[The Ploughman's tale]

TO accorde with this worde fall No more Englysshe can I fynde* 1.1 Shewe another nowe I shall For I haue moche to saye behynde Howe preestes han the people pynde As curteys Christ hath me kende And putte this matter in my mynde To make this maner men amende

¶ Shortly to shende hem / and shewe nowe Nowe wrongfully they worche and walke* 1.2 O hye god / nothyng they tell / ne howe But in goddes worde / telleth many a balke In hernes holde hem and in halke And prechyn of tythes and offrende And vntruely of the gospell talke For his mercy god it amende

¶ What is Antichrist to saye But euyn Christes aduersary Suche hath nowe ben many a day To Christes byddyng full contrary

That from the trouthe clene varry Out of the waye they ben wende And Christes people vntruely cary God for his pytie it amende••

¶ That lyuen contrary to Christes lyfe In hye pride agaynst mekenesse Agaynst sufferaunce they vsen stryfe And angre ayenst sobrenesse Agaynst wysedome wylfulnesse To Christes tales lytell tende Agaynst measure outragyousnesse But whan god woll it maye amende

¶ Lordly lyfe ayenst lowlynesse And demyn all without mercy And couetyse ayenst largesse Agaynst trewth trechery And agaynst almesse enuy Agaynst Christ they comprehende ••or chastyte they maynteyne lechery God for his grace this amende

¶ Ayenst penaunce they vse delightes Ayenst sustraunce stronge defence Ayenst god they vsen yuell rightes Agaynste pytie punysshementes Open yuell ayenst contynence Her wicked wynnyng worse dispende Sobrenesse they sette in to dispence But god for his goodnesse it amende

¶ Why cleymen they holy his powere And wranglen ayenst all his hestes His lyuyng folowen they nothyng here But lyuen worse than wytlesse beestes Of fysshe and flesshe they louen feestes As lordes they ben brode ykende Of goddes poore they haten gestes God for his mercy this amende

¶ With Dyuers suche shall haue her dome That sayne that they be Christes frendes And do nothyng as they shulde done All suche ben falser than ben fendes On the people they ley suche bendes As god is in erth they han offende Sucour for suche Christ nowe sende vs And for his mercy this amende

¶ A token of Antichrist they be His careckes ben nowe wyde yknowe Receyued to preche shall no man be Without token of hym I trowe Eche christen preest / to prechyn owe From god aboue they ben sende. Goddes worde / to all folke for to showe Synfull man for to amende

¶ Christ sente the poore for to preche The royall riche he dyd nat so Nowe dare no poore the people teche For Antichrist is ouer all her foe Amonge the people he mote go He hath bydden / all suche suspende Some hath he hente / & thynketh yet mo But all this god may well amende

¶ All tho that han the worlde forsake And lyuen loly / as god badde In to her prison shullen be take Betyn and bounden / and forthe ladde Herof I rede no man be dradde Christ sayd / his shulde be shende Eche man ought herof be gladde For god full well it woll amende

¶ They take on hem royall powere And saye they haue swerdes two* 1.3 One curse to hell / one slee men here For at his takyng Christ had no mo

Yet Peter had one of tho But christ / to Peter smyte gan defende And in to the sheth badde putte it tho And all suche myscheues god amende

* 1.4¶ Christ badde Peter kepe his shepe And with his swerde forbade hym smyte Swerde is no tole with shepe to kepe But to sheperdes that shepe woll byte Me thynketh suche sheperdes ben to wyte Ayen her shepe with swerde that contende They driue her shepe with great dispyte But all this god may well amende

¶ So successours to Peter be they nought Whom Christ made chefe pastoure A swerde no sheperde vsen ought But he wolde ••lee / as a bochoure For who so were Peters succes••our Shulde bere his shepe tyll his backe bende And shadowe hem from euery shoure And all this god maye well amende

* 1.5¶ Successours to Peter ben these In that that Peter Christ forsoke That had leuer the loue of god lese Than a sheperde had to lese his hoke He culleth the shepe as dothe the coke Of hem taken the woll vntrende And falsely glose the gospell boke God for his mercy them amende

¶ After Christ had take Peter the kay Christ sayd / he muste dye for man That Peter to Christ gan withsay * 1.6Christ badde hym go behynde Sathan Suche coūsaylours many of these men han For worldes wele / god to offende Peters successours they ben for than But all suche god may well amende

¶ For Sathan is to say no more* 1.7 But he that contrary to Christ is In this they lerne Peters lore They sewen hym whan he dyd mysse They folowe Peter forsothe in this In all that Christ wolde Peter reprehende But nat in that that longeth to heuyn blysse God for his mercy hem amende

