Shall I tell you[1144]more? ye, shall.I am loth to tell all;But the communalte yow[1145]callYdolles of Babylon,640De terraZabulon,De terraNeptalym;For ye[1146]loue to go trym,Brought vp of poore estate,Wyth pryde inordinate,Sodaynly vpstarteFrom the donge carte,The mattocke[1147]and the shule,[1148]To reygne and to rule;And haue[1149]no grace to thynke650Howe ye[1150]were wonte to drynkeOf a lether bottellWith a knauysshe stoppell,Whan mamockes was your meate,With moldy[1151]brede to eate;Ye cowde[1152]none other geteTo chewe and to gnawe,To fyll therwith your mawe;Loggyng in fayre[1153]strawe,Couchyng your drousy heddes660Somtyme in lousy beddes.[1154]Alas, this is out[1155]of mynde!Ye growe nowe out of kynde:Many one ye haue vntwynde,[1156]And made[1157]the commons blynde.Butqui se[1158]existimat stare,Let hym well beware[1159]Lest that his fote slyp,And haue suche a tryp,And falle[1160]in suche dekay,670That all the worlde may[1161]say,Come downe, in[1162]the deuyll[1163]way!Yet, ouer all that,[1164]Of bysshops they[1165]chat,That though ye round your hearAn ynche aboue your ear,And haue[1166]aures patentesAndparum intendentes,And your tonsors be croppyd,[1167]Your eares they be[1168]stopped;680For maisterAdulator,And doctourAssentator,AndBlandior blandiris,WithMentior mentiris,They folowe[1169]your desyres,And so they blere your eye,That ye can not espyeHowe the male dothe wrye.[1170]Alas, for Goddes wyll,Why syt ye, prelates,[1171]styll,690And suffre all this yll?Ye bysshops of estates[1172]Shulde open the brode gates[1173]Of[1174]your spirituall charge,And com forthe[1175]at large,Lyke lanternes of lyght,In the peoples syght,In pullpettes[1176]awtentyke,[1177]For the wele publykeOf preesthode[1178]in this case;700And alwayes to chaseSuche maner of sysmatykesAnd halfe heretykes,That wolde intoxicate,[1179]That wolde conquinate,That wolde contaminate,[1180]And that[1181]wolde vyolate,And that wolde derogate,And that[1182]wolde abrogateThe Churchis[1183]hygh estates,[1184]710After this maner rates,[1185]The which shulde beBoth franke and free,And haue theyr[1186]lyberte,As[1187]of antiquyteIt was ratefyed,And also gratifyed,By holy synodallesAnd bulles papalles,[1188]As it isres certa720Conteyned inMagna Charta.But maister[1189]Damyan,Or some other man,That clerkely is and canWell scrypture expoundeAnd hys[1190]textes grounde,His benefyce worthe ten pounde,Or skante worth twenty marke,And yet[1191]a noble clerke,He must do this werke;730As I knowe a parte,Some maisters of arte,Some doctours of lawe,Some lernde in other sawe,As in dyuynyte,That hath no dygnyteBut the pore degreOf the vnyuersyte;Or els frere Frederycke,Or els[1192]frere Dominike,740Or frere Hugulinus,Or frere Agustinus,Or frere Carmelus,[1193]That gostly can heale vs;Or els yf we mayGet a frere graye,Or els of the orderVpon[1194]Grenewyche border,Called Obseruaunce,Or[1195]a frere of Fraunce;750Or els the poore Scot,It must come to his lotTo shote forthe his[1196]shot;Or of Babuell besyde Bery,To postell vpon a[1197]kyry,That wolde it shulde be[1198]notedHowe scripture shulde be coted,And so clerkley[1199]promoted;And yet the frere doted.But men sey your awtoryte,[1200]760And your noble se,[1201]And your[1202]dygnyte,Shulde be imprynted betterThen all[1203]the freres letter;For if ye wolde take payneTo preche a worde or twayne,Though it were neuer so playne,With clauses two or thre,So as they myght beCompendyously conueyde,770These[1204]wordes shuld be more weyd,And better perceyued,And thankfullerlye[1205]receyued,And better shulde remayne[1206]Amonge[1207]the people playne,That wold your wordes retayne[1208]And reherce them agayne,Than a thousand thousande[1209]other,That blaber,[1210]barke, and blother,[1211]And make a Walshmans hose780Of the texte and of the[1212]glose.For protestatyon made,That I wyll not wadeFarther in this broke,[1213]Nor farther for[1214]to lokeIn deuysynge of[1215]this boke,But[1216]answere that I mayFor my selfe alway,Eytheranalogice[1217]Or elscategorice,[1218]790So that in