Piers Plowman

VITA DE DO-WEL, DO-BET, & DO-BEST. [ Prologus . ]

Thus yrobid in rosset I romide aboute,

Commentaries

Fowler

Title. It is important to note that a new poem begins here: The Life of Do-well, Do-better, and Do-best ; and that there follows the prologue of this poem, in spite of the fact that for editorial convenience the consecutive numbering of the passus continues.

Al a somer sesoun, for to seke Do-wel ;

And fraynide ful ofte, of folk that I mette,

Yif any wight wiste where Do-wel was at inne,

And what man he mighte be, of many man I askide .

Was nevere wight as I wente , that me wisse couthe

Where this lede lengide , lesse ne more;

Til it be-fel on a Friday , two freris I mette,

Maistris of the menours , men of gret wyt.

I hailside hem hendely, as I hadde ylernid ,

And preighede hem pur charite, er thei passide ferthere,

Yif thei knewen any cuntre or costis aboute,

Where that Do-wel dwellith, do me to wisse.

"Marie," quath the menours , "among us he dwellith ;

And evere hath, as I hope, and evere shal here aftir ."

"Contra," quath I as a clerk, and comside to dispute :

" Sepcies in die Xmt cadit iustus & cetera .

Commentaries

Fowler

16 Sepcies in die cadit iustus. From Prov. 24:16, translated by the author in the following line.

' Seve sithes on the day,' seith the bok , 'synneth the rightful .'

Ac who so synneth ," I seighe , "sertis , as me thinkith ,

That Do-wel and Do-evele mowe not dwelle togidere ;

Ergo, he nis not alwey at hom among yow freris ;

He is otherwhile ellis where to wisse the peple."

"I shal seighe the, my sone ," seide the frere thanne,

"How seve sithes the sadde man synneth on the day;

Be a forebisene ," quath the frere, "I shal the faire shewen :

Let bringe a man in a bot, amydde a brood watir ;

The wynd and the watir and the waggyng of the boot

Maketh the man many tymes to falle and to stande;

For stande he nevere so stif , he stumblith in the waggyng .

And yet is he sauf and sound, and so hym behovith ,

For yif he ne arise the rathere , and raughte to the stere ,

The wynd wolde with the watir the boot overthrowe.

There were the manis lif lost , for lacchesse of hym selve .

Right thus it farith ," quath the frere, "be folk here on erthe:

The watir is liknid to the world, that wanith and waxith ;

The goodis of this ground be lik the grete wawes,

That as wyndis and watris walwen aboute ;

The boot is liknid to the body, that britel is of kynde ,

That thorugh the fend and the flessh , and the false world,

Synnes the sad man sevene sithes in the day.

Ac dedly synne doth he nought , for Do-wel hym helpith ,

That is Charite the champioun, chief helpe ayens synne ;

For he strengtheth the to stonde, and sterith thi soule,

That theigh thi body bowe, as bot doth in the watir ,

Ay is thi soule sauf , but thou thi self wilt

Folewe thi flesshis wil, and the fendis aftir ,

And don dedly synne, and drenche thi selven ;

God wile suffre the to deighe so, for thi self hast the maistrie ."

"I have no kynde knowyng," quath I, "to conseyve thi wordis ;

Ac yif I may lyven and loken , I shal go lerne betere .

I bekenne the Crist, that on the crois deighede ."

And thei seide the same -- "Save the fro myschaunce ,

And yive the grace on this grounde in good lif to ende."

Thus I wente wyde-where, Do-wel to seken ,

And as I wente be a wode, walkyng myn one,

Blisse of the briddis made me abide ,

And undir a lynde upon a launde lenide I a stounde,

To lythen the laies that lovely foulis maden .

Blisse of the briddis broughte me a-slepe ;

The merveillest metyngnew mette me thanne,

That evere dremide dright in doute as I wene.

A muchel man, me thoughte , lik to my selve ,

Com and callide me be my kynde name.

"What art thou ," quath I tho, "that my name knowist ?"

