The Plowman's Tale/Part III
That preestes shuld no lordshippes welde,
Christes gospel biddeth also
Thát they shuld no lordship helde;
705Ne Christes apostels were never so bold
No such lordshippes to †hem enbrace;
But smeren hir sheep and kepe hir fold;
God amende hem for his grace!
710Men may knowe hem by hir fruit;
Hir gretnesse maketh hem god foryet,
And take his mekenesse in dispyt.
And they were pore and had but lyte,
They nolde nat demen after the face,
715But norishe hir sheep, and hem nat byte;
God amende hem for his grace!”
Thát men clepen seculere?”
Pelican. “They ben curates of many towns,
720On erthë they have greet powére.
They han greet prebendes and dere,
Some two or three, and some [han] mo,
A personage to ben a playing-fere,
And yet they serve the king also;
To whom that woll most give therfore;
Some woll spende, and some woll spare,
And some woll laye it up in store.
A cure of soule[s] they care nat for,
730Só they mowë money take;
Whether hir soules be wonne or lore,
Hir profits they woll nat forsake.
That can the pore people enplede,
735And robben hem as a ravinour,
And to his lord the money lede;
And cacche of quicke and eke of dede,
And richen him and his lord eke,
And to robbe the pore can give good rede
740Of olde and yonge, of hole and seke.
In londë, there hem lyketh best,
And builde †als brode as a citè
Both in the est, and eke in the west.
715To purchase thus they ben ful prest,
But on the pore they woll nought spend,
Ne no good give to goddes gest,
Ne sende him some that all hath send.
750And trusse that other in-to tresour;
Though all hir parish dye unshrive,
They woll nat give a rosë-flour.
Hir lyf shuld be as a mirrour
Bothe to lered and to leude also,
755And teche the people hir leel labour;
Such mister men ben all misgo.
And some of hem ben proude and gay;
Some spende hir good upon [hir] gigges,
760And finden hem of greet aray.
Alas! what think these men to say
That thus dispenden goddis good?
At the dredfull domes day
Such wrecches shul be worse than wood.
Ne never o peny thider ne sende;
Though the pore parishens for hunger dye,
O peny on hem wil they nat spende.
Have they receivinge of the rent,
770They reck never of the remënant;
Alas! the devill hath clene hem blent!
Suche oon is Sathanas sojournant.
Covetysë, pompe, and pride,
775Slouthë, wrathe, and eke envy,
And sewen sinne by every syde.
Alas! where thinkë such t’abyde?
How woll they accomptes yeld?
From hy god they mow hem nat hyde,
780Such willers wit is nat worth a neld.
That Christes povert is foryete,
Served with so many messe,
Hem thinketh that manna is no mete.
785All is good that they mow get,
They wenë to live evermore;
But, whan god at dome is set,
Such tresour is a feble store.
790For counting and for court-holding;
And yet he jangleth as a jay,
And understont him-self nothing.
He woll serve bothe erl and king
For his fynding and his fee,
795And hyde his tything and his offring;
This is a feble charitè.
Or they ben harde, or [els] hungry,
Or they ben liberall or lecherous,
800Or els medlers with marchandry;
Or maynteyners of men with maistry,
Or stewardes, countours, or pledours,
And serve god in hypocrisy;
Such preestes ben Christes fals traytours!
And begylen men in Christes name;
They ben unstedfast and unstable;
To tray hir lord, hem thinketh no shame.
To servë god they ben full lame,
810Goddes theves, and falsly stele;
And falsly goddes word defame;
In winning is hir worldes wele.
I pray thee, who may say [me] nay?
815With Antichrist such [folk] shull fall,
They folowen him in dede and fay;
They servin him in riche array,
To servë Christ such falsly fayn;
Why, at the dredful domes day,
820Shull they not folowe him to payn?
Ayenst Christes commaundëment,
And amende hem never ne will,
But serve Sathan by one assent.
