Part 10

"Trewe wedded libbynge folk In this world is Do-wel, For thei mote werche and wynne, And the world sustene. For of hir kynde thei come That confessours ben nempned, 5390 Kynges and knyghtes, Kaysers and cherles, Maidenes and martires, Out of o man come. The wif was maad the weye For to helpe werche; And thus was wedlok y-wroght With a mene persone, First, by the fadres wille, And the frendes conseille; 5400 And sithenes by assent of hemself, As thei two myghte acorde. And thus was wedlok y-wroght, And God hymself it made In erthe and in hevene, Hymself bereth witnesse.

"Ac fals folk feyth-lees, Theves and lyeres, Wastours and wrecches, Out of wedlok, I trowe, 5410 Conceyved ben in yvel tyme, As Caym was on Eve; Of swiche synfulle sherewes The Sauter maketh mynde: {167} _Concepit in dolore, et peperit iniquitatem, etc._ =

"And alle that come of that Caym, Come to yvel ende. And God sente to Seem, And seide by an aungel, 5420 'Thyn issue in thyn issue I wol that thei be wedded, And noght thi kynde with Caymes Y-coupled nor y-spoused.'

"Yet some, ayein the sonde Of oure Saveour of hevene, Caymes kynde and his kynde Coupled togideres, Til God wrathed for hir werkes, And swich a word seide, 5430 'That I makede man It me for-thynketh.' _Poenitet me fecisse hominem._

"And com to Noe anon, And bad hym noght lette: 'Swith go shape a ship Of shides and of bordes; Thyself and thi sones, And sithen youre wyves, Busketh yow to that boot, 5440 And bideth ye therinne, Til fourty daies be fulfild, That the flood have y-wasshen Clene awey the corsed blood That Caym hath y-maked.

"'Beestes that now ben Shul banne the tyme That evere that cursed Caym {168} Coom on this erthe; Alle shul deye for hise dedes, 5450 By dales and by hulles, And the foweles that fleen Forth with othere beestes, Excepte oonliche Of ech kynde a couple, That in thi shyngled ship Shul ben y-saved.' Here a-boughte the barn The bel-sires giltes, And alle for hir fadres 5460 Thei ferden the werse; The Gospel is her ayein, In o degré, I fynde: _Filius non portabit iniquitatem patris, et pater non portabit iniquitatem filii, etc._

"Ac I fynde if the fader Be fals and a sherewe, That som del the sone Shal have the sires tacches. 5470

"Impe on an ellere, And if thyn appul be swete, Muchel merveille me thynketh; And moore of a sherewe That bryngeth forth any barn, But if he be the same, And have a savour after the sire; Selde sestow oother. _Nunquam colligitur de spinis uva, nec de tribulis ficus._ 5480

"And thus thorugh cursed Caym Cam care upon erthe; {169} And al for thei wroghte wedlokes Ayein Goddes wille. For-thi have thei maugré of hir mariages That marie so hir children. For some, as I se now, Sooth for to telle, For coveitise of catel Un-kyndely ben wedded; 5490 As careful concepcion Cometh of swiche mariages, As bi-fel of the folk That I bifore of tolde, Therfore goode sholde wedde goode, Though thei no good hadde; 'I am _via et veritas_,' seith Crist, 'I may avaunce yow alle.'

"It is an uncomly couple, By Crist! as me thynketh, 5500 To yeven a yong wenche To an old feble, Or wedden any wodewe For welthe of hir goodes, That nevere shal barn bere But if it be in hir armes. Many a peire, sithen the pestilence, Han plight hem togideres, The fruyt that brynge forth Arn foule wordes, 5510 In jelousie joye-lees, And janglynge on bedde, Have thei no children but cheeste, And clappyng hem bitwene. And though thei do hem to Dunmowe, But if the devel helpe, {170} To folwen after the flicche, Fecche thei it nevere; And but thi bothe be for-swore, That bacon thei tyne. 5520

"For-thei I counseille alle cristene Coveite noght be wedded For coveitise of catel, Ne of kyn-rede riche; Ac maidenes and maydenes Macche yow togideres, Wodewes and wideweres Wercheth the same; For no londes, but for love, Loke ye be wedded, 5530 And thanne gete ye the grace of God, And good y-nough to lyve with.