diuinite[1219]Doctors that lerned be,Nor bachelers of that faculteThat hath[1220]taken degreIn the vniuersite,Shall not be obiecte at by[1221]me.But doctour Bullatus,Parum litteratus,Dominus doctoratusAt the brode gatus,[1222]800Doctour Daupatus,And bachelerbacheleratus,[1223]Dronken as a mouse,At the[1224]ale house,Taketh[1225]his pyllyon and his cap[1226]At the good ale tap,For lacke of good wyne;As wyse as Robyn[1227]swyne,Vnder a[1228]notaryes sygneWas made a dyuyne;810As wyse as Waltoms calfe,Must preche, a Goddes halfe,In the pulpyt solempnely;More mete in the[1229]pyllory,For, by saynt Hyllary,He can nothyng smatterOf logyke nor[1230]scole matter,Neythersyllogisare,[1231]Norenthymemare,[1232]Nor knoweth his elenkes[1233]820Nor his predicamens;[1234]And yet he wyll mell[1235]To amend the gospell,And wyll preche and tellWhat they do in hell;And he dare not well neuen[1236]What they do in heuen,Nor[1237]how farre Temple barre isFrom the seuen starrys.[1238]Nowe wyll I[1239]go830And tell of other mo,Semper protestandoDe non impugnandoThe foure ordores of fryers,[1240]Though[1241]some of them be lyers;As Lymyters at largeWyll charge and dyscharge;As many a frere, God wote,Preches[1242]for his grote,Flatterynge[1243]for a newe cote840And for to haue his fees;Some to gather chese;Loth they are to leseEyther corne or malte;[1244]Somtyme meale and salte,Somtyme a bacon flycke,That is thre fyngers thyckeOf larde and of greace,Theyr couent to encreace.I put you out of doute,850This can not be brought abouteBut they theyr tonges fyle,And make a plesaunt styleTo Margery and to[1245]Maude,Howe they haue no fraude;[1246]And somtyme they prouokeBothe Gyll and Jacke at NokeTheir dewtyes to withdrawe,That they ought by the laweTheyr curates to[1247]content860In open tyme and in Lent:[1248]God wot, they take great payneTo flatter and to fayne;But[1249]it[1250]is an[1251]olde sayd sawe,That nede hath[1252]no lawe.Some walke aboute in melottes,[1253]In gray russet and heery cotes;Some wyl[1254]neyther golde ne grotes;[1255]Some plucke a partrych in remotes,And by the barres of[1256]her tayle870Wyll knowe a rauen from[1257]a rayle,A quayle, the raile, and the olde rauen:[1258]Sed libera nos a malo!Amen.And byDudum, theyr Clementine,[1259]Agaynst curates they[1260]repyne;And say propreli they ar[1261]sacerdotes,To shryue, assoyle, and reles[1262]Dame Margeries[1263]soule out of hell:But when the freare fell[1264]in the well,He coud not syng himselfe therout[1265]880But by the helpe of Christyan Clout.Another Clementyne also,[1266]How frere Fabian, with other mo,Exivit de Paradiso;Whan they agayn theder shal come,De hoc petimus consilium:And through all the world they goWith[1267]DirigeandPlacebo.But nowe my mynd ye vnderstand,For they[1268]must take in hande890To prech, and to[1269]withstandeAl maner of abiections;[1270]For bysshops haue protections,They say, to do corrections,But they haue no affections[1271]To take the sayd[1272]dyrections;In such maner of cases,[1273]Men say, they bere no facesTo occupye suche places,To sowe the sede of graces:[1274]900Theyr hertes are so faynted,And they be so attayntedWith coueytous and ambycyon,[1275]And other superstycyon,That they be[1276]deef and dum,And play scylens and glum,[1277]Can say nothynge but mum.They occupye them soWith syngyngPlacebo,They wyll no farther go:910They had leuer to please,And take their worldly ease,Than to take on handeWorsshepfully[1278]to withstandeSuch temporall warre and bate,As nowe is made of lateAgaynst holy Churche[1279]estate,Or to maynteyne good[1280]quarelles.The lay men call them barrellesFull of glotony920And of hypocrysy,That counterfaytes[1281]and payntesAs they were very sayntes:In matters that them lyke[1282]They shewe them polytyke,Pretendyng grauyteAnd sygnyoryte,With all solempnyte,For theyr indempnyte;For they wyll haue no losse[1283]930Of a peny nor of a crosse[1284]Of theyr predyall landes,That cometh to theyr handes,And[1285]as farre as they dare set,All is fysshe that cometh to net:[1286]
