268 



NOTES AND QUERIES. 



[No. 102. 



hill's Short Account of the Companij of Grocers, 

 and Howel's Londinopolis, fol. Loud. 1657. 



W. S. G. 

 Newcastle-upon-Tyne, Sept. 1851. 



RICHARD ROLLE OF HAMPOLE, NO. II. 



Owing to my absence from England, I was un- 

 able to answer the Queries which were put to me 

 (No. 94., p. 116.) by your respected correspon- 

 dent J. E. The word gidstroun (fts also Salhanas) 

 was merely an error of the press ; and with respect 

 to the others, I concur, for the most part, in the 

 learned observations of Mr. Singer (No. 96., 

 p. 159.). Quistroun, it may be added, is found in 

 a MS. chronicle quoted in the preface to the 

 French version of Havelok, and with the expla- 

 nation " de sa quisyne.' The singular form of 

 chaunsemlees is written chauncemele in the Promp- 

 tuar. ParvuL, and rendered sxibtelaris, which, ac- 

 cording to Ducange, would correspond exactly to 

 slipper. 



1 now beg to present youi" readers with a fresh 

 series of extracts from the same volume. The 

 first, though rather long, will not easily bear ab- 

 breviation. It is somewhat in the style of Piers 

 Ploughman, but earlier by several years. The 

 subject is the unfaithfulness of the clergy in the 

 former half of the fourteenth century : — 

 " Ms word is mekil agen >ese clei-kis 

 J'' schuld kenne lewid folk good werkis, 

 And gader hem to goddis hord 

 Wil" rightful lyf and goddis word. 

 Hem auhte Mnke if I'ei wer wise 

 Plow J-ei schul stonde at goddis assise, 

 And gelden acountes of all hir wit 

 How I'ei in 1''^ world han spent it. 

 Lord what schul I'ese persouns say '■ 

 Vt'han I'ei schul come on doniys day 

 To gelde of al hir lyf acounte 

 And what hir rentis may amounte, 

 I'at f'ei of lewid men take her 

 Hir soiilis hele hem to ler, 

 And diden not so but lyued in lust 

 Of tlesch, 1*' makil" 1"= soule rust. 

 For riche persouns louen mor now 

 Flesch-likingmor >an J"= soule prow [/.i^. profit] ; 

 I'ei wene to sewe cristis trace [i. c. follow Plis 



track] 

 Wi 1' hunting and w' i>^ deer chace ; 

 I'ei fedin hir flesch wi)' good mete 

 )>' lewid folk hem tilen .and gete ; 

 >ei lyuen on lewid folkis traueyle 

 And nouht to hem ^ei auayle. 

 For ther J'ei schuld w' sarnioun tille 

 J"' lewid folkis herte and wille ' 

 To right longing of heuene-riche bewhile, 

 Wi \> wikkid example )'ei hem begile : 

 For wikkid example ^ei hem geue 

 In wikkednes alway for to leue. 



For >er f>ei schuld hem meknes schewe 



^ei schewe hem pride and vnthewe, 



And ther bei schulde teche hem dele 



And parte w' god of hir catele, 



Ther teche ^ei hem wib couetise 



To spar hir good in euyl wise. 



For we seen so these persouns spar 



)>* ^ei suffre pore men mysfar ; 



We see hem fayr grehoundis fede 



And sufFren ]>" pore to deyen for nede, 



And euyl example I'us ^ei gyue 



To hir pareschyns euyle to lyue. 



For me Mnkei> it is no ferly [«. e. wonder] 



>ouh lewid folk lyue in foly. 



Whan I'ei seen prestis and persouns 



Mistake agen god as felouns. 



Goddis felouns I hem c.alle 



)t>*- makit" man in synne falle, 



WiJ' example of euyl lyf 



)>' is now in bis world ful ryf. 



)>erfor I rede persouns and prestis 



M bei ber god on hir brestis, 



And benk how al hir mete and drink 



Gomib of her pareschyns swink. 



And teche {"ei hem how bat bei 



Schul toward heuene take J"' wei, 



And after holde hem wel ^erinne 



And kepe hem fro dedli synne. 



For wel is hem )>' wib preching 



Mai tele [i.e. allure] soulis to heuene king." 



2. Nor was the author of these sermons less se- 

 vere in rebuking the faults of the layman. The 

 following is a specimen of his plain-spoken fer- 

 vour : — 



" But crist of }>' man sey th wites [i.e. reproaches] 

 ^at in sarmoun not delytes. 

 For many folis heren a sarmoun 

 Wi 1' outen ony deuocioun ; 

 }>' is in Englisch loue-longing, 

 J'' uuhte of mannes herte spring 

 Toward 1"= blisse b' lastit', ay. 

 And not toward i"" worldis play. 

 But sum men sitten at sarmoun 

 J'' wer better ben atte toun ; 

 On worldis wele bink I'ei so mekil 

 )>' is deceyuabil fals and fekil, 

 }>at sarmoun sauoureth hem nouht 

 So is hir herte menyng (?) in bouht. 

 And sum other sell gomes 

 1'' for to her sarmoun comes, 

 And goddis word so litil kepi!' 

 J'' at 1"^ preching manye slepil' : 

 At goddis word i'ei ben sleping 

 And at b'' tauerne hous waking : 

 At lyche-wake [i.e. corpse-watching] and sinful 



plawes, 

 hei ben waking til ]>^ day dawes. 

 But whan I'ei come sarmoun to her 

 i'ei ben so heuy and so swer, 



I 



