Piers Plowman - Maybe You Like It

10.276: In alle manere men thorugh mansede preestes.
10.277: The Bible bereth witnesse that alle the [barnes] of Israel
10.278: Bittre aboughte the giltes of two badde preestes,
10.279: Offyn and Fynes — for hir coveitise
10.280: Archa Dei myshapped and Ely brak his nekke.
10.281: " Forthi, ye correctours, claweth heron, and correcteth first
yowselve,
10.282: And thanne mowe ye manliche seye, as David made the Sauter:
10.283: Existimasti inique quod ero tui similis: Arguam te, et statuam contra faciem
t
10.284: "And thanne shul burel clerkes ben abasshed to blame yow or to
greve,
10.285: And carpen noght as thei carpe now, and calle yow doumbe
hounoes —
10.285: Canes non valentes latrare —
10.286: And drede to wrathe yow in any word, youre werkmanshipe to
lette,
10.287: And be prester at youre preiere than for a pound of nobles.
10.288: And al for youre holynesse — have ye this in herte.
10.289: "Amonges rightful religious this rule sholde be holde.
10.290: Gregorie, the grete clerk and the goode pope,
10.291: Of religioun the rule reherseth in his Morales
10.292: And seith it in ensample for thei sholde do therafter:
10.293: " Whan fisshes faillen the flood or the fresshe water,
10.294: Thei deyen for droughte, whan thei drie ligge;
10.295: Right so religion ro[i]leth [and] sterveth
10.296: That out of covent and cloistre coveiten to libbe.''
10.297: For if hevene be on this erthe, and ese to any soule,
10.298: It is in cloistre or in scole, by manye skiles I fynde.
10.299: For in cloistre cometh no man to chide ne to fighte,
10.300: But al is buxomnesse there and bokes, to rede and to lerne.
10.301: "In scole there is scorn but if a clerk wol lerne,
10.302: And gret love and likyng, for ech of hem l[er]eth oother.
10.303: Ac now is Religion a rydere, a romere by stretes,
10.304: A ledere of lovedayes and a lond buggere,
10.305: A prikere on a palfrey fro manere to manere,
10.306: An heep of houndes at his ers as he a lord were;
10.307: And but if his knave knele that shal his coppe brynge,
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