Passus Nonus de Visione, ut supra, et Primus de Do-wel

"Sire Do-wel dwelleth," quod Wit, "Noght a day hennes, In a castel that Kynde made Of four kynnes thynges; Of erthe and of eyr it is maad, Medled togideres, With wynd and with water Witterly enjoyned. Kynde hath closed therinne Craftily withalle A lemman that he loveth Lik to hymselve; Anima she hatte. Ac envye hir hateth, A proud prikere of Fraunce, Princeps hujus mundi, And wolde wynne hire awey With wiles, and he myghte.

"Ac Kynde knoweth this wel, And kepeth hire the bettre, And dooth hire with sire Do-wel, Is duc of thise marches.

"Do-bet is hire damyselle, Sire Do-weles doughter,

To serven this lady leelly Bothe late and rathe.

"Do-best is above bothe, A bisshopes peere; That he bit moot be do, He ruleth hem alle. Anima, that lady, Is lad by his leryng. Ac the constable of that castel, That kepeth al the wacche, Is a wis knyght withalle, Sire Inwit he hatte, And hathe fyve faire sones Bi his firste wyve; Sire Se-wel, and Sey-wel, And Here-wel the hende, Sire Werch-wel-with-thyn-hand, A wight man of strengthe, And sire Godefray Go-wel; Grete lordes, for sothe. Thise fyve ben set To kepe this lady Anima, Til Kynde come or sende To saven hire for evere."

"What kynnes thyng is Kynde?" quod I, "Kanstow me telle?"

"Kynde," quod Wit, "is a creatour Of alle kynnes thynges, Fader and formour Of al that evere was maked; And that is the grete God That gynnyng hadde nevere, Lord of lif and of light, Of lisse and of peyne.

Aungeles and alle thyng Arn at his wille; Ac man is hym moost lik Of marc and of shafte; For thorugh the word that he spak Woxen forth beestes. Dixit et facta sunt.

"And made man likkest To hymself one, And Eve of his ryb-bon, Withouten any mene, For he was synguler hymself; And seide faciamus, As who seith moore moot herto Than my word oone, My myght moot helpe Forth with my speche. Right as a lord sholde make lettres, And hym lakked parchemyn, Though he koude write never so wel, If he hadde no penne, The lettre, for al the lordshipe, I leve were nevere y-maked.

"And so it semeth by hym, As the Bible telleth, There he seide Dixit et facta sunt, He moste werche with his word, And his wit shewe. And in this manere was man maad, Thorugh myght of God almighty, With his word and werkmanshipe, And with lif to laste. And thus God gaf hym a goost, Thorugh the godhede of hevene,

And of his grete grace Graunted hym blisse, And that is lif that ay shal laste To al his lynage after. And that is the castel that Kynde made, Caro it hatte, And is as muche to mene As man with a soule; And that he wroghte with werk, And with word bothe, Thorgh myght of the magesté Man was y-maked.

"Inwit and alle wittes Closed ben therinne, For love of the lady Anima, That lif is y-nempned; Over al in mannes body He walketh and wandreth. And in the herte is hir hoom And hir mooste reste.

"Ac Inwit is in the heed, And to the herte he loketh; What Anima is leef or looth, He lat hire at his wille; For after the grace of God, The gretteste is Inwit.

"Muche wo worth that man That mys-ruleth his Inwit; And that ben glotons glubberes, Hir God is hire wombe. Quorum deus venter est.

"For thei serven Sathan, Hir soules shal he have. That lyven synful lif here,

Hir soule is lich the devil; And alle that lyven good lif Are lik to God almyghty, Qui manet in caritate, in Deo manet, etc. =

"Alas! that drynke shal for-do That God deere boughte, And dooth God forsaken hem That he shoop to his liknesse. Amen dico vobis, nescio vos. Et alibi: Et dimisi eos secundum desideria eorum.

"Fools that fauten Inwit, I fynde that holy chirche Sholde fynden hem that hem fauted, And fader-lese children, And widewes that han noght wherwith To wynnen hem hir foode, Madde men, and maydenes That help-lese were, Alle thise lakken Inwit, And loore bihoveth.

"Of this matere I myghte Make a long tale, And fynde fele witnesses Among the foure doctours; And that I lye noght of that I lere thee, Luc bereth witnesse.

"God-fadres and god-modres, That seen hire god-children At mys-eise and at myschief, And mowe hem amende, Shul have penaunce in purgatorie But thei hem helpe.

For moore bilongeth to the litel barn, Er he the lawe knowe, Than nempnynge of a name, And he never the wiser. Sholde no cristene creature Cryen at the yate, Ne faille payn ne potage, And prelates dide as thei sholden. A Jew wolde noght se a Jew Go janglyng for defaute, For alle the mebles on this moolde, And he amende it myghte.

"Alas! that a cristene creature Shal be unkynde til another; Syn Jewes, that we jugge Judas felawes, Eyther of hem helpeth oother Of that that hem nedeth. Whi nel we cristene Of Cristes good be as kynde As Jewes, that ben oure lores-men? Shame to us alle! The commune for hir unkyndenesse, I drede me, shul abye.

"Bisshopes shul be blamed For beggeres sake. He is wors than Judas, That gyveth a japer silver, And biddeth the beggere go, For his broke clothes. Proditor est prælatus cum Juda, qui patrimonium Christi mimis distribuit. Et alibi: Perniciosus dispensator est, qui res

pauperum Christi inutiliter consumit.

"He dooth noght wel that dooth thus, Ne drat noght God almyghty; He loveth noght Salomons sawes, That sapience taughte. Initium sapientiæ, timor Domini.

"That dredeth God, he dooth wel; That dredeth him for love, And noght for drede of vengeaunce, Dooth therfore the bettre.

"He dooth best that with-draweth hym By daye and by nyghte, To spille any speche Or any space of tyme. Qui offendit in uno, in omnibus est reus. =

"Lesynge of tyme, Truthe woot the sothe, Is moost y-hated upon erthe Of hem that ben in hevene; And siththe to spille speche, That spicerie is of grace, And Goddes gle-man, And a game of hevene. Wolde nevere the feithful fader This fithele were un-tempred, Ne his gle-man a gedelyng, A goere to tavernes.

"To alle trewe tidy men That travaille desiren, Oure Lord loveth hem and lent Loude outher stille

Grace to go to hem, And of-gon hir liflode. Inquirentes autem Dominum non minuentur omni bono.

"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, 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; 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, Conceyved ben in yvel tyme, As Caym was on Eve; Of swiche synfulle sherewes The Sauter maketh mynde:

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, '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, '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, 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

Coom on this erthe; Alle shul deye for hise dedes, 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 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.

"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.

"And thus thorugh cursed Caym Cam care upon erthe;

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; 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, 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, 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,

To folwen after the flicche, Fecche thei it nevere; And but thi bothe be for-swore, That bacon thei tyne.

"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, 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, 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.

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; 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 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, To doon as lawe techeth; To love thi frend and thi foo, Leve me, that is Do-bet; To gyven and to yemen

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, And bryngeth adoun the mody, And that is wikked wille That many a werk shendeth, And dryveth awey Do-wel Thorugh dedliche synnes."