Passus octauus de visione · & primus de do-weel ·
Thus ro{....}bed yn russat · y romed aboute
all a somer cesoun · forto seke do-wel
And frayned fulofte / ful ofte · of folk{e} that y mette
ȝif eny wygth wyste · where do-wel was at ynne
and what man he mygth be of many man y askede
where this lede lenged lasse ne more
tyl it befell on a Fryday · two frerys y mette
maystres of the menours · men of grete wytte
y halzedLG hem hendely · as y hadde lerned
and prayde hem pur charyte · er they passyd ferther
ȝif þey knewe any cuntre · or cost as they wente
wher þat do-wel dwelleth · dooþ me to wyten
for þey ben men of this molde þat most wyde walkyn
and knowyn contres and courtes · and many kynne places
boþe princes palays · and pore mennys cotes ·
and do-wel and do-euyl · where they dwelle bothe
¶ Amonges vs quod the menours · that man is dwellynge ·
and euer haþ as y hope · and euere schall here-aftyr
¶ Contra quod y as a clerk{e} · and comsed to despute
and seyde hem soothly · sepcies in die cadit iustus
¶ Seuene sythes quod the book · synnyth the ryghtfull
and who-so synnyth as y seyde · dooþ euyl as me thynketh
and do-wel and do-euele · mowe nougth dwelle togydres
ergo he is nougth alway · amonge ȝow frerys
he is oþerwhile elles-where · to wysse the peple
¶ y schall seye þe my sone · seyde the frere thanne
how seuene sythes þe sadman / sad man · on a day synneth
by a forbisene quod the frere · y schall the fayre schewe
lat brynge aman / a man yn a bote · amydde the brod water
and þe wynde and þe water · and þe bote waggynge
makeþ þe man many a tyme · to falle and to stonde
for stonde he neuere so styffe · he stomblyth ȝif he meue
and ȝit is saufe and sound · and so hym byhoueth
for ȝif he ne aryse þe rathur · and rauȝt to the sterne ·
the wynde woold wyþ þe water · the bote ouerþrowe
and þanne were his lyf{e} loste · þorough lacches of hym-sylue
¶ And þus it falleth quod þe frere · by folk{e} here on erthe
the water is lyknyd to þe world{e} þat wanyeþ and wexeth
the goodes of þis grounde · are lyk{e} to þe grete wawesT
the bote is lyknyd to our body · þat brotel is of kynde
that thorough the fende and þe flesch · and the frele worlde
synneth the sadman / sad man on the day · seuene tymes
¶ Ac dedly synne dooth he nougth · for dowel hym kepeth ·
and þat is charyte the champyon · chief helpe aȝenst{e} synne
for he strenkthet man to stonde · & stereth mannys soule
and þowh þe body bowe · as boot dooþ yn the water
ay is þe soule saufe · but ȝif thi-self{e} woll ·
doo a dedly synne · and drenche so thi soule
for he ȝaf þe to ȝeres-gyue · to ȝeme well þy-sylue ·
and þat is wyt{te} and fre wyll · euery man aporcyon / a porcyon ·
to fleynge fowlys to fysches and to bestes
ac man hath most{e} þerof · and most{e} is to blame
but ȝif he wurche wel þerwyth · as do-wel hym techeth
¶ I haue no k{.....}ynde knowynge quod y · to conceyue all ȝour wordes
ȝif y may lyue and loke · y schall go lerne bettre
y bekenne the cryst quod þat on · þat on the cros deyed
and y seyde þe same · saue ȝow fro meschaunce
and ȝiue ȝow grace on this grounde · good men to wurthe
and thus y wente wyde-where · walkynge myn one
by a wyde wyldernesse · and by a wode syde
blysse of tho bryddes · brougth me a-slepe
and vndur a lynde vpon a launde · lenyd y a stounde
to lustyn the layes · the louely fowlys madyn
murþe of her mouthes · made me there to slepe
the merueyluste metels · mette me thanne
that euere dremyd wygth · yn world as y wene
¶ A muche man as me þougth · and lyk{e} to my-sylue
com{e} and callyd me · by my kuynde name
¶ What art thu quod y tho · þat thu myn name knowest
that thu wost{e} wel quod he · and no wight bettre
wote y what þu art · þougth seyde he thanne ·
y haue sued the þis seuene ȝere · seiȝe thu me no rather
art þu þougth quod he tho · thu cowdest me wysse ·
where that do-wel dwelleth · and do me that knowe ·
¶ Do-wel and do-bet · and do-beste the thrydde quod he ·
ar thre fayre vertues · and beth nougth fer to fynde
who is trewe of his tonge and of his two handys ·
and thorough his labour or þurgh his lond{e} · his lyflode wynnyth ·
and ys trusty of his taylende · taketh but his owen
and is nougth drunkelewe · ne dysdeynous · do-wel hym folweth ·
¶ Dobet dooþ rygth þus · ac he dooþ muche more
he is also lowe as a lombe · and louely of speche
and helpeth alle men · aftur that hem nedeth ·
the bagges and þe bygerdles · he hath brokyn hem alle
that the erl auarous · helde and his eyres ·
and thus wyþ mammonaes moneye · he hath made hym frendys ·
and is ronnyn to relygyoun · and hath rendred the bible
and precheth to þe peple · seynte poulys wordys
Libenter suffertis insipientes · cum sitis ipsi sapientes · & cetera ·
¶ And suffreth the vnwyse · wyth ȝow forto lybbe ·
and wyth glad wylle dooþ hem good · for so god ȝow hoteth
¶ Dobest is aboue bothe · and beryþ a buschops cros ·
ys hokyd on þat on ende · to halyȝe men fro helle
a pyke is on þat potente · to putte a-doun the wykkyd
that wayten eny wykkydnesse · do-wel to tene
and do-wel and do-be{..}t amonges hem haue ordeynyd ·
to crownyn oon to be kyng · to rewlyn hem bothe ·
that ȝif do-wel or do-be{..}t · dude aȝenst do-best ·
than schal þe kyng{e} come · and castyn hym yn yrnys ·
and but ȝif dobest preye for hym · they two be there · for euere
¶ Thus do-wel and do-bet{te} · and do-best the thrydde ·
crownyd on to be kyng{e} to kepen hem alle
and to reule the reme · by her thre wyttys
and none oþerwyse · but as they thre assentyd ·
¶ y þonkyd þougth · that he me thus taugthe
ac ȝit sauoureþ me nougth thi seiȝinge · y coueyte to lerne ·
how do-wel do-bet and do-beste · don amonge the peple ·
but wytte konne wysse the quod þougth · where þoo þre dwelle
elles wote y none that can · that now ys on lyue ·
¶ Thouth and y thus · thre dayes we ȝedyn
dysputynge vppon do-wel · day aftur othur
and ar we wer waar · wyth wyt{..} gon we mete ·
he was long{e} and lene lyk{e} to non{e} othre
was no pryde vppon his apparayle · ne pouerte neythre
sadde of his semblaunt and of softe chere ·
y durste meue no matere · to make hym to iangle ·
but as y bad þougth thoo · be mene bytwene ·
and putte foorth sum purpos · to preuyn his wyttes
what was dowel · fro dobet · and do-best fram hem bothe
¶ Thanne{....} þought yn that tyme seyde thes woordes
where do-wel · do-bet and do-best{e} ben yn londe ·
here is wil wolde wyte · ȝif wyt co{...}wde teche hym
and wheþer he be man or womman · this man wolde aspye ·
and wurchyn as þey thre wolde · þus ys his entent
erfleyN