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And raught with his ragéman' rings and brooches. Thus ye giveth your gold gluttons to help.”

But, says the poet, though the bishop were a saint and worth both his ears, his seals should not be sent to deceive the people. Parsons and parish priests, in this field full of folk that stood for the English world, complained in Will's dream to the bishop that their parishioners were poor since the pestilence time, and asked licence to live in London

"And sing there for simony: silver is sweet.

Bishops and bachelors, both masters and doctors,

That have cure under Christ, and crowning in token,
Ben charged with Holy-Church Charity to till,
That is leal love and life among learned and lewéd;2
They lien in London in Lentene and elles.
Some serven the King, and his silver tellen,3
In the chequer and the chancelry, challenging his debts,
Of wards and of wardmotes, waifs and strays.
Some aren as seneschals and serven other lords,

And ben in stead of stewards, and sitten and demen.“

Conscience accused such men, and the people heard, and the world was made worse by their covetousness. The Cardinals to whom St. Peter entrusted his power to bind and to unbind were not the Cardinals at court, who take that name and presume power in themselves to make a Pope; they were the four Cardinal Virtues. So Will, in his Vision, looked upon the world till a King came into the field led by Knighthood-"the much might of the men made him to reign." And then came Kind-wit, the knowledge of the natural man, and he made Clerks; and Conscience, Kind-wit, and Knighthood together agreed that the Commons should support them. Kind-wit and the Commons contrived between them all the crafts, and for chief profit of the people made a plough, whereby men may live through loyal labour while there remains life and land. Here Langland applies the mediæval fable of the rats and mice who wished to bell the cat that they might know when to get out of his way; but when the bell was bought and fastened to a collar, there was no rat of all the rout, for all the realm of France, that durst have bound the bell about the cat's neck. Then stood forth a wise little mouse, who said—

red after crying-a word said to be formed from blear; but bleared allied to blurred. See page 137, note 13 of the volume of this Library containing "Shorter English Poems."

1 Raught with his rageman. Raught, reached, got to himself. FirstEnglish "ræ'can."-Rageman. In the Chronicle of Lanercost (edited by Stevenson, page 261), we read that an instrument or charter of subjection and homage to the kings of England is called by the Scots ragman, because of the many seals hanging from it. "Unum instrumentum sive cartam subjectionis et homagii faciendi regibus Angliæ a Scottis propter multa sigilla dependentia ragman vocatur." That is the sense in which Langland uses the word. Afterwards in Wyntoun's Chronicle, Douglas and Dunbar, "ragman" and " 'ragment" mean a long piece of writing, a rhapsody, or an account. In course of time, it is said, "ragman's roll" became "rigmarole.'

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2 Lewed, the unlearned mass of the people. First-English "leóde,” people.

Tellen, count. First-English "tellan."

• Demen, give judgment.

"Though we had ykilléd the cat, yet should there come another

To cratchen us and all our kind, though we creep under benches,

For-this I counsel, for common profit, let the cat be,

And never be we so bold the bell him to shew.

For I heard my sire sayn, seven year past,

"There the cat nis but a kitten the court is full ailing;' Witness of Holy Writ, who so can read

Væ terræ ubi puer est rex Salamon,”

"Woe to thee, O Land, when thy king is a child!" (Ecclesiastes x. 16). There is here one of the pathetic echoes of this cry which blended with the voice of England in our literature after young Richard II. became king. Langland applied his fable of the belling of the cat to the power of Edward III.'s son, John of Gaunt, the richest noble in England, the wielder of royal power in the last years of his father's weakness, and one who was believed to be looking forward to possession of the throne. Detested by the commonalty, he was the cat whom the rats and mice desired to bell. Langland's parable was a veiled suggestion that no substantial gain was to be hoped. Though we might bell the cat, what of the kitten? Could the misery of the land with John of Gaunt foremost at court be less when it had a child for king and its princes ate in the morning? What his dream of the cat and the rats meant he said to his readers "divine ye, for I ne dare."

