Passus 16
"Now faire falle yow,' quod I tho, "for youre faire shewyng!
16.001
For Haukyns love the Actif Man evere I shal yow lovye.
16.002
Ac yit am I in a weer what charite is to mene.'
16.003
"It is a ful trie tree,' quod he, "trewely to telle.
16.004
Mercy is the more therof; the myddul stok is ruthe;
16.005
The leves ben lele wordes, the lawe of Holy Chirche;
16.006
The blosmes beth buxom speche and benigne lokynge;
16.007
Pacience hatte the pure tree, and pore symple of herte,
16.008
And so thorugh God and thorugh goode men groweth the fruyt Charite.'
16.009
"I wolde travaille,' quod 1, "this tree to se, twenty hundred myle,
16.010
And to have my fulle of that fruyt forsake a1 other saulee.
16.011
Lord !' quod I, " if any wight wite whiderout it groweth?'
16.012
"It groweth in a gardyn,' quod he, "that God made hymselve;
16.013
Amyddes mannes body the more is of that stokke.
16.014
Herte highte the herber that it inne groweth,
16.015
And Liberum Arbitrium hath the lond to ferme,
16.016
Under Piers the Plowman to piken it and to weden it.'
16.017
" Piers the Plowman!' quod I tho, and al for pure joye
16.018
That I herde nempne his name anoon I swowned after,
16.019
And lay longe in a lone dreem; and at the laste me thoughte
16.020
That Piers the Plowman al the place me shewed,
16.021
And bad me toten on the tree, on top and on roote.
16.022
With thre piles was it underpight--I parceyved it soone.
16.023
" Piers,' quod I, " I preie thee--whi stonde thise piles here?'
16.024
" For wynde, wiltew wite,' quod he, "to witen it fro fallyng--
16.025
Cum ceciderit iustus non eollidetur quia Dominus supponit manum suam--
16.025
The world is a wikked wynd to hem that willen truthe:
16.027
Coveitise comth of that wynd and crepeth among the leves
16.028
And forfreteth neigh the fruyt thorugh manye faire sightes.
16.029
Thanne with the firste pil I palle hym doun--that is Potencia Dei Patris.
16.030
"The flessh is a fel wynd, and in flouryng tyme,
16.031
Thorugh likynge and lustes so loude he gynneth blowe
16.032
That it norisseth nyce sightes and som tyme wordes,
16.033
And wikkede werkes therof, wormes of synne,
16.034
And forbiteth the blosmes right to the bare leves.
16.035
"Thanne sette I to the secounde pil, Sapiencia Dei Patris--
16.036
That is the passion and the power of oure prince Jesu.
16.037
Thorugh preieres and thorugh penaunces and Goddes passion in mynde,
16.038
I save it til I se it ripen and somdel yfruyted.
16.039
"And thanne fondeth the fend my fruyt to destruye
16.040
With alle the wiles that he kan, and waggeth the roote,
16.041
And casteth up to the crop unkynde neighebores,
16.042
Bakbiteris brewecheste, brawleris and chideris,
16.043
And leith a laddre therto--of lesynges are the ronges--
16.044
And feccheth awey my floures somtyme bifore bothe myne eighen.
16.045
Ac Liberum Arbitrium letteth hym som tyme,
16.045
That is lieutenaunt to loken it wel, bi leve of myselve:
16.046
Videatis qui peccat in Spiritum Sanctum numquam remittetur
16.046
&c,- hoc est idem, qui peccat per liberum arbitrium non repugnat.
16.047
"Ac whan the fend and the flessh forth with the world
16.048
Manacen bihynde me, my fruyt for to fecche,
16.049
Thanne Liberum Arbitrium laccheth the thridde planke
16.050
And palleth adoun the pouke pureliche thorugh grace
16.051
And help of the Holy Goost--and thus have I the maistrie.'
16.052
"Now faire falle yow, Piers!' quod I, "so faire ye discryven
16.053
The power of thise postes and hire propre myghte.
16.054
Ac I have thoughtes a threve af thise thre piles--
16.055
In what wode thei woxen, and where that thei 8rowed,
16.056
For alle are thei aliche longe, noon lasse than oother,
16.057
And to my mynde, as me thynketh, on o more thei growed;
16.058
"That is sooth,' seide Piers, "so it may bifalle.
16.060
I shal telle thee as tid what this tree highte.
16.061
The ground there it groweth, goodnesse it hatte;
16.062
And I have told thee what highte the tree: the Trinite it meneth'--
16.063
And egreliche he loked on me, and therfore I spared
16.064
To asken hym any moore therof, and bad hym ful faire
16.065
To di[ff]yne the fruyt that so faire hangeth.
