Piers Plowman

Passus tercius de Do-wel , etc.

"Crist wot," quod Clergie, "knowe hit yif the lyke,

I have do my dever the Do-wel to teche;

And who so coveyteth don betere than the boke telleth,

He passeth the apostolis lyf, and put him to aungelys.

But I se now as I seye, as me soth thinkytz ,

The were lef to lerne, but loth for to stodie .

Thou woldest konne that I can and carpen hit after,

Presumptuowsly, paraventure, a-pose so manye,

That myghthe turne me to tene, and Theology bothe.

Yif I wiste witterly thou woldest don ther after ,

Al that thou askest a-soylen I wolde."

Skornfully tho Scripture set up here browes,

And on Clergie crieth, on Cristes holy name,

That he shewe me hit ne sholde, but yif stryf were

Of the kynde cardinal wit and cristned in a font;

Commentaries

Vaughan

Explanatory note needed: difficult phrasing.

And seyde so loude, that shame me thoughthe,

That hit were bothe skathe and sklaundre to holy cherche --

"Sitthe Theologie the trewe to tellen hit defendeth;

David, Godes derling, defendyth hit al-so :

Vidi prevaricantes et tabescebam.

Commentaries

Fowler

19. Vidi prevaricantes et tabescebam. "I beheld the transgressors, and was grieved." Ps. 119:158. But note the mistranslation in the next line. For tabescebam the writer apparently saw tacebam "was silent," either inadvertently or because of a corrupt text, though the three MSS have the correct reading.

'I saw synful,' he seyde, 'ther-fore I seyde no thing ,

Til tho wrecches ben in wil here synne to lete.'

And Poul precheth hit often -- prestes hit redyn:

Audivi archana verba que non licet homini loqui .

Commentaries

Fowler

22. Audivi archana verba que non licet homini loqui. 2 Cor. 12:4. Paraphrased in lines 23-24.

'I am not hardy,' quod he, 'that I herde with erys,

Telle hit with tounge to synful wrecches.'

And God graunted hit nevere ; the gospel hit witnesseth,

In the passioun, whan Pilat a-posed God al-myghthi ,

And asked Jesu on hy , that herden hit an hundred:

'Quid est veritas,' quod he, 'verilyche, tel us.'

Commentaries

Fowler

28. Quid est veritas. "What is truth?" John 18:38.

God gaf him non answere, but gan his tounge holde.

Right so I rede," quod she, "red thou no ferther;

Of that he wolde wite , wis him no betere.

For he cam not by cause to lerne to Do-wel

But as he seyth, such I am, when he with me carpeth. "

Commentaries

Fowler

33. The line seems to mean that Scripture is accusing th edreamer of twisting holy writ to suit his arguments. Perhaps there is an allusion to Lunke 22:70. ". . . and he said unto them, Ye say that I am."

And when Scripture the skolde hadde this wyt y-sheued ,

Clergie in-to a caban crepte a-non after,

And drow the dore after him, and bad me go Do-wel ,

Or wycke, yif I wolde -- whether me lyked.

Than held I up myn handes to Scripture the wise,

To be hure man yif I most, for evere more after,

With that she wolde me wisse wher the toun were

That Kynde Wit the confessour, hure cosyn, was inne.

That lady than low, and laughthe me in here armes,

And sayde, "My cosyn Kynde Wit knowen is wel wide,

And his loggyng is with Lyf, that lord is of erthe.

And yif thou desyre with him for to a-byde ,

I shal the wisse where that he dwelleth."

And thanne I kneled on my knes, and kyste her wel sone,

And thanked hure a thousand sythes with throbbant herte.

She called me a clerjoun

Commentaries

Fowler

Textual

49. The line is defective. Cf. 11.191.

This (defective) line and the following are combined in a single line in Ra.

That hyght Omnia-probate, a pore thing with alle .

Commentaries

Fowler

50ff. Omnia probate; quod bonum est tenete. "Prove all things; hold fast that which is good." 1 Thess. 5:21.

"Thou shalt wende with Wil," quod she, "whiles that him lykyth,

Til ye come to the burgh, Quod-bonum-est-tenete.

Ken him to my cosenes hous, that Kinde Wit hyghth;

Sey I sente him this segge, and that he shewe hym Do-wel ."

Thus we laughthe oure leve, lowtyng at onys,

And wente forth on my way with Omnia-probate,

And ere I cam to the court, Quod-bonum-est-tenete,

Many ferlys me by-fel in a fewe yeris.

The fyrste ferly I fond a-fyngrid me made;

As I yede thurgh youthe a-yen prime dayes,

I stode stille in a stodie, and stared a-bowte ;

"Al hayl," quod on tho, and I answered, "Welcome, and with whom be ye?"