Shall I tell you[1144]more? ye, shall.I am loth to tell all;But the communalte yow[1145]callYdolles of Babylon,640De terraZabulon,De terraNeptalym;For ye[1146]loue to go trym,Brought vp of poore estate,Wyth pryde inordinate,Sodaynly vpstarteFrom the donge carte,The mattocke[1147]and the shule,[1148]To reygne and to rule;And haue[1149]no grace to thynke650Howe ye[1150]were wonte to drynkeOf a lether bottellWith a knauysshe stoppell,Whan mamockes was your meate,With moldy[1151]brede to eate;Ye cowde[1152]none other geteTo chewe and to gnawe,To fyll therwith your mawe;Loggyng in fayre[1153]strawe,Couchyng your drousy heddes660Somtyme in lousy beddes.[1154]Alas, this is out[1155]of mynde!Ye growe nowe out of kynde:Many one ye haue vntwynde,[1156]And made[1157]the commons blynde.Butqui se[1158]existimat stare,Let hym well beware[1159]Lest that his fote slyp,And haue suche a tryp,And falle[1160]in suche dekay,670That all the worlde may[1161]say,Come downe, in[1162]the deuyll[1163]way!Yet, ouer all that,[1164]Of bysshops they[1165]chat,That though ye round your hearAn ynche aboue your ear,And haue[1166]aures patentesAndparum intendentes,And your tonsors be croppyd,[1167]Your eares they be[1168]stopped;680For maisterAdulator,And doctourAssentator,AndBlandior blandiris,WithMentior mentiris,They folowe[1169]your desyres,And so they blere your eye,That ye can not espyeHowe the male dothe wrye.[1170]Alas, for Goddes wyll,Why syt ye, prelates,[1171]styll,690And suffre all this yll?Ye bysshops of estates[1172]Shulde open the brode gates[1173]Of[1174]your spirituall charge,And com forthe[1175]at large,Lyke lanternes of lyght,In the peoples syght,In pullpettes[1176]awtentyke,[1177]For the wele publykeOf preesthode[1178]in this case;700And alwayes to chaseSuche maner of sysmatykesAnd halfe heretykes,That wolde intoxicate,[1179]That wolde conquinate,That wolde contaminate,[1180]And that[1181]wolde vyolate,And that wolde derogate,And that[1182]wolde abrogateThe Churchis[1183]hygh estates,[1184]710After this maner rates,[1185]The which shulde beBoth franke and free,And haue theyr[1186]lyberte,As[1187]of antiquyteIt was ratefyed,And also gratifyed,By holy synodallesAnd bulles papalles,[1188]As it isres certa720Conteyned inMagna Charta.But maister[1189]Damyan,Or some other man,That clerkely is and canWell scrypture expoundeAnd hys[1190]textes grounde,His benefyce worthe ten pounde,Or skante worth twenty marke,And yet[1191]a noble clerke,He must do this werke;730As I knowe a parte,Some maisters of arte,Some doctours of lawe,Some lernde in other sawe,As in dyuynyte,That hath no dygnyteBut the pore degreOf the vnyuersyte;Or els frere Frederycke,Or els[1192]frere Dominike,740Or frere Hugulinus,Or frere Agustinus,Or frere Carmelus,[1193]That gostly can heale vs;Or els yf we mayGet a frere graye,Or els of the orderVpon[1194]Grenewyche border,Called Obseruaunce,Or[1195]a frere of Fraunce;750Or els the poore Scot,It must come to his lotTo shote forthe his[1196]shot;Or of Babuell besyde Bery,To postell vpon a[1197]kyry,That wolde it shulde be[1198]notedHowe scripture shulde be coted,And so clerkley[1199]promoted;And yet the frere doted.But men sey your awtoryte,[1200]760And your noble se,[1201]And your[1202]dygnyte,Shulde be imprynted betterThen all[1203]the freres letter;For if ye wolde take payneTo preche a worde or twayne,Though it were neuer so playne,With clauses two or thre,So as they myght beCompendyously conueyde,770These[1204]wordes shuld be more weyd,And better perceyued,And thankfullerlye[1205]receyued,And better shulde remayne[1206]Amonge[1207]the people playne,That wold your wordes retayne[1208]And reherce them agayne,Than a thousand thousande[1209]other,That blaber,[1210]barke, and blother,[1211]And make a Walshmans hose780Of the texte and of the[1212]glose.For protestatyon made,That I wyll not wadeFarther in this broke,[1213]Nor farther for[1214]to lokeIn deuysynge of[1215]this boke,But[1216]answere that I mayFor my selfe alway,Eytheranalogice[1217]Or elscategorice,[1218]790So that in diuinite[1219]Doctors