Passus octauus de visione . et incipit inquisicio prima de dowellC
Thus I-robed{e} in Russet . {....}I romede aboute
Al a somer sesoun for to seke dowell
And frainede ful ofte of folk þat I mette
If any wiȝt w{u}yste w{...}here Dowel was at inn{ne}e
Was neuere wiȝt{e} as I wente þat me wisse couthe
Maistres of þe Menours men of grete witte
I hailsud hem hendly as I hadde lerned{e}
And praied hem par charitee ar þei passud further
{Ȝif}If þei knewe any Cuntre or coostus as þei wente
Where þat Dowell dwelleþ doþ me to wyten
For þei be{n} men on þis moolde þat moost wyde walkun
And knowen Con{.}—tres and Courtes and many kynne places
Bothe Princes Paleisus and pore mennus cotus
And dowell and do {.}yuel where þei dwelle bothe
Amongus vs quod þe menours þat man is dwellinge
And euere hath as I hope and euere shal here-aftur
Contra quod I as a Clerk{e} and coms{...}ede to disputen
And saide soþly sepcies in die cadit iustus
Seuen sithe saith þe book synn{.}eth þe riȝtful
And whoso sinneth I saide doþ {.}yuel as me th{.}inkeþ
And dowell and do{..}iuel may nouȝt dwelle to-gidre
Ergo he nys nauȝt alway amonges {ȝ}yow Frerus
He is otherwhile elles where to wisse þe p{.}eple
I shal seie þe my sone . saide þe Frere þanne
How seuen sithes þe sad man on þe day synneth
By a forbisene quod þe Frere I shal þe faire shewen
Lat bringe a man in a bote amidde þe brodurT watur
Þe wynd{e} and þe watur and þe boot waggynge
Makeþ þe man many a tyme to falle and to stonde
For stonde he neuere so st{.}yf {.} he stumbleth {ȝ.f}if he moue
Ac {..}yet is he sau{.}f and sound{e} and so him bihoueth
For {ȝ}if he ne arise þe rather and rauȝte to þe steere
Þe wynd wolde with þe watur þe boot ouerethrowe
And þanne were his lif lo{..}st þourgh lachesse of him-seluen
And þus it falleþ quod þe Frere bi folk here on erthe
Þe watur is likkned{e} to þe world þat wa{..}nyeth and wexeþ
Þat as wyndus and wedres walweþT aboute .
Þe boot is likkened to oure body þat brutel is of kynde
And þat is charitee þe champioun chief helpe aȝein synne
For he strengtheþ man to stonde and stereth mann{..}es soule
Ay is þe soule sauf but þou þi-seluen wole
Do a dedly synne and drenche so þ{..}y soule
God w{...?...}ole suffre wel þ{..}y sleuthe {ȝ}if þ{..}y-seluen likeþ
For {...?...}he yaf þee to yeresyeue to {.}yeme wel þ{..}y-seluen
To fleinge foules to fisshes and to beestus
Ac man haþ moost{e} þer{.}-of and moost is to blame
But {ȝ}if he worche well þerwith as dowell him techeþ
I haue no kynde knowynge quod I to conce{..}iue alle {ȝ}yowre wordus
Ac {ȝ}if I may lyue and loke I shal go l{.}erne bett{..}re
I bykenne þe crist þat on crosse deide
And I saide þe same saue {ȝ}yow from mischaunce
And {ȝ}yeue {ȝ}yow grace on þis grounde gode men to worthen
By a wilde wildurnesse and be a wode syde .
Blisse of þe briddus brouȝte me a-slepe
And vndur a linde vpon a launde lened I a stounde
To lithe þe laies þe louely foules maden .
Murthe of here mouthes made me a-slepeT
Þe merueillouseste me{....}tels mette me þanne
Þat euere dremed wiȝt{h} in world as I wene
Com{e} and callud me by my riȝte name
What artow quod I þo þatT my{n} name knowest
Þat þow woost well quod he and no w{..}yght bett{..}re
Wot I what þou art{e} þowght . saide he þanne
I haue suwede þe þis seuen {ȝ}yeer say þow me no rathur
Art þou þo{ȝ}wght . quod I þo þow couthest{e} me wisse
Where þat Dowel dwelleþ and do me that to knowe
Dowell and do-bet and dobest{e} þe þridde {quod} quod he
Aren þre faire vertues and beth nouȝt{e} fer to feccheT
Whoso is trwe of his {t..}tonge and of his two handes
And þourgh his labour or þourgh his lond{e} his liflode wynneþ
And is trusty of his tail{..}—ende takeþ but his owne
And is nouȝt {...}dronkenlewe . ne dedeigno{..}us Dowell him folweth
Do-bet{te} doþ riȝt þus ac he doþ muche more
He is as lowe as a lomb{e} and louelich{e} of speche
And helpuþ alle men aftur þat hem nedeth
Þe baggus and þe bigurdeles he haþ to-broken hem alle
Þat þe erl {...?...?...}Auarous heeld and his heires
And is r{u}onnen in-to Religioun and haþ rendred{e} þe bible
And precheþ to þe p{.}eple seint{e} Poules wordus
Libenter suffertis insipientes . cum sitis ipsi sapientes
And suffreþ . þe vnwise with {ȝ}yow for to libbe
And with glade wille doþ hem good{e} for so god {ȝ}yow hoteþ .
Do-best{e} . is a-boue bothe and bereth a bisshopus croos
Is hokud on þat on ende to halen men from helle
A pik{e} is on þat potente to putte a-doun þe wikk{..}ed .
Þat waiten any wikk{.}ednesse dowel to tene
And dowell and dobet amonges hem ordeinede
To croune on . to be kyng{e} to reulen hem {.....}bothe
Þat {ȝ}if dowell or do-bet do aȝeins dobest{e}
Þanne shal þe kyng{e} comen and caste hem in irens
And but {ȝ}if dobest bidde for hem þei to ben þere for euere
Thus dowell and dobet and dobest{e} þe þridde
Crouned on to be kyng{e} to kep{..}en hem alle
And to reulen þe Reume by hire þre wittus
And in {.....}non other wise but as þei þree assentud{e}
I thonkede þouȝt{h} þo þat he me þus tauȝte .
Ac {.}yet sauoreth me nouȝt{e} þi segginge I coueite to lurne
How dowel dobet . and dobest don amonges þe p{o}eple
But . wit{..} . conne wisse þe quod þouȝt{e} where þo þree dwellen
Elles wot{e} I non{e} þat can þat now is a-liue .
Þouȝt{.} and I þus þre daies we {ȝ}yeden
Disputinge vppon Dowell day aftur othur
And ar we were war wyth . wit{te} gan we mete
He was long{e} and lene and lich{e} to non othur
Was no pr{u}yde on his apparaille ne pouerte nowther
Sad{de} of his semblaunt and of {..chere}softe chiere .
I durste {.....}moeue no{n} matiere to maken him to iangle
But as I bad þou{..}ȝt þo be mene bytwene
And putte forth som{me} — purpos to prouen his wittus
What was Dowell . from dobet and dobest fram hem boþe .
# quod Caritas maxime adiuuat contra peccatum
{suffre}
# On to be kyng & Rule all
# quomodo will & thought primo obuiauerunt cum witt
{...?...}C
# the questioun askyn of Freris of dowell
#
{...?...}C
{tymes sithes}C
{kepeth}
# quomodo thought primo apparuit in sompno
{...?...}# prima discripcio de dowell
# discripcio de do-best ad episcopos pertinet
cor
{bothe}
passus viijus