16.066
" Heer now bynethe,' quod he tho, "if I nede hadde,
16.067
Matrimoyne I may nyme, a moiste fruyt withalle.
16.068
Thanne Continence is neer the crop as kaylewey bastard.
16.069
Thanne bereth the crop kynde fruyt and clennest of alle--
16.070
Maidenhode, aungeles peeris, and [ar]est wole be ripe,
16.071
And swete withouten swellyng--sour worth it nevere.'
16.072
I preide Piers to pulle adoun an appul, and he wolde,
16.073
And suffre me to assaien what savour it hadde.
16.074
And Piers caste to the crop, and thanne comsed it to crye;
16.075
And waggede widwehode, and it wepte after;
16.076
And whan he meved matrimoyne, it made a foul noise,
16.077
That I hadde ruthe whan Piers rogged, it gradde so rufulliche.
16.078
For evere as thei dropped adoun the devel was redy,
16.079
And gadrede hem alle togideres, bothe grete and smale--
16.080
Adam and Abraham and Ysaye the prophete,
16.081
Sampson and Samuel, and Seint Johan the Baptist;
16.082
Bar hem forth boldely--no body hym letted--
16.083
And made of holy men his hoord in Limbo Inferni,
16.084
There is derknesse and drede and the devel maister.
16.085
And Piers, for pure tene, that a pil he laughte,
16.086
And hitte after hym, happe how it myghte,
16.087
Eilius by the Fader wille and frenesse of Spiritus Sancti,
16.088
To go robbe that rageman and reve the fruyt fro hym.
16.089
And thanne spak Spiritus Sanctus in Gabrielis mouthe
16.090
To a maide that highte Marie, a meke thyng withalle,
16.091
That oon Jesus, a justices some, mostejouke in hir chambre
16.092
That Piers fruyt floured and felle to be rype.
16.094
And thanne sholde Jesus juste therfore, bi juggement of armes,
16.095
Wheither sholde fonge the fruyt--the fend or hymselve.
16.096
The maide myldeliche tho the messager graunted,
16.097
And seide hendeliche to hym, "Lo me his handmaiden
16.098
For to werchen his wille withouten any synne:
16.099
Ecce ancilla Domini, fat michi &c.'
16.099
And in the wombe of that wenche was he fourty woukes,
16.100
Til he weex a faunt thorugh hir flessh, and of fightyng kouthe,
16.101
To have yfoughte with the fend er ful tyme come.
16.102
And Piers the Plowman parceyved plener tyme,
16.103
And lered hym lechecraft. his lif for to save,
16.104
That though he were wounded with his enemy, to warisshen hymselve;
16.105
And dide hym assaie his surgenrie on hem that sike were,
16.106
Til he was parfit praktisour, if any peril fille;
16.107
And soughte out the sike and synfulle bothe,
16.108
And salvede sike and synfulle, bothe blynde and crokede,
16.109
And commune wommen convertede [to goode]:
16.110
Non est sanis opus medicus, set male habentibus.
16.110
Bothe meseles and mute, and in the menyson blody--
16.111
Ofte he heeled swiche, he ne held it for no maistrie,
16.112
Save tho he leched Lazar, that hadde yleye in grave
16.113
Quatriduanus quelt--quyk dide hym walke.
16.114
Ac a[r] he made the maistrie, mestus cepit esse,
16.115
And wepte water with hise eighen- -ther seighen it manye.
16.116
Some that the sighte seighen seiden that tyme
16.117
That he was leche of lif, and lord of heigh hevene.
16.118
Jewes jangled therayein that juggede lawes,
16.119
And seide he wroghte thorugh wichecraft and with the develes myghte:
16.120
"Thanne are ye cherles,' quod Jesus, "and youre children bothe,
16.121
And Sathan youre Saveour--yowself now ye witnessen:
16.122
For I have saved yowself, and youre sones after,
16.123
Youre bodies. youre beestes, and blynde men holpen,
16.124
And fed yow with fisshes and with fyve loves,
16.125
And lefte baskettes ful of broke mete--bere awey whoso wolde--'
16.126
And mysseide the Jewes manliche, and manaced hem to bete,
16.127
And knokked on hem with a corde, and caste adoun hir stalles
16.128
That in chirche chaffareden or chaungeden any moneie,
16.129
And seide it in sighte of hem alle, so that alle herden,
16.130
" I shal overturne this temple and adoun throwe,
16.131
And in thre daies after edifie it newe,
16.132
And maken it as muche outher moore in alle manere poyntes
16.133
As evere it was, and as wid-wherfore I hote yow,
16.134
Of preieres and of parfitnesse this place that ye callen:
16.135
Domus mea domus oracionis vocabitur.'