that lerned be,Nor bachelers of that faculteThat hath[1220]taken degreIn the vniuersite,Shall not be obiecte at by[1221]me.But doctour Bullatus,Parum litteratus,Dominus doctoratusAt the brode gatus,[1222]800Doctour Daupatus,And bachelerbacheleratus,[1223]Dronken as a mouse,At the[1224]ale house,Taketh[1225]his pyllyon and his cap[1226]At the good ale tap,For lacke of good wyne;As wyse as Robyn[1227]swyne,Vnder a[1228]notaryes sygneWas made a dyuyne;810As wyse as Waltoms calfe,Must preche, a Goddes halfe,In the pulpyt solempnely;More mete in the[1229]pyllory,For, by saynt Hyllary,He can nothyng smatterOf logyke nor[1230]scole matter,Neythersyllogisare,[1231]Norenthymemare,[1232]Nor knoweth his elenkes[1233]820Nor his predicamens;[1234]And yet he wyll mell[1235]To amend the gospell,And wyll preche and tellWhat they do in hell;And he dare not well neuen[1236]What they do in heuen,Nor[1237]how farre Temple barre isFrom the seuen starrys.[1238]Nowe wyll I[1239]go830And tell of other mo,Semper protestandoDe non impugnandoThe foure ordores of fryers,[1240]Though[1241]some of them be lyers;As Lymyters at largeWyll charge and dyscharge;As many a frere, God wote,Preches[1242]for his grote,Flatterynge[1243]for a newe cote840And for to haue his fees;Some to gather chese;Loth they are to leseEyther corne or malte;[1244]Somtyme meale and salte,Somtyme a bacon flycke,That is thre fyngers thyckeOf larde and of greace,Theyr couent to encreace.I put you out of doute,850This can not be brought abouteBut they theyr tonges fyle,And make a plesaunt styleTo Margery and to[1245]Maude,Howe they haue no fraude;[1246]And somtyme they prouokeBothe Gyll and Jacke at NokeTheir dewtyes to withdrawe,That they ought by the laweTheyr curates to[1247]content860In open tyme and in Lent:[1248]God wot, they take great payneTo flatter and to fayne;But[1249]it[1250]is an[1251]olde sayd sawe,That nede hath[1252]no lawe.Some walke aboute in melottes,[1253]In gray russet and heery cotes;Some wyl[1254]neyther golde ne grotes;[1255]Some plucke a partrych in remotes,And by the barres of[1256]her tayle870Wyll knowe a rauen from[1257]a rayle,A quayle, the raile, and the olde rauen:[1258]Sed libera nos a malo!Amen.And byDudum, theyr Clementine,[1259]Agaynst curates they[1260]repyne;And say propreli they ar[1261]sacerdotes,To shryue, assoyle, and reles[1262]Dame Margeries[1263]soule out of hell:But when the freare fell[1264]in the well,He coud not syng himselfe therout[1265]880But by the helpe of Christyan Clout.Another Clementyne also,[1266]How frere Fabian, with other mo,Exivit de Paradiso;Whan they agayn theder shal come,De hoc petimus consilium:And through all the world they goWith[1267]DirigeandPlacebo.But nowe my mynd ye vnderstand,For they[1268]must take in hande890To prech, and to[1269]withstandeAl maner of abiections;[1270]For bysshops haue protections,They say, to do corrections,But they haue no affections[1271]To take the sayd[1272]dyrections;In such maner of cases,[1273]Men say, they bere no facesTo occupye suche places,To sowe the sede of graces:[1274]900Theyr hertes are so faynted,And they be so attayntedWith coueytous and ambycyon,[1275]And other superstycyon,That they be[1276]deef and dum,And play scylens and glum,[1277]Can say nothynge but mum.They occupye them soWith syngyngPlacebo,They wyll no farther go:910They had leuer to please,And take their worldly ease,Than to take on handeWorsshepfully[1278]to withstandeSuch temporall warre and bate,As nowe is made of lateAgaynst holy Churche[1279]estate,Or to maynteyne good[1280]quarelles.The lay men call them barrellesFull of glotony920And of hypocrysy,That counterfaytes[1281]and payntesAs they were very sayntes:In matters that them lyke[1282]They shewe them polytyke,Pretendyng grauyteAnd sygnyoryte,With all solempnyte,For theyr indempnyte;For they wyll haue no losse[1283]930Of a peny nor of a crosse[1284]Of theyr predyall landes,That cometh to theyr handes,And[1285]as farre as they dare set,All is fysshe that cometh to net:[1286]
