And houped after Hunger, þat herd hym atte firste: 165 'Awreke me of þise wastoures,' quod he 'þat þis worlde schendeth!' Hunger in haste þo hent Wastour bi þe mawe, And wronge hym so bi þe wombe þat bothe his eyen wattered. He buffeted þe Britoner aboute þe chekes, Þat he loked like a lanterne al his lyf after. 170 He bette hem so bothe, he barste nere here guttes; Ne hadde Pieres with a pese-lof preyed Hunger to cesse, They hadde ben doluen bothe, ne deme þow non other. 'Suffre hem lyue,' he seyde 'and lete hem ete with hogges, Or elles benes and bren ybaken togideres, 175 Or elles melke and mene ale;' þus preyed Pieres for hem. Faitoures for fere herof flowen into bernes, And flapten on with flayles fram morwe til euen, That Hunger was nouȝt so hardy on hem for to loke, For a potful of peses þat Peres hadde ymaked. 180 An heep of heremites henten hem spades, And ketten here copes, and courtpies hem made, And wenten as werkemen with spades and with schoueles, And doluen and dykeden to dryue aweye Hunger. Blynde and bedreden were botened a þousande, 185 Þat seten to begge syluer; sone were þei heled. For þat was bake for Bayarde was bote for many hungry, And many a beggere for benes buxome was to swynke, And eche a pore man wel apayed to haue pesen for his huyre, And what Pieres preyed hem to do as prest as a sperhauke. 190 And þereof was Peres proude, and put hem to werke, And ȝaf hem mete as he myȝte aforth, and mesurable huyre. Þanne hadde Peres pité, and preyed Hunger to wende Home into his owne erde, and holden hym þere: 'For I am wel awroke now of wastoures, þorw þi myȝte. 195 Ac I preye þe, ar þow passe,' quod Pieres to Hunger, 'Of beggeres and of bidderes what best be <to> done? For I wote wel, be þow went, þei wil worche ful ille; For myschief it maketh þei beth so meke nouthe, And for defaute of her fode þis folke is at my wille. 200 Þey are my blody bretheren,' quod Pieres, 'for God bouȝte vs alle; Treuthe tauȝte me ones to louye hem vchone, And to helpen hem of alle þinge ay as hem nedeth. And now wolde I witen of þe what were þe best, An how I myȝte amaistrien hem, and make hem to worche.' 205 'Here now,' quod Hunger 'and holde it for a wisdome: Bolde beggeres and bigge, þat mowe her bred biswynke, With houndes bred and hors bred holde vp her hertis, Abate hem with benes for bollyng of her wombe; And ȝif þe gomes grucche, bidde hem go swynke, 210 And he shal soupe swettere whan he it hath deseruid. And if þow fynde any freke, þat fortune hath appeyred