Passus nonus de visione. Et primus de dowel
HEre dowel dwellith quod wit not a day hence
In a castel þat kind made of four kins things
Of erth & ayre is it made medlid to-gethers
Wyth wynde and wyth water wytterly enioyned
Kynde hath closed therin craftely with-all
A leman that he louethe lyke to hym-selfe
ANIMA she hyght , and enuie her hateth
A proude pricker of fraunce , Princeps huius mundi ,
And wolde wyn her awaye with wyles and he might
And kynd knoweth thys well and kepith her þe better
And doth her with syr Dowel , is duke of thys marches
Dobet is hir damsel syr dowels daughter
To serue this ladie lelly both late and rathe
Dobest is aboue bothe a Byshops pere
That he byd muste be do he ruleth them all
Anima that lady is led by hys lerneing
And þe constable of þat castell that kepith al þe wache
Is a wyse knyght with-al syr Inwit he hyght
And hath fyue fayre souls by his fyrst wyfe
Syr Seewel and Saywel and hearewell the hende
Syr Workewel with thy hand a wight man of strengthe
And syr Godfray Gowel , gret lords for sothe
These fyue ben set to saue thys ladie Anima
Tyl Kynde cum or sende to saue her for euer
What kins thing is kinde quod I , canst thou me tel ?
Kynd quod witte is a creator of al kinnis thyngs
Father and former of all that euer was made
And that is the grete god that begynning had neuer
Lorde of lyfe and of lyght of blis and of payne
Angels and althing are at his wyl
And man is hym most lyke of marke and of shape
For through þe worde that he spake wexen forth bestes
Dixit et facta sunt .
And made Adam lykest to hym-selfe one
And Eue of hys rybbe bone withouten any meane
For he was synguler hym-selfe and sayde faciamus .
As who saye more must herto than mi worde one
My myght must helpe now with my speche
Euen as a lord shuld make leters , & he lakid parchment
Though he coud write neuer so wel if he had no pen
The lettre for al his lordship I leue wer neuer maked
And so it semith by him as the bible tellyth
There he sayde . Dixit et facta sunt ,
He must worke wyth hys worde and his wit shewe
And in this maner was man made by might of god almighty
Wyth his word & his workmanship and with life to last
And thus god gaue him a goost of þe godhed of heauen
And of hys grete grace graunted hym blysse
And þat is lyfe that aye shal last to al our linage after
And that is the castel þat kynde made Caro it hyght
And is as much to meane as man wyth a soule
And that he wyth worke and with worde both
Through might of the maiestie in Adam was maked
Inwit and al wits closed bene therin
For loue of the ladie Anima that lyfe is named
Ouer al in mans bodie she walketh and wandreth
And in the hert is hir home and hir most rest
And Inwyt is in þe head and to the hert loketh
What Anima is leefe or loth , he ledyth hir at his wil
For after the grace of god the gretest is Inwitte
Much woo worth þat man that misruleth his Inwitte
And that bene glotons glubberys , her god is her wombe
Quorum deus venter est ,
For seruen they Sathan there souls shal he haue
They liue in sinfull life here , their soule is like þe deuill
And al that liuen good life are like to god almyghtie
Qui manet in charitate , in deo manet .
Alas that drynke shal fordo that god dere bought
And doth god forsake hem þat he shope to his likenes ?
Amen dico vobis , nescio vos , et alibi , et dimisi eos se
cundum desiderata / desideri[]a eorum .
Fooles that fauten Inwytte , I finde þat holie churche
Shulde fynde hem that faute and fatherles children
And wydowes þat haue not wherewith to wyn hem her foode
Mad men and maydens that helpeles were
Al these lacke Inwitte , and lore behoueth .
Of thys matter I might make a longe tale
And fynde fel wytnesses among the foure doctors
That I lye not on þat I lerne þe , Luke bereth witnes
God fathers & godmothers þat sene her god childrene
At misease and at myschyfe and might hem amende
Shal haue penaunce in purgatorie but they hem help
For more belongeth to þe litle barne or he þe lawe know
Than nempned of a name and he neuer the wyser
Sholde no chrysten creature crie at the gate
Ne fayle payne ne potage & prelats dyd as they shuld
A Iewe wol not see a Iewe go iangling for defaute
For al þe mouables on this mold , & he amende it might
Alas þat a christen creature shalbe / shal be vnkynde to an other
Sythen Iewes that we iudge Iudas felowes
Eche of hem helpeth other of þat that hem nedeth
Why wil we not christen , of Christes good be as kynd
As Iewes that be oure lores-men , shame to vs al .
The Commune for hyr vnkindnes I drede me shal abie
Byshops shalbe / shal be blamed for beggers sake
He is worse than Iudas that giueth a Iaper syluer
And byddeth the begger go for hys broken clothes
Proditor est prelatus cum Iuda qui patrimonium Chri
sti minus distribuit , et alibi , perniciosus dispensator est qui
res pauperum Christi in vtiliter / invtiliter consumit .
He doth not wel þat doth so , ne dredeth God of might
He loueth not Salomons sawes that sapience taught
Initium Sapientie timor domini .
That dredeth god he doth wel þat dredeth him for loue
And nought for dred of vengeaunce doth therfore þe beter
He doth best that withdraweth him by daye & by nyght
To spyl any speche or any space of tyme
Qui offendit in vno , in omnibus est reus .
Lesynge of time truth wootes the sothe
Is moste hated apon earth of hem that be in heauen
And sithen to spill speach that enspired is of grace
And gods gleman , and a game of heauen ,
Would neuer þe faithful father his fidle were vntemperd
Ne hys gleman a gedlyng a goer to tauerne .
To all true tidy men , that trauell desyren ,
Our Lord loueth hem , & lente land to other styll ,
Grace to go to hem , and of-gone her lyfelode .
