Leel and ful of love,
And no lord dreden,
Merciable to meek,
And mylde to the goode,
And bytynge on badde men
Bote yf thei wolde amende,
And dredeth nat for no deth
To distruye by here powere
Lecherie among lordes,
And hure luther custymes,
And sithen lyve as thei lereth men,
Oure lorde Treuthe hem graunteth,
To be peeres to Apostles, &c.
4525. _sette scolers to scole._ It was common in the _scholastic_ ages for
scholars to wander about gathering money to support them at the
universities. In a poem in MS. Lansdowne, No. 762, the husbandman,
complaining of the many burdens he supports in taxes to the court, payments
to the church, and charitable contributions of different kinds, enumerates
among the latter the alms to scholars:--
Than cometh clerkys of Oxford, and mak their mone,
To her scole-hire they most have money.
4547. Psa. xiv, 5. Qui pecuniam suam non dedit ad usuram, et munera super
innocentem non accepit.
4571. Psa. xiv, 1.
4593. Matt. vii, 12. Luke vi, 31.
4618. _the clerc of stories._ Called, elsewhere, _maister of stories_.
These names were given popularly to Peter Comestor, author of the famous
Historia Scolastica, a paraphrase of the Bible history, with abundance of
legendary matter added to it. The title given him by the author of Piers
Ploughman is not uncommon in English treatises of the fourteenth and
fifteenth centuries. Lydgate, Minor Poems, p. 102 (Ed. Halliwell), speaks
of Comestor thus:--
_Maister of storyes_, this doctour ful notable,
Holding a chalice here in a sonne cliere.
4619. _Catons techyng._ "Cui des videto," is the twenty-third of the
"Distichorum Lemmata" of Dionysius Cato.
4621. Instead of ll. 4621-4658, the following long and curious passage is
substituted in the text adopted by Mr. Whitaker:--
Wot no man, as ich wene,
Who is worthy to have.
The most needy aren oure neighebores,
And we nyme good hede;
As prisoners in puttes,
And poore folke in cotes
Charged with children
And chef lordes rente,
That thei spynnynge may spare,
Spynen hit in hous hyre,
Bothe in mylk and in mele.
To maken with papelotes
To aglotye with here gurles
That greden after fode.
Al so hemselve
Suffren muche hunger,
And wo in winter tyme;
With wakyng a-nyghtes
To ryse to the ruel,
To rocke the cradel,
Bothe to karde and to kembe,
To clouten and to wasche,
To rubbe and to rely,
Russhes to pilie,
That reuthe is to rede
Othere in ryme shewe
The wo that theese women
That wonyeth in cotes,
And of meny other men
That muche wo suffren,
Bothe a-fyngrede and a-furst,
To turne the fayre outwarde;
And beth abasshed for to begge,
And wolle nat be y-knowe
What hem needeth att here neihebores
At non and at even.
This Wit wot witerly,
As the world techeth,
What other byhoveth
That hath meny children.
And hath no catel bote hus crafte
To clothy hem and to fede,
And fele to fonge therto,
And fewe pans taketh.
Ther is payn and peny ale,
As for a pytaunce y-take;
Cold flesch and cold fyssh,
For veneson y-bake.
Frydays and fastyng-dayes
Ferthyng worth of muscles
Were a feste for suche a folke,
Other so fele cockes.
Theese were almes to helpe
That han suche charges,
And to comforte suche cotyers,
And crokede men and blynde.
Ac beggers with bagges, the wiche
Brewhouses ben here churches,
Bote thei be blynde other broke,
Other elles syke,
Thauh he falle for defaute,
That faiteth for hus lyflode,
Reicheth nevere, ye ryche,
Thauh suche lorelles sterven;
For all that han here hele
And here eyen syghte,
And lymes to laborye with,
And lolleres lyf usen,
Lyven ayens Godes lawe,
And love of holy churche.
