Passus .ixus. / nonus de visione vt supra & primus de Dobet
SIre dowel dwelleþ quod wit . noȝt a day hennes
In a Castel þat kynde made . of foure kynnes þynges
Of erþe and of Eyr is it maad . medled togideres
Wiþ wynd and wiþ water . witterly enioyned
Kynde haþ closed þer-Inne . craftily wiþ-alle
A lemman þat he loueþ . lik to hym-selue
Anima she hatte . ac enuye hir hateþ
A proud prikere of Fraunce . Princeps huius mundi
And wolde wynne hire awey . wiþ wiles and he myȝte
¶ Ac kynde knoweþ þis wel . and kepeþ hire þe bettre
And dooþ hire wiþ sire dowel . is duc of þise Marches
¶ Dobet is hire damyselle . Sire doweles douȝter
To seruen þis lady leelly . boþe late and raþe
¶ Do-best is aboue boþe . a Bisshopes peere
That he bitP moot be do . he ruleþ hem alle
Anima . þat lady . is lad by his leryng
Ac þe Constable of þat Castel . þat kepeþ al þe wacche
Is a wis knyȝt wiþ-alle . sire Inwit he hatte
And haþ fyue faire sones . bi his firste wyue
Sire Sewel and Seywel . and here wel þe hende
Sire werch wel wiþ þyn hand . a wiȝt man of strengþe
And sire Godefray Gowel . grete lordes for-soþe
Thise fyue ben set . to kepeT þis lady anima
Til kynde come or sende . to sauen hire for euere
What kynnes þyng is kynde quod I . kanstow me telle
¶ Kynde quod wit is a creatour . of alle kynnes þynges
Fader and formour . of al þat euere was maked
And þat is þe grete god . þat gynnyng hadde neuere
Lord of lif and of liȝt . of lisse and of peyne
Aungeles and alle þyng . arn at his wille
Ac man is hym moost lik . of marc and of shafte
For þoruȝ þe word þat he spak . woxen forþ beestes
Dixit & facta sunt
¶ And made man likkest . to hym-self one
And Eue of his ryb-bon . wiþ-outen any mene
For he was synguler hym-self . and seide faciamus
As who seiþ moore moot her-to . þan my word oone
My myȝt moot helpe . forþ wiþ my speche N
Thouȝ he koude write neuer so wel . if he hadde no penne N
¶ And so it semeþ by hym . as þe bible telleþ
There he seide . Dixit & facta sunt
¶ He moste werche wiþ his word . and his wit shewe
And in þis manere was man maad . þoruȝ myȝt of god almyȝty
Wiþ his word and werkmanshipe . and wiþ lif to laste
And þus god gaf hym a goost . þoruȝT þe godhede of heuene
And of his grete grace . graunted hym blisse
And þat is lif þat ay shal laste . to al his lynage after
And þat is þe Castel þat kynde made . caro it hatte
And is as muche to mene . as man wiþ a Soule
And þat he wroȝte wiþ werk . and wiþ word boþe
Thorgh myȝt of þe mageste . man was ymaked
¶ Inwit and alle wittes . closed ben þer-Inne
For loue of þe lady anima . þat lif is ynempned
Ouer al in mannes body . he walkeþ and wandreþ
And in þe herte is hir hoom . and hir mooste reste
¶ Ac Inwit is in þe heed . and to þe herte he lokeþ
What anima is leef or looþ . he lat hire at his wille
For after þe grace of god . þe gretteste is Inwit
¶ Muche wo worþ þat man . þat mysruleþ his Inwit N
And þat ben glotons glubberes . hir god is hire wombe N
Quorum deus venter est .
