Incipit visio eiusdem Williami de dowelC
THus Robed in russet / y romed a-boute
al a somur seson / for to seke dowel
And Fraynede fol ofte / of folc þat y mette
If eny white wiste / wer dowel was at Inne
And what mat / ma[n] he myht beo / of mony man y asket
¶ Was neuere white in þis worlde / þat wisse me cowþe
Wher þat he lengede / lasse ne more .
¶ Til hit by-fel on a fry-day / two freres y mette
Maystres of þe menours men of grete witte .
I hailsede hem hendely / as y had lered
And preyed par charite / ar thei passed forther
If þei knew eny contrey / or costes a-boute
Wher þat dowel dwelleþ / dere frendes telleþ me .
¶ For ȝe ar men of þis molde / þat most wilde walken /
And knowen contreis and cortes / and mony kyne places
Boþe Princes paleis / and pore menne cotes
And dowel and do-euele / where þei dwellen boþe .
¶ Sothly seide þe frere / he soiorneþ with vs Freres
And ay hath as y hope / and wol her-after
¶ Contra quaþ y as a clerk / and comsed to dispute
And seyde sothly Sepcies / indie / in die cadet iustus
Fallyng for ioye ihesus / wot þe sothe /
Seuene sythe say þe boke / synegeþ day by daye
Þe alther rihtfullokest renk / þat regneþ vpon erthe .
And ho-so synegeþ y seyde / certes doþ nat wel .
For ho-so synegeþ / sykurly doþ euele /
And dowel and do-euul / may not dwelle to-gederes
Ergo he is nat al-way / at hom a-mong ȝow Freres
He is vm-while elles-wher / to wysse þe people .
I schal sey þe my sone / seide þe Frere þenne
How seuene sythes þe sad man / synegeþ on þe daye
By-for bysene quath þe frere / y schal þe faire schewe
¶ let brynge a mon in a bot / in myddes a brod watur
Þe wynd and þe watur / and waggyng of þe bote
He bendeþ and boweþ / þe body is vnstable
Ac ȝut he is saf and sound / so fareth hit by þe rithfol
Þan he falle he falleþ not / but as ho fulle in a bot
Þat ay is saf and sound / þat sitte wiþ-in þe borde
¶ So hit fareþ quaþ þe frere / by rithful mannes fallynge
Þauh he þrow fondynge falle / he falleþ nat out of charite
So dedly synne doþ he nat / for dowel him helpeþ .
¶ Þe watur is likned to þe worlde / þat wanyeþ and wexeþ
Þee goodes of þis grounde / ar like to gret wawes
As wyndes and wederes / walwen a-boute
Þe bot is likned to oure body / þat brutul is of kunde
Þat throw þe feond and oure fleisch / and þis frele worlde
Synegeþ seneT sythes / þe saddest mon an eorthe
And lyef-holyest of lyf / þat lyuieth vndur sonne
¶ Ac fre wil and freo wit / folweþ a mon euere
To repenten and a-ryse / and rowen out of synne
To contricion to confession / til he come to his ende /
¶ Rather haue we no reste / til we restitue
Oure lyf to oure lord god / for oure licames gultes .
¶ Y haue no kynde knowyng quath y / to conceyue al þis speche
Ac if y may lyue and loke / y schal go lerne betere
¶ Y by-kenne þe crist quod he / þat on þe crois dyede
And y seyde þe same / saue ȝow fro myschaunce
And gyf me grace on this grount / wiþ good ende dye .
¶ I went forþ wyde-where / walkyng myn one
In a wilde wildernesse / by a wode syde
Blisse of þe briddes / a-byde me made
And vndur lynde in a laund / lenede y a stounde
To lythen here layes / and here louely notes .
Murthe of here murye notes / made me to slepe
And merueylously me mette / amyddes al that blisse .
¶ A muche man me þouhte / lyke to me-selue
Cam and callede me / by my riht name
¶ What art þow quaþ y / þat my name knowest
That wost þow Wille quod he / and no whit betere
¶ Wot y quaþ y ho ert þow / {thou}thouht seyde he þenne
I haue sewede þe þis seuene ȝer / sey þow me no rather
Ert þow þouht quath y þo / thow couthest me wisse
Wher þat dowel dwelleþ / and do me to knowe
Do-wel . and dobet quaþ he / and dobest / þe þrydde
Beoþ þre fayre vertues / and beoþ nat fer to fynde .
