Piers Plowman: The Prologue

Piers Plowman: The Prologue

Original Text
unspecified ("A-text").
1In a somer sesun, whon softe was the sonne,
2I schop me into a shroud, as I a scheep were;
3In habite as an hermite unholy of werkes
4Wente I wyde in this world wondres to here;
5Bote in a Mayes morwnynge on Malverne hulles
6Me bifel a ferly, of fairie, me-thoughte.
7I was wery, forwandred, and wente me to reste
8Undur a brod banke bi a bourne side;
9And as I lay and leonede and lokede on the watres,
10I slumbrede in a slepynge, hit swyed so murie.
11Thenne gon I meeten a mervelous sweven,
12That I was in a wildernesse, wuste I never where;
13And as I beheold into the est an heigh to the sonne,
14I sauh a tour on a toft, tryelyche i-maket;
15A deop dale bineothe, a dungun ther-inne,
16With deop dich and derk and dredful of sighte.
17A feir feld full of folk fond I ther bitwene,
18Of alle maner of men, the mene and the riche,
19Worchinge and wandringe as the world asketh.
20Summe putten hem to the plough, pleiden ful seldene,
21In settynge and in sowynge swonken ful harde,
22And wonnen that theos wasturs with glotonye distruen.
23And summe putten hem to pruide, apparaylden hem ther-after,
24In cuntenaunce of clothinge comen disgisid.
25To preyeres and to penaunce putten hem monye,
26For love of ur Lord liveden ful streite,
27In hope for to have hevene-riche blisse;
28As ancres and hermytes that holdeth hem in heore celles,
29Coveyte not in cuntré to cairen aboute,
30For non likerous lyflode heore licam to plese.
31And summe chosen chaffare to cheeven the bettre,
32As hit semeth to ure sighte that suche men thryveth;
33And summe, murthhes to maken as munstrals cunne,
34And gete gold with here gle, giltles, I trowe.
35Bote japers and jangelers, Judas children,
36Founden hem fantasyes and fooles hem maaden,
37And habbeth wit at heore wille to worchen yif hem luste.
38That Poul precheth of hem, I dar not preoven heere;
39Qui loquitur turpiloquium he is Luciferes hyne.
40Bidders and beggers faste aboute eoden,
41Til heor bagges and heore balies weren bretful i-crommet;
42Feyneden hem for heore foode, foughten atte ale;
43In glotonye, God wot, gon heo to bedde,
44And ryseth up with ribaudye this roberdes knaves;
45Sleep and sleughthe suweth hem evere.
46Pilgrimes and palmers plihten hem togederes
47For to seche Seint Jame and seintes at Roome;
48Wenten forth in heore wey with mony wyse tales,
49And hedden leve to lyen al heore lyf aftir.
50Ermytes on an hep with hokide staves,
51Wenten to Walsyngham and here wenchis after;
52Grete lobres and longe that loth weore to swynke
53Clotheden hem in copes to beo knowen for bretheren;
54And summe schopen hem to hermytes heore ese to have.
55I fond there freres, all the foure ordres,
56Prechinge the peple for profyt of heore wombes,
57Glosynge the Gospel as hem good liketh,
58For covetyse of copes construeth hit ille;
59For monye of this maistres mowen clothen hem at lyking,
60For moneye and heore marchaundie meeten togedere;
61Seththe Charité hath be chapmon, and cheef to schriven lordes,
62Mony ferlyes han bifalle in a fewe yeres.
63But Holychirche and heo holde bet togedere,
64The moste mischeef on molde is mountyng up faste.
65Ther prechede a pardoner, as he a prest were,
66And brought forth a bulle with bisschopes seles,
67And seide that himself mighte asoylen hem alle
68Of falsnesse and fastinge and of vouwes i-broken.
69The lewede men levide him wel and likede his speche,
70And comen up knelynge to kissen his bulle;
71He bonchede hem with his brevet and blered heore eiyen,
72And raughte with his ragemon ringes and broches.
73Thus ye yiveth oure gold glotonis to helpen!
74And leveth hit to losels that lecherie haunten.
75Weore the bisschop i-blesset and worth bothe his eres,
76His sel shulde not be sent to deceyve the peple.
