PART III.]
II. THE PLOWMANS TALE.
177
Now ben prestes pokes so wyde,
Men must enlarge the vestëment;
935The holy gospell they don hyde,
For they contrarien in rayment.
Such preestes of Lucifer ben sent,
Lyk conquerours they ben arayd,
Proude pendaunts at hir ars y-pent,
940Falsly the truthe they han betrayd.
Men must enlarge the vestëment;
935The holy gospell they don hyde,
For they contrarien in rayment.
Such preestes of Lucifer ben sent,
Lyk conquerours they ben arayd,
Proude pendaunts at hir ars y-pent,
940Falsly the truthe they han betrayd.
Shryft-silver suchë wollen aske is,
And woll men crepë to the crouche;
None of the sacraments, save askes,
Without[ë] mede shall no man touche.
945On hir bishop their warant vouche,
That is lawe of the decrè;
With mede and money thus they mouche,
And †this, they sayn, is charitè!
And woll men crepë to the crouche;
None of the sacraments, save askes,
Without[ë] mede shall no man touche.
945On hir bishop their warant vouche,
That is lawe of the decrè;
With mede and money thus they mouche,
And †this, they sayn, is charitè!
In the middes of hir masse
950They nill have no man but for hyre,
And, full shortly, let forth passe;
Such shull men finde[n] in ech shyre
That personages for profite desyre,
To live in lykinge and in lustes;
955I dar not sayn, sans ose ieo dyre,
That such ben Antichristes preestes.
950They nill have no man but for hyre,
And, full shortly, let forth passe;
Such shull men finde[n] in ech shyre
That personages for profite desyre,
To live in lykinge and in lustes;
955I dar not sayn, sans ose ieo dyre,
That such ben Antichristes preestes.
Or they yef the bishops why,
Or they mot ben in his servyce,
And holden forth hir harlotry;
960Such prelats ben of feble empryse.
Of goddes grame such men agryse,
For such mattérs that taken mede;
How they excuse hem, and in what wyse,
Me thinketh, they ought greetly drede.
Or they mot ben in his servyce,
And holden forth hir harlotry;
960Such prelats ben of feble empryse.
Of goddes grame such men agryse,
For such mattérs that taken mede;
How they excuse hem, and in what wyse,
Me thinketh, they ought greetly drede.
933. Nowe. 934. That men (om. That). 935. done. 937. Suche. 938. Lyke. arayde. 939. The proude (om. The); pendauntes; her. 940. Falsely; betrayde. 941. Shryfte-. 943. sacramentes. 945. her byshoppe. 948. thus (read this); sayne. 949. her. 952. Suche; eche. 953. profyte. 955. dare; sayne. 956. suche. 957. byshoppes. 958. mote. 959. her. 960. Suche prelates. 961 suche. 962. suche. 963. Howe. 964. greatly.