"That thou wost wel," quath he, "and no wight betere."

" Wot ich ," quath I, "who art thou ?" "Thought," seide he thanne;

"I have sewide the this seven yer -- seighe thou me no rathere ?"

"Art thou Thought," tho quath I, "thou couthest me telle

Commentaries

Fowler

67. The first clause is conditional. Translate: "'If thou art Thought,' said I then, 'thou couldst tell me and have me directed to where Do-well dwelleth.'"

Where Do-wel dwellith , and do me to wisse."

"Do-wel ," quath he, "and Do-bet , and Do-best the thridde,

Arn thre faire vertues, and ben not fer to fynde.

Who so is mek of his mouth, mylde of his speche,

Trewe of his tunge , and of his two handis,

And thorugh his labour or his lond his liflode wynneth,

Trusty of his tailende , takith but his owene ,

And is nought drunkelewe ne deynous, Do-wel hym folewith .

"Do-bet doth thus , ac he doth muche more:

He is as lough as a lomb, lovelich of speche,

Whiles he hath ought of his owene he helpith there nede is,

The bagges and the bygirdles he hath broken hem alle,

That the erl Averous hadde, or his eires ;

And with Mammones money he hath mad hym frendis ,

Commentaries

Fowler

82 (=Knott-Fowler, 81). A reference to Luke 16:9.

And is ronne to religioun , and hath rendrit the bible ,

And prechith the peple Seint Poulis wordis :

Libenter sufferte , &c .

Commentaries

Fowler

Textual

85 (= Knott-Fowler, 83a). Libenter sufferte, &c. Cp. 2 Cor. 11:19. Translated by the author in the following line.

85 suffertis in Ra, properly.

' Ye The wise, suffrith the unwise with yow for to libbe .'

And with glad wil doth hem good, for so God hym self highte .

" Do-best is above bothe, and berith a bisshopis croce ,

Is hokid at that on ende to holde men in good lif ;

A pik is in the potent to pungen adoun the wykkide ,

That waiten any wikkidnesse Do-wel to tenen .

And as Do-wel and Do-bet dede hem to undirstondeunderstonde,

Commentaries

Fowler

92ff. (= K-F, 90-100). A difficult passage; it appears to be a rather clumsy attempt to indicate the relationship in medieval society of Church and State. Surely the "king" referred to here represents the State (as Dunning says) and not God or Christ, as other critics have proposed. Cf. an earlier--and clearer--passage on the moral function of the State: 1.92-95.

Thei han crounide o king to kepe hem alle,

That yif Do-wel and Do-bet dede ayens Do-best ,

And were unbuxum at his bidding , and bold to don ille,

Thanne shulde the kyng come and casten hem in presoun ,

And putten hem there in penaunce withoute pite or grace;

But yif Do-best bede for hem abide there for evere.

100

" Thus Do-wel and Do-bet and Do-best the thridde

Corounid on to be kyng , and be here counseil werchen ,

And rewele the reaum be red of hem alle;

And othere wise and ellis nought , but as thei thre assentide ."

I thankide Thought tho, that he me so taughte --

105

" Ac yet savourith me nought thi segging , so me God helpe!

More kynde knowyng I coveyte to lere ,

How Do-wel , Do-bet , and Do-best don on this erthe."

"But Wyt can wisse the," quath Thought, "where tho thre dwellen ,

Ellis wot no man that now is o lyve ."

110

Thought and I thus thre dayes we yeden ,

Disputyng on Do-wel day aftir other;

Ac er we ywar were, with Wyt gonne we mete.

He was long and lene, lyk to non other,

Was no pride in his , ne no povert nother,

115

Sad of his semblaunt , and of a softe speche.

I durste meve no matermatere to make hym to jangle,

But as I bad Thought tho be mene betwene ,

To putte forth sum purpos to prove hise wittes.

Thanne Thought in that tyme seide this wordis :

120

"Where that Do-wel and Do-bet and Do-best beth in londe,

Here is Wil wolde wyte , yif Wit couth hym teche."

Prologue