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ILL - DOINGS OF THE STRONG
[ Langand ; Piers Plowman's Vision, Passus
IV ]
And thanne com Pees into parlement,
And putte forth a bille,
How Wrong ayiens his wille
Hadde his wif taken.
"Bothe my gees and my grys ( pigs )
Hise gadelynges ( knaves ) feecheth,
I dar noght for fere of hem
Fighte ne chide.
He borwed of me Bayard,
He broughte hym hom nevere,
Ne no ferthyng therfore,
For ought koude plede.
He maynteneth hise men
To murthere myne hewen,( workmen )
Forstalleth my feires, ( marketing )
And fighteth in my chepying,
And breketh up my bernes dore,
And bereth away my whete,
And taketh me but a taille ( earth )
For ten quarters of otes
And yet he beteth me therto.
..........................................................
I am noght hardy for hym
Unnethe ( scarcely ) to loke."
PURVEYORS
[ Piers Plowman Passus III ]
Maires and Maceres
That menes ben bitwene
The kyng and the comune
To kepe the lawes,
To punysshe on pillories
And pynynge-stooles,
Brewesters mid baksters,
Bochiers and cokes,
For thise are men on this molde ( earth )
That moost harm wercheth
To the povere peple
That percel-mele ( piece-meal ) buggen ; ( buy )
For thei enpoisone the peple
Pryveliche and ofte,
Thei richen thorugh regratrie , ( grow rich by regrating )
And rentes hem biggen, ( buy )
With that the povere peple
Sholde putte in hire wombe.
For toke thei on trewly
Thei tymbred ( build ) nought so heighe,
Ne boughte none burgages, ( town-building
)
Be ye ful certeyne.
THE FARE OF THE LABOURER
[ Piers Plowman Passus VI ]
" I have no peny, " quod Piers,
"Pulettes to bugge,
Ne neither gees ne grys,
But two grene .cheses,
A fewe cruddes and creme,
And an haver ( oat ) cake,
And two loves of benes and bran
Y-bake for my fauntes ; ( children )
And yet I seye, by my soule !
I have no salt bacon,
Ne no cokeney, by Crist !
Coloppes for to maken .
"Ac I have percile ( parsley ) and porettes,(
leeks )
And manye cole plauntes, (cabbage )
And ek a cow and a calf,
And a cart mare
To draw a-field my donge,
The while the droghte lasteth ;
And by this liflode ( livelihood ) we mote lyve
Til lammesse ( lammas - loaf-mass Aug 1st
) tyme.
And by that, I hope to have
Harvest in my crofte,
And thanne may I dighte thi dyner,
As me deere liketh."
Al the povere peple tho
Pescoddes fetten,
Benes and baken apples
Thei broghte in hir lappes,
Chibolles ( leeks ) and chervelles,
And ripe chiries manye,
And profrede Piers this present
To plese with Hunger.
Al Hunger eet in haste,
And axed for moore.
Thanne povere folk, for fere,
Fedden Hunger yerne ( eagerly )
With grene poret and pesen,
To poisone hym thei thoghte.
By that it neghed neer hervest,
And newe corn cam to chepyng ;
Thanne was folk fayn,
And fedde Hunger with the beste,
With goode ale, as Gloton ( gluttony ) taghte,
And garte ( caused ) Hunger to slepe.
And tho ( then ) wolde Wastour noght werche,
And wandren aboute,
Ne no beggere etc breed
That benes inne were,
But of coket and cler-matyn, ( white bread
)
Or ellis of clene whete ;
Ne noon halfpenv ale
In none wise drynke,
But of the beste and of the bruneste
That in burghe is to selle.
Laborers that have no land
To lyve on but hire handes,
Deyned noght to dyne a day
Nyght-olde wortes; ( vegetables )
May no peny ale hem paye,
Ne no pece of bacone,
But if it be fresshe flessh outher fisshe,
Fryed outher y-bake,
And that chaud and plus chaud,
For chillynge of hir mawe ;
And but if he be heighliche hyred ;
Ellis wole he chide,
And that he was werkman wrought
Waille the tyme,
Ayeins Catons counseil
Comseth he to jangle.
Paupertatis onus patienter ferre memento.
He greveth hym ageyn God.
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