William Langland

“ We Minorities most sheweth
The pure aposteles liif,
With penance on erthe,
And suen hem in sanctité,
And sufferen wel harde. 210
We haunten no tavernes,
Ne hobelen abouten;
At marketes and miracles
We medeleth us never ”

“ They coveten confessiones,
To kachen some hyre;
And sepulturus also,
Somme wayten to lacchen;
But other cures of Christen
They coveten nought to have,
But there as wynnynge liith,
He loketh non other. ”

“ The penonnes and the pomels
And poyntes of sheldes 1120
Withdrawen his devocion,
And dusken his herte.
I likene it to a lim-yerde
To drawen men to helle,
And to worchipe of the fend,
To wraththen the soules. ”

“ For with the prynces of pryde
The Prechours dwellen;
They ben so digne as the devel
That droppeth fro heven,
With hartes of heynesse,
Whough halwen the cherches, 710
And deleth in devynyté
As dogges doth bones. ”

“ Thie pasen in speche,
For to sellen the synnes
For selver other mede. 1420
And purliche a pœna
The puple asoyleth,
And a culpa also,
That they may kachen
Money other money-worth,
And mede to fonge ”

“ But preyen ful stylle. 770
We couuen on no quentyse,
Christ wot the southe!
But bisyeth us in oure bedes,
As us best holdeth.
And, therfore, leeve leelman,
Leeve that iche sigge,
A masse of us meene men
Is of more mede,
And passeth alle prayers
Of this proude freres.— 780
And thou wilt ghyven us any good,
I wolde ye here graunten
To taken al thy penaunce
In peril of my soule ”

“ In the shendyng of swiche
Shal mychel folk lawghe;
Therfore, frend, for thy feith
Fond to don beter; 190
Leve nought on tho losels,
Put let hem forth pasen,
For thei ben fals in her faith,
And feele mo other. ”

“ Al thei blessyng of God
Beouten thei walken,
For of her suffraunce, for sothe,
Men say but lytel. 1300
⁠"Alle that persecution
In pure liif suffren,
They han the beneson of God,
Blissed in erthe. ”

“ Swyche drynkers to worthe,
Ne Helye ne Austyn
Swyche liif never used, 1550
But in povert of spirit
Spended her tyme.
We have seyn ourself
In a short tyme
Whou freres wolden no flesh
Among the folk usen ”

“ A fole I the holde:—
Thou woldest nought wetten thy fote,
And woldest fich kachen.
Oure pardon and oure preieres
So beth they nought parten,
Oure power lasteth nought so feer,
But we som peny fongen. ”

“ And sythen the sely soule slen,
And senden hyre to helle.
And Christ clerly forbad
His christene, and defended,
They shoulden nought after the face
Never the folke demen."
⁠"Sire," I seide myself,
"Thou semest to blamen. ”

“ But monelich faren,
And haven hunger at the mete,
At ich a mel ones.
We haven forsaken the world,
And in wo libbeth, 220
In penaunce and poverte,
And prechethe the puple
By ensample of oure liif
Soules to helpen ”

“ Lord over all y-knowen,
That was clenlich conceived
Clerli in trewthe
Of the heye Holy Gost,
This is the holy beleve. 1600
And of the maiden Marye
Man was he born,
Withouten synful seed,
This is fully the byleve. ”

“ And ben kepers of the keye
That Chrystendom helpeth,
And puriche in poverte
The apostles they suweth."
"Allaas!" quath the frere,
"Almost I madde in mynde,
To sen hough this Minoures
Many men bygyleth. ”

“ The fen [d] founded hem first,
The feyth to distrie;
And by his craft thei comen in,
To combren the chirche,
By the covetise of his craft
The curates to helpen. 920
But nowe they haven an hold,
They harmen ful manye ”

“ And therwith holden her hous
In harlotes warkes.
And, so save me God!
I hold it greate synne
To gyven hem any good,
Swiche glotones to fynde,
To mayntaynen swiche maner men
That michel good destruieth. ”

“ And so they chewen charité,
As chewen shaf houndes.
And thei pursueth the povere,
And passeth pursutes,
Bothe they wyln and thei wolden
Y-worthen so grete,
To passen any manes myght,
To mortheren the soules ”

“ A cote hathe he furred
With foyns, or with fichewes,
Other fyn bevere,
And that is cutted to the kne,
And queyntly y-botend, 590
Lest any spiritual man
Aspie that gyle.
Fraunceys bad his brethern
Bar-fot to wenden ”