77It is not al bi the bisschop that the boye precheth,
78Bote the parisch prest and the pardoner parte the selver
79That the pore peple of the parisch schulde have yif that heo ne weore,
80Persones and parisch prestes playneth to heore bisschops,
81That heore parisch hath ben pore seththe the pestilence tyme,
82To have a lycence and leve at Londun to dwelle,
83To singe ther for simonye, for selver is swete.
84Ther hovide an hundret in houves of selke,
85Serjauns hit semide to serven atte barre;
86Pleden for pens and poundes the lawe,
87Not for love of ur Lord unloseth heore lippes ones,
88Thou mightest beter meten the myst on Malverne hulles
89Then geten a mom of heore mouth til moneye weore schewed!
90I saugh ther bisschops bolde and bachilers of divyne
91Bicoome clerkes of acounte the king for to serven.
92Erchedekenes and denis, that dignité haven
93To preche the peple and pore men to feede,
94Beon lopen to Londun, bi leve of heore bisschopes,
95To ben clerkes of the Kynges Benche the cuntré to schende
96Barouns and burgeis and bonde-men also
97I saugh in that semblé, as ye schul heren aftur,
98Bakers, bochers, and breusters monye,
99Wollene-websteris, and weveris of lynen,
100Taillours, tanneris, and tokkeris bothe,
101Masons, minours, and mony other craftes,
102Dykers, and delvers, that don heore dedes ille,
103And driveth forth the longe day with "Deu vous save, Dam Emme!"
104Cookes and heore knaves cryen "Hote pies, hote!
105"Goode gees and grys! Go we dyne, go we!"
106Taverners to hem tolde the same tale,
107With wyn of Oseye and win of Gaskoyne,
108Of the Ryn and of the Rochel, the rost to defye,
109Al this I saugh slepynge and seve sithes more.

Notes

1] Full title, The Vision of William concerning Piers the Plowman. There are some 45 MSS. of the 14th and 15th centuries. There are three versions of the poem, the A-text (ca. 1362), the B-text (ca. 1377), and the C-text (ca. 1393). First printed 1550. The author is thought to have been William Langland, native of Shropshire and later resident in London as a clerk in minor orders. Some hold that he wrote only the prologue and first eight passus of the A-text and that the remainder, with the two later texts, is the work of other men. The poem consists of a series of allegorical visions which satirize the political and social abuses of the time. Back to Line
2] I arrayed myself in a garment as if were a shepherd. Back to Line
5] Malverne huller. Malvern Hills between Worcestershire and Herefordshire, near the supposed birth-place of the poet. Back to Line
6] ferly. Marvel.
fairie. Enchantment. Back to Line
7] forwandred. Worn out with wandering. Back to Line
8] bourne. Burn's, brook's. Back to Line
9] leonede. Leaned. Back to Line
10] swyed so murie. Sounded so pleasantly. Back to Line
11] meeten a sweven. Dream a dream. Back to Line
12] wuste. Knew. Back to Line
14] sauh. Saw.
tour. Tower.
toft. Open space. (The tower symbolizes Heaven, the dungeon Hell, and the field Earth.)
tryelyche. Choicely, skilfully.
i-maket. Made. Back to Line
18] mene. Mean, common. Back to Line
20] pleiden. Played. Back to Line
21] settynge. Planting.
swonken. Toiled. Back to Line
22] And won what these wasters destroy by their gluttony. Back to Line
23] Some gave themselves up to pride (i.e., display) and dressed themselves accordingly, came disguised in the fashion of their clothing. Back to Line
25] Putten hem monye. Many applied themselves. Back to Line
28] ancres. Anchorites.
holdeth hem. Keep themselves. Back to Line
29] cairen. Roam. Back to Line
30] non likerous lyflode. Any luxurious food.
licam. Body. Back to Line
31] chaffare. Trade.
cheeven. Succeed. Back to Line
33] cunne. Know how. Back to Line
35] Bote. But. Back to Line
38] preoven. Adduce. Back to Line
39] He who speaks slander is Lucifer's servant. (The Latin quotation is not from St. Paul and has not been identified.) Back to Line
40] eoden. Went. Back to Line
41] balies. Bellies.
bretful i-crommet. Crammed brim-full. Back to Line
42] Feyneden hem. Practised deception.
atte. At the. Back to Line
44] this roberdes knaves. These robber rascals. Back to Line
45] steughth. Sloth.
suweth. Follow. Back to Line
46] plihten hem. Pledged themselves. Back to Line
47] seche. Seek.
