I seigh somme that seiden Thei hadde y-sought seintes; 100 To ech a tale that thei tolde Hire tonge was tempred to lye, Moore than to seye sooth, It semed bi hire speche.
Heremytes on an heep With hoked staves Wenten to Walsyngham, And hire wenches after, Grete lobies and longe That lothe were to swynke; 110 Clothed hem in copes, To ben knowen from othere; And shopen hem heremytes, Hire ese to have.
I fond there freres, Alle the foure ordres, Prechynge the peple For profit of hemselve; Glosed the gospel, As hem good liked; 120 For coveitise of copes, Construwed it as thei wolde. { 5} Many of thise maistre freres Now clothen hem at likyng, For hire moneie and hire marchaundize Marchen togideres. For sith charité hath ben chapman, And chief to shryve lordes, Manye ferlies han fallen In a fewe yeres; 130 But holy chirche and hii Holde bettre togidres, The mooste meschief on molde Is mountynge wel faste.
Ther preched a pardoner, As he a preest were; Broughte forth a bulle With many bisshopes seles, And seide that hymself myghte Assoillen hem alle, 140 Of falshede, of fastynge, Of avowes y-broken.
Lewed men leved it wel, And liked hise wordes; Comen up knelynge To kissen hise bulles. He bouched hem with his brevet, And blered hire eighen, And raughte with his rageman Rynges and broches. 150
Thus thei gyven hire gold Glotons to kepe, And leveth in swiche losels As leccherie haunten.
Were the bisshope y-blessed, And worth bothe hise eris, { 6} His seel sholde noght be sent To deceyve the peple. Ac it is noght by the bisshope That the boy precheth; 160 For the parisshe preest and the pardoner Parten the silver, That the poraille of the parisshe Sholde have, if thei ne were.
Parsons and parisshe preestes Pleyned hem to the bisshope, That hire parisshes weren povere Sith the pestilence tyme, To have a licence and leve At London to dwelle, 170 And syngen ther for symonie; For silver is swete.
Bisshopes and bachelers, Bothe maistres and doctours, That han cure under Crist, And crownynge in tokene And signe that thei sholden Shryven hire parisshens, Prechen and praye for hem, And the povere fede, 180 Liggen at Londone In Lenten and ellis.
Somme serven the kyng, And his silver tellen In cheker and in chauncelrie, Chalangen hise dettes Of wardes and of wardemotes, Weyves and streyves.