Hem thinketh long till they be met; And that they usen forth all the yere; Among the folk when he is set, He holdeth no man half his pere; Of the bishop he hath powére 985 To soyle men, or els they ben lore; His absolucion may make +hem skere; And wo is the soul that he singeth for!"
The Griffon began for to threte, And sayd, "of monkes canst thou ought?" 990 The Pellican sayd, "they ben full grete, And in this world moch wo hath wrought. Saynt Benet, that hir order brought, Ne made hem never on such manere; I trowe, it cam never in his thought 995 That they shulde use so greet powér[e];
That a man shulde a monk lord cal, Ne serve on kneës, as a king. He is as proud as prince in pall In mete, and drink, and [in] all thing; 1000 Some weren myter and ring, With double worsted well y-dight, With royall mete and riche drink, And rydeth on courser as a knight.
With hauke[s] and with houndes eke, 1005 With broches or ouches on his hode, Some say no masse in all a weke, Of deyntees is hir moste fode. With lordshippes and with bondmen This is a royall religioun; 1010 Saynt Benet made never none of hem To have lordship of man ne town.
Now they ben queynte and curious, With fyn cloth cladde, and served clene, Proude, angry, and envyous, 1015 Malyce is mochë that they mene. In cacching crafty and covetous, Lordly liven in greet lyking; This living is not religious According to Benet in his living. 1020
They ben clerkes, hir courtes they oversee, Hir pore tenaunts fully they flyte; The hyer that a man amerced be, The gladlyer they woll it wryte. This is fer from Christes povertè, 1025 For all with covetyse they endyte; On the pore they have no pitè, Ne never hem cherish, but ever hem byte.
And comunly suche ben comen Of pore people, and of hem begete, 1030 That this perfeccion han y-nomen; Hir +faders ryde not but on hir fete, And travaylen sore for that they ete, In povert liveth, yonge and old; Hir +faders suffreth drought and wete, 1035 Many hongry meles, thurst, and cold.
All this the monkes han forsake For Christes love and saynt Benet; To pryde and esë have hem take; This religio[u]n is yvell beset. 1040 Had they ben out of religioun, They must have honged at the plow, Threshing and dyking fro town to town With sory mete, and not half y-now.