825Who sayth [the] sothe, he shal be shent,
Or speketh ayenst hir fals living;
Who-so well liveth shal be brent,
For such ben gretter than the king!
830Chanons, persons, and vicaire,
In goddes service, I trow, ben fals,
That sacramentës sellen here.
And ben as proude as Lucifere;
Ech man loke whether that I ly!
835Who-so speketh ayenst hir powére,
It shall be holden heresy.
Only of Christ, for his servyce,
That the worldes goodes forsake?
840Who-so taketh orders †on other wyse,
I trow, that they shall sore agryse!
For all the glose that they conne,
All sewen not this [same] assyse;
In yvell tyme they thus bigonne.
Holden not this hyë way!
With Antichrist they shullen fall,
For they wolden god betray.
God amende hem, that best may!
850For many men they maken shende;
They weten well, the sothe I say,
Bút the divell hath foule hem blend.
Apparailled porely, proude of port;
855The seven sacraments they don sell,
In cattel-cacching is hir comfort.
Of ech mattér they wollen mell,
And don hem wrong is hir disport;
To afray the people they ben fell,
860And holde hem lower then doth the lord.
Or of an apple, or an ay,
They make men swere upon a boke;
Thus they foulen Christes fay.
865Such beren yvell heven-kay,
They mowen assoyl, they mowë shryve;
With mennes wyves strongly play,
With trewë tillers sturte and stryve
870And chefe chauntours at the nale;
Market-beters, and medling make,
Hoppen and houten with heve and hale.
At fayrë freshe, and at wynë stale,
Dyne and drinke, and make debat;
875The seven sacraments set at sale;
How kepe such the kayes of heven-gat?
And though that they ben right sory,
To speke they shull not be so bolde
880For sompning to the consistory;
And make hem say [with] mouth “I ly,”
Though they it sawe with hir y;
His lemman holden openly,
No man so hardy to axë why!
Maugrè who-so-ever it gruche;
And twyës on the day woll singe;
Goddes prestes nere none suche!
He mot on hunting with dogge and bic[c]he,
890And blowen his horn, and cryën “hey!”
And sorcery usen as a wicche;
Such kepen yvell Peters key.
Gayly paynted, and proudly dight,
895To maken men [to] †leven upon,
And say, that it is full of might;
About such, men sette up greet light,
Other such stockes shull stand therby
As darkë as it were midnight,
900For it may makë no ma[i]stry.
Thou, Mary, wordiest wonder thinges;
About that, that men offren to now,
Hongen broches, ouches, and ringes;
905The preest purchaseth the offringes,
But he nill offre to none image;
Wo is the soule that he for singes,
That precheth for suche a pilgrimage!
910That ben [in] Christes own lykenesse,
Men shullen offre at hir dore
That suffren honger and distresse;
And to suche imáges offre lesse,
That mow not felë thurst ne cold;
915The pore in spirit gan Christ blesse,
Therfore offreth to feble and old.
†Baudriks, with baselardes kene,
Such toles about hir necke they honge;
920With Antichrist such preestes been;
Upon hir dedes it is well sene
Whom they serven, whom they hono[u]ren;
Antichristes they ben clene,
And goddes goodes fa[l]sly deuouren.
That mot be shapë for the newe,
To clippen and kissen counten in townes
The damoseles that to the daunce sewe;
Cutted clothes to sewe hir hewe,
930With longë pykes on hir shoon;
Our goddes gospell is not trewe,
Eyther they serven the divell or noon!
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.
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!
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 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.
To reprove †hem, though they erre;
But falsely goddes good they fongeth,
And therwith maynteyn wo and werre.
Hir dedes shuld be as bright as sterre,
970Hir living, lewed mannes light;
They say, the popë may not erre,
Nede must that passë mannes might.
And tellen his felowe, and he him,
975He goth to massë anon-right,
And sayeth, he singeth out of sinne!
