sig: [A1] | |
¶Here begynneth a lytell geste how the plowman lerned his pater-noster. |
|
SOmtyme in fraunce dwelled a plowman | |
Whiche was myghty bolde and stronge | |
Good [skyll] he coude in husbondry copytext blotted | |
And [gate his l]yuynge full merely copytext blotted | |
5 | He coude eke sowe and holde a plowe |
Bothe dyke hedge and mylke a cowe | |
Thresshe fane and gelde a swyne | |
In euery season and in tyme | |
To mowe and repe bothe grasse and corne | |
10 | A better labourer was neuer borne |
He coude go to plowe with oxe and hors | |
With whiche it were he dyde not fors | |
Of shepe the wolle of for to shere | |
sig: [A1v] | |
His better was founde no-where | |
15 | S[tr]ype hempe he coude to cloute his shone Strype] Srtype 1510 |
And set gese a_brode in season of the mone | |
Of fruyte he graffed many a tre | |
Fell wode and make it as it sholde be | |
He coude theche a hous and daube a wall | |
20 | With all-thynge that to husbondry dyde fall |
By these to ryches he was brought | |
That golde ne syluer he lacked nought | |
His hall-rofe was full of bakon flytches | |
The chambre charged was with wyches | |
25 | Full of egges butter and chese |
Men þat were hungry for to ease | |
To make good ale malte had he plentye | |
And martylmas befe to hym was not deyntye | |
Onyons and garlyke had he I_nowe | |
30 | And good creme and mylke of the cowe |
Thus by his labour ryche was he in-dede | |
Now to the mater wyll I procede | |
Grete good he gate and lyued yeres fourty | |
Yet coude he neyther pater-noster nor aue | |
35 | In lenten-tyme þe parsone dyde hym shryue |
He sayd syr canst thou thy byleue | |
The plowman sayd vnto the preste | |
Syr I byleue in Ihesu_cryste | |
Whiche suffred deth and harowed hell | |
40 | As I haue herde myne olders tell |
The parsone sayd man late me here | |
The saye deuotely thy pater-noster | |
That thou in it no worde do lacke | |
Than sayd the plowman what thynge is that | |
sig: [A2] | |
45 | Whiche ye desyre to here so sore |
I herde neuer therof before | |
The preest sayd to lerne it thou arte bounde | |
Or elles thou lyuest as an hounde | |
Without it / saued canst thou not be | |
50 | Nor neuer haue syght of the deyte |
From chyrche to be banysshed aye | |
All they þat can not theyr pater-noster saye | |
Therfore I meruayll ryght gretly | |
That thy byleue was neuer taught the | |
55 | I charge the vpon payne of deedly synne |
Lerne it / heuen yf thou wylte wynne | |
I wolde thresshe sayd the plowman yeres ten | |
Rather than I it wolde leren | |
I praye the syr persone my counseyll kepe | |
60 | Ten wethers wyll I gyue þe of my best shepe |
And thou shalte haue in the same stounde | |
Fourty shelynges in grotes rounde | |
So ye me shewe how I may heuen reche | |
Well sayd the preest I shall the teche | |
65 | Yf thou do by my counsell |
To heuen shalte thou come ryght well | |
The husbonde sayd yf ye wyll so | |
What-euer ye bydde me it shall be do | |
Well sayd þe persone syth thou haste graunt | |
70 | Truly to kepe this couenaunt |
To do as I shall warne the shortly | |
Marke well the wordes that I saye to the | |
Thou knowest that of corne is grete skarsnesse | |
Wherby many for hungre dye doubtlesse | |
75 | [B]y_cause they lacke theyr dayly brede 'By': initial letter wanting |
sig: [A2v] | |
Hondredes this yere I haue sene dede | |
And thou haste grete plentye of whete | |
Whiche men for moneye now can not gete | |
And yf thou wylte do after me | |
80 | Fourty poore men I shall sende the |
And to eche of them gyue more or lasse | |
Or they awaye fro the passe | |
I shall the double for thy whete paye | |
Se thou bere truly theyr names awaye | |
85 | And yf thou shewe them all and some |
Ryght in ordre as they do come | |
Who is serued fyrst and who laste of all | |
In fayth sayd the plowman so I shall | |
Go whan ye wyll and sende them hyder | |
90 | Fayne wolde I se that company togyder |
The parsone wente to fetche the route | |
And gadred poore people all aboute | |
To the plowmans hous forth he wente | |
The husbonde-man was well contente | |
95 | By_cause the parsone was theyr surety |
That made his herte moche m[o]re mery more] mere 1510 | |
The preest sayd se here thy men echone | |
Serue them lyghtly that they were gone | |
The husbonde-man sayd to hym agayne | |
100 | The lenger they tary the more is my payne |
Fyrst wente pater feble / lene and olde | |
All his clothes for hungre had he solde | |
Two busshelles of whete gate he there | |
Uneth for age myght he it bere | |
105 | Than came noster ragged in araye |
He had his backe-burden and so wente his waye | |
