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From: Laudadio 11/19/99
Date: 11/18/99
Time: 10:36:44 AM
Remote Name: 168.191.113.103
In Book I of Piers the Ploughman, Langland dreams of Lady Holy Church who teaches him to understand his vision of a mountain, a dark valley, and a plain full of people. She explains their meanings by connecting them to biblical references. Book I is an allegorical description of 14th century England, reflecting societal and economical changes. Further, these changes have caused tremendous sinfulness throughout the populace from monarch to clergymen and down to the impoverished. Largely, the cause is due to monetary influence.
Lady Church describes human sin to Langland, mirroring those that are occurring in his waking world. Her goal is to make him understand that the populace is doing wrong. By choosing him, she is putting her faith in his will to save his society from further corruption. Her main point is that Langland should seek out Truth. Teaching Truth to others will guide him towards achieving a seat in Heaven. “So I say again, that when all treasures are tested, Truth is the best; my two texts prove it. Teach this to the ignorant, for the learned know it already: Truth is the most perfect treasure on earth.”
Most of Lady Church’s sinful descriptions are directed toward monarchs and nobles, whom she claims, already should know the teachings about truth. The Devil is lurking closest to them and influencing their sinful actions through materialism, and most importantly, love of money. In turn, these men are robbing, stealing, and cheating the masses of what they deserve in a righteous ruler. Truth should be their guide, “And kings and nobles should be Truth’s champions: they should ride to war and put down criminals throughout their realms, and bind them fast till Truth has reached a final verdict on them. That is clearly the proper profession of a knight – not merely to fast one Friday in a hundred years, but to stand by every man and woman who seeks plain truth, and never desert them for love or money.”
Lady Church ends by speaking of Love’s power. By feeling Love, one walks the path of righteousness and will be rewarded for charitable deeds sprung from the seed of Love. Reflecting reality, she describes corrupt clergymen, tempted by the Devil who have been ensnared by greed. They have been blinded by their sin and are harming themselves and the people. “…Chastity without Charity shall lie bound in hell; it is no more use than a lamp without a light."