The misery of the land! We have referred to the burning and ravage of our coast towns at the close of Edward III.'s reign. Langland has represented country priests pleading that they could not draw livings out of congregations wasted and impoverished by plague. Later reference to these pestilences, as well as to a memorable high wind, and to the treaty of Bretigny, fix the year 1362 as about the time when Langland began to write his Vision. The first two of the great pestilences of the fourteenth century were suffered by England in the years 1348-49 and 1360-61. The earlier of these, known as Black Death" or "the Great Mortality," was, of all plagues, the most desolating ever known in Europe. It was said that the plague entered Italy with a thick foul mist from the east. Unseasonable weather had caused general failure of crops. In the spring of 1347, before the plague, bread was being distributed to the poor in Italian cities; 94,000 twelve-ounce loaves were given away daily from large public bakehouses erected in Florence alone. Famine pre

"the

The

ceded pestilence; and of the famine many died. "Black Death" had raged on the northern shores of the Black Sea before it was brought thence to Constantinople. Thence it passed, in 1347, to Cyprus, Sicily, Marseilles, and some of the seaports of Italy. It spread over the Mediterranean islands, and reached Avignon in January, 1348. Petrarch's Laura was there among its victims. It spread through Italy and France, was in Florence by April, passed into Germany, entered England in August, but three months then passed before it had reached London.

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In 1349 it was sweeping over northern Europe, but it did not reach Russia till 1351. Those were not days of accurate statistics, and we may say nothing of the 23,840,000 said to have died by this plague in the East; but of Western towns, civilised enough to have some notion of the number of their inhabitants, Venice said that there perished 100,000 of her people, or three-fourths of the whole population; Florence said she had lost 60,000; Avignon, 60,000; Paris, 50,000; London, 100,000; Norwich, 51,100; Yarmouth, 7,052. In many places half the population died; some little towns and villages lost all by death and flight. Of the Franciscan Friars in Germany there were said to have perished 124,434, and in Italy 30,000. Merchants sought favour of God by laying down their treasures at the altar; monks shunned the gifts for the contagion that they brought, and closed their gates, and still had the vain riches of this world thrown by despairing men over their convent walls. In the Hôtel Dieu at Paris, when five hundred were dying daily, pious women, Sisters of Charity, were about them with human ministrations and words of divine consolation. These nurses were perishing themselves daily of the disease from which they would not flinch in the performance of their duty; and as they fell at their posts there never was a want of other gentlewomen to press in and carry on their sacred work. The Black Death was followed in England by a murrain among cattle. It has been estimated by a modern writer that this great pestilence destroyed a fourth part of the inhabitants of Europe. The terror of this was fresh when pestilence, which broke out again at Avignon in 1360, was again scourging us in 1361. Of the second pestilence it was observed that the richer classes suffered by it in larger proportion than before.

We return to William's Vision of "all the wealth of this world and the woe both." What means the mountain and the murky dale and the field full of folk, he will go on to show. From the Castle on the hill came down to him a fair lady who called him by

his name,

"And said, 'Will, sleepest thou? Seest thou this people How busy they ben about the mase.

The most part of the people that passeth on this earth Have they worship in this world they willen no better, Of other heaven than here they holden no tale.'3

I was afeared of her face, though she fair were,

And said, 'Merci, madame; what may this be to mean?'
The tower upon toft,' quoth she. Truth is therein,
And would that ye wrought as His word teacheth,
For He is Father of Faith, and Former of All.
To be faithful to Him He gave you five wits
For to worshipen Him therewith while ye liven here.'"

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drink, without excess. Though you desire much, Measure is medicine. All is not good for the spirit that the body asks, nor is the flesh fed by that in which the soul delights. Believe not thy body, for the beguiling world speaks through it. Hear the soul's warning when the flesh leagues with the fiend.

