Homage: Recipes and Stories from an

Amish Soul Food Kitchen Chris Scott

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 Homage

Homage_INT.indd 1 2/3/22 1:49 PM

Homage
Recipes and Stories from an
Amish Soul Food Kitchen

Chris Scott
with Sarah Zorn

Photographs by Brittany Conerly

Text copyright © 2022 by 846 Merchant LLC .
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be
reproduced in any form without written permission
from the publisher.
ISBN 9781797207759 (epub, mobi)
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication
Data
Names: Scott, Chris (Chef ) author. | Zorn, Sarah,
author. | Cornerly, Brittany, photographer.
Title: Homage : recipes and stories from an Amish
soul food kitchen / Chris Scott with Sarah Zorn ;
photographs by Brittany Cornerly.
Description: San Francisco : Chronicle Books,
2022. | Includes index. | Summary: “A narrative
cookbook with 100 Amish Soul Food recipes”--
Provided by publisher.
Identifiers: LCCN 2021058073 |
ISBN 9781797207742 (hardcover)
Subjects: LCSH: Amish cooking. | Cooking,
American. | LCGFT: Cookbooks.
Classification: LCC TX721 .S46 2022 |
DDC 641.5/66--dc23/eng/20211130
LC record available at
https://lccn.loc.gov/2021058073
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Dedication
Grandpop Sumner Browne
and his mother, Mae Browne
 A LETTER FOR US, TO US
INTRODUCTION
chapter 1 Seven Sweets and Seven Sours
Prune Compound Butter. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 38
Apple Butter. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 39
Mincemeat.. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 40
Concord Grape Preserves. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 41
Preserved Mango. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 43
Kimmel Cherries. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 44
Yam Molasses. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 46
chapter 2 All Day, E’ery Day
Johnnycakes with Apple Butter.. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 67
Egg Salad with Bread-and-Butter Pickles. . . . . . . . . . . . . 68
Crispy Potato Waffles. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 69
Nana Browne’s Fried Potatoes and Onions. . . . . . . . . . 70
Cheese Grits with Jerk Pork.. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 73
Crispy “City Mouse” Scrapple. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 76
Country Ham Steak
with Fried Eggs and Pepper Cabbage. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 80
Grandpop’s Meatloaf Sandwich with
Caramelized Onion Relish. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 81
chapter 3 Greens, Beans, Tubers, and Grains
Nana Browne’s Collard Greens. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 94
Pepper Cabbage. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 95
Hot-Pepper Sauce Watermelon Salad. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 96
Green Leaf Lettuce and Cornbread Panzanella. . . . . . 99
Charred Radicchio Salad with Cola-Boiled
Peanuts and Amish Cheddar. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 104
Red Bean Porridge. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 106
Pickled Collard “Ribs” and Beans. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 107
Cauliflower Rice and Beans. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 108
Amish Baked Beans. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 110
15
19
Rhubarb Chow-Chow. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 50
Okra Chow-Chow. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 51
Yellow Tomato and Sorghum Chow-Chow. . . . . . . . . . 57
Bread-and-Butter Pickles. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 58
Green Tomato Confit.. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 59
Sweet-and-Sour Green and Wax Beans. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 61
Old Bay Coleslaw. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 62
Creamed Chipped Beef with
Brown Milk Gravy and Toast. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 83
Boiled Peanut Hummus. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 86
Spicy Pimento Cheese. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 87
Deviled Ham. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 88
Crispy Fried Corn on the Cob with
Buttermilk Ranch. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 89
Crawfish Hushpuppies
with Old Bay Remoulade.. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 90
Ham Hock and Bean Terrine. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 113
Chicken-Fried Tempeh.. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 115
Crispy Yucca with Sumac and Lemon. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 116
Pennsylvania Dutch Tater Tot Casserole.. . . . . . . . . . . . 119
Low Country Potato Salad. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 122
Buckwheat and Roasted Carrots with
Mushrooms. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 123
Mustard Greens and Lemongrass Fried Rice. . . . . . . . 124
Millet and Summer Corn.. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 127
chapter 4 Hard Times Foods
Crispy Fried Tomatoes. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 148
Rice and Gravy. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 149
Okra and Tomato Stew. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 151
Cabbage Soup with Egg Noodles and
Smoked Ham Hock. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 152
Pan-Seared Chicken Livers. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 155
Chicken Backs and Turnip Stew.. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 156
chapter 5 Celebration Foods
Crispy Deviled Eggs with
Cracklin’ Collard Greens.. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 173
Macaroni and Cheese. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 174
Jackfruit Hand Pies. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 176
Stuffed Chard with Sweet Potatoes
and Black Rice. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 177
Softshell Crabs with Sour Corn and
Lady Cream Pea Salad. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 182
Butter Cracker–Crusted Perch with
Sweet-and-Sour Green and Wax Beans. . . . . . . . . . . . . . 185
chapter 6 Breads and Flours
Buckwheat Crackers. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 203
Nana’s Cornbread. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 205
Pimento Cheese Spoonbread. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 206
Sorghum Molasses Parker House Rolls. . . . . . . . . . . . . . 208
Nicodemus Bread. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 211
Black-Eyed Pea Donuts. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 214
chapter 7 Shugga’s
Nana Browne’s Roly Polys (Apple Dumplings).. . . . 231
Whoopie Pies. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 233
German Chocolate Donuts. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 239
Butterscotch “Krimpets” (Maple Log Donuts). . . . . . . 242
Silky Chocolate Mousse with Cocoa Crunch. . . . . . . . 245
Aunt Sara Mae’s Buttermilk Cake.. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 246
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
INDEX
Chicken and Dumplings. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 158
Turkey Neck Gumbo over Rice.. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 159
Neckbone Dumplings.. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 161
Pig’s Feet and Potatoes. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 164
Crispy Fried Tripe with Hot Vinegar Peppers.. . . . . . 167
Dandelion Wine. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 168
Crispy Cornmeal Catfish with
Hot-Pepper Lemon Butter. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 187
Chicken and Waffles “My Style”. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 188
Lemonade Buttermilk Fried Chicken.. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 193
Smothered Pork Chops. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 196
Chicken-Fried Steak with
Sassafras Country Gravy. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 197
BBQ Ribs with Rhubarb Chow-Chow.. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 199
Spaetzle. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 217
Brown Sugar Buttermilk Biscuits. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 218
Buckwheat and Rye Dumplings. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 222
Red Velvet Cornmeal Madeleines.. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 223
Pecan Rolls. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 225
Buttermilk Cornbread Ice Cream. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 247
Shoofly Pie Ice Cream. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 249
Miss Molly’s Icebergs.. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 252
Funnel Cake.. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 254
Molasses Cookies. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 255
Peach Cobbler. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 257
263
266
Grandma Howard,
Nana, and me

Grandpop and me
Meriam Harris (Aunt Dee Dee)
A Letter for Us, to Us: Surviving the Transition

When things stabilize into something that

resembles “normalcy,” what will you have learned
about yourself? What will you have learned about
your world? I’ve asked myself this question many
times recently, and now I present it to you.

