GLUTTONY. Now beginneth Gluttoun for to go to shrifte, "I have good ale, gossip," quoth she; "Gluttoun, wilt thou assay? "Hast thou in thy purse any hot spices?" "I have pepper and pæonies," quoth she, "and a pound of garlicke, A farthing's-worth of fennel-seed for fasting-dayes." Then goeth Gluttoun in, and great oaths after. Cess the souteress" sat on the benche; Wat the warner,6 and his wife bothe; Tim the tinker, and twain of his prentis ;7 8 Hick the hackney-man, and Hugh the needler; Sir Piers of Pridie, and Peronell of Flanders; 15 11 14 16 A ribibour, a ratoner,10 a raker of Chepe; 13 Till Gluttoun had y-globbèd a gallon and a gill. He might neither step ne. stond ere he his staff hadde; Some time aside and some time areare, As who-so layeth lines for to latch19 fowles. And when he drew to the doore then dimmed his eyen; 2 Woman-brewer. 8 Maker of needles. 3 After that. 4 Bag.. 1 Fault. 5 Woman-shoemaker. 6 Keeper of a warren. 7 Two of his apprentices. 9 Player on the ribibe or rebeck, a kind of fiddle. 10 Rat-catcher. 11 A street-sweeper of Cheapside. 12 A horse-soldier. 13 Maker or retailer of metal dishes. 15 Old clothes, or second-hand goods, man. 17 In gift or on trial. 18 For a while. 14 Griffith the Welshman. 16 Morning. 20 Daughter. 19 Catch birds. Baren him home to his bed, and brought him therein. That he slept Saturday and Sunday till sun gede2 to reste: Passus V. PIERS AND HIS LABOURERS. Now is Perkin and his pilgrims to the plough faren ; 5 To erie this half-acre holpen? him many. Dikers and delvers digged up the balkes ;9 Therewith was Perkin apayed 10 and praised them faste. To overseen them himself; and whoso best wroughte, And holpen erie his half-acre with "how! trolli-lolli !" 66 Now, by the peril of my soul!" quoth Piers, all in pure "But16 ye arise the rather17 and rape18 you to worke, Shall no grain that groweth glad you at neede; And yield you of your almesse that ye give us here; For we may nought swink ne sweat, such sickness us aileth." "If it be soth,"25 quoth Piers, "that ye sayn, I shall it soon aspye! Ye been wasters, I wot well, and Truth wot the sothe! A Britoner,26 a bragger, a-bosted27 Piers also. 1 A fit of drowsiness. 9 Ridges separating ploughed 16 Except. 17 Earlier. 2 Went. 3 Uttered. 13 Sat. 14 Sang at the ale. 21 Frightened. 22 Crooked. 23 Rascals. 26 A native of Brittany, a Frenchman. 20 Lying beggars. 24 Know how. 25 True. 27 Defied. "Wilt thou or nilt thou, we will have our wille Of thy flour, and of thy flesh fetch1 when us liketh, And make us merry there-with, maugre thy cheekes!"? Then Piers the Plowman plained3 him to the Knighte, To keep him, as covenant was, from cursed shrewes,1 And fro these wasters, wolves kin, that maketh the world dere :5 "For they waste and winnen nought; and that ilke while Worth? never plenty among the people, therewhile my plough lieth." Courteously the Knighte then, as his kind3 wolde, Warned Wastour and wissed him better, "Or thou shalt aby10 by the law, by the order that I bear!" "I was not wont to work," quoth Wastour, "and now will I not beginne!"— And let light 11 of the law and less of the Knighte, And set Piers at a pease12 and his plough bothe, And menaced Piers and his men gif they met eft-soone.13 "Now, by the peril of my soul!" quoth Piers, "I shall appaire 14 you alle!" 66 And whooped after Hunger, that heard him atte firste; Awreak16 me of these wasters," quoth he, "that this world shendeth!"16 Hunger in haste then hent17 Wastour by the maw, And wrung him so by the womb18 that both his eyen watered; Passus VI. DO-WELL, DO-BET, AND DO-BEST. A much19 man, as me thought, and like to myself, Come and called me by my kind 20 name. "What art thou," quoth I then, "that thou my name knowest?" "That thou wotst well" quoth he, "and no wight better." “ Wot I what thou art?" "Thought," said he then : 66 66 I have sued thee this seven year; sey thou me no rather?" 21 "Art thou Thought?" quoth I then ; thou couldest me wiss22 Where that Do-well dwelleth, and do me that to know." "Do-well and Do-bet and Do-best the third," quoth he, "Are three fair virtues and be not far to find. Whoso is true of his tongue and of his two handes, And through his labour or through his land his lifelode1 winneth, And is trusty of his taling, taketh but his owne, And is not drunkenlew ne dedeignous, Do-well him followeth. I thanked Thought then, that he me thus taught: "But yet savoureth me nought thy saying; I covet to learn How Do-well, Do-bet, and Do-best done amongst the people." "But3 Wit can wiss thee," quoth Thought, “where tho three dwell; Else wot I none that can that now is alive." Thought and I thus three days we geden5 And, ere we were aware, with Wit gan we meet. I durst move no matter to make him to jangle, aspye, 12 And worken as they three would; this is his intent." JEWS ARE MORE CHARITABLE TO ONE ANOTHER THAN CHRISTIANS. Should no Christian creature crien at the gate, Ne fail pain1 ne potage, and prelates did as they shoulden. A Jew would not see a Jew go jangling for defaute2 For all the meubles on this mould, and he amend it mighte. Either of them helpeth other of that that him needeth. He is worse than Judas that giveth a japer10 silver, Passus IX. THE TRUEST CHARITY IS FOUND AMONG THE POOR. But mirth and minstrelsy amongst men is noughte: Lecherie, losengerie, and loseles tales,11 Gluttony and great oathes, this mirth they loveth; And, if they carpen of Christ, these clerks12 and these lewed,13 Atte meat in their mirthes when minstrels been stille, Then telleth they of the Trinity a tale other 14 twain, And bringeth forth a bald reason and taken Bernard 15 to witness, And putten forth a presumption to prove the sothe. 16 Is 18 none to nimmen 19 him near, his annoy to amend ; But howlen on him as an hound and hoten him go hence. Little loveth he that Lord that lent him all that bliss 22 That thus parteth 20 with the poor a parcel 21 when him needeth. Ne were mercy in mean men more than in riche, Mendicants meatless might go to bed. |