And women with child, that cannot work, The blind and bedridden, with broken limbs, That take sickness meekly, like lepers and others,

Have as full pardon as the Plowman himself;

For love of their humble hearts our Lord hath them granted

Their penance and their purgatory to have here upon earth.

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"Piers," quoth a priest then, "thy pardon must I read, For I will construe every clause, and know it in English."

And Piers, at his prayer, the pardon unfoldeth,

And I, behind them both, beheld all the bull.

In two lines it lay, and not a letter more, And was written right thus, in witness of truth:

Et qui bona egerunt, ibunt in viam eternam; Qui vero mala, in ignem eternum.1 "Peter!" quoth the priest then, “I can no pardon find,

But 'Do well and have well, and God shall have thy soul;

And do evil and have evil, hope thou noue

And then he said to them these seemly sayings:

"Si ambulavero in medio umbrae mortis, non

timebo mala, quoniam tu mecum es.2

I shall cease from my sowing," said Piers, "and work not so hard,

Nor about my livelihood so busy be more! In prayer and in penance my plowing shall be hereafter,

1 And those who did good shalt go into eternal life; but who did evil, into eternal fire. Cf. Matthew, xxv, 46.

Though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil; for thou art with me, Psalms, xxiii, 4.

Many a time this dream has made me to study

For love of Piers the Plowman, full pensive in my heart;

For it I saw sleeping, if such a thing might be.

But Cato construeth it nay, and the canonlawyers too,

And say themselves, "Somnia ne cures." 1 But as for the Bible, bear witness how Daniel divined the dreams of a king, Whom Nebuchadnezzar these clerks name. Daniel said, "Sir King, thy dream means That strange knights shall come thy kingdom to claim;

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Among lower lords thy land shall be divided."

As Daniel divined, it fell out indeed after, The king lost his lordship, and lesser men it had.

And Joseph dreamed dreams, full marvelous also,

How the sun and the moon and eleven stars Fell before his feet and saluted him all. "Beau fils," quoth his father, "for famine

we shall,

I myself and my sons, seek thee in need." It fell out as the father said, in Pharaoh's

time,

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Where Joseph was justice, Egypt to keep. All this maketh me on dreams to think Many a time at midnight, when men should sleep,

On Piers the plowman, and what sort of pardon he had,

And how the priest impugned it, all by pure

THE TALE OF FLORENT1

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(Confessio Amantis, bk. 1, l. 1407) THER was whilom be daies olde A worthi knyht, and as men tolde He was nevoeu to themperour And of his court a courteour: Wifles he was, Florent he hihte ; He was a man that mochel myhte;2 Of armes he was desirous, Chivalerous and amorous; And for the fame of worldes speche, Strange aventures forto seche, He rod the Marches al aboute. And fell a time, as he was oute, Fortune, which may every thred Tobreke and knette of mannes sped, Schop, as this knyht rod in a pas," That he be strengthe take was, And to a castell thei him ladde, Wher that he fewe frendes hadde: For so it fell that ilke stounde That he hath with a dedly wounde Feihtende his oghne hondes slain Branchus, which to the Capitain Was sone and heir, wherof ben wrothe The fader and the moder bothe. That knyht Branchus was of his hond The worthieste of al his loud, And fain thei wolden do vengance Upon Florent; bot remembrance That thei toke of his worthinesse Of knyhthod and of gentilesse, And how he stod of cousinage To themperour, made hem assuage, And dorsten noght slen him for fere: In gret desputeisoun thei were Among hemself, what was the beste. Ther was a lady, the slyheste Of alle that men knewe tho, So old sche myhte unethes go,"

ΤΟ

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1 On the versions of this fine old story see G. H. Maynadier's Wife of Bath's Tale in the Grimm Library, London, 1901

who could perform much.

3 Break asunder and restore again of man's luck. Brought it about.

We should supply "with."