Shall I tell you[1144]more? ye, shall.I am loth to tell all;But the communalte yow[1145]callYdolles of Babylon,640De terraZabulon,De terraNeptalym;For ye[1146]loue to go trym,Brought vp of poore estate,Wyth pryde inordinate,Sodaynly vpstarteFrom the donge carte,The mattocke[1147]and the shule,[1148]To reygne and to rule;And haue[1149]no grace to thynke650Howe ye[1150]were wonte to drynkeOf a lether bottellWith a knauysshe stoppell,Whan mamockes was your meate,With moldy[1151]brede to eate;Ye cowde[1152]none other geteTo chewe and to gnawe,To fyll therwith your mawe;Loggyng in fayre[1153]strawe,Couchyng your drousy heddes660Somtyme in lousy beddes.[1154]Alas, this is out[1155]of mynde!Ye growe nowe out of kynde:Many one ye haue vntwynde,[1156]And made[1157]the commons blynde.Butqui se[1158]existimat stare,Let hym well beware[1159]Lest that his fote slyp,And haue suche a tryp,And falle[1160]in suche dekay,670That all the worlde may[1161]say,Come downe, in[1162]the deuyll[1163]way!Yet, ouer all that,[1164]Of bysshops they[1165]chat,That though ye round your hearAn ynche aboue your ear,And haue[1166]aures patentesAndparum intendentes,And your tonsors be croppyd,[1167]Your eares they be[1168]stopped;680For maisterAdulator,And doctourAssentator,AndBlandior blandiris,WithMentior mentiris,They folowe[1169]your desyres,And so they blere your eye,That ye can not espyeHowe the male dothe wrye.[1170]Alas, for Goddes wyll,Why syt ye, prelates,[1171]styll,690And suffre all this yll?Ye bysshops of estates[1172]Shulde open the brode gates[1173]Of[1174]your spirituall charge,And com forthe[1175]at large,Lyke lanternes of lyght,In the peoples syght,In pullpettes[1176]awtentyke,[1177]For the wele publykeOf preesthode[1178]in this case;700And alwayes to chaseSuche maner of sysmatykesAnd halfe heretykes,That wolde intoxicate,[1179]That wolde conquinate,That wolde contaminate,[1180]And that[1181]wolde vyolate,And that wolde derogate,And that[1182]wolde abrogateThe Churchis[1183]hygh estates,[1184]710After this maner rates,[1185]The which shulde beBoth franke and free,And haue theyr[1186]lyberte,As[1187]of antiquyteIt was ratefyed,And also gratifyed,By holy synodallesAnd bulles papalles,[1188]As it isres certa720Conteyned inMagna Charta.But maister[1189]Damyan,Or some other man,That clerkely is and canWell scrypture expoundeAnd hys[1190]textes grounde,His benefyce worthe ten pounde,Or skante worth twenty marke,And yet[1191]a noble clerke,He must do this werke;730As I knowe a parte,Some maisters of arte,Some doctours of lawe,Some lernde in other sawe,As in dyuynyte,That hath no dygnyteBut the pore degreOf the vnyuersyte;Or els frere Frederycke,Or els[1192]frere Dominike,740Or frere Hugulinus,Or frere Agustinus,Or frere Carmelus,[1193]That gostly can heale vs;Or els yf we mayGet a frere graye,Or els of the orderVpon[1194]Grenewyche border,Called Obseruaunce,Or[1195]a frere of Fraunce;750Or els the poore Scot,It must come to his lotTo shote forthe his[1196]shot;Or of Babuell besyde Bery,To postell vpon a[1197]kyry,That wolde it shulde be[1198]notedHowe scripture shulde be coted,And so clerkley[1199]promoted;And yet the frere doted.But men sey your awtoryte,[1200]760And your noble se,[1201]And your[1202]dygnyte,Shulde be imprynted betterThen all[1203]the freres letter;For if ye wolde take payneTo preche a worde or twayne,Though it were neuer so playne,With clauses two or thre,So as they myght beCompendyously conueyde,770These[1204]wordes shuld be more weyd,And better perceyued,And thankfullerlye[1205]receyued,And better shulde remayne[1206]Amonge[1207]the people playne,That wold your wordes retayne[1208]And reherce them agayne,Than a thousand thousande[1209]other,That blaber,[1210]barke, and blother,[1211]And make a Walshmans hose780Of the texte and of the[1212]glose.For protestatyon made,That I wyll not wadeFarther in this broke,[1213]Nor farther for[1214]to lokeIn deuysynge of[1215]this boke,But[1216]answere that I mayFor my selfe alway,Eytheranalogice[1217]Or elscategorice,[1218]790So that in diuinite[1219]Doctors that