Passus octauus de visione & primus de dowel
Al a somer sesoun · for to seke dowel
And frayned ful oft · of folke þat I mette
If ani wiȝte wiste · where dowel was at Inne
And what man he miȝte be · of many man I axed
¶ Was neuere wiȝte as I went · þat me wisse couthe
Where þis lede lenged · lasse ne more
¶ Tyl it bifel on a fryday · two freres I mette
Maistres of þe Menoures · men of grete witte
I hailsed hem hendely as I hadde lerned
And preyed hem par charitee · ar þei passed forther
IfT þei knewe any contre · or costes as þei went
Where þat dowel dwelleth · doth me to wytene
¶ For þei ben men on þis molde · þat moste wyde walken
And knowen contrees · and courtes · and many kynnes places
Bothe prynces paleyses · and pore mennes cotes
And dowel and doyuel · where þei dwelle bothe
¶ Amonges vs quod þe Menours · þat man is dwellyng
And euere hath as I hope · and euere shal here-after
¶ Contra quod I as a clerke · and comsed to disputen
And seide sothliT sepcies · in die cadit iustus
Seuene sythes seith þe boke · synneth þe riȝtful .
And who-so synneth I seyde · doth yuel as me þinketh
And dowel and do yuel · mow nouȝt dwelle togideres
Ergo he nys nauȝt alway · amonge ȝow freres
He is otherwhile ellis-where · to wisse þe peple
¶ I shal sey þe my sone · seide þe frere þanne
By a forbisene quod þe frere · I shal þe faire shewe
¶ Lat brynge a man in a bote · amydde aT brode water
Þe wynde and þe water · and þe bote waggynge
Maketh þe man many a tyme · to falle and to stonde
For stonde he neuere so styf · he stombleth ȝif he moeue
Ac ȝit is he sauf and sounde · and so hym bihoueth
For ȝif he ne arise þe rather · and rauȝte to þe stiere
Þe wynde wolde wyth þe water · þe bote ouerthrowe
And þanne were his lyf loste · þourgh lacchesse of hym-self
¶ And þus it falleth quod þe frere · bi folke here on erthe
Þe water is likned to þe worlde · þat wanyeth and wexeth
Þe godis of þis grounde aren like · to þe grete wawes
Þat as wyndes and wederes · walwethT aboute
Þe bote is likned to owre body · þat brutel is of kynde
Þat þorugh þe fende and þiT flessh · and þe frele worlde
Synneth þe sadman · a day seuene sythes
¶ Ac dedly synne doth he nouȝt · for dowel hym kepith
And þat is charite þe champioun · chief help aȝein synne
For he strengtheth man to stonde · and stereth mannes soule
And þowgh þi body bow · as bote doth in þe water
Ay is þi soule sauf · butT þi-self wole
Do a dedly synne · and drenche so þi soule
God wole suffre wel þi sleuthe · ȝif þi-self lyketh
For he ȝaf þe to ȝeresȝyue · to ȝeme wel þi-selue
To fleghyng foules · to fissches & to bestes
Ac man hath moste þerof · and moste is to blameC
But if he worche wel þer-with · as dowel hym techeth
¶ I haue no kynde knowyng quod I · to conceyue alle ȝowre wordes
Ac if I may lyue and loke · I shal go lerne bettere
I bikenne þe cryst · þat on þe crosse deyde
And I seyde þe same · saue ȝow fro myschaunce
And ȝiue ȝow grace on þis grounde · good men to worthe
¶ And þus I went wide-where walkyng myne one
By a wilde wildernesse · and bi a wode-syde
Blisse of þoT briddes · brouȝte me aslepe
And vnder a lynde vppon a launde · lened I a stounde
To lythe þe layes · þo louely foules made
Murthe of her mouthes · made meT þere to slepe
Þe merueillousest meteles · mette me þanne
¶ A moche man as me þouȝte · and lyke to my-selue
Come and called me · by my kynde name
What artow quod I þo · þat þow my name knowest
Þat þow wost wel quod he · and no wyȝte bettere
¶ Wote I what þow art þought · seyde he þanne
I haue suwed þe þis seuene ȝere · sey þow me no rather
¶ Art þow thought quod I þo · þow couthest me wisse
Where þat dowel dwelleth · and do me þat to knowe
¶ Dowel and dobet · and dobest þe thridde quod he
Aren three faire vertues · and beth nauȝte fer to fynde
Who-so is trewe of his tonge · and of his two handes
And þorugh his laboure or þorugh his londe · his lyflode wynneth
And is trusti of his tailende · taketh but his owne
And is nouȝt dronkenlew ne dedeignous · dowel hym folweth
¶ Dobet doth ryȝt þus · ac he doth moche more
He is as low as a lombe · and loueliche of speche
And helpeth alle men · after þat hem nedeth
Þe bagges and þe bigurdeles · he hath to-brokenT hem alle
Þat þe Erl auarous · helde and his heires
And þus with Mammonaes mone · he hath made hym frendes
And precheth to þe poeple · seynt Poules wordes
Libenter suffertis insipientes · cum sitis ipsi sapientes
And suffreth þe vnwise · with ȝow forto libbe
And with gladde wille doth hem gode · for so god ȝow hoteth
¶ Dobest is aboue bothe · and bereth a bisschopes crosse
Is hoked on þat one ende · to halie men fro helle
A pyke is on þat potente · to pulte adown þe wikked
Þat wayten any wikkednesse · dowel to tene
And dowel and dobet amonges hem ordeigned
To croune one to be kynge to reuleT hem bothe
Þat ȝif dowel or dobet did aȝein dobest
Þanne shal þe kynge come · and casten hem in yrens
And but if dobest bede for hem · þei to be þere for euere
¶ Thus dowel and dobet · and dobest þe thridde
Crouned one to be kynge · to kepin hem alle
And to reule þe Reume · bi her thre wittes
And none other wise · but as þei thre assented
¶ I thonked thouȝt þo · þat he me þus tauȝte
Ac ȝete sauoureth me nouȝt þi seggyng · I coueite to lerne
How dowel dobet and dobest · don amonges þe peple
¶ But witte conne wisse þe quod þouȝt · where þo thre dwelle
Ellis wote I none þat can · þat now is alyue
¶ Þouȝte and I thus · thre days we ȝeden
Disputyng vppon dowel · day after other
And ar we were ywar · with witte gan we mete
He was longe and lene · liche to none other
Was no pruyde on his apparaille · ne pouerte noyther
Sadde of his semblaunt · and of soft chiere
I dorste meue no matere · to make hym to iangle
But as I bad þouȝt þo · be mene bitwene
And put forth somme purpos · to prouen his wittes
What was dowel · fro dobet · and dobest fram hem bothe
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Passus viijus de visione & hic explicit & in[cipit]
inquisicio prima de Dowel .T
inquisicio prima de Dowel .T
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