Piers Plowman - Maybe You Like It

20.264: " Monkes and moniales and alle men of religion —
20.265: Hir ordre and hir reule wole to han a certein noumbre;
20.266: Of lewed and of lered the lawe wole and asketh
20.267: A certein for a certein — save oonliche of freres!
20.268: Forthi,' quod Conscience, "by Crist! kynde wit me telleth
20.269: It is wikked to wage yow — ye wexen out of noumbre!
20.270: Hevene hath evene noumbre, and helle is withoute noumbre;
20.271: Forthi I wolde witterly that ye were in the registre
20.272: And youre noumbre under notarie sygne, and neither mo ne
lasse!'
20.273: Envye herde this and heet freres go to scole
20.274: And lerne logyk and lawe — and ek contemplacion —
20.275: And preche men of Plato, and preve it by Seneca
20.276: That alle thynges under hevene oughte to ben in cornune.
20.277: He lyeth, as I leve, that to the lewed so precheth:
20.278: For God made to men a lawe and Moyses it taughte —
20.279: Non concupisces rem proximi tui.
20.280: And yvele is this yholde in parisshes of Engelonde;
20.281: For persons and parissh preestes, that sholde the peple shryve,
20.282: Ben curatours called to knowe and to hele.
20.283: Alle that ben hir parisshens penaunces enjoigne,
20.284: And ben ashamed in hir shrift; ac shame maketh hem wende
20.285: And fleen to the freres — -as fals folk to Westmynstre,
20.286: That borweth, and bereth it thider, and thanne biddeth frendes
20.287: Yerne of foryifnesse or lenger yeres leve.
20.288: Ac while he is in Westmynstre he wol be bifore
20.289: And maken hym murie with oother menne goodes.
20.290: And so it fareth with muche folk that to freres shryveth;
20.291: As sisours and executours — thei shul yyve the freres
20.292: A parcel to preye for hem, and [purchace] hem mur[th]e
20.293: With the remenaunt that othere [renkes] biswonke,
20.294: And suffre the dede in dette to the day of doome.
20.295: Envye herfore hatede Conscience,
20.296: And freres to philosophie he fond hem to scole,
20.297: The while Coveitise and Unkyndenesse Conscience assaillede.
20.298: In Unitee Holy Chirche Conscience held hym,
20.299: And made Pees porter to pynne the yates
20.300: Of alle taletelleris and titeleris in ydel.
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