Wo-so is trewe of his tonge / and of his two handes
¶ And þrow lel labour lyueþ / and loueþ his emcristene
And þer-to trewe of his tail / and halt wel his handes
Nat dronkelew ne deynous / dowel him foloweþ
Dobet al this doþ / ac ȝut he doþ more
He is lowe as a lomb / and loueliche of speche
¶ And helpoþ hertly al men / of that he may as-spare
Þe bagges and þe bygurdeles / he hath to-broke hem alle
Þat þe eorl auerous / held and his heyres
And of Mammonaes monye / mad hem mony frendes /
And his ronne in-to religion / and rendreþ his bible
And precheþ to þe people / seint powles wordes
Libenter suffertis incypientes /
Ȝe worldliche wyse / vnwyse þat ȝe soffre
Lene hem and loue hem / this latyn is to mene /
¶ Dobest bere scholde / þe byschope croce
And halye with þe hoked ende / ille men to goode
And with þe pyke putte a-don . / preuaricatores legis .
¶ For here mok and for here meoble / suche men þhynkyn
Þat no bysschop scholde / here byddyng with-sitte .
¶ Ac Dobest sholde nat drede hem / but do as god hihte
Nolite timere eos qui possunt occidere corpus & cetera .
Þus . dowel . and . dobe{s}t dyuynede a . dobest .
And cronede on to beo a kyng / to kulle wiþ-oute synne
Þat wolde nat don as . Dobest . dyuynede and tauhte
¶ Thus dowel and dobet / and dobest þe þridde
Cronet on to beo a kyng / and kepon vs alle
And rewle al reomes / by here þre wyttes /
But oþer-wyse ne elles nat / but as þei þre assented .
¶ Y þonkede þouht þo / þat he me so tauhte
Ȝut sauereþ me nat þi sawe quod y / so me crist spede
A more kynde knowyng / coueyte y to here
Of dowel . and of dobet / and ho doþ best of alle
¶ But wit wol þe wisse quod thowt / wer þo þre dwellen
Elles know y non þat can / in non kynne-riche
disputyng vpon dowel / day aftur oþur
And er we wer war / wiþ wit gan we mete
¶ He was long and lene / like to non oþer
Was no pruyde in his a-parail / ne pouerte noþur
Sad of his semblaund / with a softe speche /
I durst meue no matere / to maken him to Iangle
But as y bad thout . þo / beo mene by-twene
And putte forth som porpos / to preouen his wittes /
What dowel was fro dobet and dobest fro hem boþe /
Þenne þouht in þat tyme / seyde thus wordes
Whar dowel and dobet / and dobest beon in londe /
Here is on wolde wite / ȝif wit couthe teche
And wat lyues þei lyuen / and lawe þei vsen
What þei drede and douton / dere sire telleþ .
Syre dowel dwelleþ quath wit not a day hennes
In a castel þat kynde made / of foure kyne þynges
Of eorþe / of air / hit is mad / medlet to-gederes /
Wiþ wynd / and with watur / wytteliche enioyned .
¶ Kynde hath closed þer-ynne / crafteliche with-alle
A Lemm{e}an þat loueþ wel / lyke to him-selue
Anima scheo het / to heore hath enuye
A proud prikare of Fraunce princeps huius mundi
And wolde wyn heore a-way / with whyles ȝif he myhte
¶ And kynde knoweþ þis wel / and kepuþ here betere
And don here with sir / Dowel duk of þis marches
dobet is heore damesele / sire doweles douhter
To serue þat lady lelly / bothe late and rathe
¶ dobest is a-boue bothe / a buschopes pere
And by his leryng is ladde / þik lady anima .
¶ Þe conestable of þat castel / þat kepeþ hem alle
Is a wys knyht wiþ-al / sire Inwit he hatte
And hath fyue faire sones / by his furst wyue
¶ Sire seo wel sir s{y}ey wel / sir hure wel þe hende
Sir worch wel . wiþ þin hand / a whit man of strenþe
And sir good faith go wel / gret lordes alle
¶ These fyue beon set / fort to saue Anima
Til kynde come or sende / and kepe heore him-selue
¶ What lynes / [k]ynes þing is kunde quaþ y / canst þow me telle
Kynde is creatour quaþ wit / of kyne þinges
Fadur and formour / of al þat forþ groweþ
Þe wuche is god grettest / þat gynnynge had neuere
Lord of lyf and of liht / of lisse and of payne
Angelus and al þing / aren at his wille
¶ Man is him most lyke / of membres and face
And semblabe / semblab[l]e in soule to god / but ȝif synne hit make
¶ And as þou sykst þe sonne / som-tyme for cloudes
May not schyne ne schewe / on schalkes in eorthe /
Riht so letteþ lecherie / and oþur luther synnes
Þat god seweþ nat synfolmen / synfol men / and suffreþ hem mysfare
¶ As som hongeþ hem-selue / and oþer-while a-drencheþ .