In 2020, George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, and Rayshard Brooks were murdered
by police just a few weeks apart from one another. For many, their deaths,
along with a growing number of other racially motivated killings, were a starting
point to discuss radical change. But I’ve seen hundreds of senseless deaths in
my lifetime. And I’ve felt the same helplessness that I imagine my grand­parents
felt when they witnessed lynchings and beatings take place over and over and
over again. It’s made me wonder if I was destined to just live out my life watch-
ing Black people being murdered, and wonder if and when I’d be next.

All forms of racial injustices have been magnified, because of the calm in the
midst of the coronavirus. I watched my people get sick because they had
continued to work throughout the pandemic, as garbage workers, bus drivers,
grocery store clerks, and restaurant workers. Often without health insurance.
Pushing aside any mental health issues. Black men in particular carry around
so much stigma and weight, a fear of being vilified or looked down upon for
expressing fear, hurt, anxiety, despair, or pain.

The pandemic forced us to really pay attention. Everything moving so slowly

allowed us to finally acknowledge the moans and groans of our suffering
planet from pollution and global warming, the injustices between peoples and
cultures, and the blatant exclusion of certain races and sexes from sharing our
stories of joy and suffering.

15
A spotlight has been shone on the inequities that exist in food media. The
narratives of resilience and triumph that inevitably bleed into the food of Black
and Brown people have long been ignored, and ignored with intent. Some-
where along the line, it became an unspoken rule that you could give voice to
only three or four Black chefs at a time.

So what can we do to survive this transition and make this next stage a better
one? Will we miss this opportunity for growth? Or will we finally create change?

As I get older, I’m realizing my potential to become a mentor, sharing not only
my technical culinary skills but also my wisdom and experience to support
the next generation. I’ve always been grateful for the trail of bread crumbs
left behind by my elders, and I’m ready to drop a few myself. This time, more
than ever, we need to listen to the advice and read the writings left behind,
and strengthen our foundation based on lessons learned from our past and
our present.

I often think of the Last Supper and wonder if they had any sense of how rele-
vant that meal would still be today. It was a Passover meal, which signifies the
liberation of the Israelites from slavery. It’s a meal used to remember suffering
and bondage. It is also a meal prepared with love and surrounded by calm,
meant to nurture the bodies of friends and family who fight the good fight. For
centuries, food has served as a bridge, allowing us to both memorialize our
painful pasts and give weight to our sorrows, while also celebrating our resil-
iency, our triumphs, and the paths we forged to the other side.

And so, in this time of pain and uncertainty, I’ve returned to what I know:
cooking. Cooking is political; I believe that completely. It allows us to discuss
food systems, poor eating habits, food apartheid, sustainability, corporate and
government influence, and personal responsibility. Among chaos, finding a
road to peace, through food, can be an act of revolution. When society rebukes
and rejects you, strengthening your mental health and spiritual safety, through
food, can be an act of revolution. For me, food has always been a place where
I both lose myself and find myself again. Food is my tool for healing.

16 / homage
 Introduction

Elizabeth Howard was my great-great-great-grandmother.

She lived her life as a slave in Rappahannock,Virginia, back
in the mid-1800s.When her children, James and Mattie,
were young, the Emancipation Proclamation was signed,
abolishing slavery. I can’t imagine what it must have been
like for her. After hundreds of years, and generations of
oppression, I don’t know how any of them were able to
embrace the idea of freedom without confusion or fear.

I’m certain that many former slaves were afraid to abandon

the “safety” of the plantation, for fear of being murdered or
kidnapped—or any other dire consequence that was mentally
beaten into them in case they ever thought about escaping.
It took generations
And they probably felt responsible for the family, reluctant to
to break the slave
desert the massa and force the family to tend to the escapee’s
mindset. yet freedom
work themselves. Then there’s the question of What do I do if
eventually bred I go? There was no telling if they would land on their feet in a
inspiration. different part of the country with only the clothes on their backs,
without job skills, and with limited opportunity.

For those who stayed in the South, farming remained a signif-

icant role in their lives, whether they worked for the same person who had
enslaved them or took part in sharecropping. As for those with a new vision
of the South, sure, they knew that they were free, but there was no one to
welcome them to the land of freedom. They were strangers in a strange land,
surrounded by whites who largely believed them incapable of surviving on
their own.

Many freed slaves fell ill; many died from disease or starvation. Others ended
up in contraband camps, often located near Union Army bases. The conditions
were unsanitary and food supplies limited. Often the only way to leave the

19
camp was to agree to go back to work on the very
same plantations they had recently escaped. It took
generations to break the slave mindset. Yet freedom
eventually bred inspiration, along with a sense of
brave hope to make a change.

Elizabeth’s son, James, had ten children with

his wife, Bettie Johnson. And of those ten, many
followed in their ancestors’ footsteps and worked
the farms or railroads, became housekeepers, or
manufactured clothing. Except for one, Clarence
Howard, my great-grandfather. He journeyed north
to Pennsylvania and took a job in a steel factory.
He met a woman, Sarah Evans, and had three
children: Lynwood, Clyde, and Pearl, whom I came
to know affectionately as Nana. It is here that I join
the story—a branch on a family tree improbably
* 1908 ­Clarence’s brother, E­ ugene, with his family. A
former sharecropper, he became the groundskeeper for
the U
­ niversity of Virginia.
extending from the antebellum South to the heart
of Pennsylvania Dutch Country.

When I was about seven, my parents sent me away

from them in South Carolina to live with my mother’s
mother, Pearl (otherwise known as Nana, to whom
this book is an homage), in Coatesville, Pennsylva-
nia. They were in the middle of a difficult divorce,
but times had been bad long before that.

When my father was home, he’d be drunk and

they’d be arguing, or he’d be talking about other
women or complaining about his business problems.
And though I didn’t put two and two together until
much later, there was also a period during which my
mother was making attempts on her own life. She’d
* 1916 Clarence Howard, Nana’s father.
He lost his arm on the job, coupling trains.
take all these pills and lie in bed, and I thought she
was sick. She’d tell me she was just going to take a
nap, but I should check on her every now and then.

20 / homage
 And if I couldn’t wake her up, to call Nana because
she’d know what to do. So I’d sit by myself in the
living room, watching TV or hanging out with the dog,
and look in on her every couple of hours to see if she
was breathing.

Even once my mom finally joined us in Coatesville,

three or so years after I arrived, she was hard to be
around. After what my father put her through, she
was bitter, angry, and resentful; just beat down by
depression and sacrifice. So Nana was who I contin-
ued to turn to, all through my childhood. She’s the
one who cared for and nurtured me. She’s the one who
* 1972 Me brought comfort and joy into my world. Everything that
was her I gravitated toward, and that included cooking.

