Classic Poem

 Daw, thou laborist fast
to lede thi self to helle,
and blyndist many lewde foles
with thi stynking brethe;
ffor bi this apis argument
that thou here now ratelist,
he that drynkith a quart wyne
most nedis drynk a galon.
Bot agen house in mesure, Dawe,
grucche I rigt nougt;
and thoug thou saye a scorne,
a shepe house I have,
that hath more grounde in Goddis lawe
than alle gour Caymes castelles;
I thank God, I beldid it
with trwe bygeten gode.
Bot ge goures with beggery,
bargenyng and robberye;
ffor grounde have thai non,
bot if it be here. Non habemus hic manentem civitatem. Et idem, Væ qui ædificatis civitatem in sanguinibus. Et, Væ qui conjugatis domum ad domum .

 Git, Dawe, thowg thou accusest
pardoneres that ben fals,
thou lovest lesse a trwe prest
than thou dost hem alle,
ffor thai gon heere gou apostatas
in gilyng of the puple.
Bot that ge ferme to limitours,
it maye be denyed,
lye thou never so lowde,
and therto sette a sele,
bote thus with many fals meenes
oppresse the cuntrees.
Bot as to payng of tribut,
as Crist hym self did,
thou lyknist gou to Pharoes,
and so go ben and werse.
Agenes Cristes paying
and alle other mekenes,
thou autorisest gour pride,
agenes his holi werkes.
Qui non est mecum, contra me est; et qui non colligit mecum, dispergit.

 Dawe, I seide first to thee
oon of thi groundes was eirsyng,
whare autorisist thou this lewde…
answere nowe.
Thi resones ben a staf of rede
that ligtly persen the honde,
I mervel that thou, a clerk,
blaberist thus blyndely.
Thou takest comynly no grounde
of Crist ne of his lawe,
bot apr . . . . the pope
as if he were thi God,
or of other fantasies
that han no grounde hem self;
ffor whi shuld not alle prestes
be meke after Crist,
in payng of tribut
and alle other werkes?
Daw, late thi false glose,
it drivith thee to the devel.
Benedicite et nolite maledicere.

 Lo, Dawe, with thi draffe,
thou liest on the gospel;
ffor Crist said it hym self,
“The vertu passid fro me.”
And here thou maist see,
I knowe a b fro a bole fote;
ffor I cacche thee in lesynges
that thou laist on the gospel.
Bot thus to stele a childe
is a gretter theft,
than to stele an axe,
for the theft is more.
Dawe, for thou saist ge robbe
him fro the worlde;
ge maken hym more worldly
than ever his fadir;
gee, thowg he were a plowman,
lyvyng trwe lyf, ye robbe hym
fro the trwe reule,
and maken hym apostata,
a begger and a sodomit;
for suche thai ben many.
Vœ vobis qui facitis unum proselytum! supple, filium Gehennœ duplo quam vos.