Passus viijus / octauus de visione & primus de Dowel
Thus yrobed in russet . I romed aboute
Al a somer seson . for to seke dowel
And frayned ful ofte . of folk þat I mette
If any wiȝt wiste . wher dowel was at Inne
And what man he myȝte be . of many man I asked
¶ Was neuere wiȝt as I wente . þat me wisse kouþe
Where þis leode lenged . lasse ne moore
Til it bifel on a Friday . two freres I mette
Maistres of þe Menours . men of grete witte
I hailsed hem hendely . as I hadde y-lerned
And preide hem par charite . er þei passed ferþer
If þei knewe any contree . or costes as þei wente
Where þat dowel dwelleþ . dooþ me to witene
For þei be men of þis moolde . þat moost wide walken
And knowen contrees and courtes . and many kynnes places
Boþe princes paleises . and pouere mennes cotes
And dowel and doyuele . wher þei dwelle boþe
¶ Amonges vs quod þe Menours . þat man is dwellynge
And euere haþ as I hope . and euere shal her-after
¶ Contra quod I as a clerc . and comsed to disputen
And seide hem sooþly . Sepcies in die cadit Iustus N
¶ Seuene siþes seiþ þe book . synneþ þe rightfulle
And who-so synneþ I seide . dooþ yuele as me þynkeþ
And dowel and doyuele . mowe noȝt dwelle togideres
Ergo he nys noȝt alwey . amonges yow freres
He is ouþerwhile ellis-where . to wisse þe peple
¶ I shal seye þee my sone . seide þe frere þanne
How seuen siþes þe sadde man . on a day synneþ
By a forbisne quod þe frere . I shal þee faire shewe
Lat brynge a man in a boot . amydde þe brode watre N
The wynd and þe water . and þe boot waggyng N
Makeþ þe man many a tyme . to falle and to stonde N
For stonde he neuer so stif . he stumbleþ if he meue N
Ac yet is he saaf and sound . and so hym bihoueþ N
For if he ne arise þe raþer . and rauȝte to þe steere N
The wynd wolde wiþ þe water . þe boot ouer-þrowe N
And þanne were his lif lost . þoruȝ lachesse of hym-selue N
¶ And þus it falleþ quod þe frere . by folk here on erþe N
The water is likned to þe world . þat wanyeþ and wexeþ N
The goodes of þis grounde arn lik . to þe grete wawes N
That as wyndes and wedres . walkeþ aboute N
The boot is likned to oure body . þat brotel is of kynde N
That þoruȝ þe fend and þe flessh . and þe frele worlde N
Synneþ þe sadde man . a day seuen siþes N
¶ Ac dedly synne doþ he noȝt . for dowel hym kepeþ
And þat is charite þe champion . chief help ayein synne
For he strengþeþ menT to stonde . and steereþ mannes soule
And þouȝ þe body bowe . as boot dooþ in þe watre N
Do a deedly synne . and drenche so þi soule
God wole suffre wel þi sleuþe . if þi-self likeþ
For he yaf þee a yeresȝyue . to yeme wel þi-selue N
And þat is wit and free wil . to euery wiȝt a porcion N
To fleynge foweles . to fisshes and to beestes N
Ac man haþ moost þer-of . and moost is to blame N
¶ I haue no kynde knowyng quod I . to conceyuen alle youre wordes
Ac if I may lyue and loke . I shal go lerne bettre
¶ I bikenne þee crist quod he . þat on cros deyde
And I seide þe same . saue yow fro myschaunce
And ȝyue yow grace on þis grounde . goode men to worþe
ANd þus I wente wide-wher . walkyng myn one
By a wilde wildernesse . and by a wodes side
Blisse of þe briddes . brouȝte me aslepe N
And vnder a lynde vp-on a launde . lened I a stounde
To lyþe þe layes . þo louely foweles made
The merueillouseste metels . mette me þanne
That euer dremed wiȝt . in world as I wene
¶ A muche man as me þouȝte . and lik to my-selue
Cam and called me . by my kynde name
¶ What artow quod I þo . þat þow my name knowest
¶ That þow woost wel quod he . and no wiȝt bettre
¶ Woot I what þow art . þouȝt seide he þanne
I haue sued þee þis seuen yeer . seye þow me no raþer
¶ Artow þouȝt quod I þoo . þow koudest me wisse
Where þat dowel dwelleþ . and do me þat to knowe
¶ Dowel and dobet . and dobest þe þridde quod he N
Arn þre faire vertues . and ben noȝt fer to fynde N
Who-so is trewe of his tunge . and of his two handes N
And þoruȝ his labour . or þoruȝ his land . his liflode wynneþ N
And is trusty of his tailende . takeþ but his owene N
And is noȝt dronkelewe ne dedeynous . dowel hym folweþ N
¶ Dobet dooþ riȝt þus . ac he dooþ muche moore
He is as lowe as a lomb . and louelich of speche N
¶ And helpeþ alle men . after þat hem nedeþ
The bagges and þe bigirdles . he haþ to-broke hem alle
That þe Erl Auarous . heeld and hise heires
And þus wiþ Mammonaes moneie . he haþ maad hym frendes
And is ronne to Religion . and haþ rendred þe bible
And precheþ to þe peple . Seint Poules wordes
¶ Libenter suffertis insipientes . cum sitis ipsi sapientes
¶ And suffreþ þe vnwise . wiþ yow for to libbe N
And wiþ glad wille dooþ hem good . for so god yow hoteþ
¶ Dobest is aboue boþe . and bereþ a bisshopes crosse
Is hoked on þat oon ende . to halie men fro helle
A pik is on þat potente . to putte adown þe wikked
That waiten any wikkednesse . dowel to tene
And dowel and dobet . amonges hem han ordeyned
To crowne oon to be kyng . to rulen hem boþe
That if dowel or dobet . dide ayein dobest
Thanne shal þe kyng come . and casten hem in Irens
And but if dobest bede for hem . þei to be þer for euere
¶ Thus dowel and dobet . and dobest þe þridde
Crouned oon to be kyng . to kepen hem alle
And to rule þe Reme . by hire þre wittes
And noon ooþer wise . but as þei þre assented
¶ I þonked þoȝt þo . þat he me þus tauȝte
Ac yet sauoreþ me noȝt þi seying . I coueite to lerne
How dowel . dobet . and dobest . doon among þe peple
¶ But wit konne wisse þee quod þoȝt . where þo þre dwelle
Ellis woot I noon þat kan . þat now is alyue
¶ Thoȝt and I þus . þre daies we yeden
Disputyng vp-on dowel . day after ooþer
And er we were war . wiþ wit gonne we mete
He was long and lene . lik to noon ooþer
Was no pride on his apparaille . ne pouerte neiþer N
Sad of his semblaunt . and of softe chere N
I dorste meue no matere . to maken hym to Iangle
But as I bad þoȝt þoo . be mene bitwene
And pute forþ som purpos . to preuen hise wittes
What was Dowel fro dobet . and dobest from hem boþe
¶ Thanne þoȝt in þat tyme . seide þise wordes
Where dowel . dobet . and dobest ben in londe
Here is wil wolde wite . if wit koude teche hym
And wheiþer he be man or womman . þis man fayn wolde aspie
And werchen as þei þre wolde . thus is his entente