Nana was an excellent cook, and it seemed as if she was always in the kitchen.
My grandfather would usually be there with her, sitting quietly with a bottle
of blackberry brandy and a pack of Camels and listening to the Phillies on the
radio. Nana always made an extra place setting for every meal, for the guest
who may or may not arrive. Because all were welcome in Nana’s house. She’d
feed you, of course, and let you take a bath if you wanted one. And there was
always room on the couch, if you needed to lay your head down.

Now, you may think I had it easy, growing up in a quiet small town, the only
child in a house with two elderly people. But Nana brought the kind of regi­
mented continuity to my life that I craved. She taught me to dress myself
and brush my own teeth. She made me get up early and go to church. She
impressed on me the importance of work: washing the clothes, mowing the
lawn, shoveling the snow, shoveling the neighbor’s snow. Many years later,
even at my own restaurants, I’d end up shoveling the storefronts next to mine
after a storm. The guys in the kitchen would tell me, “That’s dumb! What have
they ever done for you?” But that’s Nana in my ear. It’s a living lesson in tend-
ing to others—one that I plan to pass on to my own children.

Introduction / 21
 although for most
people Southern
food conjures up
instant images of
collard greens
and shrimp and grits,
I’ve always
understood it as
distinctly regional.

Nana wasn’t the type of person to let me just sit around. If I tried to come home
after school, throw my bag on the floor, grab a bowl of cereal, and plop in front
of the TV, she wasn’t having that. She’d say, “You can finish your cereal and
then do your homework. And if you don’t do homework, trust me, I have a
whole list of other things you can do.”

Homework was never fun. And I wasn’t eager to do yard work or wash clothes,
either. But when it came to cooking, well, I could easily stay with her for hours.
And a lot of times, that’s exactly how long it took. Especially if she was baking.
That was an opportunity to just go slow, and put all your attention on the task
at hand. Because baking is less about timing—getting something out of the way
so you can move on to something else—than it is about process.

Because it had been forty years since Clarence Howard settled in his chosen
new home of Pennsylvania, Nana’s kitchen included local staples like rice,
spaetzle, and various forms of potato dumplings. And the Southern cooking
styles and techniques he brought with him from Virginia became fused with
culinary traditions from the Amish, the Dutch, and the Germans who had heav-
ily populated this part of Pennsylvania. So although for most people Southern
food conjures up instant images of collard greens and shrimp and grits, I’ve
always understood it as distinctly regional. You’ll find Creole inflections in the

22 / homage
Nana at the stove where
I learned to cook
Florida Panhandle, stretching all the way to Louisi-
ana. In the Carolinas, there’s the Gullah influence.
Move out to Texas and you’re hit with BBQ. In the
Mississippi Delta region, you’ll find imprints from
Mexican migrant workers. And as you move north,
from Virginia to Pennsylvania and even as far as
Canada, you’ll find Appalachian, Dutch, German,
and Amish influences all uniquely intermingling.
This is where you’ll discover the origin of the cuisine
I call Amish soul food.

There are tons of writings about freed slaves and * 1963 My mom with her brother, Sonny.

what they ate. Hundreds of stories about Black

women and fried chicken. Words from New York
to California about soul food and Southern cuisine,
past, present, and future. But soul food doesn’t
begin and end in the South. It’s constantly changing
as individuals travel to different areas, and the com-
munities and local agriculture that surrounds them
become incorporated into their culture and their
food. Amish soul food may sound like a newfangled
creation, but it’s based on the very real history that
my family shares with so many others.

When I was growing up in Coatesville, the Black

population was fairly small. And Black interaction
with the Amish was almost nonexistent, unless you
were working with them or patronizing one of their
businesses. Yet Amish food and influence was every- * early 1950s Meriam Harris (Aunt Dee Dee).

where, and my introduction to all of it began the

day I was born. Most of the diners and restaurants
feature shoofly pie, moon pies, pot pies, the fried
dough slabs known as elephant ears, potato bread,
potato dumplings, apple dumplings, and chicken
corn soup. The dishes created in Nana’s kitchen—
as well as the other households that surrounded

24 / homage
 * late 1930s Aunt Mim and Aunt Sara Mae.

us—were a very natural extension of that influence. Amish food, soul food, and
Amish soul food is about making the best of what you have. It’s the way of the
poor people.

Much as Black folk fled to the northeast to escape slavery, the Amish made
their way to the United States to avoid religious persecution. And in both cases,
they arrived with little more than the clothes on their backs. So they built their
own homes and grew their own food. They had flour from grains, plus maybe
some greens and beans. And if they were lucky enough to have protein, they
used every part of it, making pig ears into scrapple or skin into cracklings. The
Amish community and the Black communities may not have used ingredients
the same way, but they shared the same resources. When they reached into the
pantry, they came up with the same things.

It hasn’t been a smooth journey to embracing this history and these traditions,
and through them, my food. If everything that went into forming who I am—
the good, bad, and ugly—was the root, I spent my early years as a chef throw-
ing concrete on top of it, trying to hide who I was.

The fact that my mother never supported the idea of me cooking? Well, that
had a lot to do with it. Even when I started experimenting as a kid—taking the

Introduction / 25
 * 1950s Nana’s sister-in-law, Aunt Winnie
(the woman looking at the camera at
the far back left of the photo, seated to
the left of the man with his back to the
camera), at a women’s function.

whole pack of hot dogs she’d bought for the house to make for my friends,
serving them with all sorts of spreads and fancy mustards—she’d be pissed.
“Why are you wasting up all our food?” she’d demand. Or she’d complain that
I made the house smoky as I perfected my recipe for “ginger chicken” roasted
with ginger powder, lemon juice, and garlic.

So when I told her that instead of using my degree in English lit to become a
teacher, I was going to pursue becoming a chef? Well. That did it for her. She
didn’t see how that could ever be a real career. She was convinced that I’d be
financially dependent on her my whole life. So starting from the time I was
nineteen, we pretty much didn’t talk for years.

