LXII
Learn how False-Seeming, traitor vile,
Men’s hearts doth readily beguile.
When grey and black he clothes him in,
With saintly visage pale and thin.11690
False-Seeming’s diguises
Disguises well I know to don,
Now this one off, now that one on,
Now knight am I, and now a monk,
A prelate, then to canon shrunk
Or simple clerk, or priest at mass,
And next as master do I pass,
Disciple, captain, forester,
In short, whatever I prefer;
Sometimes a prince, sometimes a page,
And every language I engage11700
To patter; sometimes old and grey.
At others sprightly, young and gay.
And now Robert and now Robin,
Now friar, now a jacobin.
I show me, company to keep
With her from whom I joyance reap,
(She hight Constrained-Abstinence)
’Neath many a guilement and pretence,
Her fickle fancies to fulfil,
And work her every wish and will.11710
Sometimes a woman’s robe I wear,
As matron staid or damsel fair,
And oft assume religious dress,
As anchorite or prioress,
Friars free of bishops
An abbess who with life hath done,
Or novice who would fain be nun.
As through the world I walk about,
I turn each credence inside out;
And whatsoe’er may be their law,
I take the grain and leave the straw;11720
For I but live to cozen folk,
And laugh at all beneath my cloak.
What more to tell? In suchlike way
As serves me best I play my play.
My mode I change unendingly;
And ne’er my words and deeds agree,
But through my privileges snare
Full many a man all unaware.
Good shrift I give when I confess
(Laughing at prelates’ helplessness)11730
All sinners whom I hap to meet;
No prelate dare my work defeat,
Saving our lord the Pope alone,
From whom this privilege was won
For our most holy brotherhood.
Whatever prelate hath withstood
Or dared to speak against my men,
I soon have closed his mouth again.
But out, alas! the people now
Too well my ways and manners trow,11740
And nought am I received so well,
Since ugly tales of me men tell.
But what care I? I’m none the worse,
With silver have I stored my purse
And goods have heaped; so well I’ve striven,
That foolish folk have freely given
Abundance, and I lead my life
In ease, all undisturbed by strife,
Thanks to the easy prelates who
Fear to say aught whate’er I do.11750
Not one of them dares make essay
Against me, or he’d roundly pay.
And thus I live as pleaseth me
By fraud, deceit, and trickery.
Privilged confessors
Though all should once a year at least
Confession make before a priest,
As Scripture saith, that they may have
A houseling good their souls to save,
(For this our lord the Pope decrees)
We shelve the statute as we please.11760
To penitents we give advice,
But claim exemptions which suffice,
For many a privilege have we,
Which cause our burdens light to be.
On this point we nought silent are,
But vaunt our dispensations far
Beyond the Pope’s decree; so may
Unto his priest each sinner say:
Father, I lately have confessed
To such an one, and he my breast11770
Hath clean absolved from every sin
That might the wrath of heaven win,
My conscience suffers no such pain
As pricks me to confess again.
Herein, I pray you, make me quit,
Nor further hold discourse of it,
No matter what you say thereof,
And you may spare to scold and scoff;
For though a thousand oaths you swore,
Prelate or curate now no more11780
I fear; my will would you constrain,
There’s one to whom I can complain
Forthwith, you cannot make me twin
Confession, for new shrift of sin,
The first doth well enough for me,
A second would but wasted be.
Independence of friars
For one whose powers are full and wide
Hath all my bonds of sin untied:
And so I warn you once again,
That if you would my will constrain,11790
I know of one will right my cause,
Holding me free of kings and laws
And provosts, for among them all,
Though royal or imperial,
Not one dare ’gainst me judgment give,
Exempted from their rule I live.
To my new father should I go,
(No cubling he who hight Louveteau,)
But friar Wolf, who doth devour
Whate’er he will, nor can his power11800
By aught be stayed or hindered, but
If I complain, your mouth he’ll shut.
If he should catch you in his net,
Thereout not lightly will you get
Without disgrace and shame, unless
He shows unwonted gentleness.
He’s not so foolish, weak or dull,
But he can get from Rome a bull
Power of friars
If so he will, and forthwith cite
You ’fore the court in dread despite,11810
And ruin you in two short days.
And he possesseth briefs, he says,
Much stricter and more strong by far
Than any common parchments are,
Which have no power at all to touch
More than eight persons, while his, much
More wide and full in their intent,
May pass when law itself is spent:
And for your rights nought careth he,
From law he hath immunity.11820
Thus all his power he’ll put in force.