And yut arn ther other beggers,
In hele, as it semeth;
Ac hem wanteth here witt,
Men and women bothe,
The wiche aren lunatik lollers
And leperes aboute,
And mad, as the mone sitt,
More other lasse:
Thei caren for no cold,
Ne counteth of no hete,
And are mevenge after the mone,
Moneyles thei walke,
With a good wil wit-lees,
Meny wyde contreys,
Ryght as Peter dude and Paul,
Save that thei preche nat,
Ne myracles maken;
Ac meny tymes hem happeth
To prophetien of the puple,
Pleyninge, as hit were,
And to oure sight, as hit semeth,
Suththe God hath the myghte
To yeven eche a whit wit,
Welthe, and his hele,
And suffreth suche so gon,
Hit semeth to myn inwitt,
Hit arn as hus aposteles suche puple,
Other as his prevye disciples;
For he sente hem forth selverles,
In a somer garnement,
Withoute bred and bagge,
As the Bok telleth.
_Quando misi vos sine pane et pera._
Bar fot and bred-les,
Beggeth thei of no man;
And thauh he mete with the meyere
In mydest the strete,
He reverenceth hym ryght nouht
No rather than another.
_Neminem salutaveris per viam_,
Suche manere of men,
Matheu ous techeth,
We sholde have hem to house,
And help hem when thei come.
_Et egenos vagosque induc in domum tuam._
For hit aren murye mouthede men,
Mynstrales of hevene
And Godes boyes bordiours,
As the Bok telleth.
_Si quis videtur sapiens, fiet stultus ut
sit sapiens._
And alle manere mynstrales,
Men wot wel the sothe,
To underfonge hem faire
Byfalle for the ryche;
For the lordes love and ladies
That thei with lengen,
Men suffren al that suche seyn,
And in solas taken;
And yut more to suche men
Doth, er thei passe,
Gyven hem gyftes and gold,
For grete lordes sake.
Ryght so, ye riche,
Rather ye sholde, for sothe,
Wolcomen and worsshepen
And with youre goode helpen
Godes mynstrales, and hus messagers,
And hus murye burdiers,
The wiche are lunatik lollares
And leperes aboute.
For under Godes secré seel
Here synnes ben y-keverede.
For thei bereth no bagges,
Ne non botels under clokes,
The wiche is lollaren lyf
And lewede eremytes,
That loken ful louheliche
To lacchen mennes almesse,
In hope to suten at even
By the hote coles,
Unlouke hus legges abrod,
Other lygge at hus ese,
Reste hym and roste hym,
And his ryg turne,
Drynke drue and deepe,
And drawe hym thanne to bedde,
And when hym lyketh and lust
Hus leve ys is to aryse;
When he rysen, rometh out,
And ryght wel aspieth
War he may rathest have a repast,
Other a rounde of bacon,
Sulver other fode-mete
And some tyme bothe,
A loof other alf a loof,
Other a lompe of chese,
And carieth it hom to hus cote,
And cast hym to lyve
In ydelnesse and in ese,
And by others travayle.
And wat frek of thys tolde
Fisketh thus aboute
With a bagge at hus bak,
Abegeneldes wyse,
And can som manere craft,
In cas he wolde hit use.
Thorgh wiche craft he couthe come
To bred and to ale,
And ovar more to an hater
To helye with hus bones,
And lyveth like a lollere,
Godes lawe him dampneth.
Lolleres lyvinge in sleuthe,
And overe lond stryken,
Beeth nat in thys bulle, quath Peers,
Til thei ben amended.
Nother beggars that beggen,
Bote yf thei have neede.
The Bok blameth alle beggerye,
And banneth in this manere: etc.
4645. Luke xix, 23.
4659. Ps. xxxvi, 25. Junior fui, etenim senui: et non vidi justum
derelictum, nec semen ejus quærens panem.
4695. Here again, after many verbal variations from our text, Whitaker's
text adds the following long passage, which is very curious, and well
worthy to be preserved. Whitaker calls it "one of the finest passages in
the whole poem."
Ac eremites that enhabiten hem
By the heye weyes,
And in borwes among brewesters,
And beggen in churches
Al that holy eremytes
Hateden and despisede,
As rychesses and reverences
And ryche mennes almesse.
These lolleres, latche-draweres,
Lewede eremytes,
Coveyten the contrarie,
As cotyers thei lybben,
For hit beth bote boyes,
Lolleres atten ale,
Of linguage of lettrure
Ne lyf-holy as eremytes
That wonnede wyle in wodes
With beres and lyones.
Some had lyflode of here lynage,
And of no lyf elles;
And some lyvede by here lettrure
And labour of here hondes;
Some had foreynes to frendes,
That hem fode sente;
And bryddes brouhten to some bred,
Werby thei lyveden.
