Manye hundred of aungeles 12902 Harpeden and songen, Culpat caro, purgat caro, Regnat Deus Dei caro. Thanne pipede Pees Of Poesie a note,

Clarior est solito post maxima nebula Phoebus,

Post inimicitias, etc.

.

[Pees,

After sharpe shoures," quod "Moost shene is the sonne;

Is no weder warmer

Than after watry cloudes;

Ne no love levere,

Ne lever frendes,

Than after werre and wo,

12913

Whan Love and Pees ben maistres.

Was nevere werre in this world,

Ne wikkednesse so kene,

That ne Love, and hym liste,
To laughynge ne broughte,
And pees thorugh pacience
Alle perils stoppeth."

"Trewes," quod Truthe;

12924

"Thow tellest us sooth, by Jhesus! Clippe we in covenaunt,

And ech of us clippe oother."

"And leteth no peple," quod Pees, "Perceyve that we chidde. For inpossible is no thyng To hym that is almyghty.'

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"Thow seist sooth," quod Rightwisnesse ;

And reverentliche hire kiste. 12934

"Pees and

pees here!

12935

Per sæcula sæculorum."

Misericordia et veritas obviaverunt

sibi, justitia et pax osculate

sunt.

Truthe trumpede tho,

And song Te Deum laudamus;

And thanne lutede,

In a loud note,

Ecce quam bonum et quam jocundum, etc.

Til the day dawed

Thise damyseles dauncede,

12944

That men rongen to the resurexion.

And right with that I wakede,

And callede Kytte my wif,

And Calote my doghter;

And bad hem rise and reverence

Goddes resurexion;

And crepe to the cros on knees,
And kisse it for a juwel,
For Goddes blissede body
It bar for oure boote;
And it a-fereth the fend,
For swich is the myghte,
May no grisly goost
Glide there it walketh.

12959

Passus Decimus Nonus, explicit Do-bet, et incipit Do-best.

T

HUS I awaked and wroot
What I hadde y-dremed;
And dighte me derely,
And dide me to chirche,
To here holly the masse,
And to be housled after.

In myddes of the masse,
Tho men yede to offryng,
I fel eft-soones a-slepe;
And sodeynly me mette
That Piers the Plowman
Was peynted al blody,
And com in with a cros
Bifore the comune peple,
And right lik in alle thynges
To oure Lord Jhesus.

12972

And thanne called I Conscience, To kenne me the sothe;

"Is this Jhesus the justere," quod I,

66

That Jewes dide to dethe?

Or it is Piers the Plowman.

Who peynted hym so rede ?"

Quod Conscience, and kneled tho, "Thise arn Piers armes,

12983

Hise colours and his cote armure;
Ac he that cometh so blody
Is Crist with his cros,
Conquerour of cristene."

"Why calle hym Crist," quod I, "Sithen Jewes calle hym Jhesus? Patriarkes and prophetes Prophecied bifore

That alle kynne creatures
Sholden knelen and bowen,
Anoon as men nempned
The name of God Jhesu.

Ergo is no name

To the name of Jhesus;

Ne noon so nedeful to nempne
By nyghte ne by daye.
For alle derke develes
Arn a-drad to heren it;
And synfulle aren solaced
And saved by that name.
And ye callen hym Crist;
For what cause telleth me?
Is Crist moore of myght,
And moore worthi name,
Than Jhesu or Jhesus,

That al oure joye com of?"

12995

13006

"Thow knowest wel," quod Conscience,

"And thow konne reson,

That knyght, kyng, conquerour,

May be o persone.

To be called a knyght is fair,

For men shul knele to hym;

To be called a kyng is fairer, 13016