In religion, and in all the realm, amongst rich and poor; And yet the wretches of this world are none 'ware by other, How the bible book of him beareth witness; Whoso hath much, spend manly, so meaneth Tobit, And whoso little wieldeth, rule him thereafter; For we have no letter of our life, how long it shall endure. And how he might most meinie, manlich find; Not to fare as a fildeler, or a friar to seek feasts, Homely at other men's houses, and haten their own. Elenge1 is the hall every day in the week; There the lord nor the lady liketh not to sit, Now hath each rich a rule2 to eaten by themself . In a privy parlour, for poorë men's sake, Or in a chamber with a chimney, and leave the chief hall That was made for mealës men to eat in.' And when that Wit was 'ware what Dame Study told, He became so confuse he cunneth not look, And as dumb as death, and drew him arear, And for no carping I could after, nor kneeling to the earth I might get no grain of his greatë wits, But all laughing he louted, and looked upon Study, In sign that I shouldë beseechen her of grace, And when I was 'ware of his will, to his wife I louted As long as I live both late and early, For to worken your will, the while my life endureth, With this that ye ken me kindly, to know to what is Dowell.' I shall ken thee to my cousin, that Clergy is hoten.3 He hath wedded a wife within these six moneths, Is syb1 to the seven arts, Scripture is her name; They two as I hope, after my teaching, 1 'Elenge:' strange, deserted.—2 Rule:' custom.-"'Hoten:' named.-4 'Syb:' mother. And gladder than the gleeman that gold hath to gift, And asked her the highway where that Clergy1 dwelt. Both well and woe, if that thou wilt learn; And ride forth by riches, and rest thou not therein, For if thou couplest ye therewith, to Clergy comest thou never, Leave it on thy left half, a large mile and more, Till thou come to a court, keep well thy tongue From leasings and lyther2 speech, and likorous drinkës, And thus shall ye come to Clergy that can many things; And that I greet well his wife, for I wrote her many books, Logic I learned her, and many other laws, And all the unisons to music I made her to know; Plato the poet, I put them first to book, And beat them with a bales but if they would learn ; Of carpentry, of carvers, and compassed masons, COVETOUSNESS. And then came Covetise; can I him no descrive, He was bittle-browed and baberlipped also; And as a leathern pursë lolled his cheekës, Well sider than his chin they shivered for cold : And as a bondman of his bacon his beard was bidrauled, With a hood on his head, and a lousy hat above. And in a tawny tabard,5 of twelve winter age, But that if a louse could have leapen the better, 1 'Clergy:' learning.-2 Lyther:' wanton.-3 Gard:' made.- Tened:' grieved.-5 Tabard:' a coat. She had not walked on the welt, so was it threadbare. To Wye and to Winchester I went to the fair With many manner merchandise, as my master me hight.— THE PRELATES. And now is religion a rider, a roamer by the street, A pricker on a palfrey from manor to manor, MERCY AND TRUTH. Out of the west. coast, a wench, as methought, Came walking in the way, to heavenward she looked; A full benign birdë, and buxom of speech; A full comely creature, Truth she hight, For the virtue that her followed afeared was she never. When these maidens met, Mercy and Truth, Either asked other of this great marvel, Of the din and of the darkness, &c. NATURE, OR KIND, SENDING FORTH HIS DISEASES FROM THE PLANETS, AT THE COMMAND OF CONSCIENCE, AND OF HIS ATTENDANTS, AGE AND DEATH. Kind Conscience then heard, and came out of the planets, And sent forth his forriours, Fevers and Fluxes, Coughes and Cardiacles, Crampes and Toothaches, Boiles, and Botches, and burning Agues, Phreneses and foul Evil, foragers of Kind! There was 'Harow! and Help! here cometh Kind, With Death that is dreadful, to undo us all!' The lord that liveth after lust then aloud cried. 1 Donet:' lesson.-2 'Lovedays:' ladies.- 'Loude:' lewd. Age the hoar, he was in the va-ward, And bare the banner before Death: by right he it claimed. As Pocks and Pestilences, and much people shent. Many a lovely lady, and leman of knights, 'Piers Plowman' found many imitators. One wrote 'Piers the Plowman's Crede;' another, 'The Plowman's Tale;' another, a poem on 'Alexander the Great;' another, on the Wars of the Jews;' and another, 'A Vision of Death and Life," extracts from all which may be found in Warton's "History of English Poetry.' We close this preliminary essay by giving a very ancient hymn to the Virgin, as a specimen of the once universally-prevalent alliterative poetry. Hail be you, Mary, mother and may, Hail, folliche fruit of soothfast fay, Against each strife steadfast and stable; Hail, soothfast soul in each, a say, Under the sun is none so able; Hail, lodge that our Lord in lay, The foremost that never was founden in fable; Hail, chief ychosen of chastity, Hail, homely, hendy, and amiable: To pray for us to thy Sonë so free! AVE. II. Hail, star that never stinteth light; Hail, bush burning that never was brent; To truth and trust was thine intent; Hail, maiden and mother, most of might, Hail, spice sprung that never was spent; Hail, scion that God us soon to sent, You pray for us thy Sonë free! AVE. III. Hail, heartily in holiness; Hail, hope of help to high and low; To each a caitiff comfort to know; Hail, innocent of angerness, Our takel, our tol, that we on trow; Hail, light of love, and of beauty, Hail, brighter than the blood on snow: IV. Hail, maiden; hail, mother; hail, martyr trew; Hail, kindly yknow confessour; Hail, evenere of old law and new; Hail, builder bold of Christe's bower; Hail, rose highest of hyde and hue; Of all fruitës fairest flower; Hail, turtle trustiest and true, Of all truth thou art treasour; Hail, pured princess of paramour; Hail, bloom of brere brightest of ble; Hail, owner of earthly honour: You pray for us thy Sonë so free! AVE, &c. V. Hail, hendy; hail, holy emperess; Hail, queen courteous, comely, and kind; Hail, destroyer of every strife; Hail, mender of every man's mind; Hail, body that we ought to bless, So faithful friend may never man find; Hail, lever and lover of largëness, Sweet and sweetest that never may swynde; |