His bryde abydeth him at his inne,
And dighteth his dyner the mene whyle;
He singeth his masse for he wolde winne,
980And so he weneth god begyle!
And that they usen forth all the yere;
Among the folk when he is set,
He holdeth no man half his pere;
985Of the bishop he hath powére
To soyle men, or els they ben lore;
His absolucion may make †hem skere;
And wo is the soul that he singeth for!”
990And sayd, “of monkes canst thou ought?”
The Pellican sayd, “they ben full grete,
And in this world moch wo hath wrought.
Saynt Benet, that hir order brought,
Ne made hem never on such manere;
995I trowe, it cam never in his thought
That they shulde use so greet powér[e];
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.
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 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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
Chanons, canons, and such disgysed,
Ben goddes enemies and traytours,
His true religion han foul dispysed.
1065Of freres I have told before
In a making of a ‘Crede,’
And yet I coud tell worse and more,
But men wold werien it to rede!
1070Wryte ne speke, ne think in thought,
So, hir falshed and hir unright
May no man tell, that ever god wrought.”
The Gryffon sayd, “thou canst no good,
Thou cam never of no gentill kind;
1075Other, I trow, thou waxest wood,
Or els thou hast [y-]lost thy mynd.
Who shuld be her governayl?
Who shuld her rule, who shuld her reed,
1080Who shuld her forthren, who shuld avayl?
Ech man shall live by his travayl;
Who best doth, shall have moste mede;
With strength if men the churche assayl,
With strength men must defende her nede.
Nedy, and nothing ne had,
He shuld be driven from dore to dore;
The wicked of him nold not be drad.
Of such an heed men wold be sad,
1090And sinfully liven as hem †list;
With strength, amendes †shuld be made,
With wepen, wolves from sheep be †wist.
So begge and bidde, bowe, and borowe,
1095Holy churche shuld stand full cold,
Hir servaunts sitte and soupë sorowe!
And they were noughty, foule, and horowe,
To worship god men woldë wlate;
Bothe on even and on morowe
1100Such harlotry men woldë hate.
Shuld ben honest in all thing,
Worshipfully goddes workes werche,
So semeth it, to serve Christ hir king
1105In honest and in clene clothing;
With vessels of golde and clothes riche,
To god honestly to make offiring;
To his lordship non is liche.”
1110And sayd, “alas! why sayest thou so?
Christ is our heed that sitteth on hy,
Heddes ne ought we have no mo.
We ben his membres both also,
And †fader he taught us to cal him als;
1115Maysters be called defended he tho;
All other maysters ben wicked and fals,
Gostly, and for erthly good;
Kinges and lordes shuld lordship han,
1120And rule the people with myldë mode.
Christ, for us that shedde his blood,
Bad his preestes no maystership have,
Ne carkë nat for cloth ne fode;
From every mischef he will hem save.
Hir tresour, trewë lyf shal be;
Charitè shal be hir richesse,
Hir lordship shal be unitè;
Hope in god, hir honestè;
1130Hir vessell, clenë conscience;
Pore in spirit, and humilitè,
Shal be holy churches defence.”
That other folkes faren wele?
1135What hast thou to donë with hir †leve?
Thy falsheed ech man may fele.
For thou canst no catell gete,
But livest in londe, as a lorell,
With glosing gettest thou thy mete;
1140So fareth the devell that wonneth in hell.
For he liveth in clene envy;
So with the tales that thou doest tell
Thou woldest other people distry,
1145With your glose, and your heresy,
For ye can live no better lyf,
But clenë in hypocrisy,
And bringest thee in wo and stryf.
1150For ye ne have[n] here no cure;
Ye serve the divell, †not god ne man,
And he shall payë you your hyre.
For ye woll farë well at feestes,
And warm [be] clothed for the colde,
1155Therfore ye glose goddes hestes,
And begyle the people, yonge and olde.
