Thanne as I wente by the way, whan I was thus awaked, 
Hevy chered I yede, and elenge in herte; 
For I ne wiste wher to ete ne at what place, 
And it neghed neigh the noon, and with Nede I mette, 
That afrounted me foule and faitour me called. 
'Coudestow noght excuse thee, as dide the kyng and othere - 
That thow toke to thy bilyve, to clothes and to sustenaunce, 
Was by techynge and by tellynge of Spiritus Temperancie, 
And that thow nome na moore than nede thee taughte, 
And nede ne hath no lawe, ne nevere shal falle in dette 
For thre thynges he taketh his lif for to save? - 
That is, mete whan men hym werneth, and he no moneye weldeth, 
Ne wight noon wol ben his borugh, ne wed hath noon to legge; 
And he ca[cch]e in that caas and come therto by sleighte, 

He synneth noght, soothliche, that so wynneth his foode. 
And though he come so to a clooth, and kan no bettre chevyssaunce, 
Nede anoon righte nymeth hym under maynprise. 
And if hym list for to lape, the lawe of kynde wolde 
That he dronke at ech dych, er he [deide for thurst]. 
So Nede, at gret nede, may nymen as for his owene, 
Withouten conseil of Conscience or Cardynale Vertues - 
So that he sewe and save Spiritus Temperancie. 
'For is no vertue bi fer to Spiritus Temperancie - 
Neither Spiritus Iusticie ne Spiritus Fortitudinis. 
For Spiritus Fortitudinis forfeteth ful ofte
He shal do moore than mesure many tyme and ofte, 
And bete men over bittre, and som body to litel, 
And greve men gretter than good feith it wolde. 
'And Spiritus Iusticie shal juggen, wole he, nel he, 
After the kynges counseil and the comune like. 
And Spiritus Prudencie in many a point shal faille 
Of that he weneth wolde falle if his wit ne weere. 
Wenynge is no wysdom, ne wys ymaginacion
Homo proponit et Deus disponit - 
[God] governeth alle goode vertues; 
And Nede is next hym, for anoon he meketh 
And as lowe as a lomb, for lakkyng that hym nedeth; 
For nede maketh nede fele nedes lowe-herted. 
Philosophres forsoke welthe for thei wolde be nedy, 
And woneden wel elengely and wolde noght be riche. 
'And God al his grete joye goostliche he lefte, 
And cam and took mankynde and bicam nedy.' 
So he was nedy, as seith the Book, in manye sondry places, 
That he seide in his some on the selve roode, 
''the Fox and fowel may fle to hole and crepe, 

And the fissh hath fyn to flete with to reste, 
Ther nede hath ynome me, that I moot nede abide 
And suffre sorwes ful soure, that shal to joye torne.'' 
Forthi be noght abasshed to bide and to be nedy, 
Sith he that wroghte al the world was wilfulliche nedy, 
Ne nevere noon so nedy ne poverer deide.' 
Whan Nede hadde undernome rne thus, anoon I fil aslepe, 
And mette ful merveillously that in mannes forme 
Antecrist cam thanne, and al the crop of truthe 
Torned it [tid] up-so-doun, and overtilte the roote, 
And made fals sprynge and sprede and spede mennes nedes. 
In ech a contree ther he cam he kutte awey truthe. 
And gerte gile growe there as he a god weere. 
Freres folwede that fend, for he gaf hem copes, 
And religiouse reverenced hym and rongen hir belles, 
And al the covent cam to welcome that tyraunt, 
And alle hise as wel as hym - save oonly fooles; 
Whiche fooles were wel gladdere to deye 
Than to lyve lenger sith Leute was so rebuked, 
And a fals fend Antecrist over alle folk regnede. 
And that were rnylde men and holye, that no meschief dradden, 
Defyed alle falsnesse and folk that it usede; 
And what kyng that hem conforted, knowynge h[ir] gile, 
They cursed, and hir conseil - were it clerk or lewed. 
Antecrist hadde thus soone hundredes at his baner, 
And Pride bar it bare boldely aboute, 
With a lord that lyveth after likyng of body, 
That cam ayein Conscience, that kepere was and gyour 
Over kynde Cristene and Cardynale Vertues. 
'I conseille,' quod Conscience tho, 'cometh with me, ye fooles, 
Into Unite Holy Chirche, and holde we us there. 
And crye we to Kynde that he come and defende us 
Fooles fro thise fendes lymes, for Piers love the Plowman. 
And crye we on al the comune that thei come to Unitee, 
And there abide and bikere ayeins Beliales children.' 


Kynde Conscience tho herde, and cam out of the planetes, 
And sente forth his forreyours - feveres and fluxes, 
Coughes and cardiacles, crampes and toothaches, 
Rewmes and radegundes and roynouse scalles, 
Biles and bocches and brennynge agues, 
Frenesies and foule yveles - forageres of Kynde 
Hadde ypriked and prayed polles of peple; 
Largeliche a legion lees hir lif soone. 
There was ' Harrow!' and ' Help! Here cometh Kynde, 
With Deeth that is dredful, to undo us alle!' 
The lord that lyved after lust tho aloud cryde 
After Confort, a knyght, to come and bere his baner.