For certes, many a predicacioun
Comth ofte tyme of yvel entencioun;
Som for plesaunce of folk and flaterye,
To been avaunced by ipocrisye,

And som for veyne glorie, and som for hate.
For, whan I dar non other weyes debate,
Than wol I stinge him with my tonge smerte
In preching, so that he shal nat asterte1
To been defamed falsly, if that he

Hath trespased to my brethren or to me.
For, though I telle noght his propre name,
Men shal wel knowe that it is the same
By signes and by othere circumstances.
Thus quyte I folk that doon us displesances :
Thus spitte I out my venim under hewe
Of holynesse, to seme holy and trewe.
But shortly myn entente I wol devyse:
I preche of no-thing but for coveityse.
Therfor my theme is yet, and ever was-
'Radix malorum est Cupiditas.'

Thus can I preche agayn that same vyce
Which that I use, and that is avaryce.
But, though my-self be gilty in that sinne,
Yet can I maken other folk to twinne2
From avaryce, and sore to repente.
But that is nat my principal entente.
I preche no-thing but for coveityse;
Of this matere it oughte y-nogh suffyse.
Than telle I hem ensamples many oon
Of olde stories, long tyme agoon:
For lewed peple loven tales olde;

Swich thinges can they wel reporte and holde.
What? trowe ye, the whyles I may preche,
And winne gold and silver for I teche,
That I wol live in povert wilfully?

Nay, nay, I thoghte it never trewely!

1 Escape.

2 To depart from.

For I wol preche and begge in sondry londes;
I wol not do no labour with myn hondes,1
Ne make baskettes, and live therby,
Because I wol nat beggen ydelly.

I wol non of the apostles counterfete;
I wol have money, wolle, chese, and whete,
Al were it yeven of the povrest page, 2
Or of the povrest widwe in a village,
Al sholde hir children sterve for famine.
Nay! I wol drinke licour of the vyne,
And have a joly wenche in every toun.

WILLIAM LANGLAND [1340-1400 ?].
From The Vision of William concerning Piers the
Plowman.'

In a somere seyson whan softe was the sonne,
Y shap me in-to shrobbis as y a shepherde were,
In abit as an ermite unholy of werkes ;
Ich wente forth in the world wonders to hure,
And saw meny cellis and selcouthe thynges.
Ac on a may morwenyng on Malverne hulles
Me byfel for to slepe for werynesse of wandryng;
And in a launde as ich lay lenede ich and slepte,
And merveylously me mette as ich may yow telle;
Al the welthe of this worlde and the woo bothe,

In a summer season, when the sun was warm, I betook me to the shrubs (ie., to an out-of-door life) as if I were a shepherd, dressed like a hermit of unholy works; I went forth in the world to hear wonders, and saw many cells (in religious houses) and strange things. But on a May morning on Malvern hills I happened to sleep, through weariness of wandering; and as I lay in a meadow I reclined and slept, and marvellously I dreamed, as I may tell you. All the wealth of the world and the woe, 2 Although it were given by.

1 Hands.

Wynkyng as it were wyterly ich saw hyt,

Of tryuthe and of tricherye of tresoun and of gyle, Al ich saw slepynge as ich shal yow telle.

Somme putte hem to plow and pleiden ful seylde,
In settyng and in sowyng swonken ful harde,
And wonne that thuse wasters with glotenye
destroyeth.

And somme chosen cheffare they cheude the betere, As hit semeth to oure syght that souche men thryveth.

And somme murthes to make as mynstrals conneth, That wollen neyther swynke ne swete bote swery grete othes,

And fynde up foule fantesyes and foles hem maken, And haven witte at wylle to worche yf they wolde. That Paul prechith of hem proven hit ich myghte, Qui turpiloquium loquitur ys Lucyfers knave. Bydders and beggers faste a-boute yoden,

