,
To fleynge foweles, . to fisshes and to beastes:
Ac man hath moost thereof, . and moost is to blame,
But if he werch wel therwith, . as Do-wel hym techeth."
"I have no kynde knowyng,"[38] quod I, . "to conceyven alle your wordes:
Ac if I may lyve and loke, . I shall go lerne bettre."
"I bikenne thee Christ,"[39] quod he, . "that on cros deyde!"
And I seide "the same . save you fro myschaunce,
And gyve you grace on this grounde . goode men to worthe!"[40]
And thus I wente wide wher . walkyng myn one,[41]
By a wilderness, . and by a wodes side:
Blisse of the briddes.[42] . Broughte me a-slepe,
And under a lynde upon a launde[43] . lened I a stounde[44],
To lythe the layes . the lovely foweles made,
Murthe of hire mowthes . made me ther to slepe;
The merveillouseste metels[45] . mette me[46] thanne
That ever dremed wight . in worlde, as I wene.
A muche man, as me thoughte . and like to myselve,
Cam and called me . by my kynde name.
"What artow," quod I tho, . "that thow my name knowest."
"That woost wel," quod he, . "and no wight bettre."
"Woot I what thou art?" . "Thought," seide he thanne;
"I have sued[47] thee this seven yeer, . seye[48] thou me no rather."[49]
"Artow Thought," quod I thoo, . "thow koudest me wisse,
Where that Do-wel dwelleth, . and do me that to knowe."
"Do-wel and Do-bet, . and Do-best the thridde," quod he,
"Arn thre fair vertues, . and ben noght fer to fynde.
Who so is trewe of his tunge, . and of his two handes,
And thorugh his labour or thorugh his land, . his liflode wynneth,[50]
And is trusty of his tailende, . taketh but his owene,
And is noght dronklewe[51] ne dedeynous,[52] . Do-wel hym folweth.
Do-bet dooth ryght thus; . ac he dooth much more;
He is as lowe as a lomb, . and lovelich of speche,
And helpeth alle men . after that hem nedeth.
The bagges and the bigirdles, . he hath to-broke hem alle
That the Erl Avarous . heeld and hise heires.
And thus with Mammonaes moneie . he hath maad hym frendes,
And is ronne to religion, . and hath rendred the Bible,
And precheth to the peple . Seint Poules wordes:
_Libenter suffertis insipientes, cum sitis ipsi sapientes_:
'And suffreth the unwise' . with you for to libbe
And with glad will dooth hem good . and so God you hoteth.
Do-best is above bothe, . and bereth a bisshopes crosse,
Is hoked on that oon ende . to halie men fro helle;
A pik is on that poten