Part 3

Thanne kam ther a kyng, Thanne cam ther a kyng, Knyghthod hym ladde, Knyghtod hym ladde, Might of the communes The meche myghte of the men Made hym to regne. Made hym to regne. And thanne cam kynde wit, And thanne cam a kynde witte, And clerkes he made, And clerkus he made, For to counseillen the kyng, And concience and kynde wit, And the commune save. And knyghthod to-gederes, The kyng and knyghthod, Caste that the comune And clergie bothe, Sholde hure comunes fynde. Casten that the commune Kynde wit and the comune Sholde hem self fynde. Contrevede alle craftes, The commune contreved And for most profitable to the puple, Of kynde wit craftes, A plouh thei gonne make, And for profit of al the peple Wit leil labour to lyve, Plowmen ordeyned, Wyl lyve and londe lasteth. To tilie and to travaille, As trewe lif asketh. The kyng and the commune, And kynde wit the thridde, Shopen lawe and leauté, Ech man to knowe his owene.

Nobody, I think, can deny that in this instance the doctrine is stated far more distinctly and far more boldly in the first text than in the second. In general the first text is the best, whether we look at the mode in which the sentiments are stated, or at the poetry and language.

As far as I have been able to examine the remaining manuscripts of Piers Ploughman, at London and in the Universities, I think that nearly two-thirds of those which remain are of the _fourteenth_ century; and the greater number, particularly of those written in the fourteenth century, present what I have distinguished as the first text, that given in the present volumes. I am by no means inclined to coincide in the reasons which led Dr. Whitaker to prefer the second text; if I were disposed to admit, as barely possible (the supposition is quite a gratuitous one), "that the first edition of this work appeared when its author was a young man, and that he lived and continued in the habit of transcribing to extreme old age" (Pref.), I cannot agree with an editor in adopting a copy which he believes to be "a faithful representation of the work as it came first from the author," and which not only abounds in words and idioms which he afterwards altered, but which contains also "many original passages which the greater maturity of the author's judgment induced him to expunge."

I know only of two manuscripts of the Creed of Piers Ploughman, one in the British Museum (MS. Reg. 18, B. XVII.), the other in the Library of Trinity College, Cambridge, both on paper, and written long after the date of the printed editions, from which they appear to have been copied.

The first printed edition of the Vision was that of Robert Crowley, in 1550; and it was so favourably received, that there is reason for believing that no less than three editions (or rather three impressions[20]) were sold in the course of the year. It is clear that Crowley had obtained an excellent manuscript; the printer has changed the orthography at will, and has evidently altered a word at times, but on the whole this printed text differs very little from the one we now publish.

Three years after the appearance of the Vision, another printer, Reynold Wolfe, published the first edition of the Creed, in the same form as Crowley's edition of the Vision.[21]

After the stormy reign of Mary was past, in the beginning of that of Elizabeth, the call for a new edition, and perhaps the destruction of many copies of the old one, led the well-known printer Owen Rogers to reprint the Vision and the Creed together.[22] The impression was probably large, for it is still by no means a rare book. It was evidently much read during the reign of Elizabeth, and is not unfrequently alluded to by the writers of that age.

No other edition of this popular poem appeared, until it was published by Dr. Whitaker, in 1813,[23] from a manuscript then in the possession of Mr. Heber,[24] which contained the second text, written in a rather broad provincial dialect. This edition was printed in black-letter, in a very large and expensive form. In 1814, a reprint of the old edition of the Creed was published in the same form, as a companion to the Vision. It is not generally known that Dr. Whitaker projected an edition of the same text and paraphrase which are given in his 4to edition, in 8vo, with Roman type instead of black-letter. After a few sheets had been composed, the design was abandoned, as it is said, in favour of the larger form. A copy of the proof sheets, formerly belonging to Mr. Haslewood, is now in the possession of Sir Frederick Madden. I am told that a rival edition was also begun, but not persevered in.

An attempt at a modernization, or rather a translation, of Piers Ploughman, was made in the earlier years of the present century, but only a few specimens appear to have been executed. The following lines, which possess some merit (though not very literal or correct), are the modern version the author proposed to give of ll. 2847-2870 of the poem. They were communicated to me by Sir Henry Ellis.