lerned be,Nor bachelers of that faculteThat hath[1220]taken degreIn the vniuersite,Shall not be obiecte at by[1221]me.But doctour Bullatus,Parum litteratus,Dominus doctoratusAt the brode gatus,[1222]800Doctour Daupatus,And bachelerbacheleratus,[1223]Dronken as a mouse,At the[1224]ale house,Taketh[1225]his pyllyon and his cap[1226]At the good ale tap,For lacke of good wyne;As wyse as Robyn[1227]swyne,Vnder a[1228]notaryes sygneWas made a dyuyne;810As wyse as Waltoms calfe,Must preche, a Goddes halfe,In the pulpyt solempnely;More mete in the[1229]pyllory,For, by saynt Hyllary,He can nothyng smatterOf logyke nor[1230]scole matter,Neythersyllogisare,[1231]Norenthymemare,[1232]Nor knoweth his elenkes[1233]820Nor his predicamens;[1234]And yet he wyll mell[1235]To amend the gospell,And wyll preche and tellWhat they do in hell;And he dare not well neuen[1236]What they do in heuen,Nor[1237]how farre Temple barre isFrom the seuen starrys.[1238]Nowe wyll I[1239]go830And tell of other mo,Semper protestandoDe non impugnandoThe foure ordores of fryers,[1240]Though[1241]some of them be lyers;As Lymyters at largeWyll charge and dyscharge;As many a frere, God wote,Preches[1242]for his grote,Flatterynge[1243]for a newe cote840And for to haue his fees;Some to gather chese;Loth they are to leseEyther corne or malte;[1244]Somtyme meale and salte,Somtyme a bacon flycke,That is thre fyngers thyckeOf larde and of greace,Theyr couent to encreace.I put you out of doute,850This can not be brought abouteBut they theyr tonges fyle,And make a plesaunt styleTo Margery and to[1245]Maude,Howe they haue no fraude;[1246]And somtyme they prouokeBothe Gyll and Jacke at NokeTheir dewtyes to withdrawe,That they ought by the laweTheyr curates to[1247]content860In open tyme and in Lent:[1248]God wot, they take great payneTo flatter and to fayne;But[1249]it[1250]is an[1251]olde sayd sawe,That nede hath[1252]no lawe.Some walke aboute in melottes,[1253]In gray russet and heery cotes;Some wyl[1254]neyther golde ne grotes;[1255]Some plucke a partrych in remotes,And by the barres of[1256]her tayle870Wyll knowe a rauen from[1257]a rayle,A quayle, the raile, and the olde rauen:[1258]Sed libera nos a malo!Amen.And byDudum, theyr Clementine,[1259]Agaynst curates they[1260]repyne;And say propreli they ar[1261]sacerdotes,To shryue, assoyle, and reles[1262]Dame Margeries[1263]soule out of hell:But when the freare fell[1264]in the well,He coud not syng himselfe therout[1265]880But by the helpe of Christyan Clout.Another Clementyne also,[1266]How frere Fabian, with other mo,Exivit de Paradiso;Whan they agayn theder shal come,De hoc petimus consilium:And through all the world they goWith[1267]DirigeandPlacebo.But nowe my mynd ye vnderstand,For they[1268]must take in hande890To prech, and to[1269]withstandeAl maner of abiections;[1270]For bysshops haue protections,They say, to do corrections,But they haue no affections[1271]To take the sayd[1272]dyrections;In such maner of cases,[1273]Men say, they bere no facesTo occupye suche places,To sowe the sede of graces:[1274]900Theyr hertes are so faynted,And they be so attayntedWith coueytous and ambycyon,[1275]And other superstycyon,That they be[1276]deef and dum,And play scylens and glum,[1277]Can say nothynge but mum.They occupye them soWith syngyngPlacebo,They wyll no farther go:910They had leuer to please,And take their worldly ease,Than to take on handeWorsshepfully[1278]to withstandeSuch temporall warre and bate,As nowe is made of lateAgaynst holy Churche[1279]estate,Or to maynteyne good[1280]quarelles.The lay men call them barrellesFull of glotony920And of hypocrysy,That counterfaytes[1281]and payntesAs they were very sayntes:In matters that them lyke[1282]They shewe them polytyke,Pretendyng grauyteAnd sygnyoryte,With all solempnyte,For theyr indempnyte;For they wyll haue no losse[1283]930Of a peny nor of a crosse[1284]Of theyr predyall landes,That cometh to theyr handes,And[1285]as farre as they dare set,All is fysshe that cometh to net:[1286]
Shall I tell you[1144]more? ye, shall.