Ye speke ayenst, as ye were sly,
Ayenst tythings with your entents,
1160And on our lordes body falsly ly.
All this ye don to live in ese,
As who sayeth, ther ben non suche;
And sayn, the pope is not worth a pese,
To make the people ayen him gruche.
To bringe the Christen in distaunce;
For they wold that no man were frendes;
Leve thy chattring, with mischaunce!
If thou live well, what wilt thou more?
1170Let other men live as hem list;
Spende in good, or kepe in store;
Other mennes conscience never thou nist.
What meddell ye, that han not to don?
1175Let men live as they han don yore,
For thou shalt answere for no †mon.”
The Pellican sayd, “Sir, nay, [nay],
I dispysed not the pope,
Ne no sacrament, soth to say;
1180But speke in charitè and good hope.
Hir richesse, that shuld be pore in spryt;
Hir wickednesse is knowe so wyde,
They servë god in fals habyt;
1185And turnen mekenesse into pryde,
And lowlinesse into hy degrè,
And goddes wordes turne and hyde;
And that am I moved by charitè
1190With all my conning and al my might,
And to warne men of hir wo
And to tell hem trouth and right.
The sacraments be soulë-hele
If they ben used in good use;
1195Ayenst that speke I never a del,
For then were I nothing wyse.
Or sette hem up to any sale,
I trow, they shall abye hem dere;
1200This is my reson, this is my tale.
Who-so taketh hem unrightfulliche
Ayenst the ten commaundëments,
Or by glosë wrechedliche
Selleth any of the sacraments,
In that they weten they do wrong;
And therto, I dar well wage,
They serven Satan for al her song.
To tythen and offren is hoolsom lyf,
1210So it be don in dew manére;
A man to houselin and to shryve,
Wedding, and all the other in-fere,
Ne take ne give for covetyse;
1215And it be so taken, it is nought;
Who selleth hem so, may sore agryse.
On our Lordes body I do not ly,
I say soth, thorow trewë rede,
His flesh and blood, through his mystry,
1220Is there, in the forme of brede.
Whether it be subget or accident,
But as Christ was, when he was on-lyve,
So is he there, verament.
1225If pope or cardinall live good lyve,
As Christ commaunded in his gospell,
†Ayenës that woll I not stryve;
But, me thinketh, they live not well.
1230Pryde and hyghnesse he shuld dispyse,
Richesse, covetyse, and crowne on hede,
Mekenesse and povert he shulde use.”
The Gryffon sayd, he shulde abye—
“Thou shal[t] be brent in balefull fyre;
1235And all thy secte I shall distrye,
Ye shal be hanged by the swyre!
Who giveth you levë for to preche,
Or speke †agaynës goddes lawe,
1240And the people thus falsly teche?
Thou shalt be cursed with boke and bell,
And dissevered from holy churche,
And clene y-dampned into hell,
Otherwyse but ye woll worche!”
Your cursinge is of litell value;
Of god I hope to have my mede,
For it is falshed that ye shewe.
For ye ben out of charitè.
1250And wilneth vengeaunce, as did Nero;
To suffren I woll redy be;
I drede not that thou canst do.
And so he taught all his servaunts;
1255And but thou amend for his sake above,
I drede not all thy mayntenaunce.
For if I drede the worldes hate,
Me thinketh, I were litell to prayse;
I drede nothing your hye estat,
1260Ne I drede not your disese.
Your hyë port, and your richesse,
Your cursing shuld not go so wyde;
God bring you into rightwysnesse!
1265For I drede not your tyranny,
For nothing that ye can doon;
To suffre I am all redy,
Siker, I recke never how soon!”
1270And loked lovely as an owle!
And swor, by cockes hertë blood,
He wolde him terë, every doule!
“Holy churche thou disclaundrest foule!
For thy resons I woll thee all to-race;
1275And make thy flesh to rote and moule;
Losell, thou shalt have hardë grace!”