"Next AVARICE came: but how he look'd, to say, Words do I want that rightly shall portray: Like leathern purse his shrivell'd cheeks did shew, Thick lipp'd, with two blear eyes and beetle brow: In a torn threadbare tabard was he clad, Which twelve whole winters now in wear he had; French scarlet 'twas, its colour well it kept, So smooth that louse upon its surface crept."

It will be necessary, in conclusion, to say a few words on the edition now offered to the public. Without taking into consideration the inaccuracies and imperfections of Whitaker's edition, its inconvenient size and high price made it altogether inaccessible to the general reader; and there appeared to be a wish for one in a more convenient and less expensive form. At the same time it was desired that a good text of a work so important for the history of our language and literature should be selected. Dr. Whitaker was not well qualified for this undertaking; he also laboured under many disadvantages; he had access to only three manuscripts, and those not very good ones; and he has not chosen the best text even of those. Unless he had some reason to believe that the book was originally written in a particular dialect, he ought to have given a preference to that among the oldest manuscripts which presents the purest language; but we cannot allow that manuscript to be chosen on a ground so capricious as "that the orthography and dialect in which it is written approach very near to that semi-Saxon jargon in the midst of which the editor was brought up, and which he continues to hear daily spoken on the confines of Lancashire, and the West Riding of the county of York." (Pref.) This could not have been the language employed by a monk of Malvern.

The present editor has endeavoured, in the leisure moments which he has been able to snatch from other employments, to supply the deficiency as well, and in as unassuming manner, as he could. He has chosen for his text a manuscript belonging to the valuable library of Trinity College, Cambridge (where its shelf-mark is B. 15, 17), because it appears to him to be the best and oldest manuscript now in existence. It is a fine folio manuscript, on vellum, written in a large hand, undoubtedly contemporary with the author of the poem, and in remarkably pure English, with ornamented initial letters. His object has been to give the poem as popular a form as is consistent with philological correctness. He has added a few notes which occurred to him in the course of editing the text, and which he hopes may render the meaning and allusions sometimes clearer to the general reader, for whom more especially they are intended. They might have been enlarged and rendered more complete, if he had been master of sufficient leisure to enable him to undertake extensive researches. But there are allusions, as well as words, in both poems to which it would be difficult at present to give any certain explanation. It has been thought advisable to give in the notes the important variations of the second text, from Dr. Whitaker's edition; and a few readings are added from a second manuscript in Trinity College Library (R. 3, 14). The editor has hoped to add to the utility of the book by a copious glossary. He has been unwillingly obliged to leave a few words without explanation; all our early alliterative poetry abounds in difficult words. In this point he has to acknowledge the kind assistance of Sir Frederick Madden, whom no person equals in profound knowledge of English glossography, and than whom no one is more generous to advise and assist those who are in need of his aid. To Sir Henry Ellis, who kindly lent him his own manuscript notes on Piers Ploughman, the editor also owes his grateful acknowledgments; and he regrets that at the time he received them the notes were already so far printed as to hinder him from making as much use of them as he could have wished.

_London, June 1, 1842._

* * * * *

THE VISION OF PIERS PLOUGHMAN

* * * * *

{1}

THE VISION OF

PIERS PLOUGHMAN.

In a somer seson, 1 Whan softe was the sonne, I shoop me into shroudes As I a sheep weere, In habite as an heremite Unholy of werkes, Wente wide in this world Wondres to here; Ac on a May morwenynge On Malverne hilles 10 Me bifel a ferly, Of fairye me thoghte. I was wery for-wandred, And wente me to reste Under a brood bank By a bournes syde; And as I lay and lenede, And loked on the watres, I slombred into a slepyng, It sweyed so murye. 20 {2}

Thanne gan I meten A merveillous swevene, That I was in a wildernesse, Wiste I nevere where, And as I biheeld into the eest An heigh to the sonne, I seigh a tour on a toft Trieliche y-maked, A deep dale bynethe, A dongeon therinne, 30 With depe diches and derke And dredfulle of sighte. A fair feeld ful of folk Fond I ther bitwene, Of alle manere of men, The meene and the riche, Werchynge and wandrynge, As the world asketh.