God wol nat of hem wyte / but leteþ hem y-worþe
As þe sauter seyeþ / by suche synful schrewes .
Et dimisi eos secundum desiderium eorum /
¶ Loke suche luthur men / lome beon riche
Of gold and of other good / ac godes grace hem failleþ
¶ For þei loueþ and bileeueþ / al here lif-tyme
More on catel þan on kynde / þat al kynnes þinges wrouhte
Þe wuche is boþe loue and lyf / and lasteþ with-outen ende
¶ Inwit and alle wittes / closed beoþ þer-inne
Bi loue and by leaute / þe by lyueþ Anima
And lyf lyueþ by Inwit / and leringe of kunde
¶ Inwit is in þe hed / and Anima in þe herte
And muche wo worchen hym / þat Inwit myspeneþ
For þat is godes owne goode / his grace and his tresour
Þat mony lede leoseþ / throw likerouse drynke .
As Lot dude and Noe / and Herodes þe daffe
Ȝaf his dowter for a daunsyng / in a disch þe heued
Of þe blessed / Baptist / by-fore al his gyftes
¶ Euery man þat hath Inwit / and his hele Bothe
Haþ tresour y-now in trewþe / to fynde wiþ him-selue .
¶ Ac Fauntekyns and foles / þe wuche fawten Inwit
Freondes schul fynde hem / and fro folye kepe
And holychurche help to / so scholde no mon begge
Ne spille speche ne tyme / ne myspende nother
Meoble ne vnmeoble / mete nowþer drynke .
¶ And þenne dude we al wel / and ȝut wel bet to louye
Oure enymys entierly / and helpe hem at here neode .
¶ And ȝut were best to beo a-boute / and brynge hit to hepe
Þat al londes loueden / and in o lawe by-leouede
¶ Bysschopes scholde be {b}here a-boute / and brynge þis to hepe
Fort to lese þer-fore here lond / and here lyf after
¶ Þe catel þat cryst hadde / þre clothes hit were
Þer-of was he ryfled / and robbed er he dyede
Aftur þat he lese his lyfe / for lawe scholde loue wexe
¶ Prelates and preostes / and prynces of holychurche
Scholden doute non dethe / noþur deore ȝeeres
To wendon as wyde / as þe worlde were /
To tulyen þe orthe wiþ tonge / and teche men to louye
¶ For ho-so loueþ leue hit wel / god wol not let him sterue
In meschief for lak of mete / ne for myssyng of clothes .
Inquirentes autem dominum non minuentur omni bono .
¶ Ho-so lyueþ in lawe / and in loue doþ wel
As þees wedded men / þat þis worlde susteynen .
For of here kynde þei come / confessours and martires
Patriarches and prophites / popes and maydones .
¶ For god saith hit hym-seelf / schal neuere good appel
T{r}horgh no sotyl science / on sowre stok growe .
¶ And is no more to mene / but men þat beoþ by-geten
Out of matrimoyne nat moillire / mowe nat haue þe grace /
Þat lelle legitime / by lawe may cleyme .
And my sawe beo soeþ / þe sauter bereþ witnesse
Concepit in dolore et peperit iniquitatem .
¶ Caym þe corsed creature / conseyued was in synne
Aftur þat Adam and Eue / hadden y-syneged
With-out repentaunce / of here rechylesnesse
A Ribaud þei engendred / and a gome vn-rithfol
As an hyne þat ereþ nat / auntreþ him to sowe /
On a ley-lond / a-ȝeins þe lordes wil
¶ So was caym conceyued / and so beon corsed wreches
Þat lycame han a-ȝeinst þe lawe / þat oure lord ordeyned
¶ Alle þat comen of caym / caytifs were euere
And for þe synne of kaymes seed / said god to Noe
Penitet me fecisse hominem .
And bad schap him a schup / of schides and bordes
Thy-self and þi sones þre / and sythen ȝoure wyfes
Buske ȝow to þat bot / a-bydeþ þer-Inne
Til forty daies beo folfulled / and flod haue waische
Clene a-wei þe corsed blod / þat of kaym is spronge /
¶ Bestes þat now beoþ / banne schul þat tyme
Þat euere þa corsed caym / cam on þis eorthe
¶ Alle schullen dye for his dedes / by dales and hulles
And þe foules þat fleon / forþ wiþ oþer bestes /
Excepte onlyche / of eche kynde a peire
Þat in þi schingled schup / with þe schal by saued
Here a-boute þe barn / his belsires gultes
And al for here for-faderes ferdon þe worse
Þe gospel is here-agayn / as gomes may reden
filius non portabit iniquitatem patris / & cetera
Holywrit witnesseþ / þat for no wykyde dede
Þat þe sire him-self doth / by his owne wil
Þe sonne for þe syres synne / schold nat beo þe worse .
