T h e N o r t o n Anthology

o»r Poetry

FIFTH EDITION

Margaret Ferguson
UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA, DAVIS

Mary Jo Salter
M O U N T HOLYOKE C O L L E G E

Jon Stallworthy
OXFORD UNIVERSITY

W • W • NORTON & COMPANY • New York • London

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Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

The Norton anthology of poetry / [edited by] Margaret Ferguson, Mary Jo Salter, Jon
Stallworthy.—5th ed.
p. cm.
Includes bibliographical references and index.
ISBN 0-393-97920-2 (pbk.)
1. English poetry. 2. American poetry. I. Ferguson, Margaret, W., 1948— II. Salter,
Mary Jo. III. Stallworthy, Jon.
PR1174.N6 2004b
821.008—dc22 2004058100

W. W. Norton & Company, Inc., 500 Fifth Avenue, New York, N.Y. 10110
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 71

WILLIAM LANGLAND
ca. 1330-ca. 1400

Piers Plowman 1
In a somer seson, whan softe was the sonne, 0 sun
I shoop me into shroudes as I a sheep were, 2
In habite as an heremite unholy of werkes, 3
Wente wide in this world wondres to here. 0 hear
Ac 0 on a May morwenynge 4 on Malverne Hilles but; and
Me bifel a ferly, of Fairye me thoghte. 5
I was wery [of] wandred and wente me to reste
Under a brood bank by a bournes 0 syde; stream's
And as I lay and lenede and loked on the watres,
I slombred into a slepyng, it sweyed so murye.° merry
Thanne gan [me] to meten° a merveillous swevene 0 — dream I dream
That I was in a wildernesse, wiste 0 I nevere where. knew
As I biheeld into the eest an heigh to the sonne, 6
I seigh a tour° on a toft0 trieliche ymaked, 7 tower I knoll
A deep dale 0 bynethe, a dongeon 0 therinne, valley I dungeon
With depe diches and derke and dredfulle of sighte.
A fair feeld ful of folk fond 8 I ther bitwene—
Of alle manere 0 of men, the meene 0 and the riche, kinds I lowly
Werchynge 0 and wandrynge as the world asketh. 0 working I requires
Somme putten hem° to the plough, pleiden 0 ful themselves I flaying
selde, 0 seldom
In settynge 0 and sowynge swonken 0 ful harde, planting / toiled
And wonnen that thise wastours with glotonye destroyeth 9
And somme putten hem° to pride, apparailed hem themselves
therafter,

1. Probably composed between 1360 and 1387,
The Vision of Piers Plowman is a long religious,
social, and political allegory. It is written in allit-
erative verse in a west-midlands dialect, which dif-
fers in many ways from that used by Chaucer in
the nearly contemporaneous Canterbury Tales.
Piers survives in several distinct versions, which
scholars refer to as the A-, B-, C-, and Z-texts. The
A-text (about twenty-four hundred lines) breaks off
inconclusively; the B-text, which we follow here, is
about four thousand lines longer. The C-text is
poetically and doctrinally more conservative.
Recently, scholars have focused on the Z-text as
possibly being an earlier text than the other three.
That a large number of manuscripts (and two
sixteenth-century printed editions) survive sug-
gests that the poem was quite popular during the
early modern period.
The poem takes the form of a dream vision, a
popular genre during the Middle Ages in which the
author presents a story as the dream of the main
character. The selection here from the poem's pro-
logue introduces the dreamer's vision of the Field
of Folk, which represents fourteenth-century
English society and its failures to live in accor-
dance with Christian principles.
2. I.e., I dressed in garments as if I were either a
sheep or a shepherd.
3. Perhaps meaning one without holy works to his
credit, but not necessarily one of sinful works. In
habite . . . heremite: thus the simple clothes resem-
ble those of a hermit.
4. Traveling forth on a May morning often initi-
ated a dream vision in medieval poetry. As the set-
ting of the vision, the "Malverne Hills," in the West
Midlands, are generally thought to have been the
site of Langland's early home (if such a person
existed; see biographical sketch, p. 2107).
5. I.e., a marvel ("ferly") that seemed to be from
fairyland.
6. I.e., looked toward the east on high, toward the
sun. Both the east and the sun symbolize Christ.
7. This phrase has several possible meanings,
including "well or wonderfully made" and "made
like a tree," i.e., like the cross.
8. Found. The fair field of folk is commonly inter-
preted as a representation of the world, situated
between heaven (the tower) and hell (the dungeon
in the valley).
9. I.e., and won that which wasters destroyed with
gluttony. An opposition between winners and wast-
ers was a common idea during the period.
72 / WILLIAM LANGLAND

