The Plowman's Tale/Prologue

Here beginneth the Plowmans Prologue.

The Plowman plucked up his plow,Whan midsommer mone was comen in,And sayd, ‘his beestes shuld ete y-now,And lig in the grasse, up to the chin;5They ben feble, both oxe and cow,Of hem nis left but boon and skin.’He shook of share, and cultre of drow,And hong his harneys on a pin.

He took his tabard and his staf eke,10And on his heed he set his hat;And sayde, he wolde saynt Thomas seke,On pilgrimage he goth forth plat.In scrippe he bar both breed and lekes,He was forswonke and all forswat;15Men might have seen through both his chekes,And every wang-toth and where it sat.

Our hoste beheld wel all about,And saw this man was sunne y-brent;He knew well by his senged snout,20And by his clothes that were to-rent,He was a man wont to walke about,He nas nat alway in cloystre y-pent;He coud not religiousliche lout,And therfore was he fully shent.

25Our host him axed, ‘what man art thou?’‘Sir,’ quod he, ‘I am an hyne;For I am wont to go to the plow,And erne my mete yer that I dyne.To swete and swinke I make avow,30My wyf and children therwith to fynd,And servë god, and I wist how;But we lewd men ben full[y] blynd.

For clerkes saye, we shullen be faynFor hir lyvelod [to] swete and swinke,35And they right nought us give agayn,Neyther to ete ne yet to drinke.They mowe by lawë, as they sayn,Us curse and dampne to hell[e] brinke;Thus they putten us to payn,40With candles queynt and belles clinke.

They make us thralles at hir lust,And sayn, we mowe nat els be saved;They have the corn and we the dust,Who speketh ther-agayn, they say he raved.’

45‘What, man,’ quod our host, ‘canst thou preche?Come neer, and tell us some holy thing.’‘Sir,’ quod he, ‘I herde ones techeA prest in pulpit a good preching.’‘Say on,’ quod our host, ‘I thee beseche.’50‘Sir, I am redy at your bidding.I pray you that no man me reprocheWhyl that I am my tale telling.

Thus endeth the prologue, and here foloweth the first
part of the tale.

From Thynne (ed. 1542). I give rejected spellings.

1. Ploweman; plowe. 3. eate ynowe. 4. lyge; chynne. 5. cowe. 6. bone; skynne. 7. shoke; drowe. 8. honge; pynne. 9. toke; tabarde; staffe. 12. pylgremage; platte. 13. bare. 14. forswatte. 15. sene. 17. behelde wele. 18. sawe. 19. knewe; snoute. 23. coulde; loute.

27. plowe. 28. meate. 29. auowe. 30. wyfe; fynde. 31. howe. 32. leude; bene; full (read fully; see l. 24); blynde. 33. fayne. 34. her; supply to; swet. 35. agayne. 36. eate. 37. The (for They; 1550, They); sayne. 38. hell. 39. payne. 41. her. 42. sayne. 43. corne. 44. speaketh. 45. preache. 46. nere; thynge. 47. ons (1550, ones); teache. 48. preachynge. 49. Saye; the. 51. praye; noman. 52. Whyle ; tellynge. Colophon: fyrst parte.