Medieval Note - Mental Handicap

This is possible one of the earliest and most sympathetic mentions in literature. It is interesting in that there is none of the distinction which existed elsewhere in legal documents of the 13th century between the "natural fool" and the "witless lunatic".

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Piers Plowman, c. 1377

But there are other beggars, healthy in appearance,

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Who want their wits--men and women also.
They are lunatic lollers and leapers about the country,
And are mad as the moons grow more or less.
They are careless of winter and careless of summer;
They move with the moon, and are moneyless travellers,
With a good will, but witless, through many wide countries.
So Peter and Paul travelled, except that these preach not
And are no makers of miracles. And many times they happen
To prophesy to the people, in sport, one may imagine.

But to my sight it seems that since God is able

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To make each one whole, and witty and wealthy,
And suffers such wanderers--it seems to my conscience
That such people are as his apostles, or as his privy disciples;
For he has sent them forth silverless, in a summer garment,
Without bag or bread, as the Book tells us:
Quando misi vos sine pane et pera.
They are barefoot and breadless, and beg of no man;
And though one meets with the mayor in the midst of the city,
He renders him no reverence, no more than to another.

Neminem salutaveris per viam.

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Such manner of men, Saint Matthew tells us,
We should have in our houses, and help on their journey:
Et egenos vagosque induc in domum tuam.
For they are men of merry mouths, minstrels of heaven,
God's servants and God's jesters, as the Scripture teaches:
Si quis videtur sapiens, fiet stultus ut sit sapiens.

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But they're feeble-minded, men and women both,
Who are lunatic lollers and wandering tramps,
And grow more or less mad in phase with the moon.
They don't care about cold nor take account of heat

And are moving after the moon; moneyless they walk,

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With good will, but witless, through many wide countries,
Just as Peter and Paul did, except they don't preach
Nor make any miracles but many times they happen
To prophesy about the people, playing, as it were.

And in our view, as it seems, since God has the might

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To give each being intelligence, wealth, and health
And suffers such to go this way, it seems, in my judgment
They're like his apostles, such people, or his secret disciples
For he sent them forth silverless in a summer garment

Without bag and bread, as the book tells:

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When I sent you without bread and bag. °
Barefoot and breadless, they beg from no man.
And though they meet the mayor in the middle of the street,
They don't revere him at all, no sooner than another.
Salute no man by the way. °
Such manner of men, Matthew teaches us,

We should bring home and help when they come.

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And bring the needy and the harborless into thy house. °
For they are merry-mouthed men, minstrels of heaven,
And God's boys and jesters, as the book tells.
If any man among you seem to be wise, let him become a fool that he
may be wise.°