"Ah, ma dame, merci," quoth I, "me liketh well your

words,

But the money of this mold that men so fast keepeth,
Tell ye me now to whom that treasure belongeth?"
"Go to the Gospel," quoth she, "and see what God said
When the people apposed him of a penny in the temple,
And God asked of them what was the coin.
'Reddite Cæsari,' said God, 'that to Cæsar befalleth,
Et quæ sunt Dei Deo,7 or else ye don ill.'
For rightfully Reason should rule you all
And Kind-wit be Warden your wealth to keep,
And tutor of your treasure and take it you at need,
For husbandry and he holdeth together."

Then the dreamer asked what was meant by the deep dale and dark. That, he was told,

"That is the Castle of Care; whoso cometh therein May ban that he born was in body and in soul; Therein woneth a wight, that Wrong is his name, Father of Falsehood, found it first of all."

It was he who urged Eve to do ill; who was the counsellor of Cain; who tricked Judas with the silver of the Jews, and hung him afterwards upon an eldertree. He is the hinderer of love, and lieth always; he betrayeth soonest them who trust in earthly treasure, to encumber men with covetousness. That is his nature. The dreamer next wondered who she was that showed him such wise words of Holy Writ, and asked her name. She said, "I am Holy-Church; thou oughtest to know me. I received thee at the first, and made thee a free man. Thou broughtest me sureties to fulfil my bidding, to believe in me and love me all thy lifetime." Then he kneeled and asked grace of her, and sought her prayers for his amendment, and that she would teach him to believe on Christ. He sought to know of her no treasure but that she would only tell him how to save his soul.

"When all treasures ben tried,' quoth she, Truth is the best;

I do it on Deus Caritas to deem the sooth,

It is as dereworthy a druery 10 as dear God himself.
For he that is true of his tongue and of his two hands
And doth the works therewith, and wilneth no man ill,
He is a god by the Gospel, aground and aloft,
And like Our Lord also, by Saint Luke's words."

Apposed him, put to him.

7" Render unto Cæsar the things which are Cæsar's, and unto God the things that are God's." (Matthew xxii. 21.)

8 Woneth, dwelleth. First-English "wunian," to dwell.

9 Deus Caritas, God is Love.

10 As dereworthy a druery, as precious an object of affection. Ders worthy, First-English "deo-wurthe. Druery (Old French "druerie". love.

It was told Jesus, "Thy mother and thy brethren stand without, desiring to see thee. And he answered and said unto them, My mother and my brethren are these which hear the word of God ani do it." (Luke viii. 20, 21.)

Clerkés that knowen, this should kennen it1 about, For Christian and Unchristian claimen it each one."'"

Kings should rule for the maintenance of Truth, and knights be as those whom David swore to serve Truth ever. The fair lady told the dreamer of the faithful angels and the pride that laid Lucifer lowest of all, with whom they that work evil shall dwell after their death day. But all that have wrought well shall go eastward to abide ever in heaven, where Truth is God's throne.

"Lere it these lewed men, for lettered it knoweth, Than Truth and True Love is no treasure better.'

I have no kind knowing,' quoth I, 'ye mote ken me better

By what way it waxeth, and whether out of my meaning.' 'Thou doted daff,' quoth she, dull aren thy wits.

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I lieve thou learnedst too lite3 Latin in thy youth.
Heu mihi, quod sterilem duxi vitam juvenilem !a
It is a kind knowing that kenneth in thine heart
For to love they Lord liefest of all

And die rather than do any deadly sin.

Melius est mori quam male vivere.5

And this I trow be Truth, whoso can teach thee better
Look thou suffer him to say, and so thou might learn.
For Truth telleth that Love is triacle for sin
And most sovereign salve for soul and for body.
Love is the plant of peace and most precious of virtues,
For Heaven might not holden it, so heavy it seemed,
Till it had of the earth eaten his fill.

And when it had of this fold flesh and blood taken
Was never leaf upon lind? lighter thereafter.'"