"And every maner seculer That may noght continue, Wisely goo wedde, And ware hym fro synne; For lecherie in likynge Is lyme-yerd of helle. Whiles thow art yong, And thi wepene kene, 5540 Wreke thee with wyvyng, If thow wolt ben excused. _Dum sis vir fortis, Ne des tua robora scortis; Scribitur in portis, Meretrix est janua mortis._

"Whan ye han wyved, beth war And wercheth in tyme; Noght as Adam and Eve, Whan Caym was engendred. 5550 {171} For in un-tyme, trewely, Bitwene man and womman, Ne sholde no bourde or bedde be; But if thei bothe were clene Bothe of lif and of soule, And in perfit charité, That ilke derne dede do No man ne sholde. And if thei leden thus hir lif, It liketh God almyghty; 5560 For he made wedlok first, And hymself it seide: _Bonum est ut unusquisque uxorem suam habeat, propter fornicationem._

"And thei that other gates ben geten For gedelynges arn holden, As fals folk fondlynges, Faitours and lieres, Ungracious to gete good 5570 Or love of the peple, Wandren and wasten What thei cacche mowe, Ayeins Do-wel thei doon yvel, And the devel serve; And after hir deeth day Shul dwelle with the same, But God gyve hem grace here Hemself to amende.

"Do-wel my frend is, 5580 To doon as lawe techeth; To love thi frend and thi foo, Leve me, that is Do-bet; To gyven and to yemen {172} Bothe yonge and olde, To helen and to helpen, Is Do-best of alle.

"And Do-wel is to drede God, And Do-bet to suffre, And so cometh Do-best of bothe, 5590 And bryngeth adoun the mody, And that is wikked wille That many a werk shendeth, And dryveth awey Do-wel Thorugh dedliche synnes." 5595

* * * * *

{173}

_Passus Decimus de Visione, et Secundus de Do-wel._

Thanne hadde Wit a wif, 5596 Was hote dame Studie, That lene was of lere, And of liche bothe; She was wonderly wroth 5600 That Wit me thus taughte; And al starynge dame Studie Sterneliche loked.

"Wel artow wis," quod she to Wit, "Any wisdomes to telle To flatereres or to fooles, That frenetike ben of wittes." And blamed hym and banned hym, And bad hym be stille, With swiche wise wordes 5610 To wissen any sottes. And seide, "_Noli mittere_, man, Margery perles Among hogges, that han Hawes at wille; Thei doon but dryvele theron, Draf were hem levere Than al the precious perree That in paradis wexeth. {174} I seye it by swiche," quod she, 5620 "That sheweth by hir werkes, That hem were levere lond And lordshipe on erthe, Or richesse, or rentes, And reste at hir wille, Than alle the sooth sawes That Salomon seide evere.

"Wisdom and wit now Is noght worth a kerse, But if it be carded with coveitise, 5630 As clotheres kemben hir wolle. Who so can contreve deceites And conspire wronges, And lede forth a love-day To lette with truthe, He that swiche craftes can To counseil is cleped. Thei lede lordes with lesynges, And bi-lieth Truthe.

"Job the gentile 5640 In his gestes witnesseth, That wikked men thei welden The welthe of this worlde; And that thei ben lordes of ech a lond That out of lawe libbeth. _Quare impii vivunt, bene est omnibus qui prævaricantur et inique agunt._

"The Sauter seith the same By swiche that doon ille: 5650 _Ecce ipsi peccatores abundantes in sæculo obtinuerunt divitias._

"Lo! seith holy lettrure, {175} Whiche beth thise sherewes? Thilke that God gyveth moost, Leest good thei deleth; And moost un-kynde to the commune That moost catel weldeth. _Quæ perfecisti destruxerunt, justus autem, etc._ 5660

"Harlotes for hir harlotrie May have of hir goodes, And japeris and jogelours, And jangleris of gestes.