In contenaunce of clothynge comen disgised. 1

In preieres 0 and penaunce putten hem manye, prayers
Al for love of Oure Lord lyveden 0 ful streyte 0 living I strictly
In hope to have heveneriche 0 blisse— heavenly
As ancres and heremites that holden hem in hire selles,
Coveiten noght in contree to cairen aboute
For no likerous liflode hire likame to plese. 2
And somme chosen chaffare; 0 they cheveden 0 the trade I succeeded
bettre—
As it semeth to oure sight that swiche men thryveth;
And somme murthes 0 to make as mynstralles entertainments
konne, 0 know how
And geten gold with hire 0 glee°—synnelees, 0 I their I singing I guiltless
leeve.° believe
Ac japeres 0 and jangeleres, Judas children, 3 jesters
Feynen hem fantasies, and fooles hem maketh,
And han wit at wille to werken if they sholde. 4
That Poul 5 precheth of hem I wol nat preve° it here: prove
Qui loquitur turpiloquium is Luciferes hyne. 6
Bidderes 0 and beggeres faste aboute yede° beggars /-went
[Til] hire bely and hire bagge [were] bredful ycrammed; 7
Faiteden 0 for hire foode, foughten at the ale.° begged falsely / alehouse
In glotonye, God woot, 0 go thei to bedde, knows
And risen with ribaudie, 0 tho Roberdes knaves; 8 obscenities
Sleep and sory0 sleuthe 0 seweth hem evere. 0 wretched I sloth I follow
Pilgrymes and palmeres plighten hem togidere
To seken Seint Jame and seintes in Rome; 9
Wenten forth in hire wey° with many wise tales, 0 way I speeches
And hadden leve 0 to lyen° al hire lif after. leave I tell lies
I seigh° somme that seiden 0 thei hadde ysought seintes: saw I said
To ech a tale that thei tolde hire tonge was tempred 0 to lye tuned
Moore than to seye sooth, 0 it semed bi hire speche. truth
Heremytes on an heep° with hoked° staves crowd I crooked
Wenten to Walsyngham 1 —and hire wenches after:
Grete lobies and longe that lothe were to swynke

1. I.e., and dressed themselves accordingly, dis-
guised in an outward show of finery.
2. I.e., like anchorites and hermits who keep to
their cells, instead of coveting to wander ("cairen")
about the land ("contree") to indulge their bodies
("likame") with a luxurious way of life ("likerous
liflode"). An anchorite (male) or anchoress
(female) vowed to live a reclusive, religious life in
a cell.
3. A proverbial term for sinners.
4. I.e., they devise fantasies and make fools of
themselves even though they possess intelligence
if they should choose to work.
5. Perhaps an allusion to St. Paul's words in 2
Thessalonians 3.10: "For even when we were with
you, this we commanded you, that if any would not
work, neither should he eat."
6. "He who utters foul speech" (Latin) is the
Devil's servant; the quotation is not from St. Paul
(nor does Langland say it is), but it bears some
resemblance to his words in Ephesians 5.4 and
Colossians 3.8.
7. I.e., until their bellies and their bags were
crammed to the brimful; a bag was carried by beg-
gars for receiving the food bestowed on them as
alms.
8. A term for robbers; "roberdes" men were lawless
vagabonds, notorious for their crimes during the
period when Piers Plowman was written.
9. I.e., pilgrims and palmers pledged themselves
to visit famous shrines of the day. Palmers were
pilgrims who had gone to the Holy Land and car-
ried a palm leaf or a badge in token of their journey.
The shrine of St. James, or Santiago, was a famous
place of pilgrimage in Spain, and one of the four
pilgrimages assigned as penance for particularly
grave sins. Rome was known for its many shrines.
1. The Walsingham shrine was the most famous
shrine in England dedicated to the Virgin Mary.
 P I E R S PLOWMAN / 73

