“Shal neuere myste bimolen it. Ne moth after biten it.” A translation into Modern English would read something like, “Must (or new wine) shall never defile it. Nor moth eat it.”
This quote is from the B version of the Middle English allegory Piers Plowman. The central character of the tale is giving thanks for the new clothing that God has given him. The clothing is symbolic of the soul washed clean by Christ’s sacrifice. The character claims that he will never soil the clothing with wine nor allow it to be eaten by pests. The tale goes on to relate that no matter how many times this man left his home in the morning with a clean shirt (aka soul) by evening when he returned home the shirt was filthy with stains, dirt and holes. Prayer and atonement for sins (the stains etc. on a soul) were needed to wash the shirt so it would be clean in the morning when the character once more ventured forth.
The allegory is meant to teach believers that no matter how badly their souls change, faith in the form of prayer and atonement, can wipe away all sin. The allegory also cautions that all souls will change, become soiled, as a result of living in the world. Thus, prayer and atonement must be practiced daily.
Those Christians among us may understand these concepts, even if as modern Christians they don’t agree. However, many who are unfamiliar with Christian principles will find the idea of dirty souls in need of constant cleansing to be strange or downright wrong. My purpose here, with Medieval Mumbles is not to persuade against or change anyone’s beliefs. My purpose is simply to enlighten readers as to what was common thought throughout Medieval England. Piers Plowman is not unique in the concepts it advocates. Enough other texts both allegorical and otherwise exist in Middle English to convince one that these ideas were commonly held, if not commonly practiced.
All comments are welcome, on this topic, Medieval Mumbles in general, and especially from RAVON Community members participating in our ‘Find the Keyword’ game. I look forward to hearing from you.
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