¶ For þei seruen Sathan . hir soules shal he haue
That lyuen synful lif here . hir soule is lich þe deuel
And alle þat lyuen good lif . are lik to god almyȝty
Qui manet in caritate in deo manet &c
¶ Allas þat drynke shal fordo . þat god deere bouȝte N
And dooþ god forsaken hem . þat he shoop to his liknesse N
Amen dico vobis . nescio vos / . Et alibi Et
dimisi eos secundum desideria eorum
¶ Fooles þat fauten Inwit . I fynde þat holy chirche
Sholde fynden hem þat hem fauted . and faderlese children
And widewes þat han noȝt wher-with . to wynnen hem hir foode
Madde men and maydenes . þat helplese were
Alle þise lakken Inwit . and loore bihoueþ
¶ Of þis matere I myȝte . make a long tale
And fynde fele witnesses . among þe foure doctours
And þat I lye noȝt of þat I lere þee . luc bereþ witnesse
¶ Godfadres and godmodres . þat seen hire godchildren
At myseise and at myschief . and mowe hem amende
Shul haue penaunce in purgatorie . but þei hem helpe
For moore bilongeþ to þe litel barn . er he þe lawe knowe N
Than nempnynge of a name . and he neuer þe wiser N
Sholde no cristene creature . cryen at þe yate
Ne faille payn ne potage . and prelates dide as þei sholden
A Iew wolde noȝt se a Iew . go Ianglyng for defaute N
For alle þe mebles on þis moolde . and he amende it myȝte
Syn Iewes þat we Iugge . Iudas felawes N
Whi nel we cristene . of cristes good be as kynde N
As Iewes þat ben oure lores-men . shame to vs alle N
The commune for hir vnkyndenesse . I drede me shul abye
¶ Bisshopes shul be blamed . for beggeres sake
He is wors þan Iudas . þat ȝyueþ a Iaper siluer
And biddeþ þe beggere go . for his broke cloþes
¶ Proditor est prelatus cum Iuda qui patrimonium
christi minus distribuit Et alibi Perniciosus dis-
pensator est qui res pauperum christi inutiliter consumit
¶ He dooþ noȝt wel þat dooþ þus . ne drat noȝt god almyȝty
He loueþ noȝt Salomons sawes . þat Sapience tauȝte
Inicium sapiencie timor domini
¶ That dredeþ god he dooþ wel . þat dredeþ hym for loue N
And noȝt for drede of vengeaunce . dooþ þer-fore þe bettre N
To spille any speche . or any space of tyme N
Qui offendit in vno in omnibus est reus
¶ Lesynge of tyme . truþe woot þe soþe
Is moost yhated vp-on erþe . of hem þat ben in heuene
And siþþe to spille speche . þat spicerieT is of grace
And goddes gleman . and a game of heuene
Wolde neuere þe feiþful fader . þis fiþele were vntempred
Ne his gleman a gedelyng . a goere to tauernes
¶ To alle trewe tidy men . þat trauaille desiren
Oure lord loueþ hem and lent . loude ouþer stille
Grace to go to hem . and ofgon hir liflode
¶ Inquirentes autem dominum non minuentur omni bono
¶ Trewe wedded libbynge folk . in þis world is dowel
For þei mote werche and wynne . and þe world sustene
For of hir kynde þei come . þat Confessours ben nempned
Kynges and knyȝtes . kaysers and cherles
Maidenes and martires . out of o man come
The wif was maad þe weye . for to helpe werche
And þus was wedlok y-wroȝt . wiþ a mene persone
First by þe fadres wille . and þe frendes conseille N
And siþenes by assent of hem-self . as þei two myȝte acorde N
And þus was wedlok ywroȝt . and god hym-self it made N
In erþe . and in heuene . hym-self bereþ witnesse
¶ Ac fals folk feiþlees . þeues and lyeres
Wastours and wrecches . out of wedlok I trowe
Conceyued ben in yuel tyme . as Caym was on Eue
Of swiche synfulle sherewes . þe Sauter makeþ mynde
Concepit in dolore & peperit iniquitatem &c N
¶ And alle þat come of þat Caym . come to yuel ende
AndT god sente to Seem . and seide by an Aungel
Thyn issue in þyn issue . I wol þat þei be wedded
And noȝt þi kynde wiþ Caymes . ycoupled nor yspoused
¶ Yet some ayein þe sonde . of oure Saueour of heuene
Caymes kynde and his kynde . coupled togideres
Til god wraþed for hir werkes . and swich a word seide
That I makede man . it me forþynkeþ
Penitet me fecisse hominem .