"Ac he that hath holy writ Ay in his mouthe, And kan telle of Tobye, And of twelve apostles, Or prechen of the penaunce That Pilat wikkedly wroghte 5670 To Jhesu the gentile, That Jewes to-drowe; Litel is he loved That swich a lesson sheweth, Or daunted or drawe forth, I do it on God hymselve.

"But thoo that feynen hem foolis, And with faityng libbeth, Ayein the lawe of oure Lord, And lyen on hemselve, 5680 Spitten and spuen, And speke foule wordes, Drynken and drevelen, And do men fer to gape, Likne men, and lye on hem, That leneth hem no giftes; Thei konne na-moore mynstralcie {176} Ne musik men to glade, Than Munde the millere Of _Multa fecit Deus_. 5690 Ne were hir vile harlotrye, Have God my trouthe! Sholde nevere kyng ne knyght, Ne chanon of seint Poules, Gyve hem to hir yeres-gyve The gifte of a grote.

"Ac murthe and mynstralcie Amonges men is nouthe Lecherie, losengerye, And losels tales, 5700 Glotonye and grete othes, This murthe thei lovyeth.

"Ac if thei carpen of Crist, Thise clerkes and thise lewed At mete in hir murthe, Whan mynstrals beth stille, Thanne telleth thei of the Trinité A tale outher tweye, And bryngen forth a balled reson, And taken Bernard to witnesse, 5710 And putten forth a presumpcion To preve the sothe. Thus thei dryvele at hir deys The Deitee to knowe, And gnawen God with the gorge, Whanne hir guttes fullen.

"Ac the carefulle may crie And carpen at the yate, Bothe a-fyngred and a-furst, And for chele quake; 5720 Is ther noon to nyme hym neer, {177} His anoy to amende, But hunten hym as an hound, And hoten hym go thennes. Litel loveth he that Lord That lent hym al that blisse, That thus parteth with the povere A percell whan hym nedeth. Ne were mercy in meene men Moore than in riche, 5730 Mendinauntz mete-lees Myghte go to bedde. God is muche in the gorge Of thise grete maistres, Ac amonges meene men His mercy and hise werkes. And so seith the Sauter, I have seighen it ofte: _Ecce audivimus eam in Effrata, invenimus eam in campis silvæ._ 5740

"Clerkes and othere kynnes men Carpen of God faste, And have hym muche in the mouth; Ac meene men in herte.

"Freres and faitours Han founde swiche questions, To plese with proude men, Syn the pestilence tyme; And prechen at seint Poules For pure envye of clerkes; 5750 That folk is noght fermed in the feith, Ne free of hire goodes, Ne sory for hire synnes; So is pride woxen, In religion and in al the reme, {178} Amonges riche and povere, That preieres have no power The pestilence to lette. And yet the wrecches of this world Is noon y-war by oother; 5760 Ne for drede of the deeth With-drawe noght hir pride; Ne beth plentevouse to the povere, As pure charité wolde; But in gaynesse and in glotonye For-glutten hir good hemselve, And breketh noght to the beggere As the Book techeth: _Frange esurienti panem tuum, etc._ And the moore he wynneth and welt 5770 Welthes and richesse, And lordeth in londes, The lasse good he deleth.

"Tobye telleth yow noght so, Taketh hede, ye riche, How the book Bible Of hym bereth witnesse. _Si tibi sit copia, abundanter tribue. Si autem exiguum, illud impertiri stude libenter._ 5780

"Who so hath muche, spende manliche, So seith Tobye; And who so litel weldeth, Rule hym therafter. For we have no lettre of oure lif, How longe it shal dure, Swiche lessons lordes sholde Lovye to here, And how he myghte moost meynee {179} Manliche fynde. 5790

"Nought to fare as a fithelere or a frere, For to seke festes Homliche at othere mennes houses, And hatien hir owene. Elenge is the halle Ech day in the wike, Ther the lord ne the lady Liketh noght to sitte. Now hath ech riche a rule To eten by hymselve 5800 In a pryvee parlour, For povere mennes sake, Or in a chambre with a chymenee, And leve the chief halle That was maad for meles, Men to eten inne, And al to spare to spende That spille shal another.