The Pellican did sitte and weep;
And to him-selfë he gan say,
1280“God wolde that any of Christes sheep
Had herd, and y-takë kepe
Eche a word that here sayd was,
And wolde it wryte and well it kepe!
God wolde it were all, for his grace!”
If for my travayl any wold pay.
Pelican. He sayd, “yes; these that god han sold;
For they han [greet] store of money!”
Plowman. I sayd, “tell me, and thou may,
1290Why tellest thou mennës trespace?”
Pelican. He said, “to amende hem, in good fay,
If god woll give me any grace.
That for his people dyed on rode;
1295As fare I, right so fareth he,
He fedeth his birdes with his blode.
But these don yvell †ayenës good,
And ben his foon under frendes face;
I tolde hem how hir living stood;
1300God amende hem, for his grace!”
That he holdeth on that other syde?”
Pellican. “For they two ben [of kind], lykly,
And with [lyk] kindes robben wyde.
1305The foul betokeneth [evill] pryde,
As Lucifer, that hygh †flowe was;
And sith he did him in evell hyde,
For he agilted goddes grace.
1310And liveth by birdes that ben meke,
So these be flowe up in dispayr,
And shenden sely soules eke.
The soules that ben in sinnes seke,
He culleth hem; knele therfore, alas!
1315For brybry goddes forbode breke,
God amende it, for his grace!
A robber and a ravinere,
That robbeth the people in erth a-down,
1320And in erth holdeth non his pere;
So fareth this foul, both fer and nere;
With temporel strength they people chase,
As a lyon proud in erthë here;
God amende hem for hys grace!”
All drouping, dased, and dull.
But soone the Griffon cam agayn,
Of his foules the erth was full;
The Pellican he had cast to pull.
1330So greet a nombre never seen ther was;
What maner of foules, tellen I woll,
If god woll give me of his grace.
Ravins, rokes, crowes, and pye,
1335Gray foules, agadred wele,
Y-gurd, above they woldë hye.
Gledes and bosardes weren hem by;
Whyt molles and puttockes token hir place;
And lapwinges, that wel conneth ly,
1340This felowship han for-gerd hir grace.
But at [the] laste he cometh agayn;
And brought with him the Phenix stout.
The Griffon wolde have flowe full fayn;
1345His foules, that flewen as thycke as rayn,
The Phenix tho began hem chace;
To fly from him it was in vayn,
For he did vengeaunce and no grace.
1350Ther astartë neyther free ne thrall;
On him they cast a rufull cry
When the Griffon down was fall.
He beet hem not, but slew hem all;
Whither he hem drove, no man may trace;
1355Under the erthe, me thought, they yall;
Alas! they had a feble grace!
“For my wryting if I have blame,
Who woll for me fight of flight?
1360Who shall sheldë me from shame?
He that had a mayd to dame,
The lamb that slayn [for sinners] was,
Shall sheldë me from gostly blame;
For erthly harm is goddes grace.
Of my wryting have me excused.”
This wryting wryteth the Pellican,
That thus these people hath dispysed;
For I am, fresh, fully advysed,
1370I nill not maynteyn his manace.
For the devell is †oft disguysed,
To bringe a man to yvell grace.
For herof I nil not avowe,
1375In hy ne in low, ne in no degrè,
But as a fable take it ye mowe.
To holy churche I will me bowe;
Ech man to amende him, Christ send space!
And for my wryting me alowe
1380He that is almighty, for his grace.’
709. countrefete. 710. her fruite. 711. Her; foryete. 712. dispyte. 713. poore. 715. her shepe. 720–1. great. 722. thre; supply han. 723. playeng. 724. kynge. 725. lette. 729. soule; fore. 731. her. 732. Her profytes. 734. poore. 736. lorde. 737. catche. 738. lorde. 739. poore. 740. syke (for seke); see l. 1313.
