"Out from the West, a girl, it seemed to me,
Came walking on that path; she looked towards hell.
The girl was named Mercy, gentle through and through,
A very gracious lady, and humble of speech.

Her sister, so it seemed, came quietly walking
Straight from the East, and she looked to the West.
A very comely creature and pure, her name was Truth.
Thanks to the quality that she stood for she was never afraid.

When these maidens met, Mercy and Truth,
Each asked the other about this great wonder—
About the noise and the darkness, and how the day was unfolding.
And how a light and a glow lay before hell.

'I am baffled, in faith, by these goings on,' said Truth,
'And I am going to find out what this wonder means.'

'Don't be amazed,' said Mercy, 'it signifies joy.
A maiden called Mary, [who became] a mother without sex
With any natural creature, conceived through speech
And grace of the Holy Ghost. [She] grew big with child;
She, without blemish, brought him into the world.
And I take God to witness that my story is true." (Passus 18, 113-132)

Are you up for a challenge? We're not going to kid you: Piers Plowman is considered one of the most challenging pieces of English literature from the Medieval Period. It's a dream vision that follows the poem's unnamed narrator. A kindly plowman named... wait for it... Piers guides him through a series of visions (called passus, which is Latin for "steps").

These visions lead the narrator toward Truth—which is a fictional person within the text, who symbolizes Truth With a Capital T outside the text. Phew. We're getting our prose all in a twist just trying to explain this text to you.

Anyways, medieval authors sure loved their plowmen. Even Chaucer got into the act, portraying his Plowman as one of the true good guys of the Canterbury Tales. In Langland's work, it's commonly accepted that Piers is a Christ-like figure.

And who could be a good-er guy than Christ, we ask?

Passus 18 gives an extended treatment of the Harrowing of Hell. This is a narrative tradition that recounts how Jesus Christ went down to Hell after the crucifixion—but before the resurrection—to rescue all those good folks who lived before Christ… and who had been heating their heels down there for thousands of years.

While this account was not included in the Bible, it was a well-known apocryphal story that made the rounds all over the medieval period.

In the quote above, the narrator meets Mercy, Truth, and, as an added bonus, the Virgin Mary. Oh my. Shortly afterwards, Mercy, Truth, Righteousness, and Peace debate about whether or not all souls trapped in Hell can be saved through Jesus' grace. Heady stuff.

The Word Suits the Deed

If you met someone named Mercy and someone named Truth, how would you expect them to behave? What connotations do those names bring up? Let's take a look at what Langland does here with these two allegorical figures.

First we meet Mercy. What is she like? Welp, she's "gentle through and through," a "very gracious lady" who's "humble of speech." Duh, right? If people are merciful, they're typically kind and forgiving, so these descriptions make sense.

Plus, Mercy's the character who introduces the Virgin Mary. The logic here is that medieval people prayed to Mary as an intercessor: a go-between who stood between the worshiper and Jesus or God. And often, compassion stands between one and greater godliness.

But what about Truth? She, too, behaves in a manner befitting her name. Even though she's confused in this passage, she's "going to find out what this wonder means." Seek that truth, Truth. Git it.

The Abstract Made Concrete

Langland is making the abstract concrete here. He's allegorizing concepts as people; Mercy, Truth, and all the rest interact with each other, and the narrator. And by doing so, the author helps us to explore how these qualities work in real life.

So, the narrative has two different levels of meaning. The first is the literal story that's being told. That is, the dreamer is seeing these actions play out, and he's telling us this story. The second level is that of symbolic meaning. As Mercy and Truth and so on acquire human characteristics, these esoteric concepts become easier for us to wrap our minds around.