The Vision Of Piers Plowman - Part 20 Poem Rhyme Scheme and Analysis
Rhyme Scheme: AABAACBBAADEFA ABBAAGBBBBAAHAIJHCGA BEEAAKA BAL AA AA LMEABECBBABNAAGAHACA ACBBCBGA BBBBBAHGA AC LBAABANABACBBAAGAD A BCBOBEABABAGHBGDGHAH HC CHGABA B BCGNGAAGGAA GHThanne as I wente by the way whan I was thus awaked | A |
Hevy chered I yede and elenge in herte | A |
For I ne wiste wher to ete ne at what place | B |
And it neghed neigh the noon and with Nede I mette | A |
That afrounted me foule and faitour me called | A |
'Coudestow noght excuse thee as dide the kyng and othere | C |
That thow toke to thy bilyve to clothes and to sustenaunce | B |
Was by techynge and by tellynge of Spiritus Temperancie | B |
And that thow nome na moore than nede thee taughte | A |
And nede ne hath no lawe ne nevere shal falle in dette | A |
For thre thynges he taketh his lif for to save | D |
That is mete whan men hym werneth and he no moneye weldeth | E |
Ne wight noon wol ben his borugh ne wed hath noon to legge | F |
And he ca cch e in that caas and come therto by sleighte | A |
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He synneth noght soothliche that so wynneth his foode | A |
And though he come so to a clooth and kan no bettre chevyssaunce | B |
Nede anoon righte nymeth hym under maynprise | B |
And if hym list for to lape the lawe of kynde wolde | A |
That he dronke at ech dych er he deide for thurst | A |
So Nede at gret nede may nymen as for his owene | G |
Withouten conseil of Conscience or Cardynale Vertues | B |
So that he sewe and save Spiritus Temperancie | B |
'For is no vertue bi fer to Spiritus Temperancie | B |
Neither Spiritus Iusticie ne Spiritus Fortitudinis | B |
For Spiritus Fortitudinis forfeteth ful ofte | A |
He shal do moore than mesure many tyme and ofte | A |
And bete men over bittre and som body to litel | H |
And greve men gretter than good feith it wolde | A |
'And Spiritus Iusticie shal juggen wole he nel he | I |
After the kynges counseil and the comune like | J |
And Spiritus Prudencie in many a point shal faille | H |
Of that he weneth wolde falle if his wit ne weere | C |
Wenynge is no wysdom ne wys ymaginacion | G |
Homo proponit et Deus disponit | A |
God governeth alle goode vertues | B |
And Nede is next hym for anoon he meketh | E |
And as lowe as a lomb for lakkyng that hym nedeth | E |
For nede maketh nede fele nedes lowe herted | A |
Philosophres forsoke welthe for thei wolde be nedy | A |
And woneden wel elengely and wolde noght be riche | K |
'And God al his grete joye goostliche he lefte | A |
And cam and took mankynde and bicam nedy ' | - |
So he was nedy as seith the Book in manye sondry places | B |
That he seide in his some on the selve roode | A |
''the Fox and fowel may fle to hole and crepe | L |
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And the fissh hath fyn to flete with to reste | A |
Ther nede hath ynome me that I moot nede abide | A |
And suffre sorwes ful soure that shal to joye torne '' | - |
Forthi be noght abasshed to bide and to be nedy | A |
Sith he that wroghte al the world was wilfulliche nedy | A |
Ne nevere noon so nedy ne poverer deide ' | - |
Whan Nede hadde undernome rne thus anoon I fil aslepe | L |
And mette ful merveillously that in mannes forme | M |
Antecrist cam thanne and al the crop of truthe | E |
Torned it tid up so doun and overtilte the roote | A |
And made fals sprynge and sprede and spede mennes nedes | B |
In ech a contree ther he cam he kutte awey truthe | E |
And gerte gile growe there as he a god weere | C |
Freres folwede that fend for he gaf hem copes | B |
And religiouse reverenced hym and rongen hir belles | B |
And al the covent cam to welcome that tyraunt | A |
And alle hise as wel as hym save oonly fooles | B |
Whiche fooles were wel gladdere to deye | N |
Than to lyve lenger sith Leute was so rebuked | A |
And a fals fend Antecrist over alle folk regnede | A |
And that were rnylde men and holye that no meschief dradden | G |
Defyed alle falsnesse and folk that it usede | A |
And what kyng that hem conforted knowynge h ir gile | H |
They cursed and hir conseil were it clerk or lewed | A |
Antecrist hadde thus soone hundredes at his baner | C |
And Pride bar it bare boldely aboute | A |
With a lord that lyveth after likyng of body | A |
That cam ayein Conscience that kepere was and gyour | C |
Over kynde Cristene and Cardynale Vertues | B |
'I conseille ' quod Conscience tho 'cometh with me ye fooles | B |
Into Unite Holy Chirche and holde we us there | C |
And crye we to Kynde that he come and defende us | B |