743. also (read als). 746. poore; spende. 748. sende. 749. her; suche. 750. treasour. 751. her paryshe. 752. -floure. 753. Her lyfe shulde. 755. her lele. 756. Suche. 759. her; supply hir. 760. great. 761. thynke. 763. dredefull. 764. Suche wretches. 765. her. 767. poore; hungre. 769. rente. 770. recke. 772. one.
773. horedome. 777. suche tabyde. 778. Howe; yelde. 779. hye; mowe. 780. Suche; wytte; nelde. 782. foryet. 785. mowe gete. 787. sette. 788. Suche treasour. 789. mote; saye. 790. holdynge. 791. iaye. 792. selfe nothynge. 793. erle; kynge. 795. tythynge; offrynge. 798. Supply els. 804. false.
808. her lorde. 811. falsely; worde. 812. her. 814. the; supply me. 815. suche; supply folk. 818. suche falsely fayne. 819. dredeful. 820. payne. 821. selfe; done. 825. Supply the. 826. her false. 828. suche. 830. Read vikere. 831. trowe; false. 834. Eche; lye. 835. Read Who speke ayeinës; her.
837. howe. 838. Onely; Christe. 840. or (read on). 841. trowe. 843. Supply same. 845. howe; amonge. 846. waye. 848. betraye. 849. maye. 851. saye. 852. blende. 853. on (read upon); her. 854. poorely; porte. 855. sacramentes; done. 856. catchynge; her comforte. 857. eche. 858. done; wronge; her dysporte. 859. afraye. 860. lorde. 862. aye. 863. sweare. 865. Suche bearen; heauen. 866. assoyle. 868. true (better trewë).
869. wrestlynge. 871. Markette beaters; medlynge. 874. debate. 875. sacramentes; sayle (!). 876. Howe; suche; gate. 879. speake. 880. sompnynge. 881. saye; supply with; lye. 882. her eye. 887. twyse; daye he (om. he). 889. mote. 890. horne. 891. wytche. 892. Suchen. 893. mote; some; stone. 895. Supply to; lyuen. 896. saye. 897. Aboute suche; great. 898. suche; stande. 900. maye.
901. That it leude people se mowe. 902. Mary thou (om. thou). 903. Aboute; nowe. 909. poore. 910. Supply in; owne. 911. her. 914. mowe; colde. 915. poore; sprete; Christe. 916. olde. 917. sweardes. 918. Baudryke (read Baudriks). 919. Suche; her. 920. suche; bene. 921. her. 922. Whome (twice). 923. bene. 925. gay. 926. mote. 929. her. 930. her shone. 932. none.
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.
965. sayne. 966. them (for hem). 967. goddes goodesse (!). 968. maynteyne. 969. Her; shulde. 970. Her lyuynge leude. 971. saye; maye. 972. muste. 973. lye. 975. anone. 978. meane. 981. longe; mette. 983. Amonge; folke; sette. 984. halfe. 985. byshoppe. 987. absolution maye; them (for hem). 988. soule; fore. 993. her. 994. suche. 995. came. 996. great.
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.
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.
1062. suche. 1064. foule. 1065. tolde. 1066. makynge. 1067. coulde. 1068. wolde. 1069. goodnesse. 1070. speake; thynke. 1071. her (twice). 1074. came; kynde. 1075. trowe. 1076. loste; mynde. 1077–80. shulde. 1078. gouernayle. 1080. auayle. 1081. Eche; trauayle. 1083. assayle. 1085. poore. 1086. nothynge; hadde. 1087. shulde. 1088. nolde; dradde. 1089. wolde; sadde. 1090. lust (read list). 1091. such (read shuld). 1092. shepe; wust (read wist).