Alle thuse holy eremytes
Were of hye kynne,
Forsoke londe and lordshep
And lykynges of the body;
Ac thuse eremytes, that edefyen
Thus by the hye weyes,
Wylen were workmen,
Webbes and taillours,
And carters knaves
And clerkus without grace,
Heelden hungry hous,
And had much defaute,
Long labour and lyte wynnynge,
And atte laste aspiden
That faitours in frere clothynge
Had fatte chekus;
For-thi lefte thei here laboure,
Theese lewede knaves,
And clothed hem in copes,
Clerkus as hit were.
Other on of som ordre,
Othere elles prophite,
Ayens the lawe he lyveth,
Yf Latyn be trywe:
_Non licet nobis legem voluntate, sed voluntatem
conjungere legi._
Now kyndeliche, by Crist!
Beth suche callyd lolleres,
As by Englisch of oure eldres,
Of olde menne techynge,
He that lolleth his lame,
Other his leg out of the joynte,
Other meymed in som membre,
For to meschief hit souneth;
And ryght so sothlyche
Suche manere eremytes
Lollen ayen the bylyeve
And lawe of holy churche.
For holy churche hoteth
Alle manere puple
Under obedience to bee,
And buxum to the lawe,
Furst religious of religion
Here ruele to holde,
And under obedience to be
By dayes and by nyghtes,
Lewede men to laborie,
Lordes to honte
In frythes and in forestes
For fox and other bestes
That in wilde wodes ben,
And in wast places,
As wolves that wyrhyeth men,
Wommen, and children,
And upon Sonedayes to cesse,
Godes service to huyre,
Bothe matyns and messe,
And after mete in churches
To huyre here eve song
Every man ouhte.
Thus it bylongeth for lorde,
For lered and lewede,
Eche halyday to huyre
Hollyche the service,
Vigiles and fastyng dayes
Forthere to knowe,
And fulfille tho fastynges
Bote infirmité hit made,
Poverte othere penaunces,
As pilgrymages and travayles.
Under this obedience
Arn we echone.
Who so brekyeth this, be wel war,
Bot yf he repente,
Amenden hym and mercy aske,
And meekliche hym shryve,
Ich drede me, and he deye,
Hit worth for dedlich synne
Acounted byfore Crist,
Bote Conscience excuse hym.
Loke now were theese lolleres
And lewede eremytes,
Yf thei breke thys obedience
That ben so fro churche,
Wher see we hem on Sonedays
The servise to huyre?
As matyns by the morwe
Tyl masse bygynne,
Other Sonedays at eve songe,
See we wol fewe;
Othere labory for our lyflode
As the lawe wolde
Ac at mydday meel tyme
Ich mete with hem ofte,
Conynge in a cope
As he a clerke were,
A bachelor other a beaupere
Best hym bysemeth,
And for the cloth that kevereth hem
Cald his here a frere,
Whassheth and wypeth,
And with the furste suteth.
Ac while he wrought in thys worlde,
And wan hus mete with Treuthe,
He sat atte syd benche
And secounde table,
Com no wyn in hus wombe
Thorw the weke longe,
Nother blankett in hus bed,
Ne white bred byfore hym.
The cause of al thys caitifté
Cometh of meny bisshepes,
That suffren suche sottes
And othere synnes regne.
Certes ho so thurste hit segge,
_Symon quasi dormit._
_Vigilate_ were fairour,
For thow hast gret charge:
For meny waker wolves
Ben broke into foldes.
Thyne berkeres ben al blynde,
That bryngeth forth thy lambren;
_Disperguntur oves_, thi dogge
Dar nat beerke.
The tarre is untydy
That to thyne sheep bylongeth;
Hure salve ys of _supersedeas_
In someneres boxes,
Thyne sheep are ner al shabbyd,
The wolf sheteth woolle.
_Sub molli pastore lupus lanam cacat, et
grex incustoditus dilaceratur eo._
Hoow hurde wher is thyn hounde,
And thyn hardy herte,
For to wyne the wolf
That thy woolle fouleth.
Ich leyve for thy lacchesse
Thow leest meny wederes,
And ful meny fayre flus
Falsliche wasshe.
