And a blind man for a bourdeoure,1 or a bed-rid woman
To cry a largess2 before our Lord, your good los3 to show!
These three manner minstrels maketh a man to laugh ;
And in his death-dying they done him great comfort,
That by his life lithed them and loved them to hear.

Passus XIII.

THE POOR MAN'S PRAYER FOR JOY.

Though men rede1 of richesse right to the world's ende, I wist never renk" that rich was, that when he reckon sholde, When it drew to his death-day, that he ne dread him sore, And that, at reckoning, in arrearage fell, rather than out of debt.

There the poor dare plead, and prove by pure reason

To have allowance of his Lord,-by the law he it claimeth.
Joy, that never joy had, of rightful Judge he asketh :
And saith, "Lo, birds and beasts, that no bliss ne knoweth,
And wild worms in woods; through winter Thou them
grievest,

And makest them well-nigh meek and mild for defaute ;7
And after, Thou sendest them summer, that is their sovereign
joy,

And bliss to all that been, both wild and tame.

Then may beggars, as beastes, after botes waiten,
That all their life han3 lived in languour and in defaute.
But10 God sent them some time some manner joy,
Other11 here or elsewhere, Kind12 would it never.

Passus XIV.

CHARITY.

66

14

Charity," quoth he, "ne chaffereth13 not, ne challengeth,14 ne craveth,15

As proud of a penny as of a pound of gold,

And is as glad of a gown of a gray russet
As of a tunicle of Tarse or of Tyre scarlet.

He is glad with all glad, and good till16 all wicked,
And lieveth1 and loveth all that our Lord made.
Curseth he no creature, ne he can bear no wrath,
Ne no liking hath to lie, ne laugh men to scorn.

1 Jester.

6 In arrears. 11 Either.

2 Bounty.
7 From want.

12 Nature.

And also I have an houswife, hewen,1 and children,
That wollen bimolen2 it many time maugre my cheekes 13
It hath been laved, in Lent and out of Lent both,
With the soap of sickness that seeketh wonder deepe,
And with the loss of chattel.5

And couth I never, by Christ, keepen it clean an hour,
That I ne soiled it with sight or some idle speeche,

Or through work, or through word, or will of mine heart,
That I ne flober it foule, fro morrow till eve."

"And I shall ken7 thee," quoth Conscience, " of contrition to make

That shall claw thy coat of alkinnes filth;

Dowell shall washen it and wringen it through a wise con

fessor;

Dobet shall beaten it and bouken' it as bright as any scarlet, And ingrainen it with good will and God's grace to amend

thee,

And sithen10 send thee to Satisfaction for to sewen it after :
Shall never mist bimolen11 it, ne moth after biten it,

Ne fiend ne false man defoulen it in thy life;
Shall none herald ne harper have a fairer garment
Than Hawkin, the Active Man, and thou do my teaching;
Ne no minstrel be more worth amongst poor and rich,
Than Hawkin's wife, the waferer, which is Activa Vita."
Passus XIII. and XIV.

GOD'S MINSTRELS.

Clerkes and knightes welcometh12 kings' minstrels, And for love of the lord litheth 13 them at feastes.

Much more, methinketh, riche men shoulde

Have beggars before them, the which been God's minstrels. . . . Forthy,1 ,14 I rede you rich,15 revels when ye maketh

For to solace your souls, such minstrels to have :

The poor for a fol-sage16 sitting at the high table,

And a leared man to lear theel what our Lord suffered,
For to save thy soul from Satan thine enemy,

And fithel18 thee, without flattering, of Good Friday the

story;

1 Servants. 2 Soil.

3 In spite of me.

4 Washed.

6 Morning. 7 Teach. 8 All kind of.

11 Stain.

5 Wealth. 9 Beat and dye. 10 Afterwards.

12 They welcome (old south-English plural ending).

13 Entertain.

14 Therefore.

15 I counsel you rich folk.

And a blind man for a bourdeoure,1 or a bed-rid woman
To cry a largess2 before our Lord, your good los3 to show!
These three manner minstrels maketh a man to laugh ;
And in his death-dying they done him great comfort,
That by his life lithed them and loved them to hear.

Passus XIII.

THE POOR MAN'S PRAYER FOR JOY.

Though men rede1 of richesse right to the world's ende, I wist never renk that rich was, that when he reckon sholde, When it drew to his death-day, that he ne dread him sore, And that, at reckoning, in arrearage fell, rather than out of debt.

There the poor dare plead, and prove by pure reason

To have allowance of his Lord,-by the law he it claimeth.
Joy, that never joy had, of rightful Judge he asketh :
And saith, "Lo, birds and beasts, that no bliss ne knoweth,
And wild worms in woods; through winter Thou them
grievest,

And makest them well-nigh meek and mild for defaute ;7
And after, Thou sendest them summer, that is their sovereign

joy,

And bliss to all that been, both wild and tame.