¶ Some of the Apostels they sewen in case Of ought that I can vnderstonde* 1.8 Hym that betrayed Christ / Iudas That bare the purse in euery londe And all that he myght sette on honde He hydde and stale / and myspende His rule these traytours han in honde Almighty god hem amende

¶ And at last his lorde gan tray Cursedly through his false couetyse* 1.9 So wolde these / trayen hym for money And they wysten in what wyse They be seker of the selfe ensyse From all sothnesse they ben frende And couetyse chaungen with queyntyse Almighty god all suche amende

¶ Were Christ on erthe here efte sone These wolde dampne hym to dye All his hestes they han fordone And sayne his sawes ben heresy And ayenst his commaundementes they crye And damp••e all his to be brende For it lyketh nat hem suche losengery God almighty hem amende

¶ These han more myght in Englande hete Than hath the kynge and all his lawe They han purchased hem suche powere To taken hem whom lyste nat knawe

And say that heresy is her sawe And so to prysone woll hem sende It was nat so by elder dawe God for his mercy it amende

¶The kynges lawe woll no man deme Angerlyche withouten answere * 1.10But if any man these mysqueme He shalbe ••eted as a bere And yet wel worse they woll hym tere And in prysone woll hem pende In gyues / and in other gere Whan god woll / it maye mende

¶ The kyng taxeth nat his men But by a••••en••e of the cōmynalte But these eche yere woll raunsom hem Maisterfully / more than doth he Her seales by yere better be Than is the kynges in extende Her offycers han gretter fee But this myschefe god amende

¶ For who so woll proue a testament That is nat all worthe tenne pounde He shall paye for the parchement They thirde parte of the money all rounde Thus the people is raunsounde They say suche parte to hem shulde apende There as they grypen it gothe to grounde God for his mercy it amende

¶ A symple fornycacioun Twenty shyllynges he shall paye And than haue an absolution And all the yere vsen it forthe he may Thus they letten hem go a stray They recke nat though the soule be brende These kepyn yuell Peters key And all suche sheperdes god amende

¶ Wonder is / that the parlyament* 1.11 And all the lordes of this londe Herto taken so lytell entent To helpe the people out of her honde For they ben harder in their bonde Worse beate / and bytter brende Than to the kyng is vnderstande God hym helpe this to amende

¶ What bysshoppes / what relygions* 1.12 Han in this lande as moche laye fee Lordshippes / and possessyons More than the lordes / it semeth me That maketh hem lese charyte They mowe nat to god attende In erthe they haue so hyghe degree God for his mercy it amende

¶ The Emperour yaf the pope somtyme So highe lordshyppe hym aboute That at laste the sely kyme The proude Pope putte hym out So of this realme is in doute But lordes be ware and them defende* 1.13 For nowe these folk•• be wonder stoute The kynge and lordes nowe this amende.

Thus endeth the seconde parte of this boke / and herafter folo∣weth the thirde

Notes

• * 1.1

  Qui non est mecum / ••on∣••ra me est.
• * 1.2

  Qui non est &c.
• * 1.3

  Ecce gladi•• duo hic
• * 1.4

  Uos qui spi∣rituales estis instīcte alios in ••pū lenita∣tis ••uscitabo pastor•• stui∣tum / q dis{per}¦sa nō coliget. Sed oues pī¦gues co••e∣•••••••• & habe∣bit gladi•• in brac••••io dex∣tro / & glad••ū 〈…〉〈…〉.
• * 1.5

  La•• comede∣batis & lanis cooper ••••a∣mini / & quod pingu•• ••rat occioistis.
• * 1.6

  ••un•• dixit Iesus disci∣pulis sui•• ••r oportet 〈…〉〈…〉
• * 1.7

  ierosolimam & multa pati. R••dit petr{us}. Nequaquam erit tibi hoc Iesus dixit petro: Uade post me sa∣thanas.
• * 1.8

  Fur ••rat / & loculos habe¦bat et ea que mitteqantur portabat.
• * 1.9

  Ut dolo cape rent et occide rent
• * 1.10

  Lex nominem ••udicat / Ni∣si prius audi ••rit a•• eo qui dixit.
• * 1.11

  Cum filii ••e∣ly poluerunt domini sacri∣ficium. &c.
• * 1.12

  Paul{us} inimi cos crucisxpi quorum finis interitus qui terrena sapi∣unt. &c.
• * 1.13

  Reges genti∣um dūantu•• corum.