A quick-and-dirty transcription of the Prologue of the B text for classroom use — even though my very smart pal Lawrence Warner says there’s no such thing as the B text.
| In a somer seson, whan softe was the sonne, | ||
| I shoop° me into shroudes as I a sheep° were, | dressed — shepherd | |
| In habite° as an heremite° unholy of werkes, | clothes — hermit | |
| Wente wide in this world wondres to here.° | hear | |
| 5 | Ac° on a May morwenynge° on Malverne° hilles | But — morning — Malvern |
| Me° bifel° a ferly,° of Fairye me thoghte.° | to me — happened — marvel — it seemed to me | |
| I was wery° forwandred° and wente me to reste | weary — tired of aimless wandering | |
| Under a brood° bank by a bourne° syde; | broad — brook | |
| And as I lay and lenede and loked on the watres, | ||
| 10 | I slombred into a slepyng, it sweyed° so murye.° | sounded — merry |
| Thanne gan° [me] to meten° a merveillous swevene° — | began — to dream — dream | |
| That I was in a wildernesse, wiste° I nevere where. | knew | |
| As I biheeld into the eest an heigh to the sonne, | ||
| I seigh° a tour° on a toft° trieliche ymaked,° | saw — tower — hill — splendidly made | |
| 15 | A deep dale° bynethe, a dongeon therinne, | valley |
| With depe diches and derke and dredfulle of sighte. | ||
| A fair feeld ful of folk fond° I ther bitwene — | found | |
| Of alle manere° of men, the meene° and the riche, | all kinds — poor | |
| Werchynge and wandrynge as the world asketh. | ||
| 20 | Somme putten hem° to the plough, pleiden ful selde,° | them[selves] — seldom |
| In settynge° and sowynge swonken° ful harde, | planting — worked | |
| And wonnen that thise wastours° with glotonye destruyeth | won what these wasters | |
| And somme putten hem° to pride, apparailed hem therafter, | them[selves] | |
| In contenaunce° of clothynge comen disgised — | display | |
| 25 | In preieres° and penaunce putten hem manye, | prayers |
| Al for the love of Oure Lord lyveden ful streyte° | strictly | |
| In hope to have heveneriche blisse° — | the happiness of the kingdom of heaven | |
| As ancres° and heremites that holden hem° in hire selles,° | anchorite friars — them[selves] — their cells | |
| Coveiten° noght in contree to cairen aboute | travel | |
| 30 | For no likerous° liflode° hire° likame° to plese. | lecherous ‐ livelihood — their — body |
| And somme chosen chaffare;° they cheveden° the bettre — | business — achieved | |
| As it semeth to oure sight that swiche° men thryveth; | such | |
| And somme murthes° to make as mynstralles konne,° | pleasures — know how | |
| And geten gold with hire° glee — ynnelees,° I leeve° — | their — guiltless — believe | |
| 35 | Ac° japeres and jangeleres,° Judas children, | but — jesters |
| Feynen° hem fantasies, and fooles hem maketh — | feign | |
| And han wit at wille to werken if they wolde. | ||
| That Poul° precheth of hem° I wol nat preve° it here: | St. Paul — them — prove | |
| Qui loquitur turpiloquium° is Luciferes hyne.° | “He who speaks foully” — lackey | |
| 40 | Bidderes and beggeres° faste aboute yede° | mendicants — went |
| [Til] hire° bely and hire bagge [were] bredful ycrammed,° | their — full of bread | |
| Faiteden° for hire° foode, foughten at the ale. | deceived — their | |
| In glotonye, God woot,° go thei to bedde, | knows | |
| And risen with ribaudie,° tho° Roberdes knaves; | ribaldry — those | |
| 45 | Sleep and sory sleuthe° seweth° hem evere. | sloth — follows them |
| Pilgrymes and palmeres plighten° hem togidere° | vow — formed an alliance | |
| For to seken Seint Jame and seintes at Rome; | ||
| Wenten forth in hire wey with many wise tales, | ||
| And hadden leve° to lyen° al hire lif° after. | permission — lie — all their life | |
| 50 | I seigh° somme that seiden thei hadde ysought seintes: | saw |
| To ech a tale that thei tolde hire tonge was tempred° to lye | disposed | |
| Moore than to seye sooth,° it semed bi hire° speche. | truth — their | |
| Heremytes on an heep° with hoked° staves, | in a crowd — hooked | |
| Wenten to Walsyngham — and hire wenches after: | ||
| 55 | Grete lobies° and longe that lothe were to swynke° | lazy people — work |