Nor deign to stay or change his course
For prayers or tears, nor any kind
Of gift, his coffers well are lined.
For seneschal. Sir Schemer he
Hath got, who gathers wondrously,
And Sir Solicitor, his brother,
These two will outvie many another
In piling wealth, and ’twixt the pair
Their hoard might buy St. Peter’s chair,11830
Now help me God and good St. James,
If you deny my lawful claims
(When spring toward Easter-tide hath trod)
To have the holy body of God,
I shall not grieve thereat, but go
To that good man who well I know
Will give it me, and vainly spent
On me were threats of punishment.
Thuswise may every carl confess
Whereso it suits his wilfulness;11840
And if the priest refuse his rights,
My hand his stubbornness requites,
And soon he finds him in the lurch,
With loss of honour, goods, and church.
Whither do such confessions tend?
And who shall know the bitter end?
In suchlike case no priest can e’er
Know aught of his parishioner,
Whose soul should be his constant cure.
At nought such practice sets the pure11850
And holy Scripture, which doth teach
Pastors to know the voice of each
Sheep of their flock. But willingly
I leave both priests and prelates free
Poor men and women to confess,
Who for most part are penniless;
But little guerdon thence were got.
The God of Love.
Why so?
False-Seeming.
Friars love wealth
Because they have it not;
Poor needy, caitiff creatures they.
The good fat sheep I bear away,11860
And to the pastors leave the poor
Lean hungry ones, who growl therefor.
And if the prelates dare to scold,
Who in their hearts dire anger hold,
For loss of many a good fat beast
Whereon they hoped long time to feast,
I’ll give them such a mortal bruise
That cross and mitre both they’ll lose.
Full many I make peccavi cry,
Such mighty privilege have I.11870
The Author.
Hypocrisy rampant
False-Seeming here some rest would take,
But Love desires him not to break
His tale, the which he feigns to heed
With pleasure, and asks further rede.
The God of Love.
I pray thee that thou tell to me,
All shame aside, explicitly,
The varied games that thou hast played,
What tricks hast done, what mischief made.
Thy robe declares an anchorite.
False-Seeming.
That’s true, but I’m a hypocrite.11880
The God of Love.
Thou preachest holy abstinence.
False-Seeming.
Past doubt; but though I make pretence.
Good dishes love I, and bright wine,
As well as any grave divine.
Love.
False-Seeming.
Wealth before poverty
Yes, but my bags with coin o’erflow;
And though I poverty pretend,
I make of no poor man a friend.
A hundred thousand times should I
Prefer our good king’s company.11890
Yea, by our Lady! though it happed
The poor man was with virtue capped
In fairest wise, for when I see
These beggars shiver wretchedly
On dunghills, hungry, cold, and bare,
What then?—’tis none of my affair.
Or if unto the Hotel-Dieu
They’re carried, what! should I pursue
Them thither? ne’er with one poor groat
They’ve fed my parched and hungry throat.11900
What can be got from one who licks
His knife, and sounds eats, dry as sticks?
That man an idiot may be said
Who fat seeks in a black dog’s bed.
To visit I should much prefer
Some sick but wealthy usurer:
With patience would I comfort him,
In hope some deniers to benimme,
And when pale death steals o’er his face,
Transport him to the burial-place.11910
Should some reproach me that I take
Heed to rich men and poor forsake,
How think you that I make reply?
I let a tear bedim mine eye,
And say: Alas! I greatly fear
From sin the rich are far less clear
Than are the poor, and so much more
Their souls have need of watching o’er.
Yet true it is dire poverty
Draws men to sin as much, pardee,11920
As too great wealth; they both man’s soul
Distain, and hinder from its goal.
The praise of sufficiency
For Poverty and Riches are
The two extremes, and better far
Is plain sufficiency; between
The two is most of virtue seen.
And hath not wise King Solomon
This matter well discoursed upon
Within his book of Proverbs? it
We find in chapter thirty writ:11930
God in thy mercy give to me
Nor riches nor yet poverty!
For whensoe’er a man doth wrap
His soul in wealth, ’twill surely sap
His virtue, till at last the debt
He owes his Maker he’ll forget.
And who with Poverty doth fight,
How shall he keep his soul aright?
Alas! perforce he comes to be
Befouled with theft and perjury,11940
Or God doth lie, for he hath said,
By Solomon, they both are wed
To Poverty. And dare I swear,
Free of reproach, that no man e’er
Hath found in any sacred book
(At least ’twere vain in ours to look)
That Christ and his apostles dear
The while on earth they wandered here,
Went begging bread from door to door;
Nor they alone this thing forbore,11950
But straight forbade it, (thus ’twas taught
By those of Paris, doctors fraught
With learning in divinity)
Though well might they excusèd be
Of begging, even though they should
Ask alms for daily livelihood,
Seeing that they true shepherds were
To many a soul beneath their care.