"I have y-herd heighe men, Etynge at the table, 5810 Carpen, as thei clerkes were, Of Crist, and of hise myghtes; And leyden fautes upon the fader That formede us alle, And carpen ayein clerkes Crabbede wordes, Why wolde oure Saveour suffre Swich a worm in his blisse, That bigiled the womman, And the man after, 5820 Thorugh whiche wiles and wordes Thei wente to helle, And al hir seed for hir synne {180} The same deeth suffrede.

"Here lyeth youre lore, Thise lordes gynneth dispute, Of that the clerkes us kenneth Of Crist by the Gospel: _Filius non portabit iniquitatem patris, etc._ 5830

"Why sholde we that now ben, For the werkes of Adam, Roten and to-rende? Reson wolde it nevere. _Unusquisque portabit onus suum, etc._

"Swiche motyves thei mene, Thise maistres in hir glorie, And maken men in mys-bileve That muse muche on hire wordes, Ymaginatif herafterwarde 5840 Shal answere to hir purpos.

"Austyn to swiche argueres Telleth this teme: _Non plus sapere quam oportet._

"Wilneth nevere to wite Why that God wolde Suffre Sathan His seed to bigile; Ac bileveth lelly In the loore of holy chirche, 5850 And preie hym of pardon And penaunce in thi lyve, And for his muche mercy To amende yow here. For alle that wilneth to wite The weyes of God almyghty, I wolde his eighe were in his ers, {181} And his fynger after, That evere wilneth to wite Why that God wolde 5860 Suffre Sathan His seed to bigile, Or Judas to the Jewes Jhesu bitraye. Al was as thow woldest, Lord, y-worshiped be the! And al worth as thow wolt, What so we dispute.

"And tho that useth thise hanylons To blende mennes wittes, 5870 What is Do-wel fro Do-bet, That deef mote he worthe, Siththe he wilneth to wite Whiche thei ben bothe, But if he lyve in the lif That longeth to Do-wel. For I dar ben his bolde borgh, That do-bet wole he nevere, Theigh Do-best drawe on hym Day after oother." 5880

And whan that Wit was y-war What dame Studie tolde, He bicom so confus, He kouthe noght loke, And as doumb as deeth, And drough hym arere; And for no carpyng I kouthe after, Ne knelyng to the grounde, I myghte gete no greyn Of his grete wittes. 5890 But al laughynge he louted, {182} And loked upon Studie In signe that I sholde Bi-sechen hire of grace.

And whan I was war of his wille, To his wif gan I loute, And seide, "Mercy, madame, Youre man shal I worthe As longe as I lyve, Bothe late and rathe, 5900 For to werche youre wille The while my lif dureth, With that ye kenne me kyndely To knowe what is Do-wel."

"For thi mekenesse, man," quod she, "And for thi mylde speche, I shal kenne thee to my cosyn That Clergie is hoten. He hath wedded a wif Withinne thise sixe monthes, 5910 Is sib to seven artz, Scripture is hir name. They two, as I hope, After my techyng, Shullen wissen thee to Do-wel, I dar it undertake."

Thanne was I al so fayn, As fowel of fair morwe, And gladder than the gle-man That gold hath to gifte; 5920 And asked hire the heighe wey Where that Clergie dwelte, "And tel me som tokene," quod I, "For tyme is that I wende."

"Aske the heighe wey," quod she, {183} "Hennes to Suffre- Both-wele-and-wo, If that thow wolt lerne, And ryd forth by Richesse, Ac rest thow noght therinne; 5930 For if thow couplest thee therwith, To Clergie comestow nevere.