Some putten hem to the plough, Pleiden ful selde, 40 In settynge and sowynge Swonken ful harde, And wonnen that wastours With glotonye destruyeth.

And somme putten hem to pride, Apparailed hem therafter, In contenaunce of clothynge Comen degised.

In preires and penaunces Putten hem manye, 50 Al for the love of oure Lord Lyveden ful streyte, In hope to have after Hevene riche blisse; {3} As ancres and heremites That holden hem in hire selles, And coveiten noght in contree To carien aboute, For no likerous liflode Hire likame to plese. 60

And somme chosen chaffare; Thei cheveden the bettre, As it semeth to our sight That swiche men thryveth.

And somme murthes to make, As mynstralles konne, And geten gold with hire glee, Giltles, I leeve.

Ac japeres and jangeleres, Judas children, 70 Feynen hem fantasies, And fooles hem maketh, And han hire wit at wille To werken, if thei wolde. That Poul precheth of hem I wol nat preve it here; But _Qui loquitur turpiloquium_ Is Luciferes hyne.

Bidderes and beggeres Faste aboute yede, 80 With hire belies and hire bagges Of breed ful y-crammed; Faiteden for hire foode, Foughten at the ale. In glotonye, God woot, Go thei to bedde, And risen with ribaudie, Tho Roberdes knaves; {4} Sleep and sory sleuthe Seweth hem evere. 90

Pilgrymes and palmeres Plighten hem togidere, For to seken seint Jame, And seintes at Rome. They wenten forth in hire wey, With many wise tales, And hadden leve to lyen Al hire lif after.

I seigh somme that seiden Thei hadde y-sought seintes; 100 To ech a tale that thei tolde Hire tonge was tempred to lye, Moore than to seye sooth, It semed bi hire speche.

Heremytes on an heep With hoked staves Wenten to Walsyngham, And hire wenches after, Grete lobies and longe That lothe were to swynke; 110 Clothed hem in copes, To ben knowen from othere; And shopen hem heremytes, Hire ese to have.

I fond there freres, Alle the foure ordres, Prechynge the peple For profit of hemselve; Glosed the gospel, As hem good liked; 120 For coveitise of copes, Construwed it as thei wolde. {5} Many of thise maistre freres Now clothen hem at likyng, For hire moneie and hire marchaundize Marchen togideres. For sith charité hath ben chapman, And chief to shryve lordes, Manye ferlies han fallen In a fewe yeres; 130 But holy chirche and hii Holde bettre togidres, The mooste meschief on molde Is mountynge wel faste.

Ther preched a pardoner, As he a preest were; Broughte forth a bulle With many bisshopes seles, And seide that hymself myghte Assoillen hem alle, 140 Of falshede, of fastynge, Of avowes y-broken.

Lewed men leved it wel, And liked hise wordes; Comen up knelynge To kissen hise bulles. He bouched hem with his brevet, And blered hire eighen, And raughte with his rageman Rynges and broches. 150

Thus thei gyven hire gold Glotons to kepe, And leveth in swiche losels As leccherie haunten.

Were the bisshope y-blessed, And worth bothe hise eris, {6} His seel sholde noght be sent To deceyve the peple. Ac it is noght by the bisshope That the boy precheth; 160 For the parisshe preest and the pardoner Parten the silver, That the poraille of the parisshe Sholde have, if thei ne were.

Parsons and parisshe preestes Pleyned hem to the bisshope, That hire parisshes weren povere Sith the pestilence tyme, To have a licence and leve At London to dwelle, 170 And syngen ther for symonie; For silver is swete.

Bisshopes and bachelers, Bothe maistres and doctours, That han cure under Crist, And crownynge in tokene And signe that thei sholden Shryven hire parisshens, Prechen and praye for hem, And the povere fede, 180 Liggen at Londone In Lenten and ellis.

Somme serven the kyng, And his silver tellen In cheker and in chauncelrie, Chalangen hise dettes Of wardes and of wardemotes, Weyves and streyves.

And somme serven as servauntz Lordes and ladies, 190 {7} And in stede of stywardes Sitten and demen; Hire messe and hire matyns And many of hire houres Arn doon un-devoutliche; Drede is at the laste, Lest Crist in consistorie A-corse ful manye.

