180
II. THE PLOWMANS TALE.
[PART III.
And comunly suche ben comen
1030Of pore people, and of hem begete,
That this perfeccion han y-nomen;
Hir †faders ryde not but on hir fete,
And travaylen sore for that they ete,
In povert liveth, yonge and old;
1035Hir †faders suffreth drought and wete,
Many hongry meles, thurst, and cold.
1030Of pore people, and of hem begete,
That this perfeccion han y-nomen;
Hir †faders ryde not but on hir fete,
And travaylen sore for that they ete,
In povert liveth, yonge and old;
1035Hir †faders suffreth drought and wete,
Many hongry meles, thurst, and cold.
All this the monkes han forsake
For Christes love and saynt Benet;
To pryde and esë have hem take;
1040This religio[u]n is yvell beset.
Had they ben out of religioun,
They must have honged at the plow,
Threshing and dyking fro town to town
With sory mete, and not half y-now.
For Christes love and saynt Benet;
To pryde and esë have hem take;
1040This religio[u]n is yvell beset.
Had they ben out of religioun,
They must have honged at the plow,
Threshing and dyking fro town to town
With sory mete, and not half y-now.
1045Therfore they han this all forsake,
And taken to riches, pryde, and ese;
Full fewe for god woll monkes hem make,
Litell is suche order for to prayse!
Saynt Benet ordayned it not so,
1050But bad hem be [ful] cherelich;
In churlich maner live and go,
Boystous in erth, and not lordlych.
And taken to riches, pryde, and ese;
Full fewe for god woll monkes hem make,
Litell is suche order for to prayse!
Saynt Benet ordayned it not so,
1050But bad hem be [ful] cherelich;
In churlich maner live and go,
Boystous in erth, and not lordlych.
They disclaunder saynt Benet,
Therfore they have his holy curse;
1055Saynt Benet with hem never met
But-if they thought to robbe his purse!
I can no more herof [now] tell,
But they ben lykë tho before,
And clenë serve the divell of hell,
1060And ben his tresour and his store.
Therfore they have his holy curse;
1055Saynt Benet with hem never met
But-if they thought to robbe his purse!
I can no more herof [now] tell,
But they ben lykë tho before,
And clenë serve the divell of hell,
1060And ben his tresour and his store.
1029. commenly. 1030. poore. 1031. perfection. 1032. Her fathers ryden; her. 1034. olde. 1035. Her fathers. 1036. colde. 1037. And all (om. And). 1038. Benette. 1039. ease. 1040. besette. 1042. plowe. 1043. Threshynge; dykynge; towne; towne. 1044. halfe ynowe. 1046. ease. 1050. badde; supply ful; cherelyche. 1051. churlyche. 1052. earth. 1053. Benette. 1055. mette. 1057. Supply now. 1060. treasoure.
