English Satires Part 2

[Footnote 13: _Life of Dryden_, by Sir Walter Scott. Saintsbury's _Life of Dryden_.]

[Footnote 14: Thackeray's _English Humorists_. Hannay's _Satires and Satirists_.]

[Footnote 15: _Satire and Satirists_, by James Hannay. Lecture III.]

[Footnote 16: Dowden's _French Literature_.]

[Footnote 17: Minto's _Characteristics of English Poets_.]

[Footnote 18: Cf. Saintsbury's _Life of Dryden_.]

[Footnote 19: Cf. Gosse, _Eighteenth Century Literature_.]

[Footnote 20: Thackeray's _English Humorists_.]

[Footnote 21: _The Poetry of the Anti-Jacobin_--Carisbrooke Library, 1890.]

[Footnote 22: _The Baeviad and the Maeviad_, by W. Gifford, Esq., 1800.]

ENGLISH SATIRES.

WILLIAM LANGLAND.

(1330?-1400?)

I. PILGRIMAGE IN SEARCH OF DO-WELL.

This opening satire const.i.tutes the whole of the Eighth _Pa.s.sus_ 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 _Pa.s.sus_.--"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] la.s.se ne moore.[26]

Til it bifel on a Friday two freres I mette Maisters of the Menours[27] men of grete witte.

I hailsed them hendely,[28] as I hadde y-lerned.

And preede them par charite, er thei pa.s.sed 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].

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 Charite 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, G.o.d 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]

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, c.u.m sitis ipsi sapientes_: 'And suffreth the unwise' with you for to libbe And with glad will dooth hem good and so G.o.d you hoteth.

Do-best is above bothe, and bereth a bisshopes crosse, Is hoked on that oon ende to halie men fro h.e.l.le; 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 a.s.sented."

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]

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"

[Footnote 23: questioned.]

[Footnote 24: could tell me.]

[Footnote 25: Where this man dwelt.]

[Footnote 26: mean or gentle.]

[Footnote 27: of the Minorite order.]

[Footnote 28: I saluted them courteously.]

[Footnote 29: and poor men's cots.]

[Footnote 30: times.]

[Footnote 31: example.]