And I sat stille, as Pacience seide, And thus soone this doctour, As rody as a rose, Rubbede hise chekes, Coughed and carped; And Conscience hym herde, And tolde hym of a Trinité, And toward us he loked. 8240 "What is Do-wel, sire doctour?" quod I, "Is it any penaunce?" "Do-wel," quod this doctour, And took the cuppe and drank, "Is do noon yvel to thyn even-cristen {253} Nought by thi power." "By this day! sire doctour," quod I, "Thanne be ye noght in Do-wel; For ye han harmed us two, In that ye eten the puddyng, 8250 Mortrews and oother mete, And we no morsel hadde. And if ye fare so in youre fermerye, Ferly me thynketh, But cheeste be ther charité sholde be. And yonge children dorste pleyne, I wolde permute my penaunce with youre, For I am in point to Do-wel." Thanne Conscience curteisly A contenaunce made, 8260 And preynte upon Pacience To preie me to be stille; And seide hymself, "Sire doctour, And it be youre wille, What is Do-wel and Do-bet, Ye dyvynours knoweth." "Do-wel," quod this doctour, "Do as clerkes techeth; And Do-bet is he that techeth, And travailleth to teche othere; 8270 And Do-best doth hymself so, As he seith and precheth." _Qui facit et docuerit, magnus vocabitur in regno coelorum._ "Now thow, Clergie," quod Conscience, "Carpest what is Do-wel. I have sevene sones," he seide, "Serven in a castel, {254} Ther the lord of lif wonyeth, To leren what is Do-wel; 8280 Til I se tho sevene And myself acorde, I am un-hardy," quod he, "To any wight to preven it. For oon Piers the Plowman Hath impugned us alle, And set alle sciences at a sope, Save love one; And no text ne taketh To mayntene his cause, 8290 But _Dilige Deum_, And _Domine quis habitabit_. And seith that Do-wel and Do-bet Arn two infinités, Whiche infinités, with a feith! Fynden out Do-best, Which shal save mannes soule; Thus seith Piers the Plowman." "I kan noght heron," quod Conscience, "Ac I knowe wel Piers; 8300 He wol noght ayein holy writ speken, I dar wel undertake. Thanne passe we over til Piers come, And preve this in dede. Pacience hath be in many place, And peraunter mouthed That no clerk ne kan, As Crist bereth witnesse: _Patientes vincunt, etc._" "Ac youre preiere," quod Pacience tho, 8310 "So no man displese hym. _Disce_," quo he, "_Doce_, {255} _Dilige inimicos_. _Disce_, and Do-wel; _Doce_, and Do-bet; _Dilige_, and Do-best; Thus taughte me ones A lemman that I lovede, Love was hir name: