WILLIAM LANGLEY (OR LANGLAND). WILLIAM LANGLEY or LANGLAND-for his name is not absolutely certainwas born probably at Cleobury Mortimer, and was educated for the church, not improbably in one of the priories at Malvern. When about thirty years old, he removed to London, where he lived in Cornhill with his wife and daughter till about the end of the 14th century. The Vision of William concerning Piers the Plowman is a vigorous poem in alliterative verse, 'describing a series of dreams, in some of which the author beheld a person whom he calls Piers the Plowman.' 'It was the great work of his life, and may have occupied him, though not continuously, during nearly thirty years.' 'It is certain that he altered, added to, and re-wrote the poem, not once only, but twice' (Skeat). The earliest text, from which we quote, was composed about the year 1362; the second, which is three times as large, appeared about 1377; and the third, which is still longer, was gradually formed up till about 1390. The Vision is an 'allegorical exposition of the corruptions of the state, of the church, and of social life' (Marsh). We follow Mr Skeat's Vernon- or A-text closely. THE DEADLY SIN OF GLUTTONY. (From Piers the Plowman, Passus V.) for to go to schrifte, And carieth him to chircheward his shrift forte 1 telle. And seththen 4 heo 5 asked of him. "Whoder that he wolde ? '6 'To holi chirche,' quod' he And seththen I-chule 8 ben I-schriven 150 'for to here Masse, and synne no more.' 'eny hote spices?' 'Ichave9 good ale, gossib,'10 quod heo ·‘gloten, woltou 11 asaye?' 12 Hastou 13 oust I thi pors,' quod he ‘Ze, glotun, gossip,' quod heo • 'god wot, ful goode ; Hikke the hakeney mon and tweyne of his knaves, and hogge the neldere,1 and the Clerk of the churche, and peruel of Flaundres, Dauwe the dykere 2. and a doseyn othere. A Ribibor,3 a Ratoner1 a Rakere of chepe,6 A Ropere, a Redyng-kyng8 · and Rose the disschere," And of up-holders 11 an hep erly bi the morwe 13 And atte newe Feire 12 he leyde hire to sulle ; 160 165 170 the chaffare 19 to preise; 20 Hose 21 hedde the hod. shulde have Amendes. Ther weoren othes an 25 hep hose that hit herde. And habbe hikkes hod the ostiler and holde him wel And he that repenteth Rathest 31 schulde arysen aftur, And seeten 35 so til Evensong and songen sum while, .734 190 1 Needler, needle-dealer. 2 Dyker, or ditcher. Ribibe- or rebeck-player. 4 Rat-catcher. 5 Raker, scavenger. 6 Cheapside, or West Cheap. 7 Ropemaker. 8 Mounted vassal. 9 Dish-seller. 10 Welshman. 11 Upholsterers, dealers in second-hand clothes and furniture. 12 At the new fair. 18 Sell. 14 Hit, threw down. 15 Hood. 16 Bette the butcher. 20 Appraise, value. [Then follow the natural consequences. He can neither step nor stand' till he get his staff; then he sets out in zigzag fashion, 'some time aside, and some time arear.' At the door his eyes turn dim, and he stumbles, Clement the cobbler catching him by the middle. And 'with all the wo of this world,' he is got home to bed.] THE NEW LEAF AGAIN: MORE GOOD RESOLUTIONS. And after al this surfet an Accesse1 he hedde, 210 That he slepte Seturday and Sonenday til sonne wente to reste. Thenne he wakede of his wynk and wypede his eizen; The furste word that he spac was 'Wher is the Cuppe?' His wyf warnede him tho 2 of wikkednesse and of sinne. Thenne was he a-schomed, that schrewe, and schraped his eren, 6 And gon5 to grede grimliche 3 and gret deol to make For his wikkede lyf. that he I-lived hedde. For hungur other 7 for thurst I make myn A-vou, defyen in my mawe,9 have I-give me leve; 215 220 al my lyf tyme. 1 Attack (of illness), seizure, fit. 2 Then. 3 (So) that he cursed. scratched. 5 Gan, began. 6 Cry (aloud). stomach. 7 Or. 8 Be digested. 4 Scraped, 9 Maw, NOTES. 146. Gloton, Glutton; gluttony personified. He appears in Dunbar's Dance of the Seven Deidly Sins as The "The foul monster, Gluttony, Of wame* insatiable and greedy.' 149. Asked (Northern dialect). second form of the poem (1377 A.D.) reads 'axed' (Southern dialect): sk transposed becomes ks, which is x. 152. Gossib, godsib, sib or related in God, a sponsor in baptism; generally, a friend, or familiar acquaintance. -Heo. The second text has the modern form 'she.' -Asaye, assay, essay from Lat. exagium (a proof, weighing), from exigere (ex and agere-drive out, weigh, examine). 155. Garlek, garlic: the old 'gar-leac,' spear-leek. 156. Ferthing, farthing—i. e., fourthing, fourth part; hence a quarter of any coin, and commonly a quarter of a penny.This Fastyng dayes. The time of the scene is a Friday: see line 211. 