Conscience cryed eft, And bad Clergie helpe hym, And also Contricion, For to kepe the yate.
"He lyth and dremeth," seide Pees, "And so do manye othere, The frere with his phisyk This folk hath enchaunted, 14680 And plastred hem so esily, Thei drede no synne."
"By Crist!" quod Conscience tho, "I wole bicome a pilgrym, And walken as wide As the world lasteth, To seken Piers the Plowman, That Pryde may destruye; And that freres hadde a fyndyng, That for nede flateren, 14690 And countrepledeth me, Conscience. { 448} Now Kynde me avenge, And sende me hap and heele, Til I have Piers the Plowman." And siththe he gradde after Grace, Til I gan awake. 14696
Cros and curteis Christ 1 This begynnyng spede, For the faders frendshipe That fourmed heaven, And through the special spirit That sprong of hem tweyne, And al in one God-hed Endles dwelleth. A, and all myn a.b.c. After have I lerned, 10 And patred in my pater-noster Iche poynt after other; And after al, myne Ave-marie Almost to the end; But al my care is to comen, For I can nought my Crede. Whan I shall shewen my shrift, Shent mote I worthen; The preeste wil me punyche, And penaunce enjoyne; 20 The lengthe of a lenton Flesh moot I leve, After that Estur is y-come, And that is hard fare; { 452} And Wedenesday iche wyke Withouten flesh-mete. And also Jesu hymselfe To the Jewes he saide, "He that leeveth nought on me, He leseth the blisse." 30 Therfor lerne the byleve Levest me were, Gif any worldly wight Wil me [it] couthe; Other lewed or lered, That lyveth thereafter And fulliche folweth the feith, And feyneth non other; That no worldeliche wele Wilneth no tyme, 40 But liveth in lovyng of God, And his lawe holdeth; And for no gettyng of good Never his God greveth, But folweth hym the full way, As he the folke taughte. But to many maner of men This matter is asked, Both to lered and to lewed, That seyn that they liveden 50 Hollich on the grete God, And holden al his hestes. But by a fraynyng for than Faileth ther manye. For first I frayned the freres, And they me fulle tolden, That al the fruyt of the fayth Was in her foure orders; { 453} And the cofres of Christendom, And the keie bothen, 60 And the lock of byleve, Lieth loken in her hondes,