English Satires by Wei Zhi
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.
Elliana, the unfavored "ugly duckling" of her family, was humiliated by her stepsister, Paige, who everyone admired. Paige, engaged to the CEO Cole, was the perfect woman-until Cole married Elliana on the day of the wedding. Shocked, everyone wondered why he chose the "ugly" woman. As they waited for her to be cast aside, Elliana stunned everyone by revealing her true identity: a miracle healer, financial mogul, appraisal prodigy, and AI genius. When her mistreatment became known, Cole revealed Elliana's stunning, makeup-free photo, sending shockwaves through the media. "My wife doesn't need anyone's approval."
"You need a bride, I need a groom. Why don't we get married?" Both abandoned at the altar, Elyse decided to tie the knot with the disabled stranger from the venue next door. Pitying his state, she vowed to spoil him once they were married. Little did she know that he was actually a powerful tycoon. Jayden thought Elyse only married him for his money, and planned to divorce her when she was no longer of use to him. But after becoming her husband, he was faced with a new dilemma. "She keeps asking for a divorce, but I don't want that! What should I do?"
Linsey was stood up by her groom to run off with another woman. Furious, she grabbed a random stranger and declared, "Let's get married!" She had acted on impulse, realizing too late that her new husband was the notorious rascal, Collin. The public laughed at her, and even her runaway ex offered to reconcile. But Linsey scoffed at him. "My husband and I are very much in love!" Everyone thought she was delusional. Then Collin was revealed to be the richest man in the world. In front of everyone, he got down on one knee and held up a stunning diamond ring. "I look forward to our forever, honey."
On her wedding day, Khloe’s sister connived with her groom, framing her for a crime she didn’t commit. She was sentenced to three years in prison, where she endured much suffering. When Khloe was finally released, her evil sister used their mother to coerce Khloe into an indecent liaison with an elderly man. As fate would have it, Khloe crossed paths with Henrik, the dashing yet ruthless mobster who sought to alter the course of her life. Despite Henrik’s cold exterior, he cherished Khloe like no other. He helped her take retribution from her tormentors and kept her from being bullied again.
Katherine endured mistreatment for three years as Julian's wife, sacrificing everything for love. But when his sister drugged her and sent her to a client's bed, Katherine finally snapped. She left behind divorce papers, walking away from the toxic marriage. Years later, Katherine returned as a radiant star with the world at her feet. When Julian saw her again, he couldn't ignore the uncanny resemblance between her new love and himself. He had been nothing but a stand-in for someone else. Desperate to make sense of the past, Julian pressed Katherine, asking, "Did I mean nothing to you?"
Once Alexia was exposed as a fake heiress, her family dumped her and her husband turned his back on her. The world expected her to break-until Waylon, a mysterious tycoon, took her hand. While doubters waited for him to drop her, Alexia showed skill after shocking skill, leaving CEOs gaping. Her ex begged to come back, but she shut him down and met Waylon's gaze instead. "Darling, you can count on me." He brushed her cheek. "Sweetheart, rely on me instead." Recently, international circles reeled from three disasters: her divorce, his marriage, and their unstoppable alliance crushing foes overnight.
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