I perceyved of the power That Peter hadde to kepe, 200 To bynden and unbynden, As the book telleth; How he it lefte with love, As oure Lord highte, Amonges foure vertues, The beste of alle vertues, That cardinals ben called, And closynge yates. There is Crist in his kingdom To close and to shette, 210 And to opene it to hem, And hevene blisse shewe.

Ac of the cardinals at court That kaughte of that name, And power presumed in hem A pope to make, To han that power that Peter hadde, Impugnen I nelle; For in love and in lettrure The election bilongeth, 220 For-thi I kan and kan naught Of court speke moore.

Thanne kam ther a kyng, Knyghthod hym ladde, {8} Might of the communes Made hym to regne.

And thanne cam kynde wit, And clerkes he made, For to counseillen the kyng, And the commune save. 230

The kyng and knyghthod, And clergie bothe, Casten that the commune Sholde hemself fynde.

The commune contreved Of kynde wit craftes, And for profit of al the peple Plowmen ordeyned, To tilie and to travaille, As trewe lif asketh. 240

The kyng and the commune, And kynde wit the thridde, Shopen lawe and leauté, Ech man to knowe his owene.

Thanne loked up a lunatik, A leene thyng with-alle, And, knelynge to the kyng, Clergially he seide:

"Crist kepe thee, sire kyng! And thi kyng-ryche, 250 And lene thee lede thi lond, So leauté thee lovye, And for thi rightful rulyng Be rewarded in hevene."

And sithen in the eyr an heigh An aungel of hevene Lowed to speke in Latyn, For lewed men ne koude {9} Jangle ne jugge, That justifie hem sholde, 260 But suffren and serven; For-thi seide the aungel: _Sum rex, sum princeps, Neutrum fortasse deinceps; O qui jura regis Christi specialia regis, Hoc quod agas melius, Justus es, esto pius. Nudum jus a te Vestiri vult pietate; 270 Qualia vis metere, Talia grana sere. Si jus nudatur, Nudo de jure metatur; Si seritur pietas, De pietate metas._

Thanne greved hym a goliardeis, A gloton of wordes, And to the aungel an heigh Answerde after: 280 _Dum rex a regere Dicatur nomen habere; Nomen habet sine re, Nisi studet jura tenere._

Thanne gan al the commune Crye in vers of Latyn, To the kynges counseil; Construe who so wolde: _Præcepta regis Sunt nobis vincula legis._ 290

With that ran ther a route Of ratons at ones, {10} And smale mees myd hem Mo than a thousand, And comen to a counseil For the commune profit; For a cat of a contree Cam whan hym liked, And overleep hem lightliche, And laughte hem at his wille, 300 And pleide with hem perillousli, And possed aboute. "For doute of diverse dredes, We dar noght wel loke; And if we grucche of his gamen, He wol greven us alle, Cracchen us or clawen us, And in hise clouches holde, That us lotheth the lif Er he late us passe. 310 Mighte we with any wit His wille withstonde, We mighte be lordes o-lofte, And lyven at oure ese."

A raton of renoun, Moost renable of tonge, Seide for a sovereyn Help to hymselve:

"I have y-seyen segges," quod he "In the cité of Londone, 320 Beren beighes ful brighte Abouten hire nekkes, And somme colers of crafty werk; Uncoupled thei wenten Bothe in wareyne and in waast Where hemself liked. {11} And outher while thei arn ellis-where, As I here telle; Were ther a belle on hire beighe, By Jhesu, as me thynketh, 330 Men myghte witen wher thei wente, And awey renne!"

"And right so," quod that raton, "Reson me sheweth, To bugge a belle of bras, Or of bright silver, And knytten it on a coler For oure commune profit, Wher he ryt or rest, Or renneth to pleye; 340 And if hym list for to laike, Thanne loke we mowen, And peeren in his presence The while him pleye liketh: And, if hym wratheth, be war, And his way shonye."

