Classic Poem

Thus I wakede, wot god, whan I wonede in Cornehull,
Kytte and I in a cote, yclothed as a lollare,
And lytel ylet by, leveth me for sothe,
Amonges lollares of Londone and lewede men, ermytes,
For I made of tho men as resoun me taughte.
For as I cam by Consience with Resoun I mette
In an hot hervest whenne I hadde myn hele
And lymes to labory with and lovede wel fare
And no dede to do but to drynke and to slepe.
In hele and in inwitt one me apposede;
Romynge in remembraunce, thus Resoun me aratede.
 ‘Can thow serven,’ he sayde, ‘or syngen in a churche,
Or koke for my cokeres or to the cart piche,
Mowen or mywen or make bond to sheves,
Repe or been a rypereve and aryse erly,
Or have an horn and be hayward and lygge ther-oute nyhtes
And kepe my corn in my croft fro pykares and theves?
Or shape shon or cloth, or shep and kyne kepe,
Heggen or harwen, or swyne or gees dryve,
Or eny other kynes craft that to the comune nedeth,
That thou betere ther-by that byleve the fynden?’
 ‘Certes,’ I sayde, ‘and so me god helpe,
I am to wayke to worche with sykel or with sythe
And to long, lef me, lowe to stoupe,
To wurche as a werkeman eny while to duyren.’
 ‘Thenne hastow londes to lyve by,’ quod Resoun, ‘or lynage ryche
That fynde the thy fode? For an ydel man thow semest,
A spendour that spene mot or a spille-tyme,
Or beggest thy bylyve aboute at men hacches
Or faytest uppon frydayes or feste-day in churches,
The whiche is lollarne lyf, that lytel is preysed
Ther ryhtfulnesse rewardeth ryht as men deserveth.
  Reddit unicuique juxta opera sua.
Or thow art broke, so may be, in body or in membre
Or ymaymed thorw som myshap, whereby thow myhte be excused?’
 ‘When I yong was, many yer hennes,
My fader and my frendes fonde me to scole,
Tyl I wyste witterly what holy writ menede
And what is best for the body, as the bok telleth,
And sykerest for the soule, by so I wole contenue.
And fond I nere, in fayth, seth my frendes deyede,
Lyf that me lykede but in this longe clothes.
And yf I be labour sholde lyven and lyflode deserven,
That laboure that I lerned beste, ther-with lyven I sholde.
  In eadem vocatione in qua vocati estis, manete.
And so I leve yn London and uppe lond bothe;
The lomes that I labore with and lyflode deserve
Ys pater-noster and my prymer, placebo and dirige ,
And my sauter som tyme and my sevene psalmes.
This I segge for here soules of suche as me helpeth,
And tho that fynden me my fode vouchen-saf, I trowe,
To be welcome when I come, other-while in a monthe,
Now with hym, now with here; on this wise I begge
Withoute bagge or botel but my wombe one.
 And also moreover me thynketh, syre Resoun,
Men sholde constrayne no clerc to no knaves werkes,
For by the lawe of Levyticy that oure lord ordeynede,
Clerkes ycrouned, of kynde understondynge,
Sholde nother swynke ne swete ne sweren at enquestes
Ne fyhte in no vanne-warde ne his foe greve.
  Non reddas malum pro malo.
For hit ben heyres of hevene, alle that ben ycrouned,
And in quor and in kyrkes Cristes mynistres.
  Dominus pars hereditatis mee. Et alibi: Clementia non constringit.
Hit bycometh for clerkes Crist for to serve
And knaves uncrounede to carte and to worche.
For sholde no clerke be crouned but yf he come were
Of frankeleynes and fre men and of folke ywedded.
Bondemen and bastardus and beggares children,
Thyse bylongeth to labory and lordes kyn to serve,
God and good men, as here degre asketh;
Somme to synge masses or sitten and wryten,
Reden and resceyven that resoun ouhte to spene.
Ac sythe bondemen barnes han be made bisshopes
And barnes bastardus han be erchedekenes
And soutares and here sones for sulver han be knyhtes
And lordes sones here laboreres and leyde here rentes to wedde—
For the ryhte of this reume ryden ageyn oure enemyes
In confort of the comune and the kynges worschipe—
And monkes and monyales, that mendenants sholde fynde,
Ymade here kyn knyhtes and knyhtes-fees ypurchased,
Popes and patrones pore gentel blood refused
And taken Symondes sones seyntwarie to kepe.
Lyf-holynesse and love hath be longe hennes,
And wol, til hit be wered out, or otherwyse ychaunged.
 Forthy rebuke me ryhte nauhte, Resoun, I yow praye,
For in my consience I knowe what Crist wolde I wrouhte.
Preyeres of a parfit man and penaunce desirede
Is the levest labour that oure lord pleseth.
Non de solo ,' I sayde, ‘for sothe vivit homo ,
Nec in pane et in pabulo , the pater-noster wittenesseth;
Fiat voluntas dei —that fynt us alle thynges.’
 Quod Conscience, ‘By Crist, I can nat se this lyeth;
Ac it semeth no sad parfitnesse in citees to begge,
But he be obediencer to prior or to mynistre.’
 ‘That is soth,’ I saide, ‘and so I beknowe,
That I have ytynt tyme and tyme myspened;
Ac yut, I hope, as he that ofte hath ychaffared
And ay loste and loste, and at the laste hym happed
He bouhte suche a bargayn he was the bet evere,
And sette al his los at a leef at the laste ende,
Suche a wynnyng hym warth thorw wordes of grace.
  Simile est regnum celorum thesauro abscondito in agro, etc.
  Mulier que invenit dragmam, etc.
So hope I to have of hym that is almyghty
A gobet of his grace, and bigynne a tyme
That alle tymes of my tyme to profit shal turne.’
 ‘I rede the,’ quod Resoun tho, ‘rape the to bigynne
The lyf that is louable and leele to thy soule’—
 ‘Ye, and contynue,’ quod Consience; and to the kyrke I wente.