In glotenye, god wot, goth they to bedde,
And aryseth with ribaudrie tho Roberdes knaves;
Slep and synful sleuthe seweth suche evere.
Pylgrimis and palmeres plyghten hem to-gederes,
To seche seint Iame and seyntys of rome,

Wenten forthe in hure way with meny un-wyse tales,
And haven leve to lye al hure lyf-time.
Eremytes on an hep with hokede staves,

Wenten to Walsyngham, and hure wenches after;
Grete lobies and longe that lothe were to swynke,
Clothede hem in copis to be knowe fro othere,
And made hem-selve eremytes hure eise to have.
Ich fond ther frerus alle the foure ordres,
Prechynge the peple for profit of the wombe,
And glosynge the godspel as hem good lykede;
For covetise of copes contrariede some doctors.
Meny of this maistres of mendinant freres,

Hure monye and marchaundise marchen to-gederes ; Ac sutth charite hath be chapman and chef to shryve lordes,

Many ferlies han fallen in a fewe yeres;

Bote holy churche and charite choppe a-down swich shryvers,

house. In gluttony, God knows, they go to bed and arise with ribaldry, those lawless vagabonds. Sleep and sinful sloth ever pursue such men. Pilgrims and palmers agreed together to visit the shrine of Saint James and of the saints of Rome. They went forth in their way, with many unwise tales, and have leave to lie all the rest of their lives. Hermits in a crowd, with hooked staffs, went to (the shrine of our Lady of) Walsingham, and their mistresses followed; great tall lubbers that were unwilling to work clothed themselves in copes so as to be known from others, and made themselves hermits in order to have their ease. I found there friars-all the four orders-preaching to the people for their stomachs' sake, and interpreting the gospel as it pleased them from desire of copes. Many of these masters of mendicant friars may clothe them as they will, for their money and merchandise go together; but since Love (i.e., the friars) has turned pedlar, and chief confessor of lords, many miracles have

The moste myschif on molde mounteth up faste.
Ther preched a pardoner as he a prest were,
And brougte forth a bulle with bisshopis seles,
And seide that hym-selve mygte asoilie hem alle
Of falsnesse of fastinges, of vowes to-broke.

Lewede men lyvede hym wel, and likeden hus wordes,

Comen and kneleden to kyssen his bulles ;

He blessede hem with hus brevet, and blerede hure

eyen;

And raghte with hus rageman rynges and broches,
Thus ye geveth youre golde glotones to helpe,
And leneth it to loreles that lecherie haunten.
Were the bisshop blessid other worthe bothe hus

eren,

Hus sele sholde nogt be sent in deceit of the puple. Ac it is nogt by the bisshop that the loye precheth, The parsheprest and the pardoner parten the selver, That poore puple in parshes sholde have yf thei ne

were.

Persones and parsheprestes pleynede to the bisshop, That hure parshens ben poore sitthe the pestelence tyme,

happened in a few years; but unless Holy Church and Love strike down such shrivers the greatest mischief on earth will quickly arise. There preached a pardoner as if he were a priest and brought forth a Bull with bishop's seals, and said that he himself could pardon them all for breaking their fast and vows. The common people entirely believed him and liked his words and came and kneeled to kiss his Bulls; he blessed them with his letter of indulgence and dimmed their eyes, and seized with his Papal Bull rings and brooches. Thus ye give your gold to help gluttons, and bestow it on the lawless. Were the bishop truly righteous or fit to have both his ears, his seal would not be sent to deceive the people with. But it is not against the bishop that the young fellow preaches; for often the parish priest and the pardoner divide the silver, which poor people in the parishes would have, if it were not for them. Parsons and parish priests complained to the bishop that their parishes are poor since the

To have licence and leve, in Londone to dwelle, And synge ther for symonye for selver ys swete. Bisshopes and bachilers bothe maisters and doctors, That han cure under cryst and crownynge in tokne, Ben chargid with holy churche charyte to tulie, That is, leel love and lif among lered and lewed; Thei lyen in londone in lentene and elles.

Somme serven the kynge, and hus selver tellen In the chekkere and the chauncelrie chalengeynge hus dettes,

Of wardes and of wardemotes wayves and strayues, Somme aren as seneschals and sarven othere lordes, And ben in stede of stywardes and sitten and demen.

time of the pestilence, in order to have license and leave to dwell in London and sing there (as Chantry priests) for simony, for silver is sweet. Bishops and bachelors, both masters and doctors, that have a cure under Christ, and tonsure in token, are charged with Holy Church to cultivate charity, that is, honest love and way of life among the learned and unlearned. They dwell in London in Lent and at other times. Some serve the King and count his silver in the exchequer and the chancellor's court, claiming his debts from wards and ward meetings, waifs and strays. Some are as seneschals, and serve other lords, and are instead of stewards and sit and pronounce judgment.

