Na somer seson whan soft was the sonne,
I shope me in shroudes as I a shepe were,
habite as an heremite • vnholy of workes,
Tent wyde in þis world wondres to here.

c on a May mornynge on Maluerne hülles, le byfel a ferly of fairy, me thouzte;

was wery forwandred and went me to reste Inder a brode banke · bi a bornes side,

And as I lay and lened and loked in þe wateres,

slombred in a slepyng it sweyued so merye. Thanne gan I to meten a merueilouse sweuene, hat I was in a wildernesse⚫ wist I neuer where; As I bihelde in-to þe est an hiegh to be sonne, seigh a toure on a toft • trielich ymaked; A depe dale binethe⚫ a dongeon þere-Inne, With depe dyches & derke and dredful of sight. A faire felde ful of folke fonde I there bytwene, Of alle maner of men ⚫ þe mene and þe riche, Worchyng and wandryng as þe worlde asketh.

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Some putten hem to be plow pleyed ful selde,

In settyng and in sowyng⚫ swonken ful harde,

And wonnen that wastours with glotonye destruyeth. And some putten hem to pruyde · apparailed hem p after,

In contenaunce of clothyng comen disgised.

In prayers and in penance

putten hem manye,

Al for loue of owre lorde lyueden ful streyte,

In hope forto haue · heueneriche blisse ;

As ancres and heremites that holden hem in here selles, And coueiten nought in contre to kairen aboute,

For no likerous liflode⚫ her lykam to plese.

wander

And somme chosen chaffare they cheuen the bettere, As it semeth to owre syzt that suche men thryueth; And somme murthes to make · as mynstralles conneth, And geten gold with here glee · giltles, I leue. Ac iapers & iangelers · Iudas chylderen,

Feynen hem fantasies and foles hem maketh,

And han here witte at wille to worche, 3if þei sholde; That Poule precheth of hem I nel nought preue it here; Qui turpiloquium loquitur is luciferes hyne.

Bidders and beggeres fast aboute zede,

With her belies and her bagges of bred ful ycrammed; Fayteden for here fode · fouzten atte ale;

In glotonye, god it wote gon hij to bedde,

And risen with ribaudye · tho roberdes knaues; aber
Slepe and sori sleuthe⚫ seweth hem eure.

Thei went forth in here wey with many wise tales,

And hadden leue to lye • al here lyf after.

I seigh somme that seiden · þei had ysouzt seyntes :

To eche a tale þat þei tolde here tonge was tempred to ly

pre pan to sey soth it semed bi here speche. Heremites on an heep · With hoked staues,

enten to Walsyngham • and here wenches after ;
ete lobyes and longe · that loth were to swynke,
otheden hem in copis to ben knowen fram othere;
ad shopen hem heremites here ese to haue.
I fonde pere Freris · alle þe foure ordres,
eched pe peple · for profit of hem-seluen,
osed pe gospel · as hem good lyked,

or coueitise of copis · construed it as þei wolde.

any of þis maistres Freris mowe clothen hem at lykyng, or here money and marchandise · marchen togideres.

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or sith charite hap be chapman and chief to shryue lordes,

any ferlis han fallen · in a fewe zeris.

ut holychirche and hij holde better togideres,

he most myschief on molde · is mountyng wel faste.

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Pere preched a Pardonere as he a prest were,

rouzte forth a bulle⚫ with bishopes seles,

and seide pat hym-self my3te assoilen hem alle

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》f falshed of fastyng of vowes ybroken.

Lewed men leued hym wel · and lyked his wordes, omen vp knelyng to kissen his bulles;

He bonched hem with his breuet · & blered here eyes, and rauzte with his ragman · rynges and broches ; Thus þey geuen here golde glotones to kepe.

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Vere pe bischop yblissed and worth bothe his eres,
His seel shulde nouzt be sent to deceyue pe peple.
Ac it is nauzt by þe bischop · þat þe boy precheth,
For the parisch prest and þe pardonere · parten þe siluer,
That pe poraille of pe parisch sholde haue, zif þei nere.
Persones and parisch prestes⚫ pleyned hem to pe bischop,
Pat here parisshes were pore⚫ sith pe pestilence tyme,

To haue a lycence and a leue at London to dwelle,
And syngen þere for symonye for siluer is swete.

Somme seruen þe kyng · and his siluer tellen,
In cheker and in chancerye. chalengen his dettes
Of wardes and wardmotes weyues and streyues. w

And some seruen as seruantz · lordes and ladyes, And in stede of stuwardes sytten and demen.

Here messe and here matynes · and many of here oures Arn don vndeuoutlych; drede is at þe laste

I parceyued of pe power

pat Peter had to kepe, To bynde and to vnbynde as pe boke telleth, How he it left wip loue as owre lorde hight, Amonges foure vertues⚫ þe best of all vertues, Pat cardinales ben called & closyng zatis,

pere crist is in kyngdome to close and to shutte,
And to opne it to hem and heuene blisse shewe.
Ac of pe cardinales atte Courte · þat cauzt of þat name,
And power presumed in hem a Pope to make,

To han pat power þat peter hadde inpugnen I nelle;
For in loue and letterure pe eleccioun bilongeth,

For-pi I can and can nauzte of courte speke more.
Panne come pere a kyng knyzthod hym ladde,
Mizt of pe comunes made hym to regne,

And þanne cam kynde wytte and clerkes he made,
For to conseille pe kyng and þe comune saue.

The kyng and knyzthode and clergye bothe Casten þat þe comune · shulde hem-self fynde.

=

De comune contreued · of kynde witte craftes,

d for profit of alle pe poeple plowmen ordeygned, tilie and trauaile as trewe lyf askep.

= kynge and pe comune and kynde witte þe thridde

ope lawe & lewte eche man to knowe his owne. c.
Panne loked vp a lunatik · a lene þing with-alle,
d knelyng to be kyng clergealy he seyde;
rist kepe pe, sire kyng · and þi kyngriche,

d leue pe lede þi londe · so leute pe louye,

id for þi riztful rewlyng · be rewarded in heuene!'

And sithen in þe eyre an hiegh· An angel of heuene wed to speke in latyn― · for lewed men ne coude ngle ne iugge þat iustifie hem shulde,

at suffren & seruen- · for-thi seyde pe angel,

Sum Rex, sum Princeps neutrum fortasse deinceps ;— qui iura regis Christi specialia regis,

oc quod agas melius iustus es, esto pius!
Judum ius a te · vestiri vult pietate;
ualia vis metere· talia grana sere.
ius nudatur nudo de iure metatur;
iseritur pietas de pietate metas !'

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Thanne greued hym a Goliardeys • a glotoun of wordes, nd to pe angel an heiz answered after,

Dum rex a regere · dicatur nomen habere,

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And þanne gan alle þe comune crye in vers of latin, To be kynges conseille construe ho-so wolde

Precepta Regis sunt nobis vincula legis.

Wip pat ran þere a route of ratones at ones,

And smale mys myd hem mo pen a pousande,

And comen to a conseille for here comune profit;

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And ouerlepe hem lyztlich · and lauzte hem at his wille, 150