Classic Poem

 Whi, seist thou, holde we more scilence
in oon hous than another,
sith over al a man is holden
for to seie the goode?
To thi lewide question
Salomon thus answerith, Est tacens sciens tempus apti temporis, et homo sapiens tacet usque ad tempus; tempus tacendi, tempus loquendi, et iterum, Sicut urbs patens et absque murorum ambitu, ita qui in loquendo non potest cohibere spiritum suum .
Thus perfit scilens
by scripture is approved.
Jakke, if thou undirstonde no Latyn,
go to thi paroche prest,
and undir gou bothe, with Goddis grace,
marren ge wolen ful yvele.
Whi also ete we no fleish
in every hous iliche,
but chesen therto an hous,
and leeven another?
Jak, if every hous were honest
to ete fleish inne,
than were it honest
to ete in a gonge.
Whi is not thi table sett
in thi cow-stalle?
and whi etist thou not in thi shipun
as wele as in thin halle?
But al is good ynowg for thee,
where that evere thou sittist.
Whi with not thi cow make
myry weder in thi dish?
But, Jacke, in this mater
appose thou the monkes;
for thei kepen this serimonie
more streiter than freris.
Moreover thou mevest,
Jak, another mater;
if oure patrouns be perfit,
and oure reule also,
whi renne we to Rome,
to be assoilid of the oth
that we han maad,
and be popis freris?
Jak, summe rennen to Rome,
but mo ther ben at hoom,
and dewli done her dever
aftir that thei han chosen;
and that the Lollardis
forthinken ful soore.
Ge wolden that there where oon lesse,
ge gave nevere tale,
that ge mygten have gour reyke
and prechen what gou list,
and with gour privy pestilence
enpoisoun the peple.
Jak, that Judas was a shrewe,
what was Crist the worse?
and so that summe ben exempt,
and rennen to gour ritis,
and summe bi apostasie
ben Sathanas servauntis,
whi shulde owre patrouns
be ever the lasse perfit?
 “Fferther more whi make ge gou
“as men dede?
“sith in begginge ge ben as quic
“as ben ony other,
“and unsemeli it is
“to see deed men begge.”
Jak, me thinkith thou lernedist nevere
of Poulis pistlis,
whiche in a fewe shorte wordes
answerith to thi sentence, Quasi morientes et ecce vivimus; glossa, quasi morientes, i. de vitio in vitium secundum opinionem aliquorum, et ecce vivimus in bonis operibus in rei veritate .
So thoug we ben deed to the world,
after thin opynyon,
git is oure soule in the bodi
and grace in the soule.
“Whi,” seist thou, “suffre ge not gour children
“to come into your conseil,
“if it be good and able,
“and aftir Goddis lawe?”
A, Jak, mafey, me merveilith moche
of thin lewidheed!
Herdist thou nevere how Crist was
transfigurid in the hil,
and ther to his privyté he chees
but three apostlis,
forbedinge hem to telle
that conceil ony ferther,
and so were there nyne
fro that conceil refusid.
Crist also took to him
alle his twelve apostlis,
and tretide of his passioun
in rigt privy maner,
and the rude peple that folowiden
knewe no thing therof.
Shal we, Jak, therfore seie
his conceil was not able,
suspect and not good
confourmed to Goddis lawe.
Another cause resonable
me thinkith I can telle,
for counceil owith to be kept
and not to be clatrid;
and children ben ay clatringe,
as thou wel knowest.
Another skil may be groundid
Of Salomons sawis;
to him he seith that is wiis
it longith to kepe conceil;
and children ful seldum
ben foundun wiis.
Jak, wolt thou telle thi knave
as myche as thi wyf?
 Fforthermore thou spekest
of oure costli houses;
thou seist it were more almes
to helpen the nedy,
than to make siche housynge
to men that ben deede,
to whiche longith but graves
and mornynge housis.
Jak, is not a man beter
than a rude best?
Git makist thou to thi sheep a shepen,
and to thi hors a stable;
and many a pore man ther is
that hath noon hillyng,
but oonly heven is his hous,
the bestes stond kevered.
Whi houses thou not pore men
as wele as thi beestis?
Take hede to sumwhat
that is seid biforen,
and thou answere to my question,
answer to thin owne.
Thou carpist alos of oure coveitise,
and sparist the sothe;
thou seist we ben more ryal
than ony lordis.