Clothed hem in copes to ben knowen from othere,

And shopen hem heremytes hire ese to have. 2
I fond there freres, alle the foure ordres, 3
Prechynge the peple for profit of [the] womb[e]:° belly
Glosed the gospel as hem good liked; 4
For coveitise of copes construwed it as thei wolde.
Manye of this maistres freres mowe clothen hem at likyng5
For hire moneie° and marchaundise marchen togideres. money
For sith charite hath ben chapman and chief to shryve lordes
Manye ferlies 0 han fallen in a fewe yeres. wondrous events
But Holy Chirche and hii holde bettre togidres
The mooste meschief on molde is mountynge up faste. 7
Ther preched a pardoner as he a preest were: 8
Broughte forth a bulle with bisshopes seles,
And seide that hymself myghte assoillen 0 hem alle absolve
Of falshede 0 of fastynge, of avowes 0 ybroken. deceit I vows
Lewed 0 men leved hym wel and liked hise wordes, unlearned
Comen up knelynge to kissen hise bulles.
He bonched hem with his brevet and blered hire eighen,
And raughte with his rageman rynges and broches. 9
Thus [ye] gyven [youre] gold glotons to helpe,
And leneth it losels that leccherie haunten! 1
Were the bisshop yblessed and worth bothe his eris,
His seel 2 sholde noght be sent to deceyve the peple.
Ac it is noght by the bisshop that the boy precheth 3 —
For the parisshe preest and the pardoner parten° the silver divide
That the povere 0 [peple] of the parissche sholde have if they poor
ne were.
Persons 0 and parisshe preestes pleyned 0 hem to rectors I complained
the bisshop
That hire parisshes weren povere sith the pestilence 0 tyme, plague
To have a licence and leve 0 at London to dwelle, permission

2. Lubbers ("Iobies") or tall ("longe") idle louts,
who are loath to work ("swynke"), disguised them-
selves as hermits to have their comfort. Copes: the
special dress of friars or monks.
3. The four orders of friars: the Carmelites;
Augustinians; Dominicans, or Jacobins; and Fran-
ciscans.
4. Complaints were frequently made in medieval
literature that friars interpreted ("glosed") the
Scriptures to serve their own purposes.
5. I.e., many of these masters can ("mowe") dress
themselves as they like.
6. I.e., since Charity (or those who claim to work
for it) has become a merchant and first ("chief") to
hear the confessions ("shryve") of noblemen; allud-
ing to money received by friars for hearing confes-
sions.
7. I.e., unless Holy Church and they ("hii": i.e.,
the friars) hold together better, then great misfor-
tune ("meschief") on Earth ("molde") is coming.
8. I.e., as if he were a priest. A pardoner was
empowered by the pope to supply an indulgence
for a sin, in return for some payment toward the
Church. An indulgence granted remission of pun-
ishment by the Church for the sin, but not for-
giveness from the guilt of the sin. While the
payment was supposed to be a voluntary contri-
bution to the works of the Church, the system was
open to the kind of abuse shown in this pardoner.
A papal bull was a formal statement of "indul-
gence," and the seals of bishops in whose diocese
the pardoner was (ostensibly) licensed to preach
were affixed to it.
9. I.e., he struck ("bonched") them with his doc-
ument ("brevet"), and bleared their eyes, and thus
got ("raughte") rings and brooches with his bull
("rageman": a long parchment with ragged edges),
in payment for pardon.
1. I.e., thus you give your gold to help gluttons,
and hand it ("leneth") to wretches ("losels") who
indulge in lechery.
2. Seal of authorization. Worth bothe his eris: i.e.,
worthy to have his ears, being alert and vigilant.
3. I.e., it is not with the bishop's permission that
the rogue preaches. Thus, the pardoner has illicitly
obtained the bishop's seal; moreover, he has bribed
the parish priest and divides the money with him.
74 / WILLIAM LANGLAND

And syngen ther for symonie 4 for silver is swete.

