Classic Poem

Topias, thou writist me
to be a lewed man;
bot lewed men prechen not,
as thou canst saye,'
bot if the list to lye.
Bot I wot thou saist thus,
by vertuouse prestes;
bot thai ben ful bisie
to edifie the chirche,
that the multitude of gou
han allemost destried.
Ffor the gospel saith,
Surgent multi pseudo-prophetæ.
Bot of hem ben fewe,
and gretly dispiside;
and of gou ful many,
and ever tho mo the werse.

Me mervelith, Daw, thou darst thus lie
on suche a gret clerke,
and in hys tyme knowen wel
a vertuouse man,
of riche and pore
that hym tho knewe.
But thou, as blynde Bayarde,
berkest at the mone,
as an olde mylne dog
when he bygynnith to dote.
Bot wel I wot thi baffyng,
lye thou never so lowde,
may not menuse this seint,
that lyved and taugt so truly,
Quia dignus est operari misericordiam.

I drede me, Dawe, the sentence,
of whiche the prophet spekith,
shal falle hevy on thin hede,
and many of thi brether.
Vœ vobis qui dicitis bonum malum et malum bonum.
Ffor alle trwe sentence,
that we taken here,
thou turnest into falsenes,
that woo shal the bitide;
ffor to our secte that is Christis
we drawen bot fewe puple;
ffor thou and other pseudo
han marrid hem in the way,
that bot if God of his grace
sende his honde of help,
the chirche that shuld folowe Crist,
is lykly to sinke.
Qui mihi ministrat me sequatur. Attendite a fermento Pharisœorum, quod est hypocrisis.

Homo apostata, vir inutilis, graditur ore perverso.
Dawe, thou hast ligt conscience,
thus fynaly to deme;
ffor here thou damnest men to helle
without any condicion.
Whe have leve of scripture
to deme after mennes werkes,
but for to deme as thou dost,
is to robbe God of his power;
ffor the apostil saith,
Noli ante tempus judicare, quoadusque veniat Dominus.
Litil wondir thowg lordis myssetyme,
that han suche confusours.
Quia si cœcus cœcum ducat, ambo in foveam cadunt.
Thou saist thou knowist no lettre here,
as if thou wer noo clerke.
To take a clerke as it shuld be,
after his undirstondyng,
than sayst thou here more trwly
than in any other place.
Clark is als meche to mene,
as of the sort of God,
and so thou previst thi self non suche,
if thou loke rigt,
but a liere apostata,
with alle his other partes.