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Than Malkin of her maidenhood, whom no man desireth.
For James the gentle judged in his books
That faith without fait is feebler than nought,
And dead as a door nail but if the deeds follow.
Fides sine operibus mortua est.15"

Many chaplains are chaste, but fail in charity. There are none harder and hungrier than men of HolyChurch, more hard and avaricious when advanced, and unkind to their kin and to all Christians. They eat up what is theirs for charity, and chide for more. Encumbered with covetousness they cannot creep out of it, so closely has avarice hasped them together. This is ill example to the unlearned people,

"For these aren wordés written in the Evangile Date et dabitur vobis 16 (for I deal 17 you all), And that is the lock of Love that unlooseth Grace, That comforteth all Christians encumbered with sin. So Love is leech of life, and lysse 18 of all pain, And the graft of grace, and graythest 19 way to Heaven. Forthi I may say as I said, by sight of the text, When all treasures ben tried, Truth is the best. 'Love it,' quoth that Lady, 'let may 120 no longer To lere 21 thee what Love is. Now loke thee 22 Our Lord!'"

Then the dreamer knelt to the Lady, praying that she yet would teach him to know Falsehood from Truth. "Look on thy left hand," she said. "Lo, where he. standeth; both Falseness and Favel (flattery) and fickle-tongued Liar, and many of their manners, both men and women." I looked, says Will, on my left hand as the Lady taught me, and saw there as it were a woman richly clothed and crowned. On all her five fingers were rings with red rubies and other precious stones. His heart was ravished by her riches, and he asked her name. "That maiden," said Holy-Church, "is Meed" (earthly reward), "who before kings and commons thwarts my teaching. In the Pope's palace she is privy as myself. Her father is Favel, who has a fickle tongue that never spoke truth since he came to earth; and Meed is mannered after him. I," Holy-Church went on, "ought to be higher than she; my Father is the great God and Ground of all Graces, One God, without beginning, and I his good daughter. The man who loveth me and followeth my will shall have grace and a good end; but he who loves Meed, I dare pledge my life, shall lose for her love a lap full of charity. That most helps men to heaven; Meed most hinders: I rest upon David's words, 'Lord, who shall abide in thy tabernacle? He that walketh uprightly,' &c., 'nor taketh reward against the innocent.' To-morrow is this Meed to be married to the wretch Falseness, kin to the Fiend; Favel's tongue has enchanted her, and

14 Fait, something done.

15"Faith without works is dead." (James ii. 20.)

16" Give, and it shall be given unto you." (Luke vi. 38.) 17 Deal, distribute.

18 Lysse, dismissal. First-English "liss," forgiveness, dismissal, grace, favour, comfort.

19 Graythest, straightest. Icelandic "greitha," to make ready, speed, further. "Greithit Drottins götur," make straight the way of the Lord" (Luke iii. 4).

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it is Liar's work that the Lady is thus wedded. Wait now, and thou wilt see whom it pleases that Meed should be thus married. Know, if thou canst, these lovers of lordships, and avoid them all. Leave them alone till Loyalty be judge, and have power to punish them, then put thy reason forth." So the Lady left Will to his study of the life that was now crowding upon his dream, commending him to Christ before she left, and bidding him never burden his conscience for desire of Meed. He was left sleeping, and saw in his dream how Meed was to be married, and saw the rich folk, her relations, that were bidden to the bridal-as sisours1 and summoners,' sheriffs and their clerks, beadles and bailiffs and brokers of ware, victuallers, advocates of the Arches, a rout past reckoning. But Simony and Civil Law and sisours of counties seemed to be most intimate with Meed. It was Favel who first brought her from her chamber to be joined with Falseness; Simony and Civil Law assenting thereto at the prayer of Silver. Then Liar leapt forth with a deed that had been given by Guile to Falseness; Simony and Civil Law unfolded it, and thus it ran :

"Sciant presentes et futuri: et cetera. "Witen all and witnessen that wonen here on earth That Meed is y-married more for her richesse Than for holiness or hendeness, or for high kind. Falseness is fain of her, for he wot7 her rich.

