The vision of William concerning Piers the Plowman, together with Vita de Dowel, Dobet, et Dobest, secundum Wit et Resoun, by William Langland (about 1362-1393 A. D.)

PASSUS XII. SUPPLEMENT TO "PIERS PLOWMAN," PART I. TEXT A. [MS. Rawl. Poet. 137. fol. 40] [[NOTE. See the account at the end of the Passus, shewing whence this Twelfth Passus is derived.]]

Passus tercius de dowel. [Pass. XII. Called Passus tercius de dowel in MS. U and MS. Rawlinson 137. See the note to Pass. XI. l. 303, on p. 154.]

"Crist wot," quod clergie · "knowe hit ȝif þe lyke, [þe] ye U; but the y represents þ.] I haue do my deuer · þe dowel to teche; And who-so coueyteþ don betere · þan þe boke telleþ, [coueyteþ don] coueite to don U.] He passeþ þe apostolis lyf · and put him to aungelys! [þe] U om. him] hem U; cor|ruptly.] Line 4 But I se now as I seye · as me soþ thinkytȝ, Þe were lef to lerne · but loþ for to stodie. [U omits.] Þou woldest konne þat I can · and carpen hit after. Presumptuowsly, parauenture · a-pose so manye, Line 8 That [hit] myȝthe turne men to tene · & theologie boþe. [[hit] it U; MS. Rawlinson omits. men] me U.] Ȝif I wiste witterly · þou woldest don þer-after, Al þat þou askest · a-soylen I wolde." Skornfully þo scripture · [set vp here] browes, [þo] miswritten þe in MS. Raw|linson; U has yo = þo. [set vp here] So in U; MS. Rawlinson has sherte vp his, where at least his is wrong.] Line 12 And on clergie crieþ · on cristes holy name, [crieþ] cryede U. cristes] godis U.] That he shewe me hit ne sholde · but ȝif [hit] stryf were [shewe me hit] schewiȝt U (cor|ruptly). [hit] it U; MS. Rawl. om.] Of þe kynde cardinal wit · and cristned in a font;— [kynde] U om.] And seyde [hit] so loude · þat shame me thouȝthe, [[hit] it U; MS. Rawl. om. me] me it U.] Line 16 "Þat hit were boþe skaþe · and sklaundre to holy cherche, [boþe] U om.]

Sitthe theologie þe trewe · to tellen hit defendeþ; [Sitthe] Scihoþ (sic) U. þe trewe] yat trewe is U. to] U om.] Dauid godes derling · defendyþ hit al-so:

Vidi [preuaricantes] et tabescebam:

[[preuaricantes] So in U; MS. Rawl. corruptly has preuaricationes.] I saw synful, he seyde · þer-fore I seyde no-þing, [MS. U ends with tabescebam; and from this line to the end, we have only MS. Rawl. to trust to. seyde no|þing] It is clear that the poet con|strues tabescebam as if it were tacebam. The same idea recurs in ll. 23 and 29.] Line 20 Til þo wrecches ben in wil · here synne to lete. And poul precheþ hit often · prestes hit redyn,

Audiui archane que non licet homini loqui:

[Audiui, &c. Quoted again in Text B. Pass. XVIII.] I am not hardy, quod he · þat I herde with erys, Telle hit with tounge · to synful wrecches. Line 24 And god graunted hit neuere · þe gospel hit witnesseþ, In þe passioun, whan pilat · a-posed god al-myȝthi, And asked Ihesu on hy · þat herden hit an hundred, [folio 40b] Quid est ueritas? quod he · verilyche tel vs; Line 28 God gaf him non answere · but gan his tounge holde. Riȝt so I rede," quod she · "red þou no ferþer; Of þat he wolde wite · wis him no betere. For he cam not by cause · to lerne to dowel, Line 32 But as he seyþ, such I am · when he with me carpeþ." [such I am] i. e. I am not to be commended; alluding to Pass. XI. l. 286.] And when scripture þe skolde · hadde þus wyt y-sheued, Clergie in-to a caban · crepte anon after, And drow þe dore after him · and bad me go dowel, Line 36 Or wycke, ȝif I wolde · wheþer me lyked! Þan held I vp myn handes · to scripture þe wise, To be hure man ȝif I most · for euere-more after, With þat she wolde me wisse · wher þe toun were, Line 40 Kynde wit hure confessour · hure cosyn was Inne. [wit.] The MS. has wt, the usual contraction for with; but see ll. 43 and 53; and hit for hit, l. 25.] Þat lady þan low · and lauȝthe me in here armes, And sayde, "my cosyn kynde wit · knowen is wel wide, And his loggyng is with lyf · þat lord is of erþe. Line 44 And ȝif þou desyre · with him for to a-byde,

