the mouþ dede faste, Tyl wombe calde þe mouþ vnkynde. "Vnkynde [[?for Vnbynde]] thyn handes, are þey faste? Stere, and lete þe mylle grynde." Line 108 Quod þe eren, "oure heryng is at þe laste." Quod eyen, "we dase, and waxe blynd." Quod handes and feet, "oure strengþe is paste," Quod brayn and herte, "vs wantes mynde." Line 112

Line 112

(15)

¶ Quod þe mouþe, "ȝe playne whyle y ete; And while y faste, ȝe make gret doel." Quod hondes and feet, "also we gete Þat þou spendest eche a deel. Line 116 We may play, swynke, and swete, While mouþe in mesure makeþ his mele. For mesure kepeþ kynde hete, And al þat tyme we fare wele." Line 120

(16)

¶ I likne a kyngdom in good astate, [Nota bene] To stalworþe man, myȝty in hele. While non of his lymes oþer hate, He is myȝty, wiþ a-noþer to dele. Line 124 Ȝif eche of his lymes wiþ oþer debate, He waxeþ syk, for flesch is frele. His enemys wayte erly and late, In his feblenesse, on hym to stele. Line 128

(17)

¶ And hed were fro þe body stad, Noþer partye were set at nouȝt, And body wiþoute armes sprad. Were armes wiþ-oute handis ouȝt? Line 132 Ne handis, but þey fyngres had? Wiþoute fingere, what were wrouȝt? Þes lymes makeþ hed ful glad, And al þe body, and it be souȝt. Line 136

(18)

¶ Ȝif a man hurte þy fynger or too, But þou make deffens o ferre, Leg or arm may take þe fro; To body or hed, auntre hym herre. Line 140 Ensample to kyngdom, y set this so: And oure frendis be distroyed by werre, Þan kepe þe wisely fro þy foo; For wiþ all his myȝt he wole come nerre. Line 144

Line 144

(19)

¶ God saue þis man is so deuysed, Hed and body, all lymes in kynde. But þere as vertues ben despysed, To preye to god, þey waste here wynde. Line 148 God leue þat synne may be refused, And of dedly synnes vs vnbynde, And eche stat in his kynde be vsed. God, of his mercy, haue vs in mynde! Amen! Line 152