And was grantdame unto the dede : 8
And sche with that began to rede,
And seide how sche wol bringe him inne,
That sche schal him to dethe winne
Al only of his oghue grant,
Thurgh strengthe of verray covenant
Withoute blame of eny wiht.
Anon sche sende for this kniht,
And of hire sone sche alleide9
The deth, and thus to him sche seide:
Florent, how so thou be to wyte 10
Of Branchus deth, men schal respite
As now to take vengement,

Be so thou stonde in juggement
Upon certein condicioun,
That thou unto a questioun

Which I schal axe schalt ansuere ;
And over this thou schalt ek swere,
That if thou of the sothe faile,
Ther schal non other thing availe,
That thou ne schalt thi deth receive.
And for men schal the noght deceive,
That thou therof myht ben advised,
Thou schalt have day and tyme assised
And leve saufly forto wende,

Be so that at thi daies ende
Thou come ayein with thin avys.'

This knyht, which worthi was and wys,
This lady preith that he may wite,
And have it under seales write,
What questioun it scholde be

For which he schal in that degree
Stonde of his lif in jeupartie.

With that sche feigneth compaignie,11
And seith: Florent, on love it hongeth
Al that to myn axinge longeth:
What alle wommen most desire
This wole I axe, and in thempire
Wher as thou hast most knowlechinge
Tak conseil upon this axinge.'

Florent this thing hath undertake,
The day was set, the time take,
Under his seal he wrot his oth,
In such a wise and forth he goth

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8 So old that she was grandam to persons already dead.

at a walk.

7 scarcely walk.

• alleged.

10 punish.

11 friendliness.

Home to his emes1 court ayein;
To whom his aventure plein
He tolde, of that him is befalle.
And upon that thei weren alle
The wiseste of the lond asent,2
Bot natheles of on assent
Thei myhte noght acorde plat,
On seide this, an othre that.
After the disposicioun
Of naturel complexioun 8

To som woman it is plesance,
That to an other is grevance;
Bot such a thing in special,
Which to hem alle in general

Is most plesant, and most desired
Above alle othre and most conspired,
Such o thing conne thei noght finde
Be constellacion ne kinde:

And thus Florent withoute cure
Mot stonde upon his aventure,
And is al schape unto the lere,+
As in defalte of his answere.
This knyht hath levere forto dye
Than breke his trowthe and forto lye
In place ther as he was swore,
And schapth him gon ayein therfore.
Whan time cam he tok his leve,
That lengere wolde he noght beleve,
And preith his em he be noght wroth,
For that is a point of his oth,

He seith, that noman schal him wreke,
Thogh afterward men hiere speke
That he par aventure deie.

And thus he wente forth his weie
Alone as knyht aventurous,
And in his thoght was curious
To wite what was best to do:
And as he rod al one so,
And cam nyh ther he wolde be,
In a forest under a tre
He syh wher sat a creature,
A lothly wommannysch figure,
That forto speke of fleisch and bon
So foul yit syh he nevere non.
This knyht behield hir redely,
And as he wolde have passed by,
Sche cleped him and bad abide;
And he his horse heved aside,
Tho torneth, and to hire he rod,
And there be hoveth and abod,
To wite what sche wolde mene.
And sche began him to bemene,

1 uncle's. Ger. Oheim.
3 disposition.

delays.

2 sent for.

prepared for the loss.