16.135
Envye and yvel wil ar[ne] in the Jewes:
16.136
Thei casten and contreveden to kulle hym whan thei myghte;
16.137
Eche day after oother hir tyme thei awaiteden,
16.138
Til it bifel on a Friday, a litel bifore Pasqe.
16.139
The Thursday bifore, there he made his cene,
16.140
Sittynge at the soper he seide thise wordes:
16.141
"I am sold thorugh so[m] of yow--he shal the tyme rewe
16.142
That evere he his Saveour solde for silver or ellis.'
16.143
Judas jangled therayein, ac Jesus hym tolde
16.144
It was hymself soothly, and seide, " Tu dicis.'
16.145
Thanne wente forth that wikked man and with the Jewes mette,
16.146
And tolde hem a tokne how to knowe with Jesus,
16.147
The which tokne to this day to muche is yused--
16.148
That is, kissynge and fair countenaunce and unkynde wille.
16.149
And so was with Judas tho, that Jesus bitrayed:
16.150
And kiste hym, to be caught therby and kulled of the Jewes.
16.152
Thanne Jesus to Judas and to the Jewes seide,
16.153
" Falsnesse I fynde in thi faire speche,
16.154
And gile in thi glad chere, and galle is in thi laughyng.
16.155
Thow shalt be myrour to many, men to deceyve,
16.156
Ac the worse, and thi wikkednesse shal worthe upon thiselve:
16.157
Necesse est ut veniant scandala: ve homini illi, per quem scandalum venit.
16.157
Though I bi treson be take, and [to] youre owene wille,
16.158
Suffreth myne apostles in pays, and in pees gange.'
16.159
On a Thursday in thesternesse thus was he taken .
16.160
Thorugh Judas and Jewes--Jesus was his name
16.161
That on the Friday folwynge for mankyndes sake
16.162
Justed in Jerusalem, a joye to us alle.
16.163
On cros upon Calvarie Crist took the bataille
16.164
Ayeins deeth and the devel, destruyed hir botheres myghtes--
16.165
Deide, and deeth fordide, and day of nyght made.
16.166
And I awaked therwith, and wiped myne eighen,
16.167
And after Piers the Plowman pried and stared,
16.168
Estward and westward I waited after faste,
16.169
And yede forth as an ydiot, in contree to aspie
16.170
After Piers the Plowman--many a place I soughte.
16.171
And thanne mette I with a man, a myd-Lenten Sonday,
16.172
As hoor as an hawethorn, and Abraham he highte.
16.173
I frayned hym first fram whennes he come,
16.174
And of whennes he were, and whider that he thoughte.
16.175
"I am Feith,' quod that freke, "it falleth noght me to lye,
16.176
And of Abrahames hous an heraud of armes.
16.177
I seke after a segge that I seigh ones,
16.178
A ful bold bacheler--I knew hym by his blasen.'
16.179
" What berth that buyrn,' quod I tho, " so blisse thee bitide?'
16.180
" Thre leodes in oon lyth, noon lenger than oother,
16.181
Of oon muchel and myght in mesure and in lengthe.
16.182
That oon dooth, alle dooth, and ech dooth bi his one.
16.183
Pater is his propre name, a persone by hymselve.
16.185
The secounde of that sire is Sothfastnesse Filius,
16.186
Wardeyn of that wit hath, was evere withouten gynnyng.
16.187
The thridde highte the Holi Goost, a persone by hymselve,
16.188
The light of al that lif hath a londe and a watre,
16.189
Confortour of creatures--of hym cometh alle blisse.
16.190
"So thre bilongeth for a lord that lordshipe cleymeth:
16.191
Might, and a mene [his owene myghte to knowe],
16.192
Of hymself and of his servaunt, and what suffreth hem bothe.
16.193
So God, that gynnyng hadde nevere, but tho hym good thoughte,
16.194
Sente forth his sone as for servaunt that tyme,
16.195
To ocupien hym here til issue were spronge--
16.196
That is, children of charite, and Holi Chirche the moder.
16.197
Patriarkes and prophetes and apostles were the children,
16.198
And Crist and Cristendom and alle Cristene Holy Chirche
16.199
In menynge that man moste on o God bileve,
16.200
And there hym likede and lovede, in thre [leodes] hym shewede.
16.201
And that it may be so and sooth [sheweth it manhode]:
16.202
Wedlok and widwehode with virginite ynempned,
16.203
In tokenynge of the Trinite was taken out of o man--
16.204
Adam, oure alle fader; Eve was of hymselve,
16.205
And the issue that thei hadde it was of hem bothe,
16.206
And either is otheres joye in thre sondry persones,
16.207
And in hevene and here oon singuler name.