| Clothed hem in copes° to ben° knowen from othere,° | cloaks — be — [each] other | |
| And shopen hem° heremytes hire ese° to have. | shaped themselves as — their ease | |
| I fond there freres,° alle the foure ordres, | friars | |
| Prechynge the peple for profit of [the] womb[e]:° | belly | |
| 60 | Glosed° the gospel as hem good liked; | explained |
| For coveitise° of copes construwed it as thei wolde. | greed | |
| Manye of thise maistres mowe clothen hem° at likyng | may clothe themselves | |
| For hire moneie and hire marchaundise marchen togideres. | ||
| Sith charite hath ben chapman° and chief to shryve lordes | merchant | |
| 65 | Manye ferlies han° fallen in a fewe yeres. | wonders have |
| But Holy Chirche and hii° holde bettre togidres | they | |
| The mooste meschief on molde° is mountynge up faste. | earth | |
| Ther preched a pardoner as he a preest were: | ||
| Broughte forth a bulle° with bisshopes seles,° | papal proclamation — seals | |
| 70 | And seide that hymself myghte assoillen° hem alle | absolve |
| Of falshede° of fastynge, of avowes ybroken. — | falsehood | |
| Lewed° men leved° hym wel and liked hise wordes, | unlearned — believed | |
| Comen up knelynge to kissen his bulle. | ||
| He bonched° hem with his brevet° and blered hire eighen,° | struck — paper letter — conned their eyes | |
| 75 | And raughte° with his rageman° rynges and broches. | laid his hands on — fake document |
| — Thus ye gyven youre gold glotons to helpe, | ||
| And leneth° it losels° that leccherie haunten“ | lend — good-for-nothings | |
| Were the bisshop yblessed and worth bothe his eris,° | ears | |
| His seel° sholde noght be sent to deceyve the peple. | seal (on a leter) | |
| 80 | Ac° it is noght by the bisshop that the boy precheth — | But |
| For the parisshe preest and the pardoner parten° the silver | divide | |
| That the povere° [peple] of the parissche sholde have if they ne were.° | poor — were not | |
| Persons and parisshe preestes pleyned° hem to the bisshop | complained | |
| That hire parisshes weren povere sith the pestilence tyme,° | poor since the plague | |
| 85 | To have a licence and leve° at London to dwelle, | permission |
| And syngen ther for symonie, for silver is swete. | ||
| Bisshopes and bachelers, bothe maistres and doctours — | ||
| That han cure° under Crist, and crownynge° in tokene | have spiritual responsibility — tonsure (shaved top of the head) | |
| And signe that thei sholden shryven° hire parisshens, | hear confession | |
| 90 | Prechen and praye for hem, and the povere fede — | |
| Liggen° at Londoun in Lenten and ellis.° | lie — at other times | |
| Somme serven the King and his silver tellen,° | count | |
| In Cheker° and in Chauncelrie° chalangen his dettes | the court of the Exchequer — chancery court | |
| Of wardes and of wardemotes,° weyves° and streyves.° | gathering of citizens in a ward — waifs — strays | |
| 95 | And somme serven as servaunts lordes and ladies, | |
| And in stede of stywardes sitten and demen.° | judge | |
| Hire messe° and hire matyns° and many of hire houres | their mass — their morning services | |
| Arn doone undevoutliche; drede is at the laste | ||
| Lest Crist in Consistorie° acorse ful manye! | episcopal court | |
| 100 | I parceyved of the power that Peter hadde to kepe — | |
| To bynden and unbynden, as the Book telleth — | ||
| How he it lefte with love as Oure Lord highte° | ordered | |
| Amonges foure vertues, most vertuous of alle vertues, | ||
| That cardinals ben called and closynge yates° | gates | |
| 105 | There Crist is in kyngdom, to close and to shette,° | shut |
| And to opene it to hem and hevene blisse shewe. | ||
| Ac° of the Cardinals at court that kaughte of that name | but | |
| And power presumed in hem a Pope to make | ||
| To han the power that Peter hadde, impugnen I nelle° — | I will not impugn | |
| 110 | For in love and in lettrure° the eleccion bilongeth; | scripture |
| Forthi° I kan and kan naught of court speke moore. | therefore | |
| Thanne kam ther a Kyng: Knyghthod hym ladde;° | led | |
| Might of the communes° made hym to regne. | common people | |