I am loth to tell all;
But the communalte yow[1145]call
Ydolles of Babylon,640
De terraZabulon,
De terraNeptalym;
For ye[1146]loue to go trym,
Brought vp of poore estate,
Wyth pryde inordinate,
Sodaynly vpstarte
From the donge carte,
The mattocke[1147]and the shule,[1148]
To reygne and to rule;
And haue[1149]no grace to thynke650
Howe ye[1150]were wonte to drynke
Of a lether bottell
With a knauysshe stoppell,
Whan mamockes was your meate,
With moldy[1151]brede to eate;
Ye cowde[1152]none other gete
To chewe and to gnawe,
To fyll therwith your mawe;
Loggyng in fayre[1153]strawe,
Couchyng your drousy heddes660
Somtyme in lousy beddes.[1154]
Alas, this is out[1155]of mynde!
Ye growe nowe out of kynde:
Many one ye haue vntwynde,[1156]
And made[1157]the commons blynde.
Butqui se[1158]existimat stare,
Let hym well beware[1159]
Lest that his fote slyp,
And haue suche a tryp,
And falle[1160]in suche dekay,670
That all the worlde may[1161]say,
Come downe, in[1162]the deuyll[1163]way!
Yet, ouer all that,[1164]
Of bysshops they[1165]chat,
That though ye round your hear
An ynche aboue your ear,
And haue[1166]aures patentes
Andparum intendentes,
And your tonsors be croppyd,[1167]
Your eares they be[1168]stopped;680
For maisterAdulator,
And doctourAssentator,
AndBlandior blandiris,
WithMentior mentiris,
They folowe[1169]your desyres,
And so they blere your eye,
That ye can not espye
Howe the male dothe wrye.[1170]
Alas, for Goddes wyll,
Why syt ye, prelates,[1171]styll,690
And suffre all this yll?
Ye bysshops of estates[1172]
Shulde open the brode gates[1173]
Of[1174]your spirituall charge,
And com forthe[1175]at large,
Lyke lanternes of lyght,
In the peoples syght,
In pullpettes[1176]awtentyke,[1177]
For the wele publyke
Of preesthode[1178]in this case;700
And alwayes to chase
Suche maner of sysmatykes
And halfe heretykes,
That wolde intoxicate,[1179]
That wolde conquinate,
That wolde contaminate,[1180]
And that[1181]wolde vyolate,
And that wolde derogate,
And that[1182]wolde abrogate
The Churchis[1183]hygh estates,[1184]710
After this maner rates,[1185]
The which shulde be
Both franke and free,
And haue theyr[1186]lyberte,
As[1187]of antiquyte
It was ratefyed,
And also gratifyed,
By holy synodalles
And bulles papalles,[1188]
As it isres certa720
Conteyned inMagna Charta.
But maister[1189]Damyan,
Or some other man,
That clerkely is and can
Well scrypture expounde
And hys[1190]textes grounde,
His benefyce worthe ten pounde,
Or skante worth twenty marke,
And yet[1191]a noble clerke,
He must do this werke;730
As I knowe a parte,
Some maisters of arte,
Some doctours of lawe,
Some lernde in other sawe,
As in dyuynyte,
That hath no dygnyte
But the pore degre
Of the vnyuersyte;
Or els frere Frederycke,
Or els[1192]frere Dominike,740
Or frere Hugulinus,
Or frere Agustinus,
Or frere Carmelus,[1193]
That gostly can heale vs;
Or els yf we may
Get a frere graye,
Or els of the order
Vpon[1194]Grenewyche border,
Called Obseruaunce,
Or[1195]a frere of Fraunce;750
Or els the poore Scot,
It must come to his lot
To shote forthe his[1196]shot;
Or of Babuell besyde Bery,
To postell vpon a[1197]kyry,
That wolde it shulde be[1198]noted
Howe scripture shulde be coted,
And so clerkley[1199]promoted;
And yet the frere doted.
But men sey your awtoryte,[1200]760
And your noble se,[1201]
And your[1202]dygnyte,
Shulde be imprynted better
Then all[1203]the freres letter;
For if ye wolde take payne
To preche a worde or twayne,
Though it were neuer so playne,
With clauses two or thre,
So as they myght be
Compendyously conueyde,770
These[1204]wordes shuld be more weyd,
And better perceyued,
And thankfullerlye[1205]receyued,
And better shulde remayne[1206]
Amonge[1207]the people playne,
That wold your wordes retayne[1208]
And reherce them agayne,
Than a thousand thousande[1209]other,
That blaber,[1210]barke, and blother,[1211]
And make a Walshmans hose780
Of the texte and of the[1212]glose.
For protestatyon made,
That I wyll not wade
Farther in this broke,[1213]
Nor farther for[1214]to loke
In deuysynge of[1215]this boke,
But[1216]answere that I may
For my selfe alway,
Eytheranalogice[1217]
Or elscategorice,[1218]790
So that in diuinite[1219]
Doctors that lerned be,
Nor bachelers of that faculte
That hath[1220]taken degre
In the vniuersite,
Shall not be obiecte at by[1221]me.