"And also the likerouse launde That Lecherie hatte, Leve it on thi left half A large myle or moore, Til thow come to a court, Kepe-wel-thi-tunge- Fro-lesynges-and-lither-speche- And-likerouse-drynkes. 5940

"Thanne shaltow se Sobretee, And Sympletee-of-speche, That ech wight be in wille His wit thee to shewe; And thus shaltow come to Clergie, That kan manye thynges.

"Seye hym this signe, I sette hym to scole, And that I grete wel his wif, For I wroot hire manye bokes, 5950 And sette hire to Sapience, And to the Sauter glose; Logyk I lerned hire, And manye othere lawes, And alle musons in musik I made hire to knowe.

"Plato the poete I putte first to boke, Aristotle and othere mo {184} To argue I taughte. 5960

"Grammer for girles I garte first to write, And bette hem with a baleys, But if thei wolde lerne,

"Of alle kynne craftes I contreved tooles, Of carpentrie, of kerveres, And compased masons, And lerned hem level and lyne, Though I loke dymme. 5970

"Ac Theologie hath tened me Ten score tymes; The moore I muse therinne The mystier it seemeth, And the depper I devyne The derker me it thynketh. It is no science, for sothe, For to sotile inne; A ful lethi thyng it were, If that love nere; 5980 Ac for it leteth best bi-love, I love it the bettre. For there that love is ledere, Ther lakked nevere grace. Loke thow love lelly, If thee liketh Do-wel; For Do-bet and Do-best Ben of Loves kynne.

"In oother science it seith, I seigh it in Caton: 5990 _Qui simulat verbis, nec corde est fidus amicus, Tu quoque fac simile, sic ars deluditur arte._ {185}

"Who so gloseth as gylours doon, Go me to the same; And so shaltow fals folk And feith-lees bigile. This is Catons kennyng To clerkes that he lereth.

"Ac Theologie techeth noght so, Who so taketh yeme; 6000 He kenneth us the contrarie, Ayein Catons wordes. For he biddeth us be as bretheren, And bidde for our enemys. And loven hem that lyen on us, And lene hem whan hem nedeth, And do good ayein yvel, God hymself it hoteth. _Dum tempus habemus, operemur bonum ad omnes, maxime autem 6010 ad domesticos fidei._ Poul preched the peple That perfitnesse lovede, To do good for Goddes love, And gyven men that asked, And namely to swiche As suwen oure bileve, And alle that lakketh us, or lyeth, Oure Lord techeth us to lovye. And noght to greven hem that greveth us, 6020 God hymself forbad it, _Mihi vindictam, et ego retribuam._

"For-thi loke thow lovye, As longe as thow durest; For is no science under sonne So sovereyn for the soule. {186}

"Ac astronomye is an hard thyng, And yvel for to knowe; Geometrie and geomesie, So gynful of speche, 6030 Who so thynketh werche with tho two Thryveth ful late, For sorcerie is the sovereyn book That to tho sciences bilongeth.

"Yet ar ther fibicches in forceres Of fele mennes makyng, Experimentz of alkenamye The peple to deceyve; If thow thynke to do-wel, Deel therwith nevere. 6040

"Alle thise sciences I myself Sotilede and ordeynede, And founded hem formest Folk to deceyve. Tel Clergie this tokene, And Scripture after, To counseille thee kyndely To knowe what is Do-wel."

I seide, "Graunt mercy, madame," And mekely hir grette; 6050 And wente wightly awey Withoute moore lettyng, And til I com to Clergie I koude nevere stynte; And grette the goode man, As Studie me taughte, And afterwardes the wif, And worshiped hem bothe, And tolde hem the tokenes That me taught were. 6060 {187} Was nevere gome upon this ground, Sith God made the worlde, Fairer under-fongen, Ne frendlier at ese, Than myself, soothly, Soone so he wiste Than I was of Wittes hous, And with his wif, dame Studie.

I seide to hem soothly That sent was I thider, 6070 Do-wel and Do-bet And Do-best to lerne.

