Thou seist that I contrarie
Cristis owne rewles,
bidinge geve to be pore
in peyne of dampnacion,
and we piken from the pore and riche
al that we may geten.
Jak, thou shewist sikirli,
what scole thou hast ben inne,
of sutiltee of arguyng
me thinkith thi brayn ful thinne.
Go grees a shoep undir the taile,
that semeth the beter
than with sotil sillogismes
to parbrake thi witt.
Jack, in James pistles
al religioun is groundid,
ffor there is maad mencion
of two perfit lyves,
that actif and contemplatif
comounli ben callid,
ffulli figurid by Marie
and Martha hir sister,
by Peter and bi Joon,
by Rachel and by Lya.
Thes lyves ben groundid in charité
by diverse degrees,
by men of professiouns
makyng sundri religiouns,
and evident ensaumple
moun techen us the waye.
Ffor sum fleen from the world,
and closen hem silf in wallis,
and steken hem in stones,
and litil wole thei speken,
to fleen sich occasiouns
as foly wole fynden;
and these we clepen ancres
in the comoun speche.
Also in contemplacion
there ben many other
that drawen hem to disert,
and drye myche peyne;
by eerbis, rootes, and fruyte lyven,
for her Goddis love;
and this manere of folk
men callen heremytes.
The thridde degree there is,
not for to be dispisid,
off sich as ben gaderid
in coventis togidere;
off the which men spekith
David in his psalmis,
sith he seith how merie it is
to dwelle togidere;
the which for worldly combraunce
kepen in cloistris,
on hert and oon soule
havyng with the apostlis;
and this clepe we monasticale,
that kendly is knowun.
Mo, Jak, in contemplacion
ther be diverse degrees;
and after that charité growith in hem,
the more is her mede.
Off actif lyf y shulde thee tellen,
yf that y hadde tyme,
and shewen how men by charité ben holden
to helpe her bretheren;
somme with paynymes for to figte,
oure feith to defende;
somme for to make purvyaunce
for seke and for pore;
somme for to preche to the puple
aftir her synne askith;
and somme in bothe lyves
laboren full soore,
liche unto the angels
in Jacobus ladder.
See now, Jak, thi silf,
how these bothe lyves
opinli ben expressid
in the epistle of James:
cleen religioun it is, he seith,
to visite the widewis,
the fadirles and the modirles,
to actif lyf expressid,
and undefoulid us to kepen
from al worldly werkes.
Byhold of contemplacioun
opinli he spekith;
so this may be resonably
the conclusioun of my tale,
that no religion more is
than techith sent Jame.
Jak, thou seist we piken
from the pore and from the riche,
and not geven agenward,
thoug that thei ben nedy;
that almes is pykyng,
y fynde it in thi boke,
and I herde it nevere aforn
in no maner scripture.
But if alwey pikers, Jak,
thou wolt us maken,
ther we piken but seely pans,
thi secte pikith poundis.
What we geven to the pore,
it nedith not thee to telle;
ffor almes-dede shul be hid,
and sweten in thi hondis.
Whi, bi mannes mariage,
ge ben weddid to gour abitis
wele harder than worldly men
ben weddit to her wyves,
which thei mowe leeve and lete go
as longe as him list.
Jak, for siche manere scole
ge cacchen Cristis curse,
so freli to mayntenen
Manichés errours,
to make men breke her matrimonye,
and leeve her wyves,
and whanne the good man is oute,
playe hey god rode.
Cristis owne rewles,
bidinge geve to be pore
in peyne of dampnacion,
and we piken from the pore and riche
al that we may geten.
Jak, thou shewist sikirli,
what scole thou hast ben inne,
of sutiltee of arguyng
me thinkith thi brayn ful thinne.
Go grees a shoep undir the taile,
that semeth the beter
than with sotil sillogismes
to parbrake thi witt.
Jack, in James pistles
al religioun is groundid,
ffor there is maad mencion
of two perfit lyves,
that actif and contemplatif
comounli ben callid,
ffulli figurid by Marie
and Martha hir sister,
by Peter and bi Joon,
by Rachel and by Lya.
Thes lyves ben groundid in charité
by diverse degrees,
by men of professiouns
makyng sundri religiouns,
and evident ensaumple
moun techen us the waye.
Ffor sum fleen from the world,
and closen hem silf in wallis,
and steken hem in stones,
and litil wole thei speken,
to fleen sich occasiouns
as foly wole fynden;
and these we clepen ancres
in the comoun speche.
Also in contemplacion
there ben many other
that drawen hem to disert,
and drye myche peyne;
by eerbis, rootes, and fruyte lyven,
for her Goddis love;
and this manere of folk
men callen heremytes.
The thridde degree there is,
not for to be dispisid,
off sich as ben gaderid
in coventis togidere;
off the which men spekith
David in his psalmis,
sith he seith how merie it is
to dwelle togidere;
the which for worldly combraunce
kepen in cloistris,
on hert and oon soule
havyng with the apostlis;
and this clepe we monasticale,
that kendly is knowun.
Mo, Jak, in contemplacion
ther be diverse degrees;
and after that charité growith in hem,
the more is her mede.
Off actif lyf y shulde thee tellen,
yf that y hadde tyme,
and shewen how men by charité ben holden
to helpe her bretheren;
somme with paynymes for to figte,
oure feith to defende;
somme for to make purvyaunce
for seke and for pore;
somme for to preche to the puple
aftir her synne askith;
and somme in bothe lyves
laboren full soore,
liche unto the angels
in Jacobus ladder.
See now, Jak, thi silf,
how these bothe lyves
opinli ben expressid
in the epistle of James:
cleen religioun it is, he seith,
to visite the widewis,
the fadirles and the modirles,
to actif lyf expressid,
and undefoulid us to kepen
from al worldly werkes.
Byhold of contemplacioun
opinli he spekith;
so this may be resonably
the conclusioun of my tale,
that no religion more is
than techith sent Jame.
Jak, thou seist we piken
from the pore and from the riche,
and not geven agenward,
thoug that thei ben nedy;
that almes is pykyng,
y fynde it in thi boke,
and I herde it nevere aforn
in no maner scripture.
But if alwey pikers, Jak,
thou wolt us maken,
ther we piken but seely pans,
thi secte pikith poundis.
What we geven to the pore,
it nedith not thee to telle;
ffor almes-dede shul be hid,
and sweten in thi hondis.
Whi, bi mannes mariage,
ge ben weddid to gour abitis
wele harder than worldly men
ben weddit to her wyves,
which thei mowe leeve and lete go
as longe as him list.
Jak, for siche manere scole
ge cacchen Cristis curse,
so freli to mayntenen
Manichés errours,
to make men breke her matrimonye,
and leeve her wyves,
and whanne the good man is oute,
playe hey god rode.