And Favel hath with false speech feoffed them by this letter

To be Princes of Pride, and poverty to despise,
To backbiten and to boasten and bear false witness
To scornie and to scoldé, slanders to make

Both unbuxom and bold, to break the ten hests.10
The Earldom of Envy and Ire he them granteth
With the Castle of Chest and Chattering-out-of-
Reason;

The County of Covetise he consenteth unto both,
With usury and avarice and other false sleithes 12
In bargains and in brokages, 13 with the borough of Theft

1 Sisours, persons appointed to hold assizes.

Summoners, sompnours, apparitors. Persons who summoned offenders before the ecclesiastical courts, and, as Chaucer shows, used their position as means of extortion.

3 Advocates of the Arches. The Archbishop of Canterbury's Court of Appeal was called the Court of Arches because in ancient times it was held in the church of St. Mary-le-Bow, Sancta Maria de Arcubus.

• Witen, know. "Know all and witness that dwell here on earth," &c.

5 Hendeness, urbanity. The word in its first sense is equivalent to handiness. Handiness is opposed to clumsiness of the untaught, and implies therefore the civilised ways and courtesies of social life; urbanity as opposed to clownishness.

Fain (First-English "fægen"), glad.

7 Wot, knows. First-English "wát," from "witan."

8 Feoffed, endowed with property.

9 Unbuxom, unyielding. Buxom (First-English "buhsom "), from "bugan," to bow-bowsome--means pliant, the reverse of stiff and obstinate. A buxom woman is a woman without perversity, and I suppose the modern notion that to be buxom is to be plump comes of a popular association of fat with good temper.

10 Hests, commandments. First-English "hátan," to command; "hæ's," a command.

11 Chest (First-English "ceást "), strife, enmity.

12 Sleithes, slippery ways. First-English "slith," slippery, evil; "slithan" and "slidan," to slide.

13 Brokages, commissions. First-English "brúcan," to use, enjoy, draw profit.

And all the Lordship of Lechery in length and in breadth,

As in works and in words and in waitings of eyes,
In weeds 14 and in wishings, and with idle thoughts
Where that will would and workmanship faileth.
Gluttony he giveth them, and Great Oaths together,
All day to drink at diverse tavernés

There to jangle and to jape and judge their em-
Christian, 15

And in fasting days to frete 16 ere full time were,
And then to sitten and soupen till sleep them assail,
And awake with wanhope," and no will to amend,
For they lieveth be 18 lost, this is their last end;
And they to have and to hold, and their heirs after,
A Dwelling with the Devil and damned be for ever,
With all the purtenance of Purgatory and the pain
of Hell."

Wrong was the name of the first witness to this Deed, then followed Piers the Pardoner, Bette the Beadle of Buckinghamshire, Raynold the Reve of Rutland soken,19 Mund the Miller, and many more. When Theology heard this, he was vexed and said to Civil Law, "Now sorrow come to thee for contracting marriages that anger Truth. Meed is the daughter of Amends, and God grants her to Truth, but thou hast given her to a beguiler. Thy text telleth thee not so. Truth saith the Labourer is worthy of his hire.' Yet thou hast bound her to Falseness. Fie on thy law! Thou livest all by leasings. Thou and Simony shame Holy-Church. The notaries and ye trouble the people. Ye shall pay for it, both of you. Ye know well that Falseness is faithless and of Beelzebub's kin; but Meed is a well-born maiden who might kiss the King for cousin if she would. Be wise then. Take her to London where the law is taught, and see whether any law will suffer them to come together. But though the Justices adjudge her to Falseness, yet beware of the wedding. Truth has good wit, and Conscience is of his counsel and knows each one of you, and if he find you wanting and in league with Falseness it shall in the end be bitter to your souls."