"It is a commune lyf," quod Clergie, "On holy chirche to bileve, With alle the articles of the feith That falleth to be knowe; And that is to bileve lelly, Bothe lered and lewed, On the grete God That gynnyng hadde nevere, 6080 And on the soothfast Sone That saved mankynde Fro the dedly deeth And devel's power, Thorugh the help of the Holy Goost, The which goost is of bothe, Thre persones, ac noght In plurel nombre; For al is but oon God, And ech is God hymselve. 6090 _Deus pater, Deus filius, Deus spiritus sanctus._ = God the fader, God the sone, God holy goost of bothe, {188} Makere of mankynde, And of beestes bothe.

"Austyn the olde Herof made bokes, And hymself ordeyned To sadde us in bileve. 6100 Who was his auctour? Alle the foure euvangelistes, And Crist cleped hymself so, The euvangelistes bereth witnesse.

"Alle the clerkes under Crist Ne koude this assoille; But thus it bi-longeth to bileve To lewed that willen do-wel. For hadde nevere freke fyn wit The feith to dispute, 6110 Ne man hadde no merite, Myghte it ben y-preved. _Fides non habet meritum, ubi humana ratio præbet experimentum._

"Thanne is Do-bet to suffre For the soules helthe, Al that the book bit Bi holi cherches techyng; And that is, man, bi thy myght, 6120 For mercies sake. Loke thow werche it in werk, That thi word sheweth, Swich as thow semest in sighte Be in assay y-founde. _Appare quod es, vel esto quod appares._ =

"And lat no body be {189} By thi beryng bigiled, But be swich in thi soule 6130 As thow semest withoute.

"Thanne is Do-best to be boold To blame the gilty, Sythenes thow seest thiself As in soule clene; Ac blame thow nevere body, And thow be blame worthy. _Si culpare velis, Culpabilis esse cavebis; Dogma tuum sordet, 6140 Cum te tua culpa remordet._

"God in the Gospel Grevously repreveth Alle that lakketh any lif, And lakkes han hemselve. _Qui consideras festucam in oculo fratris tui, trabem in oculo tuo, etc._ =

"Why menestow thi mood for a mote In thi brotheres eighe, 6150 Sithen a beem in thyn owene A-blyndeth thiselve. _Ejice primo trabem in oculo tuo, etc._ = Which letteth thee to loke Lasse outher more.

"I rede ech a blynd bosarde Do boote to hymselve, For abbotes and for priours, And for alle manere prelates, 6160 As persons and parisshes preestes That preche sholde and teche {190} Alle maner men to amenden Bi hire myghtes.

"This text was told yow, To ben y-war, er ye taughte, That ye were swiche as ye seye, So salve with othere; For Goddes word wolde noght be lost, For that wercheth evere; 6170 If it availled noght the commune, It myghte availle yowselve.

"Ac it semeth now soothly To the worldes sighte, That Goddes word wercheth noght On lered ne on lewed, But in swich a manere As Marc meneth in the gospel: _Dum cæcus ducit cæcum, ambo in foveam cadunt._ 6180

"Lewed men may likne yow thus, That the beem lith in youre eighen; And the festu is fallen For youre defaute, In alle maner men, Thorugh mansede preestes. The Bible bereth witnesse That the folk of Israel Bittre a-boughte the giltes Of two badde preestes, 6190 Offyn and Fynes, For hir coveitise, _Archa Dei_ mys-happed, And Ely brak his nekke.

"For-thi ye corectours claweth heron. And corecteth first yowselve {191} And thanne mowe ye safly seye, As David made in the Sauter, _Existimasti inique quod ero tui similis, arguam te, et statuam 6200 contra faciem tuam._

"And thanne shul burel clerkes ben abasshed To blame yow or to greve, And carpen noght as thei carpe now, Ne calle yow doumbe houndes. _Canes non valentes latrare._ And drede to wrathe yow in any word, Youre werkmanshipe to lette, And be prester at youre preiere, Than for a pound of nobles. 6210 And al for youre holynesse, Have ye this in herte.

"In scole there is scorn, But if a clerk wol lerne, And gret love and likyng, For ech of hem loveth oother.