Then may beggars, as beastes, after botes waiten,
That all their life han9 lived in languour and in defaute.
But10 God sent them some time some manner joy,

Other11 here or elsewhere, Kind12 would it never.

Passus XIV.

CHARITY.

66

Charity," quoth he, "ne chaffereth13 not, ne challengeth,14 ne craveth,15

As proud of a penny as of a pound of gold,

And is as glad of a gown of a gray russet
As of a tunicle of Tarse or of Tyre scarlet.

He is glad with all glad, and good till16 all wicked,
And lieveth and loveth all that our Lord made.
Curseth he no creature, ne he can bear no wrath,
Ne no liking hath to lie, ne laugh men to scorn.

All that men saith he let it soth1 and in solace taketh,
And all manner mischiefs in mildness he suffereth :
Coveteth he none earthly good, but heaven-riche2 blisse."
For Charity is God's champion, and as a good child hende,3
And the merriest of mouth at meat where he sitteth.

The love that lieth in his heart maketh him light of speech,
And is companable and confortative as Christ beeth himselve;
For I have seen him in silk and sometime in russet,
Both in grey and in gris and in gilt harness;

And as gladly he it gave to gomes1 that it needed. .
I have seen Charity also singen and readen,
Riden and runnen in ragged weedes;

But bidding as beggars beheld I him never.
And in a friar's frock he was y-found ones,
But it is far ago in Saint Francis' time;

In that sect sithe" too selds hath he be knowen.

Passus XV.

CONSUMMATUM EST.

Then came Pilatus with much people, sedens pro tribunali.

The Jews and the Justice against Jesu both were,

And all their Court on him cried Crucifige sharp.

Tho put him forth a pilour before Pilate and said :—
"This Jesus of our Jews' Temple japed1o and despised,
To fordone it in one day, and in three days after
Edify it eft new (here he stant that said it!),
And yet maken it as much in all manner points,

Both as long and as large, beloft and beground."

66

Crucifige," quoth a catchpole: "I warrant him a witch !” Tolle, tolle!" quoth another, and took of keen thorns, And began of keen thorn a garland to make,

And set it sore on his head, and said in envy :

"Ave, Rabbi," quoth that Ribald, and threw reeds at him. Nailed him with three nails naked on the rood;

And poison on a pole they put up to his lips,

And bade him drink his death-eisel," his days were ydone. 66 And, gif that thou subtle be, help now thyselven ;

If thou be Christ and King's Son, came down of the Rood : Then shall we lieve12 that life thee loveth and will not let

thee die !"

1 He takes for truth, he believes to be true. 5 Beseeching. 6 Once.

4 Men.

"Consummatum est!" quoth Christ, and comsed1 for to swow,2

Piteously and pale, as a prisoner that dieth;

3

The Lord of life and of light tho3 laid his eyen together;
The day for dread withdrew, and dark became the sun;
The vail wagged and cleft, and all the world quaved;1
Dead men for that din came out of deep graves

And told why that tempest so large time dured.
"For a bitter battle," the dead body said,

6

"Life and Death in this darkness the one fordoth 5 the other;
Shall no wight wit witterly who shall have the maistery
Ere Sunday about sun-rising :" and sank with that till earth.
Passus XVIII.

GIFTS OF GRACE.

"Forthy," quoth Grace, "ere I go, I will give you treasure, And weapons to fight with when Anti-christ you assaileth ;" And gave each man a grace to gye3 with himselven, That idleness encumber him not, envy ne pride.

Some he gave wit9 with wordes to shewe,

Wit to win their liflode 10 with, as the world asketh,

As preachers and priestes and prentices of lawe,
They leally11 to live by labour of tongue,

And by wit to wissen12 other as Grace them would teach ;
And some he kenned13 crafte and cunning of sight
With selling and buying their by-life to winne;
And some he leared to labour14 a leal15 life and a true;
And some he taught to tille, to dike, and to thatche,
To win with their liflode by lore of his teaching;
And some to divine and divide, numbers16 to kenne,
And some to compass craftily and colours1? to make;
And some to see and to say18 what should befalle
Both of weal and of wo, tell it or19 it fell,

As astronomians through astronomy, and philosophers wise;
And some to ride, and to recover20 that unrightfully was wonne;
He wissed21 them win it again through wightness of handes,
And fetchen it fro false men with foluyles22 laws;

And some he leared to live in longing to been hence,2
In
poverty and in penance to pray for all Cristene :

12 Instruct.

15 Honest.

18 To foretell events.

13 Taught merchandise.
16 Mathematics.

19 Before it happened.

11 Loyally, honestly.

14 Taught handicrafts.

17 Painting and designing.
20 Knighthood and chivalry