Civil Law agreed to this appeal to London; but Simony and the Notaries could agree to nothing until they saw silver for it. Then Favel brought out florins enough, and bade Guile give gold all about, and specially to the notaries that none of them might fail, and fee False-Witness with florins enough, "For he may master Meed and make her subject to my will." When the gold was given there was a great thanking of Falseness and Favel, and many came to comfort Falseness, saying to him softly, "We shall never rest

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16 Frete, eat greedily. First-English "fretan," eat up, devour, gnaw, German "fressen."

17 Wanhope, despair. The First-English prefix "wan" meant de ficiency, as in "waning" of light, in the word "wan" meaning deficiency of colour, and in "want.'

18 Lieveth be, believe themselves to be.

19 Soken. First-English "sócn," a lordship privileged by the king to hold a "sóc" or soke; which was a court of the king's tenants or sóc-men authorised to minister justice or have jurisdiction, and whose tenure was therefore called "socagium" or socage-tenure.

until Meed be thy wedded wife. For we have mastered Meed with our smooth tongues, and she agrees to go to London, and has agreed to be married for money, if Law so will judge." Then Favel was glad and Falseness was of good cheer, and the people on all sides were summoned to be ready to go with them to Westminster and honour the wedding. But they had no horses. Then Guile set Meed on a sheriff newly shod, Falseness rode on a soft trotting sisour, and Favel on a finely-adorned flatterer. Provisors1 were saddled as palfreys for Simony. Deans and subdeans, Archdeacons and other officials, were saddled with silver to suffer all sins of the rout and carry bishops; Liar was to be a long cart to carry friars, swindlers, and the rest who usually go afoot. they went forth together with Guile for their guide, and having Meed amongst them. Soothness saw them on the way and said nothing, but sped before to the King's court, where he told Conscience, and Conscience told the King. The King swore that if he caught Falseness or Favel, no man should bail them, but they should be hanged. He bade a constable go fetter Falseness and cut off Guile's head; put Liar in pillory, if he could catch him; and bring Meed into his presence. Dread, who stood at the door, heard this doom, went nimbly to Falseness, and bade him and his fellows flee for fear. Falseness fled then to the friars; and Guile was hurrying off, when the

So

and displayed their wares. Liar leapt off and found no friends till the Pardoners took pity on him, brought him into their house, washed him and clothed him, and sent him on Sundays into the churches to sell pardons by the pound. Then the physicians were displeased, and wrote for Liar's help as an examiner of waters. Spicers sought aid from his cunning in gums. Minstrels met with him and kept him by them half a year and eleven days. But the Friars by smooth words got him amongst themselves. He may go abroad in the world as much as he pleases, but is sure always of a welcome home when he returns to them.

Simony and Civil Law appealed to Rome for grace. But Conscience accused both to the King, and told him that if the clergy did not amend, their covetousness would pervert his kingdom and harm Holy-Church for ever. So they all fled for fear, except the maiden Meed, who trembled, wept, and wrung her hands at finding herself prisoner. The King bade a clerk take charge of her and make her at ease. He would himself ask her whom she chose to wed, and if she answered wisely he would forgive all her misdeeds. The clerk took her courteously into a bower of bliss, and sat down by her. There was mirth and minstrelsy for her pleasure, and many worshipped her who came to Westminster. Justices made haste to the bower of this bride, and, by the clerk's leave, comforted her, bidding her not mourn, for they would manage the King and shape a way for her to go whither she would, in spite of all that Conscience could do. Meed thanked them mildly, gave them

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A PHYSICIAN.

From the Statues outside the Cloister of Magdalene College, Oxford.

Merchants met him and kept him and took him into their shops, where he was dressed as an apprentice

1 Provisors were persons whom the Pope nominated to livings that were not yet vacant.

SUITORS TO MEED.

From a Brass at St. Margaret's, King's Lynn, A.D. 1364.

gold and silver cups, rubies and treasure. When these were gone there came the clerks bidding her be blithe, for they were her own to work her will while their lives lasted. Meed promised her love to them, said she would make them lords and buy them benefices, to have plurality, and those she loved should be advanced where the most able limped behind. Then came to her a Confessor coped as a Friar, and

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