Eventually, when I was working professionally in Philadelphia, my mother

ended up coming around to some of my restaurants. And in true form, she
smack talked most of them—all those small, casual places—saying, “This isn’t
food,” “This is garbage,” or something along those lines. It wasn’t until I got the
executive chef position at Novelty, a real fine-dining establishment with white
tablecloths and real china in a real dining room (my last position previous to

26 / homage
 this was in a basement below a bar), that I sensed a
shift. Not that she said anything directly to me after
[This book] is coming to eat with us. There was no actual praise.
Just a noticeable absence of shit talking. She laughed.
about shining light
She smiled. She enjoyed a glass of wine with my
on a cuisine that
aunts. And for me, that was as close to a seal of
embodies the passage
approval from my mother as I ever received.
between slavery and
present day.
As a result, I came to believe that working in Euro-
pean restaurants, with a focus on fine-dining tech-
niques, was the only professional path worthy of
attention and respect. So when mentors suggested
that I open a soul food restaurant, that it would be
successful in Philadelphia, I chafed at the idea. I’d be
damned if I’d be a Black chef, taking the “obvious”
route of doing fried chicken and ribs. I stubbornly
dismissed who I was, in an effort to mold myself into
something I wasn’t. No wonder I couldn’t find my
own voice. And feeling so disconnected, so rootless,
took its toll on me, both creatively and emotionally.
So much so that I ended up turning to alcohol, to
keep down the submerged hurts of my past that kept
swimming to the surface.

It wasn’t until I relented by looking inward, at where

I’ve been and who I’ve hurt—including myself—that
I was able to reevaluate and refocus and break open
that concrete. And I found that root was still strong
and still growing, so I figured it was time to nurture
it and see what it was about. In it, I discovered the
pain, struggle, and joy of my childhood and the
unique food traditions of my ancestors, intermingling
with my newly acquired foundation of European
cooking techniques. By exposing the root, I finally
found the culinary voice I have now.

Introduction / 27
Another random document with
no related content on Scribd:
 Dat sensus, auget vires, tollitque timorem338
Mortis, et ad martem corda parata facit.
In cruce libertas redit, et perit illa potestas,
Hoste triumphato, que dedit ante mori:
In cruce religio, ritus cultusque venuste
Gentis concludunt omnia sacra simul:
In cruce porta patet paradisi, flammeus ensis
Custos secreti desiit esse loci:
Ecce vides quantis prefulgeat illa figuris,
570 Pagina quam pulcre predicet omnis eam.
Mira quidem crucis est virtus, qua tractus ab alto
Vnicus est patris, vt pateretur homo.
Vi crucis infernum Cristus spoliauit, et illam,
Perdita que fuerat, inde reuexit ouem:
Vi crucis in celum conscendit, et astra paterni
Luminis ingrediens ad sua regna redit:
Glorificata caro, que sustulit in cruce penas,
Presidet in celo sede locata dei.
Sic virtute pie crucis et celestis amoris
580 Surgit in ecclesia gracia lege noua.

Hic dicit quod, exquo solus deus omnia

creauit, solus est a creaturis adorandus, et est
eciam magne racionis vt ipse omnia gubernet et
secundum merita et demerita hominum in sua
voluntate solus iudicet.

Capm. xi. Semper id est quod erat et erit, trinus deus

vnus;
Nec sibi principium, nec sibi finis adest:
Principium tamen et finem dedit omnibus esse,
Omnia per quem sunt, et sine quo nichil est.
Que vult illa potest vt sufficiens in idipsum;
Iussit, et illico sunt que iubet ipse fore:
Cuius ad imperium famulantur cuncta creata,
Hunc volo, credo meum celitus esse deum.
 Dum sit aperta dei manus omnia replet habunde,
590 Auertenteque se, vertitur omne retro.
Singula iudicio sapiens sic diuidit equo,
Fallere seu falli quod nequit ipse deus.
Res est equa nimis, deus exquo cuncta creauit,
Sint vt in arbitrio subdita cuncta suo.
Cum solo causante deo sint cuncta creata,
Num fortuna dei soluere possit opus?
Que nil principiis valuit, nec fine valebit,
Estimo quod mediis nil valet ipsa suis.
Quis terre molem celique volubile culmen,
600 Quis ve mouere dedit sidera? Nonne deus?
Quis ve saporauit in dulcia flumina fontes,
Vel quis amara dedit equora? Nonne deus?
Conditor orbis ad hoc quod condidit esse volebat,
Vt deseruiret fabrica tota deo.
Terram vestiuit herbis et floribus herbas,
Flores in fructus multiplicare dedit:
Invigilat summo studio ditescere terram,
Et fecundare fertilitate sua:
Nec satis est mundus quod flumine, fontibus, ortis,
610 Floribus et tanto germine diues erat;
Res animare nouas, varias formare figuras,
Et speciebus eas diuaricare parat.
Diuersi generis animancia terra recepit,
Ingemuitque nouo pondere pressa suo;339
Distribuitque locos ad eorum proprietates,
Iuxta quod proprium cuilibet esse dedit,
Montibus hiis, illis convallibus, hiis nemorosis,
Pluribus in planis dans habitare locis:
Aera sumpsit auis, piscis sibi vendicat vndas,
620 Planiciem pecudes, deuia queque fere.
Ars operi dictat formas, opifexque figurat,
Artificis sequitur fabrica tota manum.
Fortune nichil attribuit, set solus vt ipse
Cuncta creat, solus cuncta creata regit:
Est nichil infelix, nichil aut de sorte beatum,
 Immo viri meritis dat sua dona deus.
Quicquid adest igitur, sapiens qui scripta reuoluit
Dicet fortunam non habuisse ream:
Hoc fateor vere, quicquid contingit in orbe,
630 Nos sumus in causa, sint bona siue mala.

FOOTNOTES:
308 Heading L resumes here
309 1 vocem] visionem DH₂
310 2 acceperat et ex plebis voce communi concepit L
311 Incipit prologus &c. om. L
312 20 Sic EDL Set T
313 29 Sunt C
314 51 Symon excetraque L si non excecraque D
315 Cap. i. 8 pugna CEDL pungna S pungna H
316 9 obstat ED
317 56 spargis CED
318 65 Desuper EDLT
319 152 Crescit decrescit/crescit D
320 153 Crescit, decrescit] Decrescit subito D
321 168 cunta C
322 174 tegit CE
323 239 No paragr. here CE
324 266 dracho C
325 279 Attamen econtra si iustus D
326 294 obstat CGDL
327 300 anime CEHGDL animi S
328 303 Paragraph here HDL
329 311 illis CE
330 377 Hic SCEHG Hec DLH₂
331 408 resurexit SHT resurrexit CEDL
332 451 f. nosce CE
333 461 nosce CE
334 500, 501 Lingua H
335 536 muniendo (?) C
336 557 signum D
337 559 mentesque CEH
338 561 f. two lines om. T
339 614 Ingenuitque DL
 Hic dicit quod, exquo340 non a fortuna, set
meritis et demeritis, ea que nos in mundo
prospera et aduersa vocamus digno dei iudicio
hominibus contingunt, intendit consequenter
scribere de statu hominum, qualiter se ad
presens habent, secundum hoc quod per
sompnium superius dictum vidit et audiuit.

Incipit prologus libri tercii.