And when their Lord was crucified,
Again industriously they tried11960
To win their needs by labour true
Of each man’s hands; and after due
And needful sustenance they’d ta’en,
Unto the poor they gave amain
Of their abundance. Mansions they
Reared not, but dwelt in cots of clay.
All men should work
It well behoves each able man
That he with work quotidian
By might of arm should gain his bread
(Unless he be by wealth bestead,)11970
Though of religion he be fain,
For God accounts no good work vain.
This rule it is which binds men all,
Save in some cases I recall,
The which will I relate whene’er
Time serves, and you have will to hear.
Yet more, a man should sell his good,
And labour for a livelihood
If he, forsooth, would perfect be;
This hath the Scripture taught to me.11980
But one who idly haunts the board
Of other men will God reward.
Censured should be such men as dare
Labour forego on plea of prayer.
Justly a man may put aside
God’s worship, striving to provide
By honest work for daily need,
For of a truth all men must feed
And clothe themselves, and while they keep
Vigil of labour, prayer may sleep.11990
And thus ’tis lawful that we shirk
The hours of prayer, the while we work,
And this with Scripture doth agree,
Which teacheth nought but verity.
Mendicancy unlawful
And likewise great Justinian did
Within his ancient code forbid
That one of able body should
Seek alms by way of livelihood,
Since his strong arm his bread should gain.
’Twere well stout rogues to treat amain12000
With flogging, or to swing them high,
Rather than aid their knavery.
That man neglects his duty who
Seeketh to gain subsistence through
Men’s alms, unless he can allege
Some special grant or privilege;
But doubt I much if legally
A man thus privileged could be,
Unless some cozenage he bring
To help him, and deceive the king12010
All unawares. Yet no design
Have I against the right divine
Of kings, nor dare to rashly say
That they may not extend their sway
Whereso they will; but in the law
Methinks ’twould be a grievous flaw
Should it permit that doles and alms,
Which should but reach the trembling palms
Of those who cannot earn their bread
Through sickness, age, or drearihead,12020
Were snatched away from them by might
And power of those who trample right;
Surely for them were hell made hot.
If Adam’s Maker lieth not.
But God’s commandment, mind ye well,
It is a righteous man should sell
His goods, and therewith help the poor,
But this command oped not the door
To mendicancy, that was not
His meaning, as right well we wot,12030
But that each man his hand should trim
To work while meekly following him.
Saint Paul’s injunction
To his disciples gave Saint Paul
Injunction strict that one and all
Should labour with their hands, nor be
Disgraced by base mendicity.
Saying: To labour set ye then,
Nor ask an alms of other men;
And greatly feared he lest some sold
The gospel through the lust of gold.12040
And if a man to give doth choose
Because he dareth not refuse
Another’s asking, pricked with shame,
Or fearing lest he get the name
Of niggard, or forsooth, doth give,
Only that he in peace may live;
Although his worldly goods he lose,
No profit from such alms ensues.
Saint Paul laboured
When worthy men to hear St. Paul
Flocked round, they offered him their all12050
For love of God; but he straightway
Refused, nor deigned his hands to stay
From useful work, whereby he gained
So much as all his need sustained.
Love.
But say then, in what way can live
A strong man who desires to give
Himself to God when he hath sold
His goods, as in the gospel told,
And made all over to the poor,
Yet, bound to prayer, would work no more:12060
May he do so?
False-Seeming.
Yea.
Love.
Tell me how.
False-Seeming.
This doth Saint Austin clearly show.
If men to God their lives have wed
Within an abbey garnishèd
With lands, where white and black monks are,
Or worthy canons regular,
Knights of the Temple or St. John,
(Further examples need I none)
Serving their Lord in praise and prayer,
No mendicancy finds he there.12070
Some monks do daily labour, but
Are nowise from God’s service shut
Therefor.
The mendicants’ estate
Gave rise to long and sharp debate
In days that I remember well.
If so it please you, will I tell
How that a man may beg at need
When he no otherwise can feed
Or pasture him, this, bit by bit,
I’ll show, and none can gainsay it.12080
Unless some sophist strove to tangle
The truth with false and tiresome jangle.
By none the case were better cleared
Than me, who all the field have eared.