| And thanne cam Kynde Wit° and clerkes he made, | Natural Intelligence | |
| 115 | For to counseillen the Kyng and the Commune save. | |
| The Kyng and Knyghthod and Clergie bothe | ||
| Casten° that the Commune sholde hem [communes] fynde. | brought about | |
| The Commune contreved° of Kynde Wit craftes, | devised | |
| And for profit of al the peple plowmen ordeyned | ||
| 120 | To tilie and to travaille as trewe lif asketh. | |
| The Kyng and the Commune and Kynde Wit the thridde° | third | |
| Shopen° lawe and leaute° — ech° lif to knowe his owene. | shaped — loyalty — each | |
| Thanne loked° up a lunatik, a leene thyng withalle, | looked | |
| And knelynge to the Kyng clergially° he seide, | in the manner of a scholar | |
| 125 | “Crist kepe thee, sire Kyng, and thi kyngryche,° | kingdom |
| And lene° thee lede thi lond so leaute thee lovye, | grant | |
| And for thi rightful rulyng be rewarded in hevene” | ||
| And sithen° in the eyr on heigh an aungel of hevene | since | |
| Lowed° to speke in Latyn — for lewed° men ne koude° | approved of — unlearned — could not | |
| 130 | Jangle° ne jugge° that justifie hem sholde, | complain — judge |
| But suffren and serven — forthi° seide the aungel: | therefore | |
| “Sum Rex, sum Princeps,” — neutrum fortasse deinceps” | ||
| O qui iura regis Christi specialia regis, | ||
| Hoc qiiod agas nielius — iustus es, esto pius” | ||
| 135 | Nudum ius a te vestiri vult pietate. | |
| Qualia vis nietere, talia grana sere: | ||
| Si ius nudatur, nudo de iure metatur; | ||
| Si seritur pietas, de pietate metas. | ||
| Thanne greved hym a goliardeis, a gloton of wordes, | “one lacking in respect, flippant scoffer” — glutton | |
| 140 | And to the aungel an heigh answerde after: | |
| “Dum ‘rex’ a ‘regere’ dicatur nomen habere, | ||
| Nomen habet sine re nisi studet iura tenere.” | ||
| Thanne gan° al the commune crye in vers of Latyn | began | |
| To the Kynges counseil — construe° whoso wolde — | translate | |
| “Precepta Regis sunt nobis vincula legis.”° | “The King’s precepts are binding laws to us” | |
| With that ran ther a route° of ratons° at ones | throng — rats | |
| 145 | And smale mees° myd° hem: mo° than a thousand | mice &mash; amid — more |
| Comen to a counseil for the commune profit; | ||
| For a cat of a court cam whan hym liked | ||
| 150 | And overleep hem lightliche° and laughte hem at his wille, | outrun them easily |
| And pleide with hem perillousli and possed° aboute. | pushed | |
| “For doute of diverse° dredes we dar° noght wel loke” | various — dare | |
| And if we grucche° of his gamen° he wol greven° us alle — | complain — games &mash; injure | |
| Cracchen° us or clawen us and in hise clouches° holde. | scratch — clutch’s | |
| 155 | That us lotheth the lif er he late us passe.° | that we would loathe life before he let us die |
| Mighte we with any wit° his wille withstonde, | intelligence | |
| We myghte be lordes olofte° and lyven at oure ese.” | above | |
| A raton° of renoun,° moost renable° of tonge, | rat — reputation — fluent | |
| Seide for a sovereyn [salve] to hem alle, | ||
| 160 | “I have yseyen segges,”° quod° he, “in the Cite of Londoun | men — said [quoth] |
| Beren° beighes° ful brighte abouten hire nekkes, | bear — collars | |
| And somme colers of crafty work;° uncoupled they wenden° | intricate workmanship — go | |
| Bothe in wareyne° and in waast° where hem leve liketh, | warren — waste — wherever they like | |
| And outher while thei arn elliswhere, as I here telle. | ||
| 165 | Were ther a belle on hire beighe,° by Jesus, as me thynketh, | collar |
| Men myghte witen° wher thei wente and awey renne.° | know — run | |
| And right so,” quod° that raton,° “reson me sheweth | said — rat | |
| To bugge° a belle of bras or of bright silver | buy | |
| And knytten it on a coler for oure commune profit | ||
| 170 | And hangen it upon the cattes hals° — thanne here we mowen° | neck — we may hear |
| Wher he ryt° or rest or rometh to pleye; | rides | |
| And if hym list° for to laike,° thanne loke we mowen° | likes — play — may | |
| And peeren° in his presence the while hym pleye liketh, | appear | |
| And if hym wratheth,° be war and his wey shonye.°” | is hostile — shun his way | |