¶ Westmunstre lawe y wot wel / worcheþ þe contrarie .
For þauh þe fadur beo a fraunkeleyn / and for a felon beo honged
Þe erytage þat heir schulde haue / is at þe kynges wil .
Ac þe gospel is a glose ther / hudynge þe grayþe trewþe
For god seyde ensaumple / of suche maner vsue
Þat kynde foloweþ kynde / and contrarieþ neuere .
Numquam colligit de spinis vuas / & alibi / bonus arbor bonum fructum facit
¶ Ac wy þe worlde was a-dreynt / holy writ telleþ
Was for mariages of man-kynde / þat men maden þat tyme
Aftur þat caym þe corsed / hadde culled
Seth Adames sone / sythen was engendred
¶ And god sente to / seth so sone he was of age
Þat for kyne catel / ne non by kynne heste
Suffren his seeden / with caymes seed his brother .
And for þat seth suffred hit / god seyde me for-þenkeþ
Þat y man made / or matrimonie suffred .
For goode schulden wedden goode / þauh þei no good ne hadde
For y am via et veritas / and may a-vaunce hem alle
¶ Ac fewe folk now foloweþ þis / for þei ȝeue here childeren
For coueytyse of catel / and connynge chapmen /
¶ Of kyn ne of kynredene / a-conteþ men but litul
Þauh he beo loueliche to loken on / and lofsom a-bedde
A mayde wel y-manered / of goode men y-spronge
But heo haue eny oþer good / haue wol heore no riche .
¶ Ac let heore beo vnlouely / vnlofsom a-bedde
A bastard a bonde onN / a begeneldes douhter
Þat no cortesie can / but let here beo knowe
For riche or for wel y-rented / þauh he ryuele for elde
Þer nis squier ne knyt / in contreye a-boute
Þat he nel bowe to þat bonde / to beode here an hosebonde
And wedden here for here welþe / and wuschen on þe morwe
Þat his wyf were wex / or a watul ful of noebles
In ielosie ioyeles / and iangelyng a-bedde
¶ Mony peire seth pestilence tyme / han pliht trewþe to louye
Ac þei lyen lelly / here noþur loueþ oþer
Þe fruyt þat þei bryngeþ forth / are mony foule wordes
Þei han no children but chiste / and choppes hem by-twene
Þauh þei don hem to done-mowe / but þe deuul hem helpe
To folow for þe flicche / feccheþ þei hit neuere
But þei boþe beo for-swore / that bakon they tyne
For-þi y conseil al cristine / coueite neuere beo wedded
For couetyse of catel / in no kynne wyse
But maydones and maydones / marie ȝow to-gederes
And wydowers and wydowes / weddeþ ayther other
And loke þat loue beo more þe cause / þan lond oþer nobles
And euery maner seculer man / þat may not continue
Wisly go wedde / and war þe fro þat synne
Þat lecherie is a likyng þing / and lym-ȝerd of helle
¶ And whil þow art ȝong and ȝelpe / and þi wepne kene
A-wreke þe þer-with on wyuyng / for godes werk y hold hit .
Dum sis vir fortis ne des tua robora scortis
Scribitur in portis / meretrix est ianua mortis
¶ Ȝee þat han wyues beoþ war / worcheþ nat out of tyme
As Adam dude and Eue / as y whiler tolde
¶ For scholde no bed-bord beo / but ȝif þei boþe were
Clene of lyf and loue in soule / and in lelle wedlok
For þat derne dede / do no man schulde
But wedded men with here wyues / as holy writ telles
Bonum est vt vnusquisque vxorem suam habeat propter fornicacionem .
Þat oþer-gates beon gete / for gadelinges aren holde
¶ And fals folc and foundelynges / faitours and lyeres
¶ Vngracious to gete good / or go{d}od loue of people .
¶ A-waytinge and wastinge / al þat þei cacche mowe
¶ {O}A-ȝeins dowel þei don vuele / and þe deuul seruen
¶ And aftur here deþ-day / dwellen schol in helle /
But god gyue grace her / goynge to Amende .
¶ And þus is Dowel my frend / to do as lawe techeþ
To louye and to lowe þe / and no lyf to greue
¶ Ac to louye and to lene / leof me þat is dobet
¶ Ac to ȝeue and to ȝeme / boþe ȝong and olde
Helon and helpon / is dobest / of alle
¶ For þe more a man may do / by so þat he do hit
Þe more is he worthe and worþi / of wyse and goode y-preysed
Hic explicit passus primus /
{Beter}
for of here