1093. prelates wolde. 1095. shulde stande; colde. 1096. Her seruauntes. 1098. worshyppe. 1100. Suche. 1102. Shulde; thynge. 1104. her kynge. 1105. clothynge. 1107. offrynge. 1108. lordshypppe (!) none. 1109. crye. 1111. hye. 1114. father. 1115. to be (om. to). 1116. Read wikke? 1118. Goostly; earthly. 1119. shulde; hane. 1121. blode. 1122. Badde. 1124. myschefe.
1125–30. Her. 1125. clothynge. 1126. treasoure; lyfe. 1128. lordshyppe. 1131. Poore; spirite. 1133. the. 1135. haste; lyue (read leve). 1136. eche. 1139. glosynge. 1141. wolde; eche; there shulde. 1142. enuye. 1146. lyfe. 1148. the; stryfe. 1149. Supply ye. 1151. neyther (read not). 1154. warme; supply be.
1157. sacramentes. 1158. speake; slye. 1159. tythynges offringes with (omit offringes); ententes. 1160. lye. 1161. done; ease. 1162. there; none. 1163. sayne; pease. 1167. wolde. 1168. Leaue; chattrynge. 1173. fore. 1174. done. 1175. done. 1176. shalte; man. 1177. Supply nay. 1179. sacramente. 1180. speake. 1181–3. her. 1182. shulde; poore; spirite. 1184. false habyte. 1186. hye.
1190. connynge. 1191. her. 1193. sacramentes. 1195. speake; dele. 1196. nothynge. 1197. vsen; mysse. 1199. trowe. 1200. reason. 1202. commaundementes. 1204. sacramentes. 1205. trowe. 1206. wronge. 1207. dare. 1208. songe. 1209. holsome lyfe. 1210. done; dewe. 1212. Weddynge. 1213. solde. 1216. maye. 1217. lye. 1218. saye; thorowe. 1219. fleshe; blode; mystrye.
1221. Howe. 1222. subgette. 1227. Ayenst. 1230. shulde. 1232. pouerte. 1235. dystrye. 1238. leaue; preache. 1239. speake agaynst. 1240. falsely teache. 1245. sayde. 1248. falshede.
1253. badde. 1254. seruauntes. 1255. amende. 1259. nothynge; estate. 1260. dysease. 1261. leaue. 1262. porte. 1263. cursynge shulde. 1264. brynge. 1266. nothynge; done. 1268. howe soone. 1269. wode. 1271. swore; bloode. 1274. reasons; the. 1275. fleshe. 1276. shake. 1277. flewe; waye. 1278. wepe. 1279. saye. 1280. shepe. 1281. herde. 1282. worde. 1283. wrytte.
1286. trauayle; any man wolde (om. man). 1287. solde. 1288. Supply greet. 1293. lykened. 1297. done; ayenst gode. 1298. fone. 1299. howe her lyuynge stode. 1301. Supply me. 1303. Supply Pellican (wrongly prefixed to 1. 1305); supply of kind. 1304. Supply lyk. 1305. foule; supply evill. 1306. flewe (read flowe; see l. 1311). 1309. byrde; supply that; ayre. 1311. into (read in); dyspayre.
1317. parte. 1319. earth a downe. 1320. none. 1321. foule; ferre. 1322. And wyth (om. And). 1323. proude; earth. 1325. (Pellican is written above this line); flewe; twayne. 1326. droupynge. 1327. came agayne. 1328. earth. 1330. great; sene there. 1336. Igurde. 1338. Whyte; her. 1339. lye. 1340. for gerde her. 1342. Supply the. 1343. stoute. 1344. fayne. 1345. rayne. 1347. flye; vayne.
1349. slewe; downe. 1350. There. 1352. downe. 1353. bete; slewe. 1358. wrytynge. 1361. mayde. 1362. And the lambe (om. And); supply for sinners. 1364. erthely harme. 1366–7. wrytynge. 1369. freshe. 1370. maynteyne. 1371. often (read oft). 1375. hye; lowe. 1378. Eche; sende. 1379. wrytynge.