| 175 | Al the route° of ratons° to this reson assented; | group &mash; rats |
| Ac° tho the belle was ybrought and on the beighe° hanged | although — neck | |
| Ther ne was raton° in al the route,° for al the reaume° of France, | rat &mdsh; group — realm | |
| That dorste° have bounden the belle aboute the cattes nekke, | dared | |
| Ne hangen it aboute his hals° al Engelond to wynne, | neck | |
| [Ac]° helden hem unhardy° and hir counseil feble, | but — cowardly | |
| And leten hire laboure lost and al hire longe studie. | ||
| A mous that muche good kouthe,° as me tho thoughte,° | knew — as it then seemed to me | |
| Strook° forth sternely and stood bifore hem alle, | went | |
| And to the route° of ratons° reherced° thise wordes: | throng — spoke | |
| 185 | “Though° we hadde ykilled the cat, yet sholde ther come another | even if |
| To cracchen us and al oure kynde, though we cropen° under benches. | even if we crept | |
| Forthi° I counseill°e al the commune to late the cat worthe,° | therefore — advise — let the cat be | |
| And be we nevere so bolde the belle hym to shewe. | ||
| The while he caccheth conynges° he coveiteth noght oure caroyne,° | rabbits — flesh | |
| 190 | But fedeth hym al with venyson; defame we hym nevere. | |
| For bettre is a litel los than a long sorwe: | ||
| The maze° among us alle, theigh° we mysse a sherewe!° | confusion — though — villain | |
| For I herde my sire seyn, is seven yeer ypassed, | ||
| “‘Ther the cat is a kitoun, the court is ful elenge.’”° | wretched | |
| 195 | That witnesseth Holy Writ, whoso wole it rede — | |
| Ve terre ubi puer rex est,° &c. | “Woe to the last where a child is king!” | |
| For may no renk° ther reste have for ratons by nyghte. | man | |
| For many mennes malt we mees° wolde destruye, | mice | |
| And also ye route of ratons rende° mennes clothes, | tear | |
| 200 | Nere° the cat of the court that kan you overlepe; | were it not for |
| For hadde ye rattes youre [raik]° ye kouthe° noght rule yowselve. | way — could | |
| “I seye for me,“ quod the mous, “I se so muchel° after, | much | |
| Shal nevere the cat ne° the kiton by my counseil be greved, | nor | |
| Ne carpynge° of this coler that costed me nevere. | foolish talk | |
| 205 | And though it costned me catel,° biknowen it I nolde,° | chattel (property) — would not |
| But suffren as hymself wolde [s]o doon as hym liketh — | ||
| Coupled and uncoupled to cacche what thei mowe.° | may | |
| Forthi° ech a wis wight° I warne — wite wel his owene!” | therefore — man | |
| (What this metels° bymeneth,° ye men that ben murye, | dream — means | |
| 210 | Devyne ye — for I ne dar, by deere God in hevene)! | |
| Yet hoved° ther an hundred in howves° of selk° — | waited — hoods — silk | |
| Sergeants, it semed, that serveden at the Barre, | ||
| Pleteden° for penyes° and pounded the lawe, | pleaded — pennies | |
| And noght for love of Oure Lord unlose hire lippes ones. | ||
| 215 | Thow myghtest bettre meete° myst on Malverne Hilles | measure |
| Than get a “mom’ of hire mouth til moneie be shewed! | ||
| Barins° and burgeises° and bondemen als | barons — burgesses | |
| I seigh° in this assemblee, as ye shul here after; | saw | |
| Baksteres° and brewesteres° and bochiers° manye, | bakers — brewers — butchers | |
| 220 | Wollen webbesters and weveres° of lynnen, | weavers |
| Taillours and tynkers and tollers° in markettes, | toll-collectors | |
| Masons and mynours and many othere craftes: | ||
| Of alle kynne° lybbynge° laborers lopen° forth somme — | kinds — living — leapt | |
| As dykeres° and delveres° that doon hire dedes ille | ditch-diggers — laborers | |
| 225 | And dryveth forth the longe day with “Dieu save Dame Emme!”° | “God save Dame Emme!” |
| Cokes and hire knaves° cryden, “Hote pies, hote! | their servants | |
| Goode gees and grys!° Go we dyne, go we!” | piglets | |
| Taverners until hem tolden the same: | ||
| “Whit wyn of Oseye° and wyn of Gascoigne, | Alsace | |
| 230 | Of the Ryn° and of the Rochel,° the roost to defie!” | Rhine — La Rochelle |
| — Al this I seigh° slepyng, and sevene sythes° more. | saw — times |