God will suffer well thy sloth, if thyself liketh, For he gave thee two years' gifts, to teme well thyself, And man hath most thereof, and most is to blame 'I have no kind knowing,' quoth I, 'to conceive all your I beken1 the Christ, that on the crossë died;' And I said, 'The same save you from mischance, Came and called me, by my kindë" namë. wordës 'What art thou,' quod I then, 'thou that my namë knowest?' • I have sued thee this seven years, see ye me no rather?' 9 And is no drunkelow ne dedigious, Dowell him followeth ; The baggës and the bigirdles, he hath to-broke them all, And thus to mammons many he hath made him friends, 8 1 'Beken:' confess.-2 Lind:' lime-tree.-3 A stound:' a while.-Lyth:" listen.- 'Mette:' dreamed.-6 Kindë:' own.- 'Sued:' sought.--8 ‹ Wyssh:' inform.Tayling:' dealing.-10 Rend'red:' translated. And suffereth the unwise with you for to live, And with glad will doth he good, for so God you hoteth.1 I thanked Thought then, that he me thus taught, And yet favoureth me not thy suging, I covet to learn How Dowell, Dobest, and Dobetter do among the people. 'But Wit can wish thee,' quoth Thought, 'where they three dwell, And ere we were 'ware, with Wit 'gan we meet. I durst not move no matter, to make him to laugh, What was Dowell from Dobet, and Dobest from them both? 'Whether Dowell, Dobet, and Dobest be in land, Here is well would wit, if Wit could teach him, And whether he be man or woman, this man fain would espy, And work as they three would, this is his intent.' 'Here Dowell dwelleth,' quod Wit, 'not a day hence, In a castle that kind' made, of four kinds things; Of earth and air is it made, mingled together 8 With wind and with water, witterly enjoined; 1 'Hoteth:' biddeth.- 'Halye:' draw.-3 'Potent:' staff.-4 Tene:' grieve. 5 Wish:' inform.-6 Yeden:' went.- 'Kind:' nature. ningly.-9 'Leman:' paramour. 8 'Witterly:' cun A proud pricker of France, princeps hujus mundi, To serve this lady lelly,1 both late and rathe.2 Dobest is above both, a bishop's pere; That he bids must be done; he ruleth them all. Anima, that lady, is led by his learning, And the constable of the castle, that keepeth all the watch, Is a wise knight withal, Sir Inwit he hight, And hath five fair sonnës by his first wife, Sir Seewell and Saywell, and Hearwell-the-end, Sir Workwell-with-thy-hand, a wight man of strength, Till Kind come or send, to save her for ever.' 'What kind thing is Kind,' quod I, 'canst thou me tell?'- Angels and all thing are at his will, And man is him most like, of mark and of shape, For through the word that he spake, wexen forth beasts, And Eve of his ribbë bone, without any mean, For he was singular himself, and said Faciamus, As who say more must hereto, than my wordë one, My might must helpë now with my speech, Even as a lord should make letters, and he lacked parchment, Though he could write never so well, if he had no pen, The letters, for all his lordship, I 'lieve were never ymarked; And so it seemeth by him, as the Bible telleth, There he saidë, Dixit et facta sunt. He must work with his word, and his wit shew; And in this manner was man made, by might of God Almighty, And of his great grace granted him bliss, And that is life that aye shall last, to all our lineage after ; And that he wrought with work and with word both; 16 'Lelly:' fair.-2 'Rathe:' early.-3 'Ghost:' spirit. Through might of the majesty, man was ymaked. For love of the lady Anima, that life is nempned.1 That leve was of lere, and of liche boeth. She was wonderly wrought, Wit me so teached, And all staring, Dame Study sternëly said; 'Well art thou wise,' quoth she to Wit, 'any wisdoms to tell To flatterers or to foolës, that frantic be of wits ;' And blamed him and banned him, and bade him be still, With such wise wordës, to wysh any sots, And said, 'Noli mittere, man, margarita, pearls, Amongë hoggës, that havë hawes at will. They do but drivel thereon, draff were them lever,3 Than all precious pearls that in paradise waxeth.* I say it, by such,' quod she, 'that shew it by their works, Or riches or rentës, and rest at their will, Than all the sooth sawës that Solomon said ever. Wisdom and wit now is not worth a kerse," But if it be carded with covetise, as clothers kemb their wool; And lead forth a loveday, to let with truth, Ecce ipsi peccatores abundantes in seculo obtinuerunt divitias. Thilke that God giveth most, least good they dealeth, And most unkind be to that comen, that most chattel wieldeth.8 Quæ perfecisti destruxerunt, justus autem, &c. Harlots for their harlotry may have of their goodës, And japers and juggelers, and janglers of jestës, And he that hath holy writ aye in his mouth, And can tell of Tobie, and of the twelve apostles, Or preach of the penance that Pilate falsely wrought 1 'Nempned:' named.-2 'Loth:' willing.- 'Lever:' rather.—4 'Waxeth:' grow. 5 Them were lever:' they had rather.-6 Kerse:' curse.-7 'Loveday:❜ lady.-8 Wieldeth:' commands. 1 To Jesu the gentle, that Jewës to-draw: Little is he loved that such a lesson sheweth; Or daunten or draw forth, I do it on God himself, But they that feign they foolës, and with fayting1 liveth, Spitten and spewen, and speak foulë wordës, Drinken and drivellen, and do men for to gape, 2 Liken men, and lie on them, and lendeth them no giftës, Ne were their vile harlotry, have God my truth, Gluttony and great oaths, this mirth they loveth, And if they carpen1 of Christ, these clerkës and these lewed, And they meet in their mirth, when minstrels be still, When telleth they of the Trinity a talë or twain, And bringeth forth a blade reason, and take Bernard to witness, Thus they drivel at their dais3 the Deity to scorn, 10 And gnawen God to their gorge" when their guts fallen; And have him much in the mouth, and meanë men in heart; Friars and faitours 13 have founden such questions To please with the proud men, sith the pestilence time, And preachen at St Paule's, for pure envy of clerks, That folk is not firmed in the faith, nor free of their goods, Nor sorry for their sinnës, so is pride waxen, 'Fayting:' deceiving.—2 'Can:' know.—3 ‘Losenchery:' lying.- 'Carpen :' speak.-5 Dais:' table.-6 'Gorge:' throat. Careful:' poor.-8 'Chill:' cold. 'Nymen:' take.-10 Noye:' trouble.- 'Hoten:' order.-12 ‹ 'Mendynauntes meatless: beggars supperless.-13 Faitours:' idle fellows. |