157. Geth Gloton in. Mr Skeat would 178, 182, 272. 158. Sesse the souters wyf. B-text has 'Cisse the souteresse.' 'Cis,' familiar for 'Cecilia.' 159. Warinar, warrener, warren-keeper. *Stomach, belly. 'Warren' is O. Fr. warene, garene, from garer (to keep). Cf. warrant, guarantee, garrison. 160. Tweyne, twain, two: the old masc. 'twegen.' 'Twa' was fem. and neut. Knaves, boys, lads; the B-text has 'prentis' (apprentices). 'Knave' is the older 'cnapa,' a boy: cf. Germ. knabe. 'A knave-child is anciently used for 'a male child.' 161. Hakeney mon, hackney-man, one that lets out horses (or hacks) for hire.Hogge the neldere appears in B-text as 'hughe the nedeler,' or needle-seller. Here is transposition of letters again. Cf. ask, axe (149). 162. Cokkes lone, Cock's Lane, Smithfield a disreputable quarter. Clerk, a learned man, student preparing for holy orders, then a man in holy orders.The churche seems to have been near. Mr Skeat thinks it may have been St Michael's, whose name survives in St Michael's Lane, and whose burial-ground was overlooked by the Boar's Head tavern. As a possible alternative, he gives St Peter's in Cornhill. 163. B-text transposes this line and the next, and reads 'Piers of Pridie and Peronelle.' 164. Dauwe, Davie, David. Cf. Dawson, Dawkins, &c. 165. Ribibor, player on the ribibe or rebeck, a kind of fiddle; from the Arab. rubabah or rebeb. It is said to have had three strings, to have been played with a bow, and to have been introduced into Spain by the Moors' (Skeat). 166. Redyng-kyng, 'one of a class of feudal retainers, who held their land by serving their lord on horseback. They were also called Rodknight. Anglo-Saxon ridend, one who rides, a chevalier; rád-cnikt, a riding youth, soldier' (Skeat). 169. Honsel, hansel, handsel. 'To honsel,' for or as handsel, as a treat that is meant for earnest of something better to come. 171. The new Fair, later called an 'Evechepynge,' a buying and selling carried on at taverns. 172. Ostiler, hostler (in the older, higher sense), innkeeper, 'mine host.' From O. Fr. hostelier (hostelkeeper), from hostel (hôtel, an inn), from Lat. hospitale, from hospes (host or guest, entertainer or entertained). B-text, like line 161, has 'hakeney mon.' Yet it has 'hostellere' in 183, 185. 174. Chapmen, traders, hucksters: from the old ceap (purchase, barter) and 'man.' Cf. cheap, Cheapside, chaffer; Ger. kaufen (to buy); kaufmann (merchant).- -Chaffare, chap fare, chaffer, merchandise, what is to buy or sell. -Preise, ap-praise, put a price upon. From Fr. priser (to value), from prix (price, value), from Lat. pretium. 176. Rouneden, whispered: old runian is from run, a rune, a secret mark, mystery. Dunbar, The Dance, has 'rownaris of false lesings (whisperers of false lies).' Shakspeare, K. John, II., end: 'rounded in the ear.' 180. Rad, p. part. of 'rede,' to advise, instruct, bid. The old form is rædan. Cf. Burns, Capt. Grose's Peregrinations thro' Scotland, 3, 4: 'If there's a hole in a' your coats, I rede you tent (look to) it.' And Death and Doctor Hornbook, 53: I red ye weel, tak care o' skaith (hurt).' 181. Noumpere. O. Fr. nonper, Lat. 'for the Lord of heaven's love, for love of the Lord of heaven.' This construction was the common one down to the 16th century. We say now: 'Hick the hostler's hood.' Dr Morris quotes: 'It is Othello's pleasure, our noble and valiant general' (Shak.); and 'For the Queen's sake, his sister' (Byron). See also (below) Sir T. More, first extract and notes. 188. Lotering. From Fr. losterie, badinage' (Skeat). 189. Beverages, drinks, draughts. Fr. beuvrage. Ital. beveraggio, from HOW THE POOR DINED FIVE CENTURIES AGO. 2 'I have no peny,' quod Pers, 'Poletes1 to bugge,2 Ne no Cokeneyes,10 bi Crist. Colopus 11 to maken. and a Cart-Mare 270 Bot I have porettes 12 and percyl 13. and moni Colplontes ; 14 Whil the drouhthe 15 lasteth. 275 hervest in my Croft ; as the deore lyketh.' 19 pese-coddes fetten,20 Bake 21 Benes in Bred. thei brouhten in heor lappes, and ripe cherries monye, to plese with hungur. Honger eet 24 this in haste and asked aftur more. 280 7 Un 1 Pullets. 2 Buy. Neither. 4 Grice, young pigs. 5 But. 6 Curds. leavened. 8 Loaf of beans and bran. 9 Say. 10 Young cocks. 11 Collops. 12 Leeks. 13 Parsley. 14 Cabbages. 15 Drought. 16 Must. 17 Lammas (August 1). 18 Prepare, set forth. 19 As thee dearly (it) liketh (or pleaseth); as thou likest dearly (or best). 20 Fetched. 24 Eat (past tense), later 'ate.' 21 Baked. 22 Onions. NOTES. 23 Piers (the Plowman). |