16.208
And thus is mankynde and manhede of matrimoyne yspronge,
16.209
And bitokneth the Trinite and trewe bileve.
16.210
"Might is it in matrimoyne, that multiplieth the erthe,
16.211
And bitokneth trewely, telle if I dorste,
16.212
The Sone, if I it dorste seye, resembleth wel the widewe:
16.214
Deus meus, Deus meus, ut quid dereliquisti me ?
16.214
That is, creatour weex creature to knowe what was bothe.
16.215
As widewe withouten wedlok was nevere yit yseyghe,
16.216
Na moore myghte God be man but if he moder hadde.
16.217
So widewe withouten wedlok may noght wel stande,
16.218
Ne matrimoyne withouten muliere is noght muche to preise:
16.219
Maledictus homo qui non reliquit semen in Israel.
16.219
"Thus in thre persones is parfitliche pure manhede--
16.220
That is, man and his make and mulliere hir children.
16.221
And is noght but gendre of a generacion, bifore Jesu Crist in hevene;
16.222
So is the fader forth with the Sone and Fre Wille of bothe--
16.223
Spiritus procedens a Patre et Filio &c--
16.223
Which is the Holy Goost of alle, and alle is but o God.
16.224
"Thus in a somer I hym seigh as I sat in my porche.
16.225
I roos up and reverenced hym, and right faire hym grette.
16.226
Thre men, to my sighte, I made wel at ese,
16.227
Wessh hir feet and wiped hem, and afterward thei eten
16.228
Calves flessh and cakebreed, and knewe what I thoughte.
16.229
Ful trewe toknes betwene us is, to telle whan me liketh.
16.230
" First he fonded me, if I lovede bettre
16.231
Hym or Ysaak myn heir, the which he highte me kulle.
16.232
He wiste my wille bi hym; he wol me it allowe;
16.233
I am ful siker in my soule therof, and my sone bothe.
16.234
"I circumcised my sone sithen for his sake--
16.235
Myself and my meynee and alle that male weere
16.236
Bledden blood for that Lordes love, and hope to blisse the tyme.
16.237
affiaunce and my feith is ferme in this bileve,
16.238
For hymself bihighte to me and to myn issue bothe
16.239
To me and to myn issue moore yet he me grauntede--
16.241
Mercy for oure mysdedes as many tyme as we asken:
16.242
Quam olim Abrahe promisisti et semini eius.
16.242
"And siththe he sente me, to seye I sholde do sacrifise,
16.243
And doon hym worship with breed and with wyn bothe,
16.244
And called me the foot of his feith, his folk for to save,
16.245
And defende hem fro the fend, folk that on me leveden.
16.246
"Thus have I ben his heraud here and in helle,
16.247
And conforted many a careful that after his comynge waiten;
16.248
And thus I seke hym,' he seide, "for I herde seyn late
16.249
Of a buyrn that baptised hym--Johan Baptist was his name--
16.250
That to patriarkes and to prophetes and to oother peple in derknesse
16.251
Seide, that he seigh here that sholde save us alle:
16.252
Ecce Agnus Dei &c.'
16.252
I hadde wonder of hise wordes, and of hise wide clothes;
16.253
For in his bosom he bar a thyng, and that he blissed evere.
16.254
And I loked in his lappe: a lazar lay therinne
16.255
Amonges patriarkes and prophetes pleyinge togideres.
16.256
"What awaitestow?' quod he, " and what woldestow have?'
16.257
"I wolde wite,' quod I tho, "what is in youre lappe.'
16.258
" Lo!' quod he--and leet me se. " Lord, mercy!' I seide.
16.259
"This is a present of muche pris; what prynce shal it have?'
16.260
"It is a precious present,' quod he, "ac the pouke it hath attached,
16.261
And me thenvith,' quod that wye, "may no wed us quyte,
16.262
Ne no buyrn be oure borgh, ne brynge us fram his daunger;
16.263
Out of the poukes pondfold no maynprise may us fecche
16.264
Til he come that I carpe of: Crist is his name
16.265
That shal delivere us som day out of the develes power,
16.266
And bettre wed for us [wa]ge than we ben alle worthi--
16.267
Lollynge in my lappe, til swich a lrd us fecche.'
16.269
"Allas!' I seide, "that synne so longe shall lette
16.270
The myght of Goddes mercy, that myghte us alle amende!'
16.271
I wepte for hise wordes. With that saugh I another
16.272
Rapeliche renne forth the righte wey he wente.
16.273
I affrayned hym first fram whennes he come,
16.274
What he highte and whider he wolde--and wightly he tolde.
16.275
