If freers kun not, or mow not,

excuse hem of these questions asked of hem, it seemeth that they be horrible giltie

against God and her even christian ; for which gilts and defaults

it were worthy that the order,

that they cal their order,

were fordone.

And it is woonder that men susteine hem,

or suffer hir live in such maner.

For holie write biddeth

that thou do well to the meeke,

and give not to the wicked, but forbed to give hem bread, least they be made thereby mightier through you.

THE REPLY OF FRIAR DAW TOPIAS, WITH JACK
UPLAND'S REJOINDER.1

1401.

Ho shal graunten to myn eye

a strong streme of teres,

to wailen and to wepyn

An answere to this tretis,
that a frere hath forgid;
he callith hym self Daw Topias,

1 These two alliterative poems, a reply to and a defence of the preceding, are preserved in a contemporary MS. in the Bodleian

Library at Oxford, MS. Digby,

No. 41, fol. 2, ro. The allusion which fixes their date has already been pointed out in the note at the beginning of the satire of Jack Upland.

the sorwynge of synne?
for charité is chasid

and flemed out of londe,
and every state stakerth
unstable in him silfe.
Now apperid the prophecie
that seint Joon seide,
to joyne therto Johel
in his soth sawis;
the moone is al blodi
and dymme on to lokyn,
that signefieth lordship
forslokend in synne;

the sterres ben on erthe throwun

and fallen to the erthe,

and so is the comounté

treuli oppressid;

the sunne is eclipsid

with al his twelve pointes,

by erroure and heresie,

that rengnith in the chirche.

ares[oneth] Jak Uplonde.

He groundith hym upon seven thynges,
as his ordre askith,

lesynges with losengery,

cursynges and false glose,

chidyng with blasfemie
or chyteryng as chowzes.
Thow saist thi name is Dawe,
it may rith wel be so;

ffor thou hast condiciounes

of a tame chowze.

He chiterith and he bribith
alle that he may gete;

I have ventured to read the word thus, but it is nearly effaced

in the MS. and cannot be read with certainty.

Now is oure bileve laft

and Lollardi growith; envie is enhaunsid

and aproched to preestes,

that shulden enforme her flok and ground in Goddes lawe, to love her God sovereynli, and sithen her brothir.

Bot not for thanne now is tauzt hindring of states,

and pursuynge of poverte, that Crist hath approved.

Now is that seed of cisme

sowen in the chirche;

the whete fadith with the floure,

oure fode is for to feche.

Ffoxes frettid in fere

wasten the cornes,

and Cristes vine is vanishid

to the verray rote.

Now Achor spoilith Jerico, and lyveth of the thefte;

and so lyven this Lollardis

this he doth in dede

asseye of hem that knowith.

Jak Dawe, thou blaberist blasfemies,

and reson hast thou non ;

thou leggist oft Goddis lawe,

bot to a false entente;

zee,

falselier than the fende,

whan he saide to Crist,

Quia angelis suis mandavit de te.

Daw, thou fablest of foxes,

and appliest hem to a puple,

of whom nether thou knowyst kunnyng,

ne her conversacion.

Bot iche man that witte hath,

in her fals fablis.

Datan and Abiron

and Chorees children,

with newe senceres ensencen

the auters of synne.

Baal preestes ben bolde sacrifice to make,

and mortel maladi

crepith in as a canker;

and thus is Jak Uplond fodid with folie,

and thourz formyng of his formere

thus freyneth a frere.

On wounder wise, seith Jak,

freres, ze ben growun;

sowen in zoure sectes of Anticristis hondes; unboxom to bishopis,

not lege men to kynges;

wede corn ne gras

and happe of discrecion,

may knowe thee and thin ordre,
as Crist saith, bi the werkes.
Take propirté of twey foxes,
and werkes of twye freres,

and than thou fyndest hem meche acorde, bot freres ben the werse;

if thou saist this is not so,

bot groundid without skil,

loke how Sampson bonde the foxes

two and two togedir,

til that thai destried

the corne alle about hem,

and this was, as a doctour saith,

the figur of freres.

Jak, thi formur is a fole, that thus thee hath yfourmed, to make so lewid an argument atens so many freres, that better knowen littles her doctours and her bible, than he can rede his troper bi a long torche.

But, Jak, thouz thi questions semen to thee wyse,

zit liztly a lewid man

maye leyen hem a water;

ffor summe ben lewid, summe ben shrewid

summe falsli supposid;

and therfore shal no maister,

ne no man of scole,

be vexid with thy maters,

but a lewid frere

that men callen frere Daw Topias,

as lewid as a leke,

to medelin with thi malice

as longe as thou wolt.

¶ That we ben not lege men,

Jak, lowde thou lyest;
ffor lenger than we lyven so,
abide we not in londe,
the sotil witt of wyse men
shulde temte us wel soone,
and fleme us from felowshipe,

¶ Dawe, thou saist proudely I lie,

for I telle the trouthe;

ffor that [thei] ben not lege men men knowlechen wise;

ffor whan ze ben trespassoures

in theft or other vices,