Seint Jame. The shrine of St. James at Compostella in Spain. Back to Line
50] Ermytes. Hermits.
on an hep. In a crowd. Back to Line
51] Walsyngham. The shrine of Our Lady of Walsingham in Norfolk. Back to Line
52] lobres. Lubbers.
swynke. Labour. Back to Line
54] schopen hem to hermytes. Shaped, made themselves into hermits. Back to Line
55] foure ordres. The Carmelites (white friars), Augustines (Austin friars), Dominicans (black friars), and Franciscans or Minorites (gray friars). Back to Line
56] wombes. Bellies. Back to Line
57] Glosyng. Interpreting, with already the bad sense of explaining away or wresting. Back to Line
58] On account of their covetousness of fine cloaks they mistranslate it. Back to Line
59] mowen. May. Back to Line
60] Money and their trade are closely related. Back to Line
61] Since these charitable orders have become traders and are the principal confessors of noblemen. Back to Line
62] ferlyes. See on 1. 6. Back to Line
63] But. Unless.
heo. She, or they.
bet. Better (the adverbial form). Back to Line
64] molde. Earth. Back to Line
65] pardoner. A seller of indulgences. See Chaucer's Prologue, 669-714. Back to Line
67] asoylen. Absolve. Back to Line
68] vouwes i-broken. Broken vows. Back to Line
69] lewede. Ignorant (O.E. Iœewed, lay, unlearned).
levide. Believed. Back to Line
71] bonchede. Struck.
brevet. Letter (of indulgence).
blered heore eiyen. Bleared their eyes, deluded them. Back to Line
72] raughte. Reached, i.e. got.
ragemon. A document with a long list of names; sometimes called rageman-rolle, hence modern rigmarole. Here the papal licence with the names and seals of many bishops attached. See Chaucer, Cant. Tales, C, 334-342. Back to Line
73] yiveth. Give.
oure. Your. Back to Line
74] losels. Rascals.
haunten. Practise. Back to Line
75] eres. Ears. Back to Line
79] yif that heo ne weore. If they did not exist, if it were not for them. Back to Line
80] Persones. Parsons.
playneth. Complain. Back to Line
81] seththe. Since.
pestilence. The Black Death of 1348-9; there was a second plague in 1361-2, shortly before this was written. Back to Line
83] singe ther for simonye. To obtain appointments as chantry-priests to sing masses for the souls of the dead at better pay and with less labour than that entailed by their parish duties. Hence the accusation of simony (see Acts, viii.18). Back to Line
84] hoved. Hovered, lingered about.
houves of selke. Silk coifs or hoods. Back to Line
85] Serjauns. Sergeants, lawyers of high rank. See the description of one in Chaucer's Prologue, 309-330. Back to Line
87] ones. Once. Back to Line
88] meten. Measure. Back to Line
89] mom. Mumble. Back to Line
90] divyne. Divinity. Back to Line
91] clerkes of acounte. Accountants. Back to Line
94] Ben lopen. Have leapt, i.e. run. Back to Line
95] schende. Injure. Back to Line
96] burgeis. Burgesses. Back to Line
97] semblé. Assembly. Back to Line
98] bochers. Butchers.
breusters. Brewers. Back to Line
99] Wollene-websteris. Weavers of wool. Back to Line
100] tokkeris. Tuckers, finishers of cloth. Back to Line
101] minours. Miners. Back to Line
102] Dykers. Diggers of ditches.
don heore dedes ille. Do their work badly. Back to Line
103] And spend the whole day long in singing popular songs. The song "God save you, Dame Emma" may have been the same as a ballad sung by a minstrel at Winchester in 1338, telling of the trial of Emma, wife of King Canute, for adultery, and with a refrain as above sung by the audience. Back to Line
104] knaves. Boys, servants. Back to Line
105] gryse: pigs. Back to Line
107] Oseye: Alsace. Back to Line
108] Ryn: Rhine.
defye: defy, i.e., withstand, digest. Back to Line
109] seve sithes more. Seven times more than this. Back to Line
Publication Start Year
1370
RPO poem Editors
N. J. Endicott
RPO Edition
2RP.1.6; RPO 1996-2000.