Cum bona siue mala sit nobis sors tribuenda

Ex propriis meritis, hiis magis hiisque minus,
Fit mundique status in tres diuisio partes,
Omnibus vnde viris stat quasi sortis opus,
Et modo per vicia quia sors magis astat iniqua,
Ponderet in causis quilibet acta suis:
In quocumque gradu sit homo, videatur in orbe
Que sibi sunt facta, sors cadit vnde rea.
Non ego personas culpabo, set increpo culpas,341
10 Quas in personis cernimus esse reas.
A me non ipso loquor hec, set que michi plebis
Vox dedit, et sortem plangit vbique malam:
Vt loquitur vulgus loquor, et scribendo loquelam342
Plango, quod est sanctus nullus vt ante status.
Quisque suum tangat pectus videatque sequenter
Si sit in hoc talis vnde quietus erit.343
Nescio quis purum se dicet, plebs quia tota
Clamat iam lesum quemlibet esse statum.
Culpa quidem lata, non culpa leuis, maculauit
20 Tempora cum causis, nos quoque nostra loca:
Nil generale tamen concludam sub speciali,
Nec gero propositum ledere quemque statum.
Nouimus esse status tres, sub quibus omnis in
orbe
 More suo viuit atque ministrat eis.
Non status in culpa reus est, set transgredientes
A virtute status, culpa repugnat eis.
Quod dicunt alii scribam, quia nolo quod vlli
Sumant istud opus de nouitate mea.
Qui culpat vicia virtutes laudat, vt inde
30 Stet magis ipse bonus in bonitate sua:
Vt patet oppositum nigris manifestius album,
Sic bona cum viciis sunt patefacta magis:
Ne grauet ergo bonos, tangat si scriptor iniquos,
Ponderet hoc cordis lanx pacientis onus:
Vera negant pingi, quia vera relacio scribi
Debet, non blandi falsa loquela doli.
Si qua michi sintilla foret sensus, precor illam
Ad cumulum fructus augeat ille deus:
Si qua boni scriptura tenet, hoc fons bonitatis
40 Stillet detque deus que bona scribat homo:
Fructificet deus in famulo que scripta iuuabunt,
Digna ministret homo semina, grana deus.
Mole rei victus fateor succumbo, set ipsam
Spes michi promittit claudere fine bono:
Quod spes promittit, amor amplexatur, vtrique
Auxiliumque fides consiliumque facit;344
Suggerit, instigat, suadet, fructumque laboris
Spondet, et exclamat, ‘Incipe, fiet opus.’
Quo minor est sensus meus, adde tuum, deus,
et da,
50 Oro, pios vultus ad mea vota tuos:
Vt nichil abrupte s i b i p r esumat stilus iste,
Da veniam cepto, te, deus, oro, meo.
Non ego sidereas affecto tangere sedes,
Scribere nec summi mistica quero poli;
Set magis, humana que vox communis ad extra
Plangit in hac terra, scribo moderna mala:
Vtilis aduerso quia confert tempore sermo,
Promere tendo mala iam bona verba die.345
Nulla Susurro queat imponere scandala, per que
60 Auris in auditu negligat ora libri:
Non malus interpres aliquam michi concitet iram,
Quid nisi transgressis dum loquar ipse reis.
Erigat, oro, pia tenuem manus ergo carectam,
Vt mea sincero currat in axe rota:
Scribentem iuuet ipse fauor minuatque laborem,
Cum magis in pauido pectore p e rstat opus:
Omnia peruersas poterunt corrumpere mentes,
Stant tamen illa suis singula tuta locis:
Vt magis ipse queam, reliqui poterintque valere,346
70 Scit deus, ista mei vota laboris erunt.
Aspice, quique leges ex ipsis concipe verbis,
Hoc michi non odium scribere suadet opus.
Si liber iste suis mordebitur ex inimicis,
Hoc peto ne possint hunc lacerare tamen:
Vade, liber, seruos sub eo qui liberat omnes,
Nec mala possit iter rumpere lingua tuum;
Si, liber, ora queas transire per inuida liber,
Imponent alii scandala nulla tibi.
Non erit in dubio m e a v o x clamans, erit omnis
80 Namque fides huius maxima vocis homo.
Si michi tam sepe liquet excusacio facta,
Ignoscas, timeo naufragus omne fretum.
O sapiens, sine quo nichil est sapiencia mundi,
Cuius in obsequium me mea vota ferunt,
Te precor instanti da tempore, Criste, misertus,
Vt metra que pecii prompta parare queam;
Turgida deuitet, falsum mea penna recuset
Scribere, set scribat que modo vera videt.
In primis caueat ne fluctuet, immo decenter
90 Quod primo pon i t carmine seruet opus:347
Hic nichil offendat lectorem, sit nisi verum
Aut veri simile, quod mea scripta dabunt.
In te qui es verus mea sit sentencia vera,
Non ibi figmentum cernere possit homo:
Conueniatque rei verbum sensumque ministret,
Dulce sit et quicquam commoditatis habens:
 Absit adulari, nec sit michi fabula blesa,
Nec michi laus meriti sit sine laude tua.
Da loquar vt vicium minuatur et ammodo virtus
100 Crescat, vt in mundo mundior extet homo:
Tu gressus dispone meos, tu pectus adauge,
Tu sensus aperi, tu plue verba michi;
Et quia sub trino mundi status ordine fertur,
Sub trina serie tu mea scripta foue.
Hiis tibi libatis nouus intro nauta profundum,
Sacrum pneuma rogans vt mea vela regas.

Hic tractat qualiter status et ordo mundi in

tribus consistit gradibus, sunt enim, vt dicit,
Clerus, Milicies, et Agricultores, de quorum
errore mundi infortunia nobis contingunt. Vnde
primo videndum est de errore cleri precipue in
ordine prelatorum, qui potenciores aliis
existunt; et primo dicet de prelatis illis qui Cristi
scolam dogmatizant et eius contrarium
operantur.
Incipit liber tercius.348

Capm. i.Sunt
Clerus, Miles, Cultor, tres trina gerentes,
Set de prelatis scribere tendo
prius.
Scisma patens hodie monstrat
quod sunt duo pape,
Vnus scismaticus, alter et ille
bonus:
Francia scismaticum colit et statuit
venerandum,
Anglia set rectam seruat vbique
fidem.
Ergo meis scriptis super hoc
vbicumque legendis
 Sint bona dicta bonis, et mala
linquo malis.
Inter prelatos dum Cristi quero
sequaces,
Regula nulla manet, que prius esse
10 solet.
C r i s t u s e r a t pauper, i l l i cumulantur in auro;
Hic pacem dederat, hii m o d o bella m o u e n t:
C r i s t u s e r a t largus, hii sunt velut archa
tenaces;
Hunc labor inuasit, hos fouet aucta quies:
C r i s t u s e r a t mitis, hii sunt t a m e n
i m p e t u o s i;
Hic humilis subiit, hii superesse volunt:
C r i s t u s e r a t m i s e r a n s, hii vindictamque
sequntur;
Sustulit hic penas, hos timor inde fugat:
C r i s t u s e r a t virgo, s u n t i l l i r a r o
p u d i c i;
20 Hic bonus est pastor, hii set ouile vorant:
C r i s t u s e r a t verax, hii blandaque verba
requirunt;
C r i s t u s e r a t iustus, hii nisi velle vident:
C r i s t u s e r a t constans, hii vento mobiliores;
Obstitit ipse malis, hii magis i l l a sinunt:
Hii pleno stomacho laudant ieiunia Cristi;
C r i s t u s a q u a m peciit, hii bona vina bibunt:

As follows in CHGEDL,

*Capm. i. Sunt Clerus, Miles, Cultor, tres trina gerentes;

Hic docet, hic pugnat, alter et arua colit.
Quid sibi sit Clerus primo videamus, et ecce
Eius in exemplis iam stupet omnis humus.349
 Scisma patens hodie monstrat quod sunt duo
pape,
Vnus scismaticus, alter et ille bonus:
Francia scismaticum colit et statuit venerandum,
Anglia sed rectam seruat vbique fidem.
Ergo meis scriptis super hoc vbicumque legendis
10* Sint bona dicta bonis, et mala linquo malis.
Delicias mundi negat omnis regula Cristi,
Sed modo prelati preuaricantur ibi.
Cristus erat pauper, illi cumulantur in auro;
Hic humilis subiit, hii superesse volunt:
Cristus erat mitis, hos pompa superbit inanis;
Hic pacem dederat, hii modo bella ferunt:
Cristus erat miserans, hii vindictamque sequntur;
Mulcet eum pietas, hos mouet ira frequens:350
Cristus erat verax, hii blandaque verba requirunt;
20* Cristus erat iustus, hii nisi velle vident:
Cristus erat constans, hii vento mobiliores;
Obstitit ille malis, hii mala stare sinunt:351
Cristus erat virgo, sunt illi raro pudici;
Hic bonus est pastor, hii sed ouile vorant:
Hii pleno stomacho laudant ieiunia Cristi;
Mollibus induti, nudus et ipse pedes:
Et que plus poterunt sibi fercula lauta parari,352
28* Ad festum Bachi dant holocausta quasi.
Esca placens ventri, &c. as 29 ff.

As follows in TH₂,

**Capm. i. Sunt clerus, miles, cultor, tres trina gerentes;353

Hic docet, hic pugnat, alter et arua colit.
Quid sibi sit clerus primo videamus, et ecce
De reliquis fugiens mundus adheret eis.354
 Primo prelatos constat preferre sequendos,
Nam via doctorum tucior illa foret.
Morigeris verbis modo sunt quam plura docentes,
Facta tamen dictis dissona cerno suis.
Ipse Ihesus facere bene cepit, postque docere,
10** Set modo prelatis non manet ille modus.
Ille fuit pauper, isti cumulantur in auro;
Hic pacem dederat, hii quoque bella ferunt:
Ille fuit largus, hii sunt velut archa tenaces;
Hunc labor inuasit, hos fouet aucta quies:
Ille fuit mitis, hii sunt magis igne furentes;
Hic humilis subiit, hii superesse volunt:
Ille misertus erat, hii vindictamque sequntur;
Sustulit hic penas, hos timor inde fugat:
Ille fuit virgo, vix vnus castus eorum;
20** Hic bonus est pastor, hii set ouile vorant:
Ille fuit verax, hii blandaque verba requirunt;
Ille fuit iustus, hii nisi velle vident:
Ille fuit constans, hii vento mobiliores;
Obstitit ipse malis, hii magis ipsa sinunt:355
Hii pleno stomacho laudant ieiunia Cristi;
26** Hic limpham peciit, hii bona vina bibunt:
Et quotquot poterit &c., as 27 ff.

Et quotquot poterit mens escas premeditari

Lautas, pro stomacho dant renouare suo.
Esca placens ventri, sic est et venter ad escas,
30 Vt Venus a latere stet bene pasta gule.
Respuit in monte sibi Cristus singula regna,
Hiis nisi mundana gloria sola placet.
Moribus assuetus olim simplex fuit, et nunc
Presul opes mores deputat esse suos.
Creuerunt set opes et opum furiosa cupido,
Et cum possideant plurima, plura petunt.
 Sunt in lege dei nuper magis hii meditati,
Numen eis vultum prestitit vnde suum:
Nunc magis intrauit animos suspectus honorum,
40 Fit precium dignis, sunt neque cuncta satis.
In precio precium nunc est, dat census honores,
Omneque pauperies subdita crimen habet.
Cum loquitur diues, omnis tunc audiet auris,
Pauperis ore tamen nulla loquela valet:
Si careat censu, sensus nichil est sapienti,
Census in orbe modo sensibus ora premit.
Pauper erit stultus, loquitur licet ore Catonis;
Diues erit sapiens, nil licet ipse sciat:
Est in conspectu paupertas vilis eorum
50 Cuiuscumque viri, sit licet ipse bonus;
Sit licet et diues peruerse condicionis,
Horum iudiciis non erit ipse malus.
Nil artes, nil pacta fides, nil gracia lingue,
Nil fons ingenii, nil probitas, sine re:
Nullus inops sapiens; vbi res, ibi copia sensus;
Si sapiat pauper, nil nisi pauper erit.
Quem mundus reprobat, en nos reprobamus
eundem,
Vtque perit pereat perdicionis opus;356
Nos set eum laude nostra dignum reputamus,
60 Copia quem mundi duxit ad orbis opes:
Et sic prelatis mundus prefertur ab intus,
Hiis tamen exterius fingitur ipse deus.
Laudamus veteres, nostris tamen vtimur annis,
Nec vetus in nobis regula seruat iter:
Non tunc iusticiam facinus mortale fugarat,
Que nunc ad superos rapta reliquit humum.
Felices anime mundum renuere, set intus
Cura domos superas scandere tota fuit;
Non venus aut vinum sublimia pectora fregit,
70 Que magis interius concupiere deum.
Plura videre potes modo set nouitatis ad instans,
Que procul a Cristi laude superba gerunt:
 Nunc magis illesa seruant sua corpora leta,
Set non sunt ista gaudia nata fide:
Sufficit hiis sola ficte pietatis in vmbra,
Dicant pomposi, quam pius ordo dei.
Pro fidei meritis prelati tot paciuntur,
Vnde viros sanctos nos reputamus eos.

Hic loquitur de prelatis illis qui carnalia

appetentes vltra modum delicate viuunt.

