Passus octauus de visione .
Et hic incipit inquisitio prima de dowell .
Et hic incipit inquisitio prima de dowell .
THus throbedN in russet , I runned about
All a Somer season for to seke Dowel
And freyned full oft , of folke that I mete
If any wight wist wher dowel was at inne
And what man he might be , of many man I asked ,
Was neuer wyght as I went , that me wyshe could
Where thys ladde lenged , lasse or more ,
Tyll it befel on Fryday , two Fryers I mette ,
Maisters of the Menours , men of greate wytte
I halsed hem hendly , as I had lerned ,
And prayed hem for charitie , or they passed further
If they knew any contrye or cost as they went
Where that dowel dwelleth , do me to wyt ,
For they be men of this mold that most wyde walken .
And knowen contries & courtes , & many kings places
Both princes palaces , and pore mens cotes
And do-wel & do-euil , where they dwel both .
Amongest vs quod the menours , that man is dwellinge
And euer hath as I hope , and euer shall hereafter ,
Contra quod I , as a clarke , and cumsed to disputen
And sayde hym sothlye , Septies in die cadit iustus
Seuen sythes sayeth the boke , synneth the ryghtfull ,
And who-so synneth I say , doth euyl as me thinketh
And do-well and do-euyl , may not dwell togither ,
Ergo he is not alway among you Fryers
He is otherwhyle els-where , to wyshen the people .
I shall say the my sonne , sayde the Frier than ,
Howe seuen sithes the sadde man on a day synneth ,
By a forbisne quod the Fryer , I shal the faire shewe
Let bryng a man in a boote , amyd the broke water
The wynde and the water , and the bote waggyng
Make a man many tyme to fall , and to stande
For stand he neuer so styffe , he stumbleth if he meue
And yet is he safe and sounde , and so hym behoueth ,
For if he ne aryse the rather , and raght to the stere ,
The wind would with the water the boote ouerthrow
And than were his life lost through latches of him-self
And thus it falleth quod þe Frier by folk here on erth
The water is likned to þe world þat waueth & wexeth
The goods of this world ar likened to þe gret waues
That as windes and wethers walken about ,
The boote is likened to our body , þat brotil is of kynd
That through the fleshe and the frayle worlde ,
Synneth the sadde man a day seuen tymes
And deadly synne dothe he not , for dowel him kepeth
And þat is charitie þe champion , chiefe helpe agayne sinne
For he strenthed man to stand , & stirreth mans soule
And thoughe they bowe as boote doth in the water ,
Aye is thy soule safe , but if thou wylt thy-selfe
Do a deadlye sinne , and drenche so thy soule ,
God wyll suffer wel thy slouth , if thy-selfe lyketh
For he gafe the two yeresyeftis to teme wel thy-selfe
And þat is Witte & Frewil to euery wight a portion
To flyinge fowles , to fishes , and to beastes
And man hath moste therof , and most is to blame
But if he worch wel therwith , as do-wel hym teacheth .
I haue no kind knoyng quod I , to conceiue all your wordes
And if I may liue & loke , I shal go learne better
I bikenne the Christ , that on the crosse dyed .
And I said the same saue you from mischaunce
And giue you grace on this ground good men to worth
And thus I went wide-wher , walking mine one
By a wyde wildernes , and by a brookes syde ,
Blisse of the birdes brought me on slepe ,
And vnder a lynde on a land , lened I a stounde
To lyth the layes , tho louely fowles made ,
Myrthe of her mouthes made me there to slepe
The maruelousest metelles mette me than ,
That euer dremed wyght in worlde as I wene .
A much man as me thought , and like to my-selfe ,
Came and called me by my kinde name ,
What art þou quod I tho , thou þat my name knoweste ?
That thou wottest wel quod he , and no wight better
Wote I what thou art ? Thought sayd he than ,
I haue sued the this seuen yeres , se þou me no rather ?
Art thou Thought quod I tho , thou couldest me wyshe
Wher þat Dowel dwelleth , & do me that to knowe
Dowel , & Dobetter , & Dobest the thirde quod he
Are thre fayre vertues and be not farre to fynde
Who-so is true of hys tonge and of hys two handis
And through his labor & his lond his lyuelod winneth
And is trusty of hys tayland , taketh but hys owne
And is no dronkelewe ne dedigyous dowel him foloweth
Do-bet doth right thus , & he doth much more
He is as lowe as a lambe and louelye of speche
And helpeth al men after that hem nedith ,
The bagges & the bigirdles he hath to-broken hem all
That the Erle Auarous helde and hys heyrs
And thus with mammons money he hath made him frends
And is ronne to religion and hath rendred the bible
And precheth to the people saynt paules wordes
Libenter suffertis Insipientes cum sitis ipsi sapientes
And suffreth the vnwise with you for to lyue
And with glad wil doth hem good for so god you hoteth ,
Dobest is aboue both , and bereth a bishopes crosse
Is hoked on that one ende to halie men from hel
A pyke is on þat potent to pul downe the wicked ,
That wayten any wyckednes Dowell to tene
And Dowel & dobet amoungest hem haue ordained
To coroune one to be Kynge to rule hem boeth
That if dowel and dobetter dyd againe dobest ,
Than shal the Kyng come and cast hem in Irons ,
And but if dobest beede for hem they be there for euer
Thus dowel and dobet and dobest the thirde
Crounned vnto them a Kynge to kepe hem all
And to rule the realme by her thre wyttes
And none otherwyse but as they thre assentyd ,
I thanked Thought tho that he me thus taught
And yet fauoreth / [s]auoreth me not thy saying , I coueit to lerne
How dowel dobest & dobetter done among þe people
But witte can wish the quod thought where tho .iii / three dwell
Els wot I none that , can se that now is a-lyue ,
Thought and I thus thre dayes we yeden
Disputing vpon dowel daye after other .
And er we wer ware with witte ganne we mete
He was long and leane lyke to none other
Was no pride on hys apparell ne pouertie neither
Sad of his semblaunt and of soft chere
I durst not moue no mater to make hym to Iangle
But as I bade thought tho , be meane betwene
And put forth sum purpose to preue his wittes
What was dowel fro dobet & dobeste from them bothe
Than thought in that tyme sayde these wordes
Whether dowel dobet and dobest bene in lande
Here is wyl wolde witte , if witte coude teche hym
And whether he be man or woman , this man fain wold espy
And worken as they thre wold thus is his entent
Peirce Ploughman .
And
Fol.xxxix. / .xl.
For
Are
Fol.xli
But
Pierce Ploughman .
The vision of
L.i.
The vision of