"I am dwelling with Deth, and Hunger I hatte;

To Lyf in his lordshepe longyt my weye,

To kyllyn him yif I can, theigh Kynde Wite helpe;

Commentaries

Textual

Knott-Fowler and Kane supply this line from MS J. It does not appear in Ra, and the sense does not require it.

I shal felle that freke in a fewe dayes."

"I wolde folwe the fayn," quod I, "but feyntise me henteth ;

Me folweth such a feyntise, I may no ferther walke."

"Go we forth," quod the gom: "I have a gret boyste

At my bak of broke bred thi bely for to fylle;

A bagge ful, of a beggere I boughthe hit at onys."

Than maunged I with him up to the fulle;

For the myssyng of mete no mesour I coude,

But ete as Hunger me hete, til my belly swellyd.

Commentaries

Textual

This and the following two lines are not in Ra; Knott-Fowler and Kane supply them from MS J, the sole other witness to this portion of the poem.

Ther bad me Hunger have gode day, but I helde me stille;

For gronyng of my guttys I durst gon no ferther.

With that cam a knave with a confessoures face,

Lene and rewlyche, with leggys ful smale.

Commentaries

Textual

This line is missing from Ra, and is supplied by both Knott-Fowler and Kane, from MS J.

He halsed me, and I asked him after

Of whennes that he were, and wheder that he wolde.

"With Deth I duelle," quod he, "dayes and nyghtes;

Mi name is Fevere-on-the-ferthe-day; I am a-threst evere.

I am masager of Deth -- men have I tweyne:

That on is called Cotidian, a courrour of oure hous,

Tercian that other, trewe drinkeres bothe.

We han letteres of Lyf, he shal his lyf tyne;

Fro Deth that is oure duk swyche dedis we brynge."

"Myghth I so, God wot, youre gates wolde I holden."

"Nay, Wil," quod that wyghth, "wend thou no ferther,

But lyve as this lyf is ordeyned for the;

The tomblest with a trepget, yif thou my tras folwe;

Commentaries

Fowler

94 (= K-F, 91). The tomblest. Skeat emends to "Thou tomblest." From line 88 to the end, th eonly MS available is R.

And mannes merthe wroughth no mor than he deservyth here,

Whil his lyf and his lykhame lesten to-gedere .

And ther-fore do after Do-wel whil thi dayes duren,

That thi play be plentevous in paradys with aungelys.

Thou shalt be laughth into lyghth, with loking of an eye,

100

So that thou werke the word that holy wryt techeth,

And be prest to preyeres, and profitable werkes."

Wille thurgh in-wit , thou wost wel the sothe,

Commentaries

Fowler

102 (= K-F, 99). Wille thurgh in-wit, etc. Skeat emends to "Wille wiste thurgh in-wit," etc. Another possibility would be: "Wille thurgh in-wit than wiste wel the sothe."

That this speche was spedelich, and sped him wel faste,

And wroughthe that here is wryten, and other werkes bothe ,

105

Of Peres the plowman and mechel puple al-so ;

And whan this werk was wrought, ere Wille myghte a-spie ,

Deth delt him a dent, and drof him to the erthe,

And is closed under clom -- Crist have his soule!

And so bad Johan But, busily wel ofte,

Commentaries

Fowler

Vaughan

109 (= K-F, 117). John But's identity, and the extent of his contribution to this twelfth passus (passus 3 of Do-wel, etc.), together with its significance in relation to the problem of authorship, have been subjects discussed at length by the critics. A good case for the identification of the "maker" of htis passus with a certain John But, king's messenger, who died in 1387, was made by Henry Bradley (MLR, VIII [1913], 88). the death of this John But occurred in the middle of the reign of Richard II (1377-99), who is mentioned in line 113. It is scarcely possible to locate with certainty the point at which But's work begins. Chambers (MLR VI [1911], e22) believed that he wrote either the whole passus, or only lines 89-117. Manly (CHEL, II, 21-22) held that his work begins with line 57. Edith Rickert (MP, XI [1913], 107-16) gives cogent reasons for accepting line 83 as the starting point. For a valuable discussion of this problem and the general significance of John But's testimony, consult her article.

109ff. Cite Anne Middleton's "Making a Good End"

110

When he saw thes sawes busyly a-legged

By James and by Jerom, by Jop and by othere;

And for he medleth of makyng, he made this ende.

Now alle kenne creatures that Cristene were evere,

God for his goudnesse gif hem swyche happes,

115

To lyve as that lord lykyth that lyf in hem putte.

Furst to rekne Richard kyng of this rewme,

And alle lordes that lovyn him lely in herte,

God save hem sound, by se and by land;

Marie moder and may for man thou by-seke

120

That barn bryng us to blys that bled up-on the rode.

Amen.

EXPLICIT DO-WEL .

Nomen scriptorisXmt Tilot, plenus amoris.

Commentaries

Vaughan

cite article on scribe's identity and works

Prologue