Fooles fro thise fendes lymes for Piers love the Plowman | G |
And crye we on al the comune that thei come to Unitee | A |
And there abide and bikere ayeins Beliales children ' | - |
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Kynde Conscience tho herde and cam out of the planetes | B |
And sente forth his forreyours feveres and fluxes | B |
Coughes and cardiacles crampes and toothaches | B |
Rewmes and radegundes and roynouse scalles | B |
Biles and bocches and brennynge agues | B |
Frenesies and foule yveles forageres of Kynde | A |
Hadde ypriked and prayed polles of peple | H |
Largeliche a legion lees hir lif soone | G |
There was ' Harrow ' and ' Help Here cometh Kynde | A |
With Deeth that is dredful to undo us alle ' | - |
The lord that lyved after lust tho aloud cryde | A |
After Confort a knyght to come and bere his baner | C |
'Alarme Alarme ' quod that lord 'ech lif kepe his owene ' | - |
Thanne mette thise men er mynstrals myghte pipe | L |
And er heraudes of armes hadden discryved lordes | B |
Elde the hoore he was in the vauntwarde | A |
And bar the baner bifore Deeth bi right he it cleymede | A |
Kynde cam after hym with many kene soores | B |
As pokkes and pestilences and muche peple shente | A |
So Kynde thorugh corrupcions kilde ful manye | N |
Deeth cam dryvynge after and al to duste passhed | A |
Kynges and knyghtes kaysers and popes | B |
Lered ne lewed he lefte no man stonde | A |
That he hitte evene that evere stired after | C |
Manye a lovely lady and hir lemmans knyghtes | B |
Swowned and swelted for sorwe of Dethes dyntes | B |
Conscience of his curteisie to Kynde he bisoughte | A |
To cesse and suffre and see wher thei wolde | A |
Leve Pride pryvely and be parfite Cristene | G |
And Kynde cessede tho to se the peple amende | A |
Fortune gan flatere thanne tho fewe that were alyve | D |
And bihighte hem long lif and lecherie h | - |
Amonges alle manere men wedded and unwedded | A |
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And gaderede a greet hoost al agayn Conscience | B |
'This Lecherie leide on with laughynge chiere | C |
And with pryvee speche and peyntede wordes | B |
And armede hym in ydelnesse and in heigh berynge | O |
He bar a bowe in his hand and manye brode arewes | B |
Weren fethered with fair biheste and many a fals truthe | E |
With untidy tales he tened ful ofte | A |
Conscience and his compaignye of Holy Kirke the techeris | B |
Thanne cam Coveitise and caste how he myghte | A |
Overcome Conscience and Cardinale Vertues | B |
And armed hym in avarice and hungriliche lyvede | A |
His wepne was al wiles to wynnen and to hiden | G |
With glosynges and with gabbynges he giled the peple | H |
Symonye hym s ue de to assaille Conscience | B |
And preched to the peple and prelates thei hem maden | G |
To holden with Antecrist hir temporaltees to save | D |
And cam to the kynges counseille as a kene baroun | G |
And kneled to Conscience in Court afore hem alle | H |
And garte Good Feith flee and Fals to abide | A |
And boldeliche bar adoun with many a bright noble | H |
Muche of the wit and wisdom of Westmynstre Halle | H |
He jogged til a justice and justed in his eere | C |
And overtilte al his truthe with 'Tak this up amendement ' | - |
And to the Arches in haste he yede anoon after | C |
And tornede Cyvyle into Symonye and siththe he took the Official | H |
For a menever mantel he made lele matrymoyne | G |
Departen er deeth cam and a devors shapte | A |
'Allas ' quod Conscience and cryde tho 'wolde Crist of his grace | B |
That Coveitise were Cristene that is so kene to fighte | A |
And boold and bidynge the while his bagge lasteth ' | - |
And thanne lough Lyf and leet daggen hise clothes | B |
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And armed hym in haste in harlotes wordes | B |
And heeld Holynesse a jape and Hendenesse a wastour | C |
And leet Leautee a cherl and Lyere a fre man | G |
Conscience and counseil he counted it folye | N |
Thus relyede Lif for a litel fortune | G |
And priked forth with Pride preiseth he no vertue | A |
Ne careth noght how Kynde slow and shal come at the laste | A |
And kille alle erthely creature save Conscience oone | G |
Lyf lepte aside and laughte hym a lemman | G |
'Heele and I ' quod he 'and heighnesse of herte | A |
Shal do thee noght drede neither deeth ne elde | A |
And to foryyte sorwe and yyve noght of synne ' | - |
This likede Lif and his lemman Fortune | G |
And geten in hir glorie a gadelyng at the l | H |
William Langland
(1)
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