No more English can I find;
Shewe another now I shall,
480For I have moche to say behind,
How preestes han the people pynd,
As curteys Christ hath me [y-]kend,
And put this matter in my mind
To make this maner men amend.
How wrongfully they worche and walke;
O hye god, nothing they tell, ne how,
But in goddes word, †tell many a balke.
In hernes holde hem and in halke,
490And prechin of tythes and offrend,
And untruely of the gospell talke;
For his mercy, god it amend!
But evin Christes advérsary?
495Such hath now ben many a day
To Christes bidding full contráry,
That from the trouthë clenë vary;
Out of the wayë they ben wend;
And Christes people untruely cary;
500God, for his pitè, it amend!
In hye pride agaynst mekenesse;
Agaynst suffraunce they usen stryf,
And angre ayenst sobrenesse;
505Agaynst wisdom, wilfulnesse;
To Christes tales litell tend;
Agaynst mesúre, outragiousnesse;
But whan god woll, it may amend!
510And demin all without mercy;
And covetyse ayenst largesse,
Agaynst trewth[e], trechery;
And agaynst almesse, envy;
Agaynst Christ they comprehend.
515For chastitè, they maynteyn lechery;
God, for his gracë, this amend!
Ayenst suffraunce, strong defence;
Ayenst god they use yvel rightes,
520Agaynst pitè, punishments;
Open yvell ayenst continence;
Hir wicked winning wors dispend;
Sobrenesse they sette in-to dispence;
But god, for his goodnesse, it amend!
And wranglen ayenst all his hestes?
His living folowen they nothing here,
But liven wors than witles beestes.
Of fish and flesh they loven feestes,
530As lordes, they ben brode y-kend;
Of goddes pore they haten gestes;
God, for his mercy, this amend!
That sayn that they be Christes frendes,
535And do nothing as they shuld doon;
All such ben falser than ben fendes.
On the people they ley such bendes,
As god is in erthe, they han offend;
Sucour for suchë Christ now sende us,
540And, for his mercy, this amend!
His careckes ben now wyde y-know;
Receyved to preche shall no man be
Without[ë] token of him, I trow.
545Ech Christen preest to prechen ow,
From god abovë they ben send.
Goddes word to all folk for to show,
Sinfull man for to amend.
550The royall riche he did nat so;
Now dar no pore the people teche,
For Antichrist is over-all hir fo.
Among the people he mot go;
He hath bidden, all such suspend;
555Some hath he hent, and thinketh yet mo;
But all this god may well amend
And liven lo[w]ly, as god bad,
In-to hir prison shullen be take,
560Betin and bounden, and forth lad.
Herof I rede no man be drad;
Christ sayd, his [servaunts] shulde be shend;
Ech man ought herof be glad;
For god ful well it woll amend.
And saye, they havë swerdes two,
Oon curse to hell, oon slee men here;
For at his taking Christ had no mo,
Yet Peter had [that] oon of tho.
570But Christ to Peter smyte gan defend,
And in-to the sheth bad putte it tho;
And all such mischeves god amend!
And with his swerde forbad him smyte;
575Swerd is no tole with sheep to kepe
But to shep[h]erdes that sheep woll byte.
Me thinketh, suche shep[h]erdes ben to wyte
Ayen hir sheep with swerd that contend;
They dryve hir sheep with greet dispyte;
580But al this god may well amend.
Whom [that] Christ madë cheef pastour;
A swerd no shep[h]erde usen ought
But he wold slee as a bochour.
585For who-so were Peters successour
Shuld bere his sheep till his bak bend,
And shadowe hem from every shour;
And all this god may wel amend.
590In that that Peter Christ forsook,
That had lever the love of god [to] lese
Than a shep[h]erde had to lese his hook.
He culleth the sheep as doth the cook;
Of hem [they] taken the woll untrend,
595And falsely glose the gospell-book;
God, for his mercy, †hem amend!
Christ sayd, he mustë dye for man;
That Peter to Christ gan withsay;
600Christ bad him, ‘go behind, Sathan!’
Such counsaylours many of these men han
For worldes wele, god to offend;
Peters successours they ben for-than,
But all such god may well amend.
But he that contrary to Christ is;
In this they lernë Peters lore,
They sewen him whan he did mis;
They folowe Peter forsothe in this,
610In al that Christ wolde †him reprende,
Nat in that that longeth to hevin blis;
God for his mercy hem amend!
Of ought that I can understonde,
615Him that betrayed Christ, Judas,
That bar the purse in every londe;
And al that he might sette on honde,
He hidde and stal, and [gan] mispend;
His rule these traytours han in honde;
620Almighty god [now] hem amend!
Cursedly, through his covetyse;
So wolde these trayen him for money,
And they wisten in what wyse!
625They be seker of the selfe ensyse;
From all sothnesse they ben frend;
And covetyse chaungen with queyntyse;
Almighty god all suche amend!
630These wolde dampnë him to dye;
All his hestes they han fordon,
And sayn, his sawes ben heresy;
Ayenst his †maundëments they cry,
And dampne all his to be [y-]brend;
635For it lyketh nat hem, such losengery;
God almighty hem amend!
