PART III.]
II. THE PLOWMANS TALE.
179
That a man shulde a monk lord cal,
Ne serve on kneës, as a king.
He is as proud as prince in pall
1000In mete, and drink, and [in] all thing;
Some weren myter and ring,
With double worsted well y-dight,
With royall mete and riche drink,
And rydeth on courser as a knight.
Ne serve on kneës, as a king.
He is as proud as prince in pall
1000In mete, and drink, and [in] all thing;
Some weren myter and ring,
With double worsted well y-dight,
With royall mete and riche drink,
And rydeth on courser as a knight.
1005With hauke[s] and with houndes eke,
With broches or ouches on his hode,
Some say no masse in all a weke,
Of deyntees is hir moste fode.
With lordshippes and with bondmen
1010This is a royall religioun;
Saynt Benet made never none of hem
To have lordship of man ne town.
With broches or ouches on his hode,
Some say no masse in all a weke,
Of deyntees is hir moste fode.
With lordshippes and with bondmen
1010This is a royall religioun;
Saynt Benet made never none of hem
To have lordship of man ne town.
Now they ben queynte and curious,
With fyn cloth cladde, and served clene,
1015Proude, angry, and envyous,
Malyce is mochë that they mene.
In cacching crafty and covetous,
Lordly liven in greet lyking;
This living is not religious
1020According to Benet in his living.
With fyn cloth cladde, and served clene,
1015Proude, angry, and envyous,
Malyce is mochë that they mene.
In cacching crafty and covetous,
Lordly liven in greet lyking;
This living is not religious
1020According to Benet in his living.
They ben clerkes, hir courtes they oversee,
Hir pore tenaunts fully they flyte;
The hyer that a man amerced be,
The gladlyer they woll it wryte.
1025This is fer from Christes povertè,
For all with covetyse they endyte;
On the pore they have no pitè,
Ne never hem cherish, but ever hem byte.
Hir pore tenaunts fully they flyte;
The hyer that a man amerced be,
The gladlyer they woll it wryte.
1025This is fer from Christes povertè,
For all with covetyse they endyte;
On the pore they have no pitè,
Ne never hem cherish, but ever hem byte.
997. monke lorde. 998. kynge. 999. proude. 1000. meate; drynke; supply in. 1001. wearen; rynge. 1003. meate; drynke. 1004. on a (om. a). 1007. saye. 1008. deynties; her; foode. 1010. religion. 1012. lordshyppe; towne. 1013. Nowe. 1014. fyne clothe. 1016. meane. 1017. catchynge. 1018. great lykynge. 1019. lyuynge. 1020. Accordynge; Benette; lyuynge. 1021. her; ouerse. 1022. Her poore tenaunce. 1023. hyre (1550, hyer). 1025. farre. 1027. poore. 1028. cheryshe.
