English Satires by Wei Zhi
This opening satire constitutes the whole of the Eighth Passus of Piers Plowman's Vision and the First of Do-Wel. The "Dreamer" here sets off on a new pilgrimage in search of a person who has not appeared in the poem before-Do-Well. The following is the argument of the Passus.-"All Piers Plowman's inquiries after Do-Well are fruitless. Even the friars to whom he addresses himself give but a confused account; and weary with wandering about, the dreamer is again overtaken by slumber.
Thought now appears to him, and recommends him to Wit, who describes to him the residence of Do-Well, Do-Bet, Do-Best, and enumerates their companions and attendants."
Thus y-robed in russet · romed I aboute
Al in a somer seson · for to seke Do-wel;
And frayned[23] full ofte · of folk that I mette
If any wight wiste · wher Do-wel was at inne;
And what man he myghte be · of many man I asked.
Was nevere wight, as I wente · that me wisse kouthe[24]
Where this leode lenged,[25] · lasse ne moore.[26]
Til it bifel on a Friday · two freres I mette
Maisters of the Menours[27] · men of grete witte.
[002] I hailsed them hendely,[28] · as I hadde y-lerned.
And preède them par charité, · er thei passed ferther,
If thei knew any contree · or costes as thei wente,
"Where that Do-wel dwelleth · dooth me to witene".
For thei be men of this moolde · that moost wide walken,
And knowen contrees and courtes, · and many kynnes places,
Bothe princes paleises · and povere mennes cotes,[29]
And Do-wel and Do-yvele · where thei dwelle bothe.
"Amonges us" quod the Menours, · "that man is dwellynge,
And evere hath as I hope, · and evere shal herafter."
"Contra", quod I as a clerc, · and comsed to disputen,
And seide hem soothly, · "Septies in die cadit justus".
"Sevene sithes,[30] seeth the book · synneth the rightfulle;
And who so synneth," I seide, · "dooth yvele, as me thynketh;
And Do-wel and Do-yvele · mowe noght dwelle togideres.
Ergo he nis noght alway · among you freres:
He is outher while ellis where · to wisse the peple."
"I shal seye thee, my sone" · seide the frere thanne,
"How seven sithes the sadde man, · on a day synneth;
By a forbisne"[31] quod the frere, · "I shal thee faire showe.
Lat brynge a man in a boot, · amydde the brode watre;
The wynd and the water · and the boot waggyng,
Maketh the man many a tyme · to falle and to stonde;
For stonde he never so stif, · he stumbleth if he meve,
Ac yet is he saaf and sound, · and so hym bihoveth;
For if he ne arise the rather, · and raughte to the steere,
The wynd wolde with the water · the boot over throwe;
And thanne were his lif lost, · thorough lackesse of hymselve[32].
[003] And thus it falleth," quod the frere, · "by folk here on erthe;
The water is likned to the world · that wanyeth and wexeth;
The goodes of this grounde arn like · to the grete wawes,
That as wyndes and wedres · walketh aboute;
The boot is likned to oure body · that brotel[33] is of kynde,
That thorough the fend and the flesshe · and the frele worlde
Synneth the sadde man · a day seven sithes.
Ac[34] dedly synne doth he noght, · for Do-wel hym kepeth;
And that is Charité the champion, · chief help ayein Synne;
For he strengtheth men to stonde, · and steereth mannes soule,
And though the body bowe · as boot dooth in the watre,
Ay is thi soul saaf, · but if thou wole thiselve
Do a deedly synne, · and drenche so thi soule,
God wole suffre wel thi sleuthe[35] · if thiself liketh.
For he yaf thee a yeres-gyve,[36] · to yeme[37] wel thiselve,
And that is wit and free-wil, · to every wight a porcion,
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]
[004] 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
[005] 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 potente,[53] · to putte a-down the wikked
That waiten any wikkednesse · Do-wel to tene.[54]
And Do-wel and Do-bet · amonges hem han ordeyned,
To crowne oon to be kyng · to rulen hem bothe;
That if Do-wel or Do-bet · dide ayein Do-best,
Thanne shal the kyng come · and casten hem in irens,
And but if Do-best bede[55] for hem, · thei to be there for evere.
Thus Do-wel and Do-bet, · and Do-best the thridde,
Crouned oon to the kyng · to kepen hem alle,
And to rule the reme · by hire thre wittes,
And noon oother wise, · but as thei thre assented."
I thonked Thoght tho, · that he me thus taughte.