THE ALEHOUSE.

Now by-gynneth Gloton for to go to shryfte,
And kayres hym to-kirke-ward hus coupe to shewe.
Fastyng on a Fryday forth gan he wende

By Betone hous the brewstere that bad him good

morwe,

And whederwarde he wolde the brew-wif hym

asked.

'To holy churche,' quath he, 'for to hure masse,

And sitthen sitte and be yshriven and synwe

namore.'

Ich have good ale, godsyb Gloton, wolt thow
assaye?'

'What havest thow,' quath he, 'eny hote spices ?'
'Ich have piper and pionys and a pound of garlik,
A ferthyng-worth of fynkelsede for fastinge-daies.'
Thenne goth Gloton yn and grete othes after.
Sesse the sywestere sat on the benche,
Watte the warynere and hus wif dronke,
Thomme the tynkere and tweye of hus knaves,
Hicke the hakeneyman and Houwe the neldere,
Claryce of Cockeslane the clerk of the churche,
Syre Peeres of Prydie and Purnel of Flaundres,
An haywarde and an heremyte the hangeman of
Tyborne,

Dauwe the dykere with a dosen harlotes

Of portours and of pykeporses and pylede tothdrawers,

A rybibour and a ratoner a rakere and hus knave,
A ropere and a redyngkynge and Rose the disshere,

Now Glutton begins to go to shrift, and betakes him churchward to confess his sins. Fasting on a Friday, he began to go forth by the house of Beton the brewster, who bade him 'Goodmorrow,' and the ale-wife asked whither he meant to go. To holy church,' quoth he, 'to hear mass, and then sit and be shriven and sin no more.' 'I have good ale, gossip Glutton will you try it?' 'What have you?' quoth he, 'any hot spices?' 'I have pepper and pæony seeds and a pound of garlic, a farthing's worth of fennel-seed for fasting-days.' Then Glutton goes in, and great oaths after. Cis the sempstress sat on the bench, Wat the gamekeeper and his drunken wife, Thomas the tinker and two of his prentices, Hick the horse-jobber, and Hugh the needle-seller, Clarice of Cock's Lane, the clerk of the church, Sir Piers of Prie-dieu (a priest), and Purnel of Flanders, a cattle-keeper and a hermit, the hangman of Tyburn, David the ditcher, with a dozen rascally porters and pick-pockets and bald drawers of teeth, a fiddler and a ratcatcher, a scavenger and his prentice, a ropemaker and a lacquey, and Rose the dish-seller,

Godefray the garlek - mongere and Griffyn the Walish;

And of up-holders an hep erly by the morwe
Geven Gloton with glad chere good ale to hansele.
Clemment the cobelere cast of hus cloke,

And to the newe fayre nempned hit to selle.
Hicke the hakeneyman hitte hus hod after,
And bad Bette the bouchere to be on hus syde.
Ther were chapmen y-chose the chaffare to preise;
That he that hadde the hod sholde nat habbe the
cloke;

The betere thyng, by arbytours sholde bote the

werse.

Two rysen rapliche and rounede to-geders,

And preysed the penyworthes apart by hem-selve, And ther were othes an hepe for other sholde have the werse.

The couthe nouht by here conscience a-corde for treuthe,

Tyl Robyn the ropere aryse thei bysouhte,

And nempned hym a nompeyr that no debate were. Hicke the hakeneyman hadde the cloke

In covenaunt that Clemment sholde the coppe fylle,

Godfrey the garlick-seller, and Griffyn the Welshman, and a heap of furniture-dealers, early in the morning gave Glutton, with good cheer, good ale to propitiate him. Clement the cobbler cast off his cloak and named it for sale at the new fair (an old method of barter). Hick threw down his hood and bade Bette the butcher be on his side. There were tradesmen chosen to value the merchandise, that he that had the hood should not have the cloak; the better thing by arbitration should give up something so as to equal the worse. Two rose hastily and whispered together, and appraised the pennyworths apart by themselves, and there was a lot of swearing, for one or other had to have the worse. They could not by their conscience agree till they besought Robin the ropemaker to arise, and named him umpire, whose decision was to be final.

Hick got the cloak on the agreement that Clement should fill his cup at the other's expense and have the horse-iobber's