7299

the see,

May hir briddes rechen.
And sithen I loked upon
And so forth upon the sterres;
Manye selkouthes I seigh,
Ben noght to seye nouthe.

I seigh floures in the fryth,
And hir faire colours ;

And how among the grene gras
Growed so manye hewes,

And some soure and some sweté,
Selkouth me thoughte;

Of hir kynde and hir colour 7310
Το carpe it were to longe.

Ac that moost meved me
And my mood chaunged,
That Reson rewarded
And ruled alle beestes,
Save man and his make;
Many tyme and ofte
No reson hem folwede.
And thanne I rebukede
Reson, and right

Til hymselven I seyde:

7321

"I have wonder of thee," quod I,

"That witty art holden,

[make,

Why thow ne sewest man and his That no mysfeet hem folwe."

And Reson a-rated me,

And seide, "Recche thee nevere; Why I suffre or noght suffre, Thiself hast noght to doone. Amende thow it, if thow myght, For my tyme is to abide. Suffraunce is a soverayn vertue,

And a swift vengeance. [quod he; Who suffrede moore than God?" "No gome, as I leeve.

He myghte amende in a minute while Al that mys-standeth;

Ac he suffreth for som mannes
And so it is oure bettre,

The wise and the witty
Wroot thus in the Bible:

[goode,

De re que te non molestat, noli

certare.

"For be a man fair or foul, 7344

It falleth noght for to lakke
The shap ne the shaft
That God shoop hymselve;

For al that he dide was wel y-do,
As holy writ witnesseth:

Et vidit Deus cuncta quæ fecerat, et erant valde bona.

"And bad every creature
In his kynde encreesse;
Al to murthe with man,
That moste wo tholie

In fondynge of the flessh,
And of the fend bothe.

7355

For man was maad of swich a matere,

He may noght wel a-sterte

That ne som tyme hym bitit

To folwen his kynde.

Caton a-cordeth therwith,
Nemo sine crimine vivit."

Tho caughte I colour anoon,
And comsed to ben ashamed,
And awaked therwith.

Q

7366

Wo was me thanne,

That I in metels ne myghte

Moore have y-knowen.

7367

And thanne seide I to myself,
And chidde that tyme, [quod I,
"Now I woot what Do-wel is,"
By deere God! as me thynketh.
And as I caste up myne eighen,
Oon loked on me and asked
Of me, what thyng it were:
"Y-wis, sire," I seide,

"To se muche and suffre moore,
Certes," quod I, "is Do-wel."
"Haddestow suffred," he seide,
Slepynge tho thow were;

66

Thow sholdest have knowen that Clergie kan,

And contreved moore thorugh reson.
For Reson wolde have reherced thee
Right as Clergie seide;

Ac for thyn entre-metynge,
Here artow forsake.

Philosophus esses, si tacuisses. 7388 "Adam, whiles he spak noght, Hadde paradis at wille;

Ac whan he mamelede aboute mete, And entre-metede to knowe

The wisedom and the wit of God,

He was put fram blisse.

"And right so ferde Reson bi thee; Thow with thi rude speche Lakkedest and losedest thyng That longed the noght to doone. Tho hadde he no likyng

For to lere the moore,

7400

"Pryde now and presumpcion Peraventure wol thee appele, That Clergie thi compaignye Kepeth noght to suwe.

[dynge

Shal nevere chalangynge ne chi-
Chaste a man so soone,

As shal shame, and shenden hym,
And shape hym to amende.
For lat a dronken daffe

In a dyk falle,

Lat hym ligge, loke noght on hym,

Til hym liste aryse.

7412

For though Reson rebuked hym It were but pure synne.

[thanne,

Ac whan nede nymeth hym up
For doute lest he sterve,

And shame shrapeth hise clothes,
And hise shynes wassheth,
Thanne woot the dronken daffe
Wherfore he is to blame."

"Ye siggen sooth," quod I;

"Ich have y-seyen it ofte,
Ther smyt no thyng so smerte,
Ne smelleth so soure,

As shame, there he sheweth hym;
For every man hym shonyeth.
Why ye wisse me thus," quod I,
"Was for I rebuked Reson."

"Certes," quod he,

sooth;"

"that is

And shoop hym for to walken.
And I aroos up right with that,
And folwed hym after,

And preyde hym of his curteisie
To telle me his name.

7434

"I

Passus Duodecimus, etc.

AM Ymaginatif," quod he,
"Ydel was I nevere,

Though I sitte by myself,
In siknesse nor in helthe.
I have folwed thee, in feith!
Thise fyve and fourty wynter,

And

manye tymes

have meved thee

To thynke on thyn ende,

And how fele fernyeres are faren,

And so fewe to come;

And of thi wilde wantownesse

Tho thow yong were,

To amende it in thi middel age,

Lest myght the failled

In thyn olde elde,
That yvele kan suffre
Poverte or penaunce,
Or preyeres to bidde.

7416

Si non in prima vigilia, nec in se

cunda, etc.

[myght;

"Amende thee, while thow

Thow hast ben warned ofte
With poustees of pestilences,

With poverte and with angres; 7458