Al this route of ratons To this reson thei assented. Ac tho the belle was y-brought, And on the beighe hanged, 350 Ther ne was raton in al the route, For al the reaume of Fraunce, That dorste have bounden the belle About the cattes nekke, Ne hangen it aboute the cattes hals, Al Engelond to wynne. Alle helden hem un-hardy, And hir counseil feble; And leten hire labour lost And al hire longe studie. 360 {12}

A mous that muche good Kouthe, as me thoughte, Strook forth sternely, And stood bifore hem alle, And to the route of ratons Reherced thise wordes:

"Though we killen the cat, Yet sholde ther come another To cacchen us and al oure kynde, Though we cropen under benches. 370 For-thi I counseille al the commune To late the cat worthe; And be we nevere bolde The belle hym to shewe; For I herde my sire seyn, Is seven yeer y-passed, Ther the cat is a kitone The court is ful elenge; That witnesseth holy writ, Who so wole it rede: 380 _Væ terræ ubi puer rex est! etc._ For may no renk ther reste have For ratons by nyghte; The while he caccheth conynges, He coveiteth noght youre caroyne, But fedeth hym al with venyson: Defame we hym nevere. For better is a litel los Than a long sorwe, The maze among us alle, 390 Theigh we mysse a sherewe; For many mennes malt We mees wolde destruye, And also ye route of ratons {13} Rende mennes clothes, Nere the cat of that court That can yow over-lepe; For hadde ye rattes youre wille, Ye kouthe noght rule yow selve."

"I seye for me," quod the mous, 400 "I se so muchel after, Shal nevere the cat ne the kiton By my counseil be greved, Thorugh carpynge of this coler That costed me nevere And though it hadde costned me catel, Bi-knowen it I nolde, But suffren, as hymself wolde, To doon as hym liketh, Coupled and uncoupled 410 To cacche what thei mowe. For-thi ech a wis wight I warne, Wite wel his owene."

What this metels by-meneth, Ye men that ben murye Devyne ye, for I ne dar, By deere God in hevene.

Yet hoved ther an hundred In howves of selk, Sergeantz it bi-semed 420 That serveden at the barre, Pleteden for penyes And poundes the lawe; And noght for love of our Lord Unclose hire lippes ones. Thow myghtest bettre meete myst On Malverne hilles, Than gete a mom of hire mouth, {14} Til moneie be shewed.

Barons and burgeises, 430 And bonde-men als, I seigh in this assemblee, As ye shul here after: Baksteres and brewesteres, And bochiers manye; Wollen webbesters, And weveres of lynnen, Taillours and tynkers, And tollers in markettes, Masons and mynours, 440 And many othere craftes. Of alle kynne lybbynge laborers Lopen forth somme, As dikeres and delveres, That doon hire dedes ille, And dryveth forth the longe day With _Dieu save dame Emme_.

Cokes and hire knaves Cryden, "Hote pies, hote! Goode gees and grys! 450 Gowe, dyne, gowe!"

Taverners until hem Trewely tolden the same, Whit wyn of Oseye, And reed wyn of Gascoigne, Of the Ryn and of the Rochel, The roost to defie. [Al this I saugh slepynge, And seve sithes more.] 459

* * * * *

{15}

_Passus Primus de Visione._

What this mountaigne by-meneth 460 And the merke dale, And the feld ful of folk, I shal yow faire shewe.

A lovely lady of leere, In lynnen y-clothed, Cam doun from a castel And called me faire, And seide, "Sone, slepestow? Sestow this peple, How bisie thei ben 470 Alle aboute the maze? The mooste partie of this peple That passeth on this erthe, Have thei worship in this world, Thei wilne no bettre; Of oother hevene than here Holde thei no tale."

I was a-fered of hire face, Theigh she fair weere, And seide, "Mercy, madame, 480 What is this to meene?"

"The tour on the toft," quod she, "Truthe is therinne; {16} And wolde that ye wroughte, As his word techeth! For he is fader of feith, And formed yow alle Bothe with fel and with face, And yaf yow fyve wittes, For to worshipe hym therwith, 490 While that ye ben here. And therfore he highte the erthe To helpe yow echone, Of wollene, of lynnen, Of liflode at nede, In mesurable manere To make yow at ese; And comaunded of his curteisie In commune three thynges, Are none nedfulle but tho, 500 And nempne hem I thynke, And rekene hem by reson; Reherce thow hem after.

"That oon vesture, From cold thee to save; And mete at meel For mysese of thiselve; And drynke whan thow driest; Ac do noght out of reson, That thow worthe the wers 510 Whan thow werche sholdest.