PART III.]
II. THE PLOWMANS TALE.
181
And all suche other counterfaytours,
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!
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!
As goddes goodnes no man tell might,
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.
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.
Shuld holy churchë have no heed?
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.
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.
1085And the pope were purely pore,
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.
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.
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).