When thy lord loketh to have
Alowance for hus bestes,
And of the monye thow haddist thermyd,
Hus meable to save,
And the woolle worth weye,
Woo ys the thenne!
_Redde rationem villicationis tuæ_,
Other arerage, ffalle.
Then hyre hurde, as ich hope,
Hath nouht to quyty thy dette,
Ther as mede ne mercy
May nat a myte avayle,
Bote have this for that,
Tho that thow toke
Mercy for mede,
And my lawe breke;
Loke now for thi lacchesse
Whether lawe wol the graunt
Purgatorie for thy paye,
Other perpetuel helle.
For shal no pardone praye for yowe ther,
Nother princes letteres.
4708. Matth. xxv, 46. Et ibunt hi in supplicium æternum; justi autem in
vitam æternam.
4721. Psal. xxii, 4.
4739. Psal. xli, 4.
4745. Luke xii, 22. Conf. Matth. vi, 25.
4764. "Dixit insipiens in corde suo, non est Deus," is the commencement of
Psalms xiii. and lii.
4769. Prov. xxii, 10. Ejice derisorem, et exibit cum eo jurgium,
cessabuntque causæ et contumeliæ.
4771. _Perkyn_, the diminutive of Peter, or Piers. Formerly the diminutives
of people's names were constantly used as marks of familiarity or
endearment, as Hawkyn or Halkyn for Henry, Tymkyn for Tim or Timothy,
Dawkyn for David, Tomkyn for Thomas, &c.
4796. Cato, Distich. ii, 31.
Somnia ne cures, nam mens humana quod optans,
Dum vigilat, sperat, per somnum cernit id ipsum.
4847. Matth. xvi, 19.
4941. Prov. xxiv, 16. Septies enim cadet justus, _et resurget_; impii autem
corruent in malum.
4963. _To falle and to stonde._ I by no means agree with Price's
interpretation of this phrase, or in his preference of the reading _to
falle if he stonde_. (Note on Warton ii, 67.) The motion of the boat causes
the firm man alternately to fall and stand; be he ever so stable, he
stumbles now and then, but his strength is shown in his being able to
recover himself. Such are the moral slips which even the just man cannot
avoid. But if the man in the boat be too weak to arise again and place
himself at the helm, his boat and himself will be lost for want of strength
and guidance. So it is with the wicked man. The completion of the phrase
quoted from Proverbs, as given in the preceding note, shows the justice of
this explanation.
5014. _if I may lyve and loke._ Price (in Warton) first pointed out the
identity between this expression and the one so common in Homer: it is "one
of those primitive figures which are common to the poetry of every
country."
[Greek: Outis, emeu zôntos kai epi chthoni derkomenoio,]
[Greek: Soi koilêis para nêusi bareias cheiras epoisei.]
Il. i, 88.
Whitaker's interpretation is nonsense, "If I have space to live and look in
the book." Other instances of this phrase occur in ll. 12132, 13268, and
13303 of Piers Ploughman.
5082. 2 Corinth. xi, 19.
5157. _of four kynnes thynges._ The medieval notion of the manner in which
the elements were mixed together in the formation of the human body, here
alluded to, appears to partake more of Western legend than of Eastern
tradition. In the English verses on Popular Science (given in my "Popular
Treatises of Science written during the Middle Ages," p. 138), we have the
following curious account of the four things forming the body, and the
influence of each:--
Man hath of urthe al his bodi, of water he haveth wete,
Of eyr he haveth wynd, of fur he haveth hete.
Ech quic thing of alle this foure, of some hath more other lasse;
Ho so haveth of urthe most, he is slou as an asse;
Of vad colour, of hard hide, boustes forme, and ded strong,
Of moche thoght, of lute speche, of stille grounynge, and wraththe long,
A slough wrecche and ferblet, fast and loth to geve his god,
Sone old, and noght wilful, stable and stedefast of mode.
And so on with the other elements. This doctrine of the composition of man
from the four elements became a very popular one in the sixteenth century,
when the poets frequently allude to it, as may be seen in the examples
given by Nares (_v._ ELEMENTS). In the _Mirror for Magistrates_ (_King
Forrex_, page 76), it is said:--
If we behold the substance of a man,
How he is made of _elements_ by kind,
Of earth, of water, aire, and fire, than
We would full often call unto our mind,
That all our earthly joys we leave behind.