Bisshopes and bachelers, bothe maistres and doctours—
That han cure under Crist, and crownynge in tokene
And signe that thei sholden shryven hire parisshens,
Prechen and praye for hem, and the povere fede—
Liggen in Londoun in Lenten and ellis. 5
Somme serven the King and his silver tellen, 0 keep account of
In the Cheker and in the Chauncelrie chalangen hise dettes
Of wardes and of wardemotes, weyves and streyves. 6
And somme serven as servaunts lordes and ladies,
And in stede° of stywardes sitten and demen. 0 position /judge
Hire messe° and hire matyns 0 and many of Masses / morning prayers
hire houres 0 divine offices
Arn doone undevoutliche; 0 drede is at the laste undevoutly
Lest Crist in his Consistorie acorse 7 ful manye!
I parcewed 0 of the power that Peter hadde to kepe— comprehended
To bynden and to unbynden, as the Book telleth 8 —
How he it lefte with love as Oure Lorde highte 0 commanded
Amonges foure vertues, 9 most vertuous of alle vertues,
That cardinals ben called and closynge yates 1
There Crist is in kyngdom, to close and to shette, 0 shut
And to opene it to hem and hevene blisse shewe.
Ac of the Cardinals at court that kaughte of that name
And power presumed in hem a Pope to make
To han the power that Peter hadde, impugnen I nelle 2 -
For in love and lettrure 0 the eleccion 3 bilongeth; learning
Forthi° I kan and kan naught of court speke moore. therefore

4. I.e., and sing Masses for payment; simony: the
practice of buying or selling ecclesiastical prefer-
ment. After the plague caused depopulation and a
loss of tithes and income, many priests went to
London to make money by saying Masses for the
souls of rich dead persons.
5. I.e., those who have responsibility under Christ,
and clerical tonsure (or "crownynge": the part of a
monk's or priest's head that has been shaved) as a
symbol of their responsibility to hear the confes-
sions of their parishioners, instead reside ("Lig-
gen") in London during Lent (the busiest time of
the Christian year) and at other times ("ellis").
6. In the courts, those serving the king claim
dues arising to him from guardianship cases
("wardes"), meetings held in each ward ("warde-
motes"), lost property ("weyves") and stray animals
("streyves"). The Exchequer ("Cheker") was the
commission to receive revenue and the audit of
accounts; the Chancery ("Chauncelrie") heard
petitions addressed to the king.
7. Condemn. A consistory court was held by a
bishop or his official to consider any case in which
an ecclesiastic was involved.
8. In Matthew 16.15, Christ tells Peter: "And I
will give unto thee the keys of the kingdom of
heaven: and whatsoever thou shalt bind on earth
shall be bound in heaven: and whatsoever thou
shalt loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven."
9. The four cardinal virtues: prudence, temper-
ance, fortitude, and justice.
1. Closing gates. A rough translation of Latin car-
dinalis, which is derived from cardo, or hinge; thus
the power of the four cardinal virtues is made into
the power of the hinges on the gates to heaven,
where Christ rules. The word "cardinals" also plays
on a double meaning, referring to the cardinals of
the papal consistory.
2. I.e., but of the cardinals (or church officials)
who grabbed ("kaughte") that name, and presumed
to claim they have the power St. Peter had to name
a pope, I will not find fault with them. Perhaps an
allusion to the French cardinals who elected an
antipope in 1378 (Clement VII, a Frenchman),
thus creating the Great Schism.
3. Election of popes; also, a reference to salva-
tion.