Beggares and biddares beth nat in that bulle
Bote the sugestion be soth that shapeth hym to begge.
For he that beggeth or biddeth, but yf he have nede,
He is fals and faytour and defraudeth the nedy
And also gileth hym that gyveth and taketh ageynes his wille.
For he that gyveth for goddes love wolde nat gyve, his thankes,
Bote ther he wiste were wel grete nede
And most meritorie to men that he yeveth fore.
Catoun accordeth ther-with: Cui des videto .
 Wot no man, as I wene, who is worthy to have;
Ac that most neden aren oure neyhebores, and we nyme gode hede,
As prisones in puttes and pore folke in cotes,
Charged with childrene and chief lordes rente;
That they with spynnyng may spare, spenen hit on hous-huyre,
Bothe in mylke and in mele, to make with papelotes
To aglotye with here gurles that greden after fode.
And hemsulve also soffre muche hunger,
And wo in wynter-tymes, with wakynge on nyhtes
To rise to the reule to rokke the cradel,
Bothe to carde and to kembe, to cloute and to wasche,
And to rybbe and to relye, rusches to pylie,
That reuthe is to rede or in ryme shewe
The wo of this wommen that wonyeth in cotes;
And of monye other men that moche wo soffren,
Bothe a-fyngred and a-furste, to turne the fayre outward,
And ben abasched for to begge and wollen nat be aknowe
What hem nedede at here neyhebores at noon and at eve.
 This I wot witterly, as the world techeth,
What other byhoveth that hath many childrene
And hath no catel but his craft to clothe hem and to fede,
And fele to fonge ther-to, and fewe panes taketh.
There is payne and peny-ale as for a pytaunce ytake,
And colde flesche and fische as venisoun were bake;
Fridays and fastyng-days a ferthing-worth of moskeles
Were a feste for suche folke, or so fele cockes.
These are almesse, to helpe that han suche charges
And to comforte such coterelles and crokede men and blynde.
 Ac beggares with bagges, the whiche brewhous ben here churches,
But they be blynde or to-broke or elles be syke,
Thouh he falle for defaute that fayteth for his lyf-lode,
Reche ye nevere, ye riche, thouh suche lollares sterven.
For alle that han here hele and here ye-syhte
And lymes to labory with, and lollares lyf usen,
Lyven agen goddes lawe and the lore of holi churche.
 And yut ar ther other beggares, in hele, as hit semeth,
Ac hem wanteth wyt, men and women bothe,
The whiche aren lunatyk lollares and lepares aboute,
And madden as the mone sit, more other lasse.
Careth they for no colde ne counteth of non hete,
And aren mevynge after the mone; moneyeles they walke,
With a good will, witteles, mony wyde contreyes,
Riht as Peter dede and Poul, save that they preche nat
Ne none muracles maken—ac many tymes hem happeth
To prophecye of the peple, pleyinge, as hit were,
And to oure syhte, as hit semeth, seth god hath the myhte
To yeve uch a wyht wyt, welth, and his hele,
And suffreth suche go so, it semeth, to myn inwyt,
Hit aren as his postles, suche peple, or as his prive disciples.
For he sent hem forth selverles in a somer garnement
Withoute bagge and bred, as the book telleth:
  Quando misi vos sine pane et pera.
Barfoot and bredles, beggeth they of no man.
And thauh he mete with the mayre ameddes the strete,
He reverenceth hym ryht nauht, no rather then another.
  Neminem salutaveritis per viam.
Suche manere of men, Matheu us techeth,
We sholde have hem to house and helpe hem when they come.
  Et egenos vagos induc in domum tuam.
For hit aren merye-mouthed men, munstrals of hevene,
And godes boys, bordyors, as the book telleth.
  Si quis videtur sapiens, fiet stultus ut sit sapiens.
 And alle manere munstrals, men wot wel the sothe,
To underfongen hem fayre byfalleth for the ryche,
For the lordes love or the ladyes that they with longen.
Men suffreth al that suche sayen and in solace taketh,
And yut more to such men men doth ar they passe;
Men gyveth hem giftes and gold for grete lordes sake.
 Ryht so, ye ryche, yut rather ye sholde
Welcomen and worschipen and with youre good helpen
Godes munstrals and his mesagers and his mery bordiours,
The whiche arn lunatyk loreles and lepares aboute,
For under godes secret seal here synnes ben kevered.
 For they bereth none bagges ne boteles under clokes,
The whiche is lollarne lyf and lewede ermytes,
That loken louhliche to lache men almesse,
In hope to sitte at even by the hote coles,
Unlouke his legges abrood or ligge at his ese,
Reste hym and roste and his rug turne,
Drynke druie and depe and drawe hym thenne to bedde;
And whenne hym lyketh and luste, his leve is to ryse,
And when he is rysen, rometh out and right wel aspyeth
Where he may rathest have a repast or a ronde of bacoun,
Sulver or sode mete and sum tyme bothe,
Loof or half-loof other a lompe of chese;
And caryeth hit hom to his cote and cast hym to lyvene
In idelnesse and in ese and by otheres travayle.
 And what freke on this folde fisceth aboute
With a bagge at his bak a begyneld wyse,
And can eny craft in cas he wolde hit use,
Thorw which craft he couthe come to bred and to ale
And over-more to an hater to hele with his bonis,
And lyveth lyke a lollare, goddes lawe hym dampneth.
 ‘Forthy lollares that lyven in sleuthe and over-land strikares
Beth nat in this bulle,’ quod Peres, ‘til they ben amended,
Ne no beggare that beggeth, but yf they have nede.’
The bok banneth beggarie and blameth hit in this manere:
  Junior fui, etenim senui. Et alibi: Infirmata est virtus mea in paupertate.
Hit nedeth nat nouthe anoon for to preche
And lere this lewede men what this Latyn meneth,
For hit blameth all beggarie, be ye ful certayn.
For they lyve in no love, ne no lawe holden;
They weddeth none wymmen that they with deleth,
Bringeth forth bastardus, beggares of kynde,
Or the bak or som bon they breke of here children
And gon and fayten with here fauntes for everemore after.
Ther aren mo mysshape amonges suche beggares
Then of many other men that on this molde walken;
And tho that lyveth thus here lyf, leve ye non other,
Thai have no part of pardoun, ne of preyeres ne of penaunces.
 Ac olde and hore, that helples ben and nedy,
And wymmen with childe that worche ne mowe,
Blynde and bedredne and broken in here membres,
And alle pore pacient, apayed of goddes sonde,
As mesels and mendenantes, men yfalle in meschief,
As prisones and pilgrimes and paraunter men yrobbed
Or by-lowe thorw luther men and lost here catel after,
Or thorw fuyr other thorw flood yfalle into poverte,
That taketh thise meschiefes mekeliche and myldeliche at herte,
For love of here lowe hertes oure lord hath hem ygraunted
Here penaunce and here purgatorie uppon this puyre erthe,
And pardon with the Plouhman a pena et a culpa .