Classic Poem

Thou argust, Topias, wonderly,
as if thou were an asse;
for thou legest goure selde bedys to the pater-noster,
that Crist him selve made;
but wel I wote that alle ge
gate never a peny,
with the pater-noster,
but with goure famulorum,
that ge sey is beter,
ge gete many poundes.
For Crist made that one,
for better may none be;
but ge with goure ypocrisy
han autorised that other,
to blynde with the pupyl
for goure cursed grounde,
and thou God made al thinge in mesure and in wygte,
as the scripture seythe,
it folowth not he made gou,
for ge ben oute of mesure,
and so the devyl and Caym
with Judas ben goure fadirs.

Oft, Dawe, in thi writtyng,
thou wryngist out contradiccion;
but git thou puttist defaut to prestes,
as erst thou didist to curates.
I wot thai ben defectif,
bot git stondith Cristis religion,
of whose defaut I dout not Dawe,
ge ben the chef cause.
Bi this it suwit not God,
bot Sathanas brougt gou in.
Thou saist, Dawe, as thou felist,
that there is Cristes body;
bot I afferme faithfully
that that is Cristis body;
Daw, aske thi cappid maistres,
as if thai were heritikes,
what is the sacred host,
and grounde hem in scripture,
to whiche we knele and doffe our hodes,
and don alle this wirchip,
and I bileve that oste sacred,
whiche is bothe whit and rounde,
is verrei Cristis body,
as men shuld bileve,
and did to the tyme
that Sathanas was unbounde.
The wittnesse of this reson
is Crist and his apostles,
with many holi doctouris
of the thousande gere.
Bot this ge falsely forsake,
with alle gour secte, or many,
and blynden the puple with heresie,
and leven Goddis lawe;
ffor ge sayen ther is Cristis body,
and nougt that sacred host.
Commutaverunt veritatem Dei in mendacium.