Tyl hure bagge and hure belly were bretful ycrammyd,

Faytynge for hure fode and fouhten atten ale,

sleeping as it were, I certainly saw it. Of truth and of treachery, of treason and of guile, I saw all, sleeping, as I shall tell you. . . . Some set themselves to plough, and amused themselves very seldom; with planting and sowing they worked very hard and gained what these spendthrifts destroy with gluttony. . . . And some chose merchandise; they prospered better, as it seems to our sight that such men thrive. And some are skilled to make mirth as minstrels, that will neither toil nor sweat, but swear great oaths, and invent foul fancies, and make fools of themselves, and (yet) have their wit at their will, (being able) to work if they wished. What Paul preaches about them I might adduce here (2 Thess. iii. 10), (but will not, for) he who speaks slander is Lucifer's servant. Beggars went about quickly till their wallet and belly were crammed brimful, telling lies for their food, and quarrelling at the ale

In glotenye, god wot, goth they to bedde,
And aryseth with ribaudrie tho Roberdes knaves;
Slep and synful sleuthe seweth suche evere.
Pylgrimis and palmeres plyghten hem to-gederes,
To seche seint Iame and seyntys of rome,
Wenten forthe in hure way with meny un-wyse tales,
And haven leve to lye al hure lyf-time.
Eremytes on an hep with hokede staves,

Wenten to Walsyngham, and hure wenches after;
Grete lobies and longe that lothe were to swynke,
Clothede hem in copis to be knowe fro othere,
And made hem-selve eremytes hure eise to have.
Ich fond ther frerus alle the foure ordres,
Prechynge the peple for profit of the wombe,
And glosynge the godspel as hem good lykede;
For covetise of copes contrariede some doctors.
Meny of this maistres of mendinant freres,

Hure monye and marchaundise marchen to-gederes; Ac sutth charite hath be chapman and chef to shryve lordes,

Many ferlies han fallen in a fewe yeres;

Bote holy churche and charite choppe a-down swich shryvers,

house. In gluttony, God knows, they go to bed and arise with ribaldry, those lawless vagabonds. Sleep and sinful sloth ever pursue such men. Pilgrims and palmers agreed together to visit the shrine of Saint James and of the saints of Rome. They went forth in their way, with many unwise tales, and have leave to lie all the rest of their lives. Hermits in a crowd, with hooked staffs, went to (the shrine of our Lady of) Walsingham, and their mistresses followed; great tall lubbers that were unwilling to work clothed themselves in copes so as to be known from others, and made themselves hermits in order to have their ease. I found there friars-all the four orders-preaching to the people for their stomachs' sake, and interpreting the gospel as it pleased them from desire of copes. Many of these masters of mendicant friars may clothe them as they will, for their money and merchandise go together; but since Love (i.e., the friars) has turned pedlar, and chief confessor of lords, many miracles have

The moste myschif on molde mounteth up faste.
Ther preched a pardoner as he a prest were,
And brougte forth a bulle with bisshopis seles,
And seide that hym-selve mygte asoilie hem alle
Of falsnesse of fastinges, of vowes to-broke.

Lewede men lyvede hym wel, and likeden hus wordes,

Comen and kneleden to kyssen his bulles;

He blessede hem with hus brevet, and blerede hure eyen ;

And raghte with hus rageman rynges and broches,
Thus ye geveth youre golde glotones to helpe,
And leneth it to loreles that lecherie haunten.
Were the bisshop blessid other worthe bothe hus

eren,

Hus sele sholde nogt be sent in deceit of the puple. Ac it is nogt by the bisshop that the loye precheth, The parsheprest and the pardoner parten the selver, That poore puple in parshes sholde have yf thei ne

were.

Persones and parsheprestes pleynede to the bisshop, That hure parshens ben poore sitthe the pestelence tyme,

happened in a few years; but unless Holy Church and Love strike down such shrivers the greatest mischief on earth will quickly arise. There preached a pardoner as if he were a priest and brought forth a Bull with bishop's seals, and said that he himself could pardon them all for breaking their fast and vows. The common people entirely believed him and liked his words and came and kneeled to kiss his Bulls; he blessed them with his letter of indulgence and dimmed their eyes, and seized with his Papal Bull rings and brooches. Thus ye give your gold to help gluttons, and bestow it on the lawless. Were the bishop truly righteous or fit to have both his ears, his seal would not be sent to deceive the people with. But it is not against the bishop that the young fellow preaches; for often the parish priest and the pardoner divide the silver, which poor people in the parishes would have, if it were not for them. Parsons and parish priests complained to the bishop that their parishes are poor since the