Capm. ii. Permanet ecce status Thome, cessit tamen

actus,
80 Normaque Martini deperit alma quasi;
Sic qui pastor erat, nunc Mercenarius extat,357
Quo fugiente lupus spergit vbique gregem.
Non caput in gladio iam vincit, nec valet arto
Vincere cilicio deliciosa caro:
Ollarum carnes preponit fercula, porros,
Gebas pro manna presul habere petit.358
Prodolor! en tales sinus ecclesie modo nutrit,
Qui pro diuinis terrea vana petunt.
Ollarum carnes carnalia facta figurant,
90 Que velut in cleri carne libido coquit.
Est carni cognata venus, iactancia, fastus,
Ambicio, liuor, crapula, rixa, dolus.
Ventre saginato veneris suspirat ad vsum
Carnis amica caro, carnea membra petens:
Et sic non poterunt virtutum tangere culmen,
Dum dominatur eis ventris iniqus amor.
Subuertunt Sodomam tumor, ocia, copia panis,
Impietasque tenax: presul, ad ista caue.
Set modo prelati dicant michi quicquid ad aures,
100 Lex tamen ex proprio velle gubernat eos:
Si mundo placeant carnique placencia reddant,
Ex anima virtus raro placebit eis.
Bachus adest festo patulo diffusus in auro,
 Precellit calices maior honore ciphus;
Glorificans mensam non aurea vasa recondit,
Quo poterit vano vanus honore frui.
Aula patet cunctis oneratque cibaria mensas,
Indulgetque nimis potibus atque cibis:
Vestibus et facie longus nitet ordo clientum,
110 Ad domini nutus turba parata leues:
Sic modico ventri vastus vix sufficit orbis,
Atque ministrorum vocibus aula fremit.
Tantum diuitibus, aliis non festa parantur,
Nec valet in festo pauper habere locum;
Vanaque sic pietas stat victa cupidine ventris;
Dum sit honor nobis, nil reputatur onus.
Sicque famem Cristi presul laudare gulosus
Presumit, simile nec sibi quicquid agit;
Quicquid et ad vicium mare nutrit, terra vel aer,
120 Querit habetque sibi luxuriosa fames:
Esuriens anima maceratur, et ipsa voluptas
Carnis ad excessum crassat in ore gulam.
Sic epulis largis est pleno ventre beatus
Luce, set in scortis gaudia noctis habet;
Cumque genas bibulas Bachus rubefecerit ambas,
Erigit ex stimulis cornua ceca Venus:
Sic preclara viri virtus, sic vita beata
Deliciis pastus cum meretrice cubat.
Frigida nulla timet Acherontis, quem calefactum
130 Confouet incesti lectus amore sui;
Sicque voluptatum varia dulcedine gaudet,
Et desideriis seruit vbique suis;
Sicque ioco, venere, vino sompnoque beatus,
Expendit vite tempora vana sue.
Nescit perpetuo quod torrem nutriat igni
Corpus, quod tantis nutrit alitque modis.

Hic loquitur de prelatis illis qui lucris

terrenis inhiant, honore prelacie gaudent, et
 non vt prosint set vt presint, episcopatum
desiderant.

Capm. iii. Nemo potest verus dominis seruire duobus,

Presul in officio fert tamen illa duo:
Eterni regis seruum se dicit, et ipse
140 Terreno regi seruit et astat ei:
Clauiger ethereus Petrus extitit, isteque poscit359
Claues thesauri regis habere sibi.
Sic est deuotus cupidus, mitisque superbus,
Celicus et qui plus sollicitatur humo:
Sic mundum sic et Cristum retinebit vtrumque,
Mundus amicicior, Cristus amicus, erit.
Inter eos, maior quis sit, lis sepe mouetur,
Set quis erit melior, questio nulla sonat:
Si tamen ad mundi visum facies bonitatis
150 Eminet, hoc raro viscera cordis habent.
Hoc deus esse pium statuit quodcunque iuuaret,
Nos tamen ad nocuas prouocat ira manus:
Vti iusticia volo, set conuertor in iram,
Principiumque bonum destruit ira sequens:
Carnem castigo, miseros sustento, set inde
Nascens furatur gloria vana bonum.
Istud fermentum mundane laudis et ire
Absque lucro meriti respuit ira dei:
In vicium virtus sic vertitur, vt sibi mundus
160 Gaudeat et Cristus transeat absque lucris.
Vt presul prosit dudum sic ordo petebat,
Set modo que presit mitra colenda placet.
Presulis ex precibus populo peccante solebat
Ira dei minui nec meminisse mali;
Nuncque manus Moyses non erigit in prece noster,
Nos Amalech ideo vexat in ense suo.
Moyse leuante manus Iosue victoria cedit,
Dumque remittit eas, victus ab hoste redit:
Sic pro plebe manu, lacrimis, prece, sidera
pulsans
170 Presul ab instanti munit ab hoste suos;
Ac, si dormitet victus torpore sacerdos,
Subdita plebs viciis de leuitate cadit.
Quos habeat fructus suplex deuocio iusti,
In precibus Moysi quisque notare potest.
Qui bonus est pastor gregis ex pietate mouetur,
Et propriis humeris fert sibi pondus ouis;360
Qui licet inmunis sit ab omni labe, suorum
Membrorum culpas imputat ipse sibi.
Non in se Cristus crimen transisse fatetur,
180 Set reus in membris dicitur esse suis:
Non facit hic populum delinquere, set tamen eius
Suscepit culpas vt remoueret eas.
Nunc tamen, vt d i c u n t , e s t p r e s u l t a l i s in
orbe,
Qui docet hoc factum, nec tamen illud agit:
Nam qui de proprio se ledit crimine, raro
Efficitur curis hic aliena salus:
Non valet ille deo conferre salubria voto,
Ad mundi cultum qui dedit omne suum.
Presul in orbe gregem curare tenetur egentem,
190 Ipse videns maculas vngere debet eas:
Set si magnatos presul noscat maculatos,
Illos non audet vngere, namque timet.
Si reliqui peccent, quid ob hoc dum soluere
possunt?361
Torquentur bursa sic reus atque rea:
Ipse gregis loculos mulget, trahit in tribulosque
Cause quo lana vulsa manebit ei.
Quod corpus peccat peccantis bursa relaxat:
Hec statuunt iura presulis ecce noua.
Sic iteranda modo venus affert lucra registro;
200 Dum patitur bursa, sunt residiua mala:
Dum loculus pregnat satis, impregnare licebit;
Dat partus loculi iura subacta tibi.
Sic timor et lucrum sunt qui peccata relaxant,
Sub quorum manibus omne recumbit opus:
 Sic lucri causa presul mulcet sua iura,
Annuit et nostris fas adhibere malis:
Mammona sic nummi nobis dispensat iniqui,
Non tamen eternas prestat habere domos.
Nunc furit en Iudex, si luxuracio simplex
210 Fiat, et incestum nescit habere reum:
Si coheat laicus resolutus cum resoluta,
Clamat in ecclesia clerus et horret ea;
Clerus et in cohitu si peccet, nil reputatur,
Dum Iudex cause parsque sit ipse sue.
Sic modo dii gentis subuertunt cunctipotentis
Iura, que dant michi ius, sum magis vnde reus;
Sicque grauant alios duro sub pondere pressos,
Inque suis humeris quam leue fertur onus.
Vxor adulterio deprensa remittitur, in quo
220 Exemplum venie Cristus habere docet;
Tale tamen crimen non aurea bursa redemit,
Set contrita magis mens medicamen habet.
Non tamen est lacrima modo que delere valebit
Crimen, si bursa nesciat inde forum:
Bursa valet culpam, valet expurgareque penam,
Bursa valet quantum curia nostra valet.

