Classic Poem

Thus I awakede, wot God, when I wonede in Cornehille,
Kitte and I in a cote, y-clothed as a lollare,
And litel y-let by, leveth me for soothe,
Amonges lollares of Londone and lewede hermites;
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 limes to labory with, and lovede wel-fare,
And no dede to do but to drinke and to slepe.
In hele and in inwitt, one me apposede,
Rominge in remembraunce thus Resoun me aratede:
" Can thou serven", he saide, " or singen in a churche,
Or coke for my cokeres, or to the cart piche,
Mowen or mywen, or make bond to sheves,
Repe, or been a ripe-reve, and arise erly,
Or have an horn and be hayward, and ligge theroute nightes,
And kepe my corn in my croft fro pikares and theves,
Or shap shoon or cloth, or sheep and kine kepe,
Heggen or harwen, or swin or gees drive,
Or any other kines craft that to the comune nedeth,
Hem that bedreden be bileve to finde?"
" Certes", I saide, " and so me God helpe,
I am to waike to werke with sikel or with sythe,
And to long, leve me, lowe to stoupe,
To worche as a werkeman any while to duren."
" Thenne hast thou landes to live by", quod Resoun, " or linage riche,
That finde thee thy foode? For an idel man thou semest,
A spendour that spene mot, or a spille-time,
Or beggest thy bileve aboute at mennes haches,
Or faitest upon Fridayes or feste-dayes in churches,
The whiche is lollarne lif, that litel is praised
There Rightfulnesse rewardeth right as men deserveth:
Reddet unicuique iuxta opera sua.
Or thou art broke, so may be, in body or in membre,
Or y-maimed thorgh som mishap whereby thou mighte be excused."
" When I yong was", quod ich, " many yeer hennes,
My fader and my frendes founde me to scole,
Til I wiste witterly what Holy Writ menede,
And what is beste for the body, as the Book telleth,
And sikerest for the soule, by so I wil continue;
And fond I ne're, in faith, sith my frendes deyede,
Lif that me likede, but in these longe clothes.
And if I by labour sholde liven and liflode deserven,
That labour that I lerned beste therwith liven I sholde:
In eadem vocacione qua vocati estis, sitis.
And so I live in London and upeland bothe;
The lomes that I labore with and liflode deserve
Is Pater Noster and my Primer, Placebo and Dirige ,
And my Sauter som time, and my Sevene Psalmes.
These I segge for here soules of suche as me helpeth;
And tho that finden me my foode vouchen saf, I trowe,
To be welcome when I come otherwhile in a monthe,
Now with him, now with her. On this wise I begge,
Withoute bagge or botel but my wombe one.
And also, moreover, me thinketh, Sire Resoun,
Me sholde constraine no clerc to no knaves werkes;
For by the lawe of Levitici , that oure Lord ordainede,
Clerkes y-crowned, of kinde understandinge,
Sholde nother swinke ne swete, ne swerien at enquestes,
Ne fighte in no vaunewarde, ne his foe greve:
Non reddas mahun pro malo.
For it been heires of hevene alle that been y-crowned,
And in quoer and in kirkes Cristes ministres:
Dominus pars hereditatis mee &c; et alibi: Clemencia non constringit .
It becometh for clerkes Crist for to serve,
And knaves uncrownede to carte and to worche.
For sholde no clerke be crowned but if he come were
Of frankeleines and free men, and of folke y-wedded.
Bondemen and bastardes and beggares children,
These belongeth to labory, and lordes kin to serve
God and good men, as here degree asketh;
Some to singe masses, or sitten and writen,
Reden and receiven that Resoun oughte to spene.
Ac sithe bondemen barnes han be made bishopes,
And barnes bastardes han be archedekenes,
And soutares and here sones for silver han be knightes,
And lordes sones here laborers, and laide here rentes to wedde,
For the righte of this reume riden ayein oure enemies,
In confort of the comune and the kinges worshipe,
And monkes and moniales, that mendenants sholde finde,
Y-made here kin knightes, and knightes fees y-purchased,
Popes and patrones pore gentel blood refused
And taken Simondes sones seintuarie to kepe:
Lif-holynesse and love hath be longe hennes,
And wil til it be wered out or otherwise y-chaunged.
For-thy rebuke me righte noughte, Resoun, I you praye,
For in my consience I knowe what Crist wolde I wroughte.
Prayeres of a perfit man and penaunce discrete
Is the levest labour that oure Lord pleseth.
Non de solo ", I saide, " for soothe vivit homo ,
Nec in pane et in pabulo , the Pater Noster wittenesseth:
Fiat voluntas Dei , that fint us alle thinges."
Quod Consience: " By Crist, I can not see this lieth;
Ac it seemeth no sad perfitnesse in citees to begge,
But he be obediencer to prior or to ministre."
" That is sooth", I saide, " and so I beknowe
That I have y-tint time and time mis-spened;
Ac yet I hope, as he that ofte hath y-chaffared,
And ay loste and loste, and at the laste him happed
He boughte suche a bargain he was the bet evere,
And sette al his los at a leef at the laste ende,
Suche a winning him warth thorgh werdes of grace:
Simile est regnum celorum thesauro abscondito in agro;
Mulier que invenit dragmam.
So hope I to have of Him that is almighty
A gobet of His grace, and biginne a time
That alle times of my time to profit shal turne."
" I rede thee", quod Resoun tho, " rape thee to biginne
The lif that is lowable and leele to thy soule";
" Ye, and continue", quod Consience; and to the kirke I wente.