hic incipit primus passus de dowell
all a somer seyson to seeke dowell
yff any wyght knewe whare dowell was att ynne
& what man he myght be off many man I axed
was neuer wyght as I went þat me {w}vysse co{u}vlde
where þis lede lenged lasse ne more
tyll ytt befell on a fryday twoo P freres I mette
masters off þe myno{u}vrs men off greyte wytt
I heylsed þem hendly as I had lerned
& preyed theym par charyte or they passed forther
yff they knewe In any contrey {c} or costes as they went
where þat / doowell /P dwellythe doythe me to wytten
for they be men on thys molde þat most wyde walken
& knowen contreys & co{u}vrtes & manye kynnes places
bothe pryncys paleys & po{u}vere menes cootes
and do well & do e{u}vell & where þei dwell bothe
amongest vs quod þe myno{u}vrs / þat man ys dwellyng
& euer hathe as I hoope & euer shall here-after
contra quod I as a clere / cler[k]e & comsed to dysp{u}vten
and seyd þem sothely sepcies In die cadit Iustus
sey{u}ven sythes seyethe þe boke synnethe the ryghtfull
and wo-so synnethe I seyde dothe e{u}vell as me thynkethe
& dowell & doe{u}vell may noght dwell to-gedders
ergo he ys noght alway among you freres
he ys other-wyle elles-where to {w}vysse the poeple
I shall sey þe my sonne sayde þe frere then
howe se{u}ven sythes þe sad man on a day synnethe
by a forbyzyne quod þe frere I shall þe fayre shewe
lett bryng a man In a bootteP amydest þe brod water
the wynd & þe water & þe bootteP waggyng
makethe a man many a tyme to fall & to stande
for stand he neuer so styffe he stomelythe yff he mo{u}vethe
and yet ys he sa{u}ve & so{n}vnde so hym beho{u}vethe
for yff he ne arysse the rather & raght to þe stere
then were hys lyffe lost thr{u}vgh lacches off hym-sel{u}ve
the water ys lykened to þe worlde þat wanyethe & waxethe
the goodes off þis grounde are lyke to þe greyte wawes
þat as wyndys & wedders walkethe a-bowte
that thr{u}vgh þe fende þe Flesshe & the freyle worlde
synnethe þe sad man on a day sey{u}ven tymes
but deydly synne dothe he nat for dowell hym kepethe
and þat ys charyte þe chapman þe cheffe helper ageynst synne
for he strenghythe man to stond & sterethe mannes so{u}vle
ay ys þe so{u}vle sa{u}vfe but yff þi-selffe wole
do a deydly synne & drenche þe so{u}vle
god wyll suffer well þi slought yff þi-sel{u}ve lykethe
for he ga{u}ve þe a yeresgyfte to seme well þi-sel{u}ve
& þat ys wytt & frewyll to euery wyght a portyon
to flyeng fowles to fysshes & also to beystes
and man hathe most theroff & most ys to blame
but yff he worche well þerwyth as dowell hym teychythe
I ha{u}ve no kynd knoyng quod I to concey{u}ve all your wordes
but yff I mey ly{u}ve & loke I shall go lerne better
I bekenne þe cryste þat on crosse dyed
& I seyd þe same sa{u}ve you from myschance
& gy{u}ve you grace on thys gro{u}vnde goode men to worthe
& þus I wente wyde-whare walkyng myne oone
by a wylde wyldrenes & by a woddys syde
blysse off þe bryddes broght me a-slepe
to lythe þe leyes tho lo{u}velyche fo{u}vle made
myrthe off theyre mo{u}vthes made me þer to slepe
the mer{u}vyolo{u}vseste meytelles mett me then
that euer dreymyd wyght In worlde as I we{n}ve / we[n]e
a moche man as me thoght & lyke to my-sel{u}ve
came & called me by my ryght name
watt arte þou quod I tho / þat þou my name knowest
that þou wootest well quod he & no wyght better
woot I whatt þou arte thoght seyde he then
I ha{u}ve s{u}vede þe þis sey{u}ven yere syegh þou me no rather
[ Art þou thoght quod I tho þou coudest me wisse]
where þat dowell dwellythe do me that to knowe
dowell & dobettre & dobest þe thyrde quod he
arne th{e}re fayre wert{u}ves & be not farre to fynde
wo-so ys trewe off hys tong & off hys too handes
& thr{u}vghe þe labo{u}vre off hys handys hys ly{u}velode wynnethe
and ys tr{u}vsty off taylleende & takethe b{u}vt hys owen
and ys not dronnkelewe ne dysdeyno{u}vs dowell hym folowethe
dobet dothe ryght þus & he doythe ryght moche more
he ys as lowe as a lambe & lo{u}velyche off speche
and helpethe all men after þat þeim nedethe
the bagges & þe bygerdelles he hathe broken þem all
that þe {yel} erle a{u}varo{u}vs helde & hys heyres
& þus wyth mammones money he hathe made hym frendes
& ys ronne to relygyon & hathe rendered þe byble
& preyched to þe poeple seynte powles wordes
libenter suffertis insipientes cum sitis ipsi sapientes
& wyth gladde wyll do þem goode for so god you hoot{h}ethe
dobest ys abo{u}ve bothe & beyrythe a bysshopes crosse
ys hoked on þe on hende to hal{y}e men from hell
{that weyten any wyckednes dowell to tene} C
a pyke ys on þe potente to p{u}vt a-downe þe wycked
that wayten any wyckednesse dowell to teene
& dowell & dobetter amonge P þem ordeynyd
to crowne on to be kyng to re{u}vlen þem bothe
that yff dowell or dobet do ageynst dobest
then shall þe kyng come & cast theym In Irens
& but yff dobest byd for theym þei be þer for e{u}ver
th{u}vs dowell & dobetter & do-best þe thyrde
crowned on to be kyng to kepen theym all
& to re{u}vle þe realme by theyre thre wyttes
& noon other wyse b{u}vt as they ther assentyd
I thanked thoght tho / þat he me th{u}vs taght
but ytt sa{u}verythe me noght thy seggyng {&}I co{u}veyte to lerne
wytt can wysse þe quod thoght / where tho thre dwell
elles woote I non þat kanne þat now ys a-ly{u}ve
thoght / & . y / th{u}vs thre dayes yedene
dysp{u}vtyng vpon dowell day after other
& er we were I-warre wyth wytt gan we mete
he was long & leyne & lyche to non other
was no pryde In hys apparell ne po{u}verte nother
sadde off hys semblant & off softe chere
I dorste moue no matter to make hym to Iangell
but as I bad thoght tho be meane betwene
& putt forthe some purpose to pro{u}ven hys wyttes
what was dowell fro dobetter & dobest from þem bothe
then thoght In þat tyme seyde thes wordes
where dowell do-better & dobest be In lande
& wether he be man or woman þis man wold aspye
and worchen as þei þer wold þis ys hys Intent
explicit primus passus de dowell