I shal þe wisse · where þat he dwelleþ." And þanne I kneled on my knes · and kyste her wel sone, And þanked hure a þousand syþes · with þrobbant herte. Line 48 She called [to ken] me · a clerioun þat hyȝt [These two lines are written as one in the MS. Some such phrase as to ken me seems to have been lost; see l. 53.] Omnia-probate · a pore þing with alle, [These two lines are written as one in the MS. Some such phrase as to ken me seems to have been lost; see l. 53.] [Omnia probate] Compare Text B. Pass. III. l. 335.] "Þou shalt wende with wil," quod she · "whiles þat him lykyþ, Til ȝe come to þe burghe · quod-bonum-est-tenete. [burghe]? burgher MS. But burghe = borough is meant; it is call|ed a court in l. 57.] Line 52 Ken him to my cosenes hous · þat kinde wit hyȝth, Sey I sente him þis segge · and þat he shewe hym dowel." Þus we lauȝþe oure leue · lowtyng at onys, And wente forþ on my way · with omnia-probate, Line 56 And ere I cam to þe court · quod-bonum-est-tenete, Many ferlys me by-fel · in a fewe ȝeris. [Cf. Prologue; l. 62. Here fol|lows the catchword—þe ferste ferly.] The fyrste ferly I fond · a-fyngrid me made; [folio 41] As I ȝede thurgh ȝouþe · a-ȝen prime dayes, [ȝouþe] miswritten ȝou · þe in MS.; the metrical dot being inserted by mistake after the letter u. But the reading is certain; cf. Text B. Pass. XI. 17, 34, 59; and especially observe the whole drift of Text B. Pass. XI.] Line 60 I stode stille in a stodie · and stared a-bowte; "Al hayl," quod on þo, and I answered "welcome · and with whom be ȝe?" [A half-line has probably been lost here.] "I am dwellyng with deth · and hunger I hatte, To lyf in his lordshepe · longyt my weye, Line 64 I shal felle þat freke · in a fewe dayes!" "I wolde folwe þe fayn · but fentesye me hendeþ, [Cf. Pass. V. 5.] Me folweþ such a fentyse · I may no ferþer walke." "Go we forþ," quod þe gom · "I haue a gret boyste Line 68 At my bak, of broke bred · þi bely for to fylle;

A bagge ful, of a beggere · I bouȝþe hit at onys." [bouȝþe] cf. wrouȝþ, l. 87; lauȝþe, l. 55; &c.] Than maunged I wit · vp at þe fulle, [Corrupt; probably two half|lines lost.] For þe myssyng of mete · no mesour I coude. Line 72 With þat cam a knaue · with a confessoures face, He halsed me and I · asked him after, Of when þat he were · and wheder þat he wolde. "With deþ I duelle," quod he · "dayes and nyȝtes; Line 76 Mi name is feuere, on þe ferþe day · I am a-þrest euere; I am masager of deþ · men haue I tweyne, [Fevers and Death appear in Text B. Pass. XX.] Þat on is called cotidian · a courour of oure hous, Tercian þat oþer · trewe drinkeres boþe! Line 80 We han letteres of lyf · he shal his lyf [tyne;] [[tyne] The MS. has tyme, cor|ruptly. See Pass. XI. 233.] Fro deþ, þat is oure duk · swyche dedis we brynge." "Myȝth I so, god wot · ȝoure gates wolde I holden." "Nay, wil!" quod þat wyȝth · "wend þou no ferther, Line 84 But lyue as þis lyf · is ordeyned for the, Þou tomblest wiþ a trepget · ȝif þou my tras folwe; [þou] miswritten þe in the MS.; the being the preceding word.] And mannes merþe wrouȝþ no mor · þan he deseruyþ here, [wrouȝþ] = wrouȝte. Cf. l. 70. The reading worþe would make better sense.] Whil his lyf and his lykhame · lesten to-gedere. Line 88 And þer-fore do after do-wel · whil þi dayes duren, Þat þi play be plentevous · in paradys with aungelys. [folio 41b] Þou shalt be lauȝth into lyȝth · with loking of an eye, So þat þou werke þe word · þat holy wryt techeþ, Line 92 And be prest to preyeres · and profitable werkes." Wille [wiste] þurgh in-wit— · þou wost wel þe soþe— [The word wiste has evidently been dropped here, probably on account of wost following.] Þat þis speche was spedelich · and sped him wel faste, And wrouȝthe þat here is wryten · and oþer werkes boþe [This means that, besides the Vita de Do-wel, Do-bet, et Do-best, the author wrote Peres the Plowman.] Line 96

Line 96 Of peres þe plowman · and mechel puple al-so; And whan þis werk was wrouȝt · ere wille myȝte a-spie, Deþ delt him a dent · and drof him to þe erþe, And is closed vnder clom · crist haue his soule! [98—100. These are the author's own words; he kills himself off, by way of finishing his poem, but he lived to re-write it, nevertheless.] Line 100 And so bad Iohan but · busily wel ofte, When he saw þes sawes · busyly a-legged [busyly] Read sothely? Busyly is repeated from the line above.] By Iames and by Ierom · by Iop and by oþere, And for he medleþ of makyng · he made þis ende. Line 104 Now alle kenne creatures · þat cristene were euere, God for his goudnesse · gif hem swyche happes, To lyue as þat lord lykyþ · þat lyf in hem putte. Furst to rekne Richard · kyng of þis rewme, Line 108 And alle lordes þat louyn him · lely in herte, God saue hem sound · by se and by land; Marie moder and may · for man þou by-seke; Þat barn bryng vs to blys · þat bled vp-on þe rode! Amen. [101—112. Obviously added, as stated, by another hand, viz. that of John But, who made a second "end," because he was accustomed to "meddle with makyng," i. e. to compose verses.] Line 112

Explicit do-Wel.
Nomen scriptoris · tisot plenus amoris.