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Quod sche; bot ferst, er thou be sped,
Thou schalt me leve such a wedd, 7
That I wol have thi trowthe in honde
That thou schalt be myn housebonde.'
'Nay,' seith Florent, that may noght be.'
Ryd thanne forth thi wey,' quod sche,
'And if thou go withoute red,
Thou schalt be sekerliche ded.'
Florent behihte hire good ynowh
Of lond, of rente, of park, of plowh,
Bot al that compteth sche at noght.
Tho fell this knyht in mochel thoght;
Now goth he forth, now comth ayein,
He wot noght what is best to sein,
And thoghte, as he rode to and fro,
That chese he mot on of the tuo-
Or forto take hire to his wif
Or elles forto lese his lif.
And thanne he caste his avantage,
That sche was of so gret an age,
That sche mai live bot a while,

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Which, as thou seist, thou schalt me teche,
Have hier myn hond, I schal thee wedde.'
And thus his trowthe he leith to wedde.
With that sche frounceth 8 up the browe:
This covenant I wol allowe,'
Sche seith: if eny other thing
Bot that thou hast of my techyng

6 I ask no better engagement.

7 pledge. Cf. wedlock, i.e. pledged state.
• wrinkles.

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Fro deth thi body mai respite,
I woll thee of thi trowthe acquite,
And elles be non other weie.
Now herkne me what I schal seie.
Whan thou art come into the place,
Wher now thei maken gret manace
And upon thi comynge abyde,
Thei wole anon the same tide
Oppose thee of thin answere.
I wot thou wolt nothing forbere
Of that thou wenest be thi beste,
And if thou myht so finde reste,
Wel is, for thanne is ther nomore.
And elles this schal be my lore,
That thou schalt seie, upon this molde
That alle wommen lievest wolde
Be soverein of mannes love:
For what womman is so above,

Sche hath, as who seith, al hire wille;
And elles may sche noght fulfille
What thing hir were lievest have.
With this answere thou schalt save
Thiself, and other wise noght.

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And whan thou hast thin ende wroght, 210
Come hier ayein, thou schalt me finde,
And let nothing out of thi minde.'

He goth him forth with hevy chiere,
As he that not in what manere
He mai this worldes joie atteigne:
For if he deie, he hath a peine,
And if he live, he mot him binde
To such on which of alle kinde
Of wommen is thunsemlieste:
Thus wot he noght what is the beste:
Bot be him lief or be him loth,
Unto the castell forth he goth
His full answere for to yive,
Or forto deie or forto live.

Forth with his conseil cam the lord,
The thinges stoden of record,
He sende up for the lady sone,

And forth sche cam, that olde mone.2
In presence of the remenant

The strengthe of al the covenant

Tho was reherced openly,

And to Florent sche bad forthi

That he schal tellen his avis,

As he that woot what is the pris.
Florent seith al that evere he couthe,
Bot such word cam ther non to mowthe,
That he for yifte or for beheste
Mihte euy wise his deth areste.
And thus he tarieth longe and late,
Til that this lady bad algate 3

3

3 in any case.

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That he schal for the dom final
Yive his answere in special

Of that sche hadde him ferst opposed:
And thanne he hath trewly supposed
That he him may of nothing yelpe,*
Bot if so be tho wordes helpe

Whiche as the womman hath him tawht;
Wherof he hath an hope cawht
That he schal ben excused so,
And toide out plein his wille tho.
And whan that this matrone herde
The manere how this knyht ansuerde,
Sche seide: Ha treson, wo thee be,
That hast thus told the privite
Which alle wommen most desire!
I wolde that thou were afire.'
Bot natheles in such a plit
Florent of his answere is quit.
And tho began his sorwe newe,
For he mot gon, or ben untrewe,
To hire which his trow the hadde.
Bot he, which alle schame dradde,
Goth forth in stede of his penance,
And takth the fortune of his chance,
As he that was with trowthe affaited.5

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Hire necke is schort, hir schuldres courbe,18

That myhte a mannes lust destourbe,
Hire body gret and nothing smal,
And schortly to descrive hire al,
Sche hath no lith 14 withoute a lak;
Bot lich unto the wollesak
Sche proferth hire unto this knyht,
And bad him, as he hath behyht,
So as sche hath ben his warant,
That he hire holde covenant,
And be the bridel sche him seseth.
Bot Godd wot how that sche him pleseth

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6 head. 7 hag. 11 low. 12 Moor.