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.)
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,
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Title
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.)
Author
Langland, William, 1330?-1400?
Canvas
Page 138*
Publication
London,: Pub. for the Early English text society, by N. Trübner & co.,
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"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.)." In the digital collection Corpus of Middle English Prose and Verse. https://name.umdl.umich.edu/ajt8124.0001.001. University of Michigan Library Digital Collections. Accessed June 15, 2025.
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