Than hath the king and all his lawe,
They han purchased hem such powére
640To taken hem whom [they] list nat knawe;
And say, that heresy is hir sawe,
And so to prison woll hem send;
It was nat so by elder dawe,
God, for his mercy, it amend!
Angerliche, withouten answere;
But, if any man these misqueme,
He shal be baited as a bere;
And yet wel wors they woll him tere,
650And in prisón woll hem [be] pend
In gyves, and in other gere;
Whan god woll, it may [a]mend.
But by assent of the comminaltè;
655But these, ech yere, woll raunsom hem
Maysterfully, more than doth he;
Hir seles, by yerë, better be
Than is the kinges in extend;
Hir officers han gretter fee;
660But this mischeef [may] god amend!
Thát is natt all worth ten pound,
He shall paye for the parchëment
The third part of the money all round.
665Thus the people is raunsound,
They say, such part to hem shulde apend;
There as they grypen, it goth to ground;
God, for his mercy, it amend!
670Twenty shillings he shall pay;
And than have an absolucioun,
And al the yere usen it forth he may!
Thus they letten hem go a-stray,
They recke nat though the soul be brend;
675These kepin yvell Peters key,
And all such shep[h]erdes god amend!
And all the lordes of this lond
Here-to taken so litell entent
680To helpe the people out of hir hond;
For they ben harder in †hir bond,
Wors bete[n] and [more] bitter brend
Than to the king is understond;
God him helpe this to amend!
Han in this lande as moch lay-fee,
Lordshippes, and possessio[u]ns
More than the lordes, it semeth me!
That maketh hem lese charitè,
690They mowë nat to god attend;
In erthe they have so high degree,
God, for his mercy, it amend!
So hyghe lordship him about,
695That, at [the] laste, the sely kyme,
The proudë popë putte him out!
So of this realme is in dout,
But lordes be ware and †hem defend;
For now these folk be wonder stout,
700The king and lordes now this amend!
foloweth the thirde.
493. saye. 495. Suche hathe nowe. 497. varry. 498. wende. 500. pytie; amende. 501. lyfe. 503. sufferaunce; stryfe. 505. wysedome. 506. tende. 507. measure. 508. maye amende. 509. lyfe. 514. comprehende. 515. maynteyne. 516. amende. 517. delyghtes. 518. stronge. 519. vsen. 520. Agaynste pytie punishementes. 522. Her; worse dispende. 524. amende.
525. holy. 528. worse; wytlesse. 529. fyshe; fleshe. 530. ykende. 531. poore. 532. amende. 533. Dyuers (read Dives); suche; her dome. 534. sayne. 535. shulde done. 536. suche. 537. suche. 538. offende. 539. nowe. 540. amende. 542. nowe; yknowe. 544. trowe. 545. Eche; owe (!). 546. sende. 547. worde; folke; showe. 548. amende. 549. poore. 551. Nowe dare; poore. 552. her foe. 553. Amonge; mote. 554. suche suspende. 555. hente. 556. amende.
557. worlde. 558. loly; badde. 559. her. 560. forthe ladde. 561. dradde. 562. Supply servaunts; shende. 563. Eche; gladde. 564, 572, 580, 588. amende. 567. One; one. 569. Supply that; one. 570. defende. 571. badde. 572. suche. 573. badde; shepe. 574. forbade. 575. Swerde; shepe. 576. shepe. 578. her shepe; swerde; contende. 579. her shepe; great. 582. Supply that; chefe pastoure. 583. swerde. 584. bochoure. 586. Shulde; shepe; backe bende. 587. shoure.
590. forsoke. 591. Supply to (as in l. 592). 592. hoke. 593. shepe; dothe; coke. 594. Supply they; vntrende. 595. -boke. 596. them amende. 600. badde; behynde. 601. Suche. 602. offende. 604. suche; amende. 606. Read contrar. 608. mysse. 610. Peter (read him); reprehende. 611. But nat (om. But); heuyn blysse. 612. amende. 613. case. 616. bare. 618. stale; supply gan; myspende. 620. Supply now; amende.
622. hys false (om. false). 626. frende=fremd. 628. amende. 629. efte sone. 631. fordone. 632. sayne. 633. And ayenst (omit And); commaundementes (read maundements); crye. 634. brende. 635. suche. 636. amende. 637. Englande. 638. kynge. 639. suche. 640. Supply they (or hem); lyste. 641. her. 642. prysone; sende. 644. amende. 648. bayghted. 649. worse. 650. prysone; supply be; pende. 652. maye mende.
654. assente. 655. eche. 657. Her seales. 658. extende. 660. mischefe; supply may; amende. 662. worthe tenne pounde. 664. thyrde parte; rounde. 665. raunsounde. 666. saye suche parte; apende. 667. gothe; grounde. 668. amende. 669. fornycatioun. 670. shyllynges; paye. 671. absolution. 672. forthe; maye. 674. soule; brende. 676. suche; amende. 678. londe. 680. her honde. 681. theyr (for hir); bonde. 682. Worse beate; supply more; brende. 683. vnderstande. 684. amende.
685. Read religiouns. 686. moche laye. 690. attende. 691. hyghe. 692. amende. 694. aboute. 695. Supply the. 697. doute. 698. them defende. 699. nowe; folke; stoute. 700. kynge; nowe; amende.