sig: [A3] | |
Two peckes were gyuen to qui_es_in_celis | |
No wonder yf he halted for kybed were his helys | |
Than came sanctificetur and nomen_tuum | |
110 | Of whete amonge them they gate an hole tunne |
How moche was therin I can not saye | |
They two laded a carte and wente theyr waye | |
In ordre folowed them other thre | |
Adueniat_regnum_tuum that was deed nye | |
115 | They thought to longe þat they abode |
Yet eche of them had an hors-lode | |
The plowman cryed syrs come a_waye | |
Than went Fiat_voluntas_tua / sicut_in_celo_et_in_terra | |
Some blere-eyed and some lame with botell and bagge | |
120 | To couer theyr arses they had not an hole ragge |
Aboute ten busshelles they had them amonge | |
And in the waye homewarde full merely they songe | |
Than came Panem_nostrum_cotidianum_da_nobis_hodie | |
Amonge them fyue they had but one peny | |
125 | That was guyen them for goddes sake |
They sayd therwith that they wolde mery make | |
Eche had two busshelles of whete þat was gode | |
They songe goynge homewarde a gest of robyn_hode | |
Et_dimitte_nobis_debita_nostra came than | |
130 | The one sonburned another blacke as a pan |
They preased in the hepe of corne to fynde | |
No wonder yf they fell for they were all blynde | |
Eche of them an hole quartre they had | |
And streyght to the ale-hous they it lad | |
135 | Sicut_et_nos_dimittimus_debitoribus_nostris |
Came in anone and dyde not mys | |
They had ten busshelles withouten fayle | |
sig: [A3v] | |
And layde fyue to pledge for a kylderkyn of ale | |
Than came Et_ne_nos_inducas_in_temptationem | |
140 | Amonge them all they had quarters ten |
Theyr brede was baken in a tankarde | |
And the resydue they played at the hasarde | |
By and by came Sed_libera_nos_a_malo | |
He was so wery he myght not go | |
145 | Also Amen came rennynge in anone |
He cryed out spede me that I were gone | |
He was patched torne and all to_rente | |
It semed by his langage þat he was borne in kente | |
The plowman serued them euerychone | |
150 | And was full gladde whan they were gone |
But whan he sawe of corne he had no more | |
He wysshed them at the deuyll therfore | |
So longe had he meten his corne and whete | |
That all his body was in a swete | |
155 | Than vnto his hous dyde he go |
His herte was full of payne and wo | |
To kepe theyr names and shewe them ryght | |
That he rested but lytell þat nyght | |
Euer he patred on theyr names faste | |
160 | That he had them in o[r]dre at the laste ordre] odre 1510 |
Than on the morowe he wente to the parsone | |
And sayd syr for moneye am I come | |
My corne I delyuered by the counseyll of the | |
Remembre thy promes thou arte theyr suretye | |
165 | The preest sayd theyr names thou must me shewe |
The plowman rehersed them on a rewe | |
How they were called he kepte in mynde | |
He sayd that amen came all behynde | |
sig: [A4] | |
The parsone sayd man be gladde this daye | |
170 | Thy pater-noster now canst thou saye |
The plowman sayde gyue me my monaye | |
The preest sayd I owe none to the to paye | |
Thoughe thou dyde thy corne to poore men gyue | |
Thou mayst me blysse whyle thou doost lyue | |
175 | For by these may ye paye cryste his rente |
And serue þe lorde omnipotente | |
Is this the answere he sayd þat I haue shall | |
I shall sommon the afore the offycyall | |
So to the courte wente they bothe in-dede | |
180 | Not best of all dyde the plowman spede |
Unto the offycyall the parsone tolde all | |
How it bytwene them two dyde fall | |
And of this pater-noster lernynge | |
Many to his wordes gaue herkenynge | |
185 | They la[u]ghed and made sporte I_nowe |
The plowman for angre bended his browe | |
And sayd this poore men haue a_way all my corne | |
And for my labour the parsone dothe me skorne | |
The offycyall praysed gretly the parsone | |
190 | And sayd ryght well that he had done |
He sayd plowman it is shame to the | |
To accuse this gentylman before me | |
He badde hym go home fole as he was | |
And aske god mercy for his trespas | |
195 | The plowman thought euer on his whete |
And sayd agayne I shall it neuer gete | |
Than he wente and to his wyfe sayd | |
How that the parsone had hym betrayde | |
And sayd whyle that I lyue certayne | |
sig: [A4v] | |
200 | Preest shall I neuer truste agayne |
Thus for his corne that he gaue there | |
His pater-noster dyde he lere | |
And after longe he lyued withouten stryfe | |
Tyll he wente from his mortall lyfe | |
205 | The persone disceased after also |
Theyr soules I truste to heuen dyde go | |
Unto the whiche he vs brynge | |
That in heuen reygneth eternall kynge. |