Page:Harvard Law Review Volume 8.djvu/104

88 88 HARVARD LAW REVIEW. from within. In his tract " About Images and Pardons " (circa 1383), Wichff says : ^ — " But we spekyn over litel for to visete and offre to pore men ; and maken broken briges and causeis [causeways] where men and bestis and catel perischen ofte. But gif any man foolily avowen to go to Rome or Jerusalem, Canterbury or other pilgrimagis that we chargen more than the grete avowe maad of our Christendom to kepe Goddis hestis and forsake the fend and alle his warkis. For though men breken the hieste commaundementis of God the lewideste [most ordinary or humblest] parissche preest schal assoile anoon ; but if the founed vowis maad of our oure owene heed, many time agenus Goddis wille, noman schal as- soile, but greet worldly bischopis, or the most worldly preest of Rome, the emperors maister, and Goddis felawe, or God upon earth ; and they wolen not dispense with these vowis, but gif they han the cost that men schulden make inward and outward." So Langland, among the motley crowd that throng the " fair feeld " of Hfe describes ^ the " Pilgrymes and palmares, plighten hem togidere, For to seken seint Jame, and seintes at Rome. They wenten forth in hire wey, with many wise tales, And hadden leva to lyen al hire lif after. I seigh some, that seiden, thai hadde y-sought seintes; To ach a tale that thai tolde, hire tongue was tamprad to lye, Moore than to saya sooth, it seemed bi hire speche. Haremytes on an heap, with hokad staves, Wenten to Walsyngham, and hire wenches after. Greta lobies and longe, that lothe were to swynke, Clothed hem in copes, to ban knowen from othere, And shopen ham heremytas, hire ese to have. Thar preched a pardoner, as he a preest ware, Brought forth a bulle, with many bisshopes seles, And seide that hymselfe myghte assoillen hem alle, Of falshede of fastynge, of avowes y-broken." So in repeating the story of Emperor Trajan, whom he calls Trojanus, — so favorite a legend of the middle ages that Dante represents it as carved on the walls of Purgatory,^ — he makes the redeemed emperor say:* — 1 Works, iii. 283. 2 Piers Plowman, yv. 91-142 (Wright ed.).
 * Dante Purg. x. 73-93.
 * Piers Plowman, vv. 6864-82 (Wright ed.).