But doctour Bullatus,
Parum litteratus,
Dominus doctoratus
At the brode gatus,[1222]800
Doctour Daupatus,
And bachelerbacheleratus,[1223]
Dronken as a mouse,
At the[1224]ale house,
Taketh[1225]his pyllyon and his cap[1226]
At the good ale tap,
For lacke of good wyne;
As wyse as Robyn[1227]swyne,
Vnder a[1228]notaryes sygne
Was made a dyuyne;810
As wyse as Waltoms calfe,
Must preche, a Goddes halfe,
In the pulpyt solempnely;
More mete in the[1229]pyllory,
For, by saynt Hyllary,
He can nothyng smatter
Of logyke nor[1230]scole matter,
Neythersyllogisare,[1231]
Norenthymemare,[1232]
Nor knoweth his elenkes[1233]820
Nor his predicamens;[1234]
And yet he wyll mell[1235]
To amend the gospell,
And wyll preche and tell
What they do in hell;
And he dare not well neuen[1236]
What they do in heuen,
Nor[1237]how farre Temple barre is
From the seuen starrys.[1238]
Nowe wyll I[1239]go830
And tell of other mo,
Semper protestando
De non impugnando
The foure ordores of fryers,[1240]
Though[1241]some of them be lyers;
As Lymyters at large
Wyll charge and dyscharge;
As many a frere, God wote,
Preches[1242]for his grote,
Flatterynge[1243]for a newe cote840
And for to haue his fees;
Some to gather chese;
Loth they are to lese
Eyther corne or malte;[1244]
Somtyme meale and salte,
Somtyme a bacon flycke,
That is thre fyngers thycke
Of larde and of greace,
Theyr couent to encreace.
I put you out of doute,850
This can not be brought aboute
But they theyr tonges fyle,
And make a plesaunt style
To Margery and to[1245]Maude,
Howe they haue no fraude;[1246]
And somtyme they prouoke
Bothe Gyll and Jacke at Noke
Their dewtyes to withdrawe,
That they ought by the lawe
Theyr curates to[1247]content860
In open tyme and in Lent:[1248]
God wot, they take great payne
To flatter and to fayne;
But[1249]it[1250]is an[1251]olde sayd sawe,
That nede hath[1252]no lawe.
Some walke aboute in melottes,[1253]
In gray russet and heery cotes;
Some wyl[1254]neyther golde ne grotes;[1255]
Some plucke a partrych in remotes,
And by the barres of[1256]her tayle870
Wyll knowe a rauen from[1257]a rayle,
A quayle, the raile, and the olde rauen:[1258]
Sed libera nos a malo!Amen.
And byDudum, theyr Clementine,[1259]
Agaynst curates they[1260]repyne;
And say propreli they ar[1261]sacerdotes,
To shryue, assoyle, and reles[1262]
Dame Margeries[1263]soule out of hell:
But when the freare fell[1264]in the well,
He coud not syng himselfe therout[1265]880
But by the helpe of Christyan Clout.
Another Clementyne also,[1266]
How frere Fabian, with other mo,
Exivit de Paradiso;
Whan they agayn theder shal come,
De hoc petimus consilium:
And through all the world they go
With[1267]DirigeandPlacebo.
But nowe my mynd ye vnderstand,
For they[1268]must take in hande890
To prech, and to[1269]withstande
Al maner of abiections;[1270]
For bysshops haue protections,
They say, to do corrections,
But they haue no affections[1271]
To take the sayd[1272]dyrections;
In such maner of cases,[1273]
Men say, they bere no faces
To occupye suche places,
To sowe the sede of graces:[1274]900
Theyr hertes are so faynted,
And they be so attaynted
With coueytous and ambycyon,[1275]
And other superstycyon,
That they be[1276]deef and dum,
And play scylens and glum,[1277]
Can say nothynge but mum.
They occupye them so
With syngyngPlacebo,
They wyll no farther go:910
They had leuer to please,
And take their worldly ease,
Than to take on hande
Worsshepfully[1278]to withstande
Such temporall warre and bate,
As nowe is made of late
Agaynst holy Churche[1279]estate,
Or to maynteyne good[1280]quarelles.
The lay men call them barrelles
Full of glotony920
And of hypocrysy,
That counterfaytes[1281]and payntes
As they were very sayntes:
In matters that them lyke[1282]
They shewe them polytyke,
Pretendyng grauyte
And sygnyoryte,
With all solempnyte,
For theyr indempnyte;
For they wyll haue no losse[1283]930
Of a peny nor of a crosse[1284]
Of theyr predyall landes,
That cometh to theyr handes,
And[1285]as farre as they dare set,
All is fysshe that cometh to net:[1286]