Inquirentes autem dominum , non minuentur omni bono .
True wedding liuinge folke , in this world is dowel ,
For they most worke & wynne , & the world susteine ,
For of his kind they come , that confessour be named
Kynges and knightes , Caysers , and cherles ,
Maydens and martires out of one man come
The wyfe was made the way to helpe to worch
And thus was wedlocke wrought with a meane person
Firste by the fathers wyll , and the frendes counsell ,
And sithen by the assent of hem-self as thei might accord
And thus was wedlocke wrought , & god him-selfe it made
In erth & in heuen , him-selfe was the wytnes ,
And false folke faythles , theues and lyers ,
Wastours and wretches out of wedlocke I trowe ,
Conceiued ben in ill tyme , as Cayne was on Eue ,
Of suche synfull shrewes , the psalter maketh minde ,
Concepit in dolore et peperit iniquitatem .
And al that come of that Cayne , come to euil ende
For god sent to Sem , and sayd by an aungell
Thine issue in thine issue I wyll that they be wedded ,
And not thy kind in Caines kind , coupled nor spoused
Yet Sem agayne the sound of our sauioure of heuen .
Caines kinde and hys kynde coupled togythers
Til god wrothed for her works , & such a word said .
That I made man , nowe it me forthynketh .
Penitet me fecisti / fecisse hominem .
And came to Noe anone , and bade hym not let
Swythe go shape a shyppe , of shydes and of bordes
Thi-selfe and thy sonnes thre , and sithen your wiues
Buske you to that bote , and byde ye therein ,
Tyll forty daies be fulfiled , that floude haue washed
Cleane away þe cursed bloude that Cayne hath made
Beastes that now bene , shall banne the tyme ,
That euer that cursed Cayne come on thys earth
All shall dye for hys dedes by dales and by downes ,
And the fowles that flowe forth , with other beastes
Except onely of euery kynde a couple ,
That in thy shyngled shyppe shall be saued ,
Here abode the barne , the belsyres gyltes ,
And all for hyr fathers fared they worse ,
The gospel is here agayne , in one degre I fynde .
Filius non portabit iniquitatem patris ,
Et pater non portabit iniquitatem filii .
And I fynde , if the father be false , and a shrewe ,
That somdeale the sonne shal haue the syres tutches
Impe on an elderne , and if thyne apple be swete ,
Muchel maruaile me thynketh , and more of a shrew
That bringeth fourth any barne , but it be þe same .
And haue a sauour after þe sire , seeld seeste thou other .
Nunquam colligitur de spinis vua , nec de tribulis ficus .
And thus through cursed Caine came care apon earth
Therfore haue þe maugre of her mariages þat mary so her children
For some as I se , now sothe for to tel ,
For couetous of catcel / cat[t]el , vnkindely be weddedN
As carefull conception commeth of such mariages
As befell of the folke , that I before tolde .
For good shuld wed good though they non good had
I am Via et veritas , sayth , Christ I maie auaunce all
It is an vncomly couple by Christ as me thinketh
To geue a young wenche to an olde feble
Or wedden anye wydowe for welth of here goodes
That shal neuer barne beare , but if it be in armes
Mani apaire sithen þe pestilence hath plyght hem together
The fruite that they bring furth ar fowle wordes
In Ielousie Ioyeles and Ianglen a bed
Haue thei no children but chests & clapping them betwen
And though thei gone to donmow but if þe deuyl help
To followe after the fliche , fetche they it neuer
And but they both be forsworne that bacon they tine
Therfore I councel al christen couet not to be weddid
For couetis of cattel ne of kynred ryche
And maydens and maydens mache you togythers
Wydowes and wydowes worke the same
For no landes but for loue loke ye be wedded
And than get ye þe grace of god & good I-nough to liue wyth
And euerie man seculer that may not contynue
Wyselye goo wed and ware hym from synne
For lecherie in lykynge is lime yarde of hel
Whiles thou arte younge and thy wepon kene
Wreke the with wyueyng yf thou wylt be excused
Dum sis vir fortis , ne des tua robora scortis
Scribitur in portis meretrix est Ianua mortis .
Whan ye haue wyued beware and warke in tyme
Not as Adame & Eue whan Cayne was Ingendred
For in one tyme trulie betwene man and woman
Ne shold no bourd on bed be , but if they bothe were cleane
Both of lyfe & of soule and in perfyt charitie
That ylke derne dede , do no man ne shoulde
And if they lead thus theyr life , it liketh god almighty
For he made wedlocke firste , and hym-selfe .
Bonum est vt vnusquisque vxorem suam habeat , propter
fornicationem .
And they þat other-gates ben geten , for gedlings ben hold
As false folke , foundlinges , faytours and liers
Ungratious to get good , or loue of the people
Wandren and wasten , what they catche maye ,
Agayne do well they do euyl , & the deuyl serue ,
And after their deathes daye , shal dwel with the same
But god giue hem grace here , hem-selues to amend ,
Dowell my frende , is to done as lawes techen ,
To loue thy frend and thy foe , leue me þat is dobet ,
To gyue vnto menne bothe yonge and olde ,
To healen and to helpen , is do-best of all ,
And dowell is to dreade god , and dobette to suffer
And so cometh dobest of both , & bringeth adown the modie
And þat is wicked will , þat many work shendeth
And dryueth awaye dowell , through deadly sinnes .
Dobest
Fol.xxxviii / xlii
And
Fol.xliii
Aagynste
priestes
priestes
Is
That
Fol.xl / xliv
For
And
Fol.xli / xlv
Pierce Ploughman ,
L.ii.
Pierce Ploughman .
The vision of
L.iii.
The vision of
Pierce Ploughman .
Pierce Ploughman .
The vision of