| sig: [A1] | |
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¶Here begynneth a lytell geste how the plowman lerned his pater-noster. |
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| 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. |