"Ac yet savoreth me noght thi seying. · I coveit to lerne
How Do-wel, Do-bet, and Do-best · doon among the peple."
"But Wit konne wisse thee," quod Thoght, · "Where tho thre dwelle,
Ellis woot I noon that kan · that now is alyve."
Thoght and I thus · thre daies we yeden,[56]
Disputyng upon Do-wel · day after oother;
And er we were war, · with Wit gonne we mete.[57]
[006] He was long and lene, · lik to noon other;
Was no pride on his apparaille · ne poverte neither;
Sad of his semblaunt, · and of softe chere,
I dorste meve no matere · to maken hym to jangle,
But as I bad Thoght thoo · be mene bitwene,
And pute forth som purpos · to preven his wittes,
What was Do-wel fro Do-bet, · and Do-best from hem bothe.
Thanne Thoght in that tyme · seide these wordes:
"Where Do-wel, Do-bet, · and Do-best ben in londe,
Here is Wil wolde wite, · if Wit koude teche him;
And whether he be man or woman · this man fayn wolde aspie,
And werchen[58] as thei thre wolde, · thus is his entente"
[23] questioned.
[24] could tell me.
[25] Where this man dwelt.
[26] mean or gentle.
[27] of the Minorite order.
[28] I saluted them courteously.
[29] and poor men's cots.
[30] times.
[31] example.
[32] through his own negligence.
[33] weak, unstable.
[34] But.
[35] sloth.
[36] a year's-gift.
[37] to rule, guide, govern.
[38] mother-wit.
[39] I commit thee to Christ.
[40] to become.
[41] by myself.
[42] The charm of the birds.
[43] under a linden-tree on a plain.
[44] a short time.
[45] a most wonderful dream.
[46] I dreamed.
[47] followed.
[48] sawest.
[49] sooner.
[50] gains his livelihood.
[51] drunken.
[52] disdainful.
[53] club staff.
[54] to injure.
[55] pray.
[56] journeyed.
[57] we met Wit.
[58] work.
GEOFFREY CHAUCER.
(1340?-1400.)
PORTRAITS FROM THE CANTERBURY TALES.
Chapter 1 PILGRIMAGE IN SEARCH OF DO-WELL.
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Chapter 2 AND III. THE MONK AND THE FRIAR.
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Chapter 3 3
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Chapter 4 4
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Chapter 5 THE LONDON LACKPENNY.
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Chapter 6 6
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Chapter 7 7
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Chapter 8 8
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Chapter 9 9
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Chapter 10 10
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Chapter 11 11
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Chapter 12 12
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Chapter 13 13
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Chapter 14 14
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Chapter 15 15
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Chapter 16 SATIRE ON THE SYDE TAILLIS-ANE SUPPLICATIOUN
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Chapter 17 ON SIMONY.
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Chapter 18 THE DOMESTIC TUTOR'S POSITION.
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Chapter 19 THE IMPECUNIOUS FOP.
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Chapter 20 AN INVECTIVE WRITTEN BY MR. GEORGE CHAPMAN
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Chapter 21 THE CHARACTER OF THE BORE.
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Chapter 22 THE NEW CRY.
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Chapter 23 ON DON SURLY.
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Chapter 24 THE CHARACTER OF HUDIBRAS.
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Chapter 25 THE CHARACTER OF A SMALL POET.
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Chapter 26 NOSTRADAMUS'S PROPHECY.
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Chapter 27 THE SCOTS APOSTASIE.
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Chapter 28 SATIRE ON THE DUTCH.
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Chapter 29 MACFLECKNOE.
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Chapter 30 EPISTLE TO THE WHIGS.
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Chapter 31 INTRODUCTION TO THE TRUE-BORN ENGLISHMAN.
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Chapter 32 SATIRE ON A CONCEITED PLAYWRIGHT.
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Chapter 33 PREFACE TO JOHN BULL AND HIS LAW-SUIT.
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Chapter 34 THE HISTORY OF JOHN BULL.
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Chapter 35 EPITAPH UPON COLONEL CHARTRES.
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Chapter 36 MRS. FRANCES HARRIS' PETITION.
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Chapter 37 ELEGY ON PARTRIDGE.
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Chapter 38 A MEDITATION UPON A BROOM-STICK.
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Chapter 39 THE RELATIONS OF BOOKSELLERS AND AUTHORS.
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Chapter 40 THE EPISTLE DEDICATORY TO HIS ROYAL HIGHNESS
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