PLOWMAN

¶Nowhere is bybbyll babble clytter clatter I hard never of so foolish a matter But by gods body to speak the troth I am better than other of you both Go to go to now master merchant There is a reason that gyuyth you a taunt I trow more than you can answer well Marry foolish peevish daw even from my blow Now sayest woldyst any thing there w to all ¶Gentlemen you gentlemen Jak hearing Put your shone in your bosom for wearing I account myself by gods body Better than you both and more worthy That shall I prove I make God avow Never in better time have at the now Say knave say what canst Say Here you may see sirs by gods passion Two proud folys make a crakkyng And when it continued ̄ myth to point dare do no thing By God all the reasons sith you began That you have made thereof be not worth a fly ¶First as touching nobleness I say There is neither of you both did ꝓue or lay Only of your acts whereby that you Should in reason ꝓue you noble to be Or thereby deserve any manner praising But all the effect of your arguing To prove your nobleness was but only Of the deddys & actꝭ of your ancestry And of the actꝭ that your ancestors did before you at the nobler never the more Now well hit by gods body well hit Of one that hath but lyttyll wit Answer me one word First I pray the what is the noblest thing that can be Is not y to the noblyst thing in deed That of all other things hath lest need As God which beynith etern in bliss Is not he the noblest thing y to is ¶well than there is no reason thereof why But because he is the thing omnipotent And is in hun self so sufficient And nedyth the help of no nothyr thing To the help of his glorious being But every other thing hath need of his aid And lykwyse y to thing that hath most need Is the thing that is most wretched So suffycyency is ever nobleness And necessity is ever wrechydnes And he that hath more need of that thing For the p ̄ teruacyon of his living Then his fellow hath his fellow must nedꝭ be By this same reason more noble than he what than .P. by the same reason it ꝓuith lo you be but caytyffꝭ & wrechis both two And by the same reason ꝓue I shall That I am the noblyst man of us all For I have need of no manner thing That you can do to help of my lyffyng For every thing whereby you do life I noryss it & to you both do give I blow I till & I ster the ground whereby I make the corn to abound whereof there is made both drink & bred which the which daily you must needs be fed I noryss the cattle & fowls also Fish & herbis & other thyngie more Fell herr & will which the bestis do bear I nourish & preserve which you do were which if you had not no doubt you should Starve for sak of clothes because of cold So both you should die or live in necessity If you had not continued ̄ fort & help of me And as for your fine cloth & costly array I cannot see whi you ought or mai Call your self noble because you were it which was made by other men's labour & wit And also your delicate drinks & viand By other men's labours be made so pleasand Therefore master merchant now to you I sei I can not see but I am able & mai Life without you or your purueaunce Live without you or your purveyance For of food & cloth I have suffisance Of my self for lyffing necessary And now sir knight to you I Say plainly I see not that you can any thing do For the continued ̄ mine well or ought longing thereto But each man being in authority Having wit may do it as well as you Therefore to speak now of necessity There is neither of you both but you be In more need than I therefore I Say plain I am more noble than other of you twain Now that is a foolish reason so God me save For by the same reason thou woldyst have Evey best Fish & other foul than To be more noble of birth than a man For man hath more need of bodily covering Than they have for they need no thing The bestꝭ have herr & also a thick skin The Fish skalis or shelis to keep their bodies in The fowls fethirs & so evey thing By nature hath his ꝓper covering Save man himself which is born all naked And therefore he should be than most wretched ¶Marry no man can make a better reason For that is a sure & a true continued ̄ clusyon For if a child when he is First born were not help & covered he were soon lorn He hath no strength to help him never a dell yet bestis have power to help them self well ¶So continued ̄ sideryng ma ̄ ns body in deed A best is more noble & man more wretched Be cause he hath need of many more things Than bestis have to help of theyer lyffyngis Also man must daily labour & sweet To get him sustynaunce as drink & meet The ground he must dyg & the bestis kill For breed and meet his Body to fill Grapis frutis and herbis norssh diligently To make good drynkis to refresh his body But all brut bestis have covering natural Sufficient to cover their bodies with all And find their food ever on the ground ready with out any pain labour or study So evey man by reason of his body Is more wretched & in more misery Than bestꝭ be / yet thus not withstanding Man is most noble of creaturꝭ living Not by his body for that is impotent But by his soul being so excellent For by reason of his soul intyllectyue He subde with all other bestꝭ alive And continued ̄ pellyth all other bestis that be By his wit to relieve his necessity But bestis have no wit them self to defend Nor can get no more than God hath them send For take any best that weryth her And do clyp it of bore a gains Winter That best hath no manner of policy To get other covering for his body Of cloth nor skins nor hath no wit To put it upon him though one have made it Nor can byld no house nor kyndyl no fire To warm his body if need should require But yet a man hath wit & understanding For to help him self in every such thing So man for his soul intellectual Is most noble creature of bestis all ¶Tush I hard what you said evey whit ¶Nay be God I have some what else to do I must go by me a halporth of gresse The spokes of my cart therewith to dress Trow you that I will leave my bysynes For your babelyng pomp & foolishness Nay by sent marry I will not do so For I can now to the merket goo And for and haipeny as much gresse by As shall cost me in our town a penny And I tell the plainly w to out any boast A halfpenny is as well saved as lost ¶Straw for and halfpenny therein is no wast Tarry with us a while phapps thou mast By our acquaintance now here get more Than thou gatist with thy cart this monyth before ¶Straw for Thy council torde a fart Trowist I will give up my blow or cart And follow thy foolish appityte and mind Nay I am not yet so mad nor so blind For when I am at my cart of blow I am more meryer than other of you I would not change my life nor my lyffyng For to be made a great lord or a king There is no joy nor pleasure in this world here But hill belly fill and make good cheer Be if prince lord gentleman or knave Hit is all the joy that here be can have But these covetous and ambitious wretches They set there myndys in honour and riches So much that they be never content So they life ever in pain and torment But a man that can this means find To have food and cloth and a merry mind And to desire no more than is needful That is in this world the life most joyful Which life in this world no man shall acquire Till he subdue his insaciat desire ¶For what intent now should I do so ¶I will come again upon a condition That you will wait upon me both twain And be not out of the way when I come again ¶Lo here is my finger now trust me well I will come again if I have my he'll For by God I promise you one thing I am as true of my word as the King But if I find you not here then by my trough I shall call you openly false knauys both ¶I think so / except lying and stelyng