Hic loquitur de l e g i b u s eorum

positiuis, que quamuis ad cultum
anime necessarie non sunt,
infinitas tamen constituciones
quasi cotidie ad eorum lucrum
n o b i s g r a u i t e r i m p o n u n t.362

Capm. iiii. Num dat pre manibus sceleris veniam michi

Cristus?
Non puto, set facto post miseretur eo:
Aut quod peccatum non est, numquid
prohibendum363
230 Hoc Cristus statuit? talia nulla facit.
 Nunc set, que Moysi neque lex prohibet neque
Cristi,
Plurima decretis dant prohibenda nouis;
Set michi que statuunt hodie peccata, remittunt
Cras, sibi si dedero: de quibus ergo peto.
Aut est quod proprie res peccatum gerit in se,
Aut nisi sit vetita, non foret ipsa mala.
Est si peccatum, tunc cur, quam sit prius actum,
Prestat idem nummis posse licere meis?
Est si res licita, tunc cur sua lex positiua
240 Hanc fore dampnandam striccius artat eam?
Hoc de iusticia puto non venit, immo voluntas
Taliter vt fiat lucra petendo iubet:
Exequitur iuste rem iustam, qui bene causas
Non zelo nummi iudicat, immo dei.
Legibus ecclesie quicquid sit in orbe ligatum
Ex iusta causa, credo ligare decet:
Set nichil iniustum deus accipit, vnde nec alter
Affirmare potest quod deus ipse negat.
Alcius ecce Simon temptat renouare volatum,
250 Ne cadat ipse nouo plura timere potest.
Non laqueare venit iter humanum pius ille
Cristus, set planam dirigit ipse viam;
Nos tamen ex plano componimus aspera, durum
Ex molli, que scelus pro pietate damus.
Lex etenim Cristi fuit hec quam gracia mulcet,
Nostra set ex penis lex positiua riget.
Lex Cristi simplex sub paucis condita verbis
Clauditur, vnde iugum suaue ministrat onus:364
Infinita tamen legis sentencia nostre
260 Aggravat, et finem vix habet ipsa suum.
Libera lex Cristi satis est, fit legeque nostra
Absque lucro gratis gracia nulla viris.
Omne fit ex causa; sic est quod lex positiua,
Quam fundat clerus, grande figurat opus.
In quanto volucres petit auceps carpere plures,
Vult tanto laqueos amplificare suos:
 In quanto leges auget clerus positiuas,
Fit magis hiis stricta gentis in orbe via:
Cum magis in stricto gradimur, cicius pede lapso
270 Sternimur, et clero subpeditamur eo:
Cum sibi plus mundum teneat clerusque
subactum,
Tum magis ecclesia gestat in orbe l u c r a:
Dum magis est clerus diues, magis inde
superbus365
Astat, et ex velle dat sua iura fore.
Sol notat ecclesiam, Sinagogam luna figurat,
Set modo custodes ista nec illa ferunt:
Sunt qui nec legis veteris precepta reseruant,
Nec que Cristus eis addidit ipse noua.
Nuper erat firmus presul sine crimine sanctus,
280 Vtilis in populo, dignior ante deum;
Set modo si mundum poterit complectere vanum,
Est sibi nil populi laus vel ab ore dei.

Hic loquitur de prelatis qui bona mundi

temporalia possidentes spiritualia omittunt.

Capm. v. Hec vox angelica, que nuper in ethere Romam

Terruit, en nostro iam patet orbe nouo.
Tempore Siluestri, dum Constantinus eidem
Contulit ecclesie terrea dona sue,
‘Virus in ecclesia seritur nunc,’ angelus inquit,
‘Terrea dum mundi fit domus ipsa dei.’
Sic fuit vt dixit, postquam possessio creuit
290 In proprium cleri, virus adhesit ei:
Sic reditus iam quisque suos amat, et sibi quid sit
Vtile sollicitis computat ipse viis.
Ecclesie iura sibi nil sunt, dummodo castra
Curant cum t e r r i s amplificare suis.
Esuriunt mundum semper, set in ordine solum
Nomen ab ecclesiis sufficit illud eis.
 Ordinis angelici fertur quod sunt dominati
Atque potestates, sic et in orbe vides;
Nam quia clerus ibi nequit ipsis assimilari,
300 Ferre gerarchiam dat sibi terra suam:366
Sic quia prelatus dubitat quid carpere celis,
Huius vult mundi certus honore frui.
Dixit Pilato Cristus, quod in hoc sibi mundo
Non fuerat regnum: iam neque presul eum
Consequitur, set ei contraria sumere cuncti
Regna volunt, et in hiis bella mouere viris.
Pro fidei causis nolunt dare bella paganis,
Solum nec verba pandere lege sacra;
Set pro terrenis si contradixerit ipsis
310 Saltem Cristicola, dant ibi bella fera.
Sic quia mundana sine Cristo iam capit arma
Clerus in ecclesia, iure carebit ea.
‘Cognoscetis eos,’ Cristus, ‘de fructibus horum,’
Dicit, et est illa regula vera satis.
Quomodocumque suam clerus legem positiuam
Laruat, erit testis cultus ad acta foris.
Egros vmbra Petri sanauit, lux neque nostra
Nec vox nec votum ferre meretur opem.
Subdita decurrit pedibus super equora siccis
320 Petrus, iam nostram mergit et vnda fidem.
Qui nos prosequitur, Cristi de lege iubemur
Illum per nostras rectificare preces;
Nos tamen absque deo de iure nouo positiuo
Vindictam gladii ferre monemus ibi.
Sic hos destruimus quos edificare tenemur,
Perdimus et Cristi quod tulit ipse lucri.
‘Sit michi vindicta,’ deus inquit, set quia papa
Est deus in terris, vindicat ipse prius.

Hic loquitur qualiter Cristus pacem suis

discipulis dedit et reliquit: dicit tamen367 quod
modo propter bona terrena guerras saltem