¶ And com to Noe anon . and bad hym noȝt lette
Swiþe go shape a ship . of shides and of bordes
Thy-self and þi sones þre . and siþen youre wyues
Buskeþ yow to þat boot . and bideþ ye þer-Inne
Til fourty daies be fulfild . þat þe flood haue ywasshen
Clene awey þe corsed blood . þat Caym haþ ymaked
¶ Beestes þat now ben . shul banne þe tyme
That euere þat cursed Caym . coom on þis erþe
Alle shul deye for hise dedes . by dales and by hulles
And þe foweles þat fleen . forþ wiþ oþere beestes
Excepte oonliche . of ech kynde a couple
That in þi shyngled ship . shul ben ysaued
Here abouȝte þe barn . þe belsires giltes
¶ And alle for hir fadres . þei ferden þe werse
The gospel is her-ayein . in o degre I fynde
Filius non portabit iniquitatem patris . et pater non portabit iniquitatem filij &c
¶ Ac I fynde if þe fader . be fals and a sherewe N
That somdel þe sone . shal haue þe sires tacches N
¶ Impe on an Ellere . and if þyn appul be swete
Muchel merueille me þynkeþ . and moore of a sherewe N
That bryngeþ forþ any barn . but if he be þe same N
And haue a Sauour after þe sire . selde sestow ooþer N
Numquam colligitur de spinis vuaT nec de tribulis ficus
¶ And þus þoruȝ cursed Caym . cam care vp-on erþe
And al for þei wroȝte wedlokes . ayein goddes wille
For-þi haue þei maugre of hir mariages . þat marie so hir children
For some as I se now . sooþ for to telle
For coueitise of catel . vnkyndely ben wedded N
As careful concepcion . comeþ of swiche mariages
As bifel of þe folk . þat I bifore of tolde
¶ It is an vncomly couple . by crist as me þynkeþ N
To yeuen a yong wenche . to an old feble N
Or wedden any wodewe . for welþe of hir goodes N
That neuere shal barn bere . but if it be in hir armes N
Many a peire siþen þe pestilence . han pliȝt hem togideres
In Ielousie ioyelees . and ianglynge on bedde
Haue þei no children but cheeste . and clappyngT hem bitwene
And þouȝ þei do hem to Dunmowe . but if þe deuel helpe
To folwen after þe flicche . fecche þei it neuere
And but þei boþe be forswore . þat bacon þei tyne
¶ For-þi I counseille alle cristene . coueite noȝt be wedded
For coueitise of catel . ne of kynrede riche N
Ac maidenes and maydenes . macche yow togideres N
Wodewes and wideweres . wercheþ þe same N
For no londes but for loue . loke ye be wedded N
And þanne gete ye þe grace of god . and good ynouȝ to lyue wiþ N
¶ And euery maner seculer . þat may noȝt continue N
Wisely go wedde . and ware hym fro synne N
Fo / Fo[r] lecherie in likynge . is lymeyerd of helle
Whiles þow art yong . and þi wepene kene N
Wreke þee wiþ wyuyng . if þow wolt ben excused N
¶ Whan ye han wyued beþ war . and wercheþ in tyme
Noȝt as Adam and Eue . whan Caym was engendred
For in vntyme trewely . bitwene man and womman
Ne sholde no bourde on bedde be . but if þei boþe were clene
Boþe of lif and of soule . and in parfit charite
That ilke derne dede do . no man ne sholde
And if þei leden þus hir lif . it likeþ god almyȝty
For he made wedlok first . and hym-self it seide
¶ Bonum est vt vnusquisque vxorem suam habeat propter fornicacionem
¶ And þei þat oþer-gates ben geten . for gedelynges arn holden
As fals folk fondlynges . faitours and lieres
Vngracious to gete good . or loue of þe peple
¶ Wandren and wasten . what þei cacche mowe
Ayeins dowel þei doon yuel . and þe deuel serue N
And after hir deeþ-day . shul dwelle wiþ þe same N
But god gyue hem grace here . hem-self to amende N
he doþ noȝt wel