"Although this flatterynge freres Wyln, for her pryde, 1640 Disputen of Godes deyté, As dotardes shulden, The more the matere is moved The masedere hi worthen. Lat the loseles alone, And leve thou the trewthe; For these maystres of dyvynité Many, als I trowe, Folwen nought fully the feith, As fele of the lewede. 1650 Whough may mannes wiit, Through werk of himselve, Knowen Christes privité, {500} That alle kynde passeth? It mot ben a man Of also mek an herte, That myght with his good liif The Holy Gost fongen; And thanne nedeth him nought Nevere for to studyen; 1660 He myght no maistre ben cald, For Christ that defended, Ne puten no pylion On his pild pate, But prechen in parfit liif, And no pryde usen. But al that ever I have seyd, Soth it me semeth; And al that evere I have wryten Is soth, as I trowe; 1670 And for amendyng of thise men Is most that I write. God wolde hy wolden ben war, And werchen the betere! But for I am a lewed man, Paraunter I myghte Passen par adventure, And in some poynt erren, I wil nought this matere Maistrely avowen. 1680 But gif ich have mys-said, Mercy ich aske, And pray al mannere men This matere amende, Ich a word by hymself, And al, gif it nedeth. God of his grete myght, {501} And his good grace, Save alle freres That feithfulli lybben! 1690 And alle tho that ben fals, Fayre hem amende, And gyve hem wiit and good wil Swiche dedes to werch, That thei may wynnen the liif That evere shal lesten." _Amen._ * * * * * NOTES AND GLOSSARY * * * * * NOTES. Line 1. Bale, quoting the first two lines, translates them _In æstivo tempore, cum sol caleret_. The printers of the early editions altered _softe_ to _set_. 4, 5. _shroudes ... sheep_. The other text of this poem reads _Yshop into shrobbis | as y shepherde were_. See the Introduction. 28. The text represented in Whitaker's edition here differs much from the other. Our dreamer is there introduced very unadvisedly telling us of this tower, 'truthe was therynne,' a piece of information which he only learns afterwards from dame 'Holy Churche:' Ich was aferd of hure face, Thauh hue faire were, And saide, mercy, madame, Wat may this be to mene, _The tour upon toft_, quath hue, Treuthe ys therynne. (Passus Secundus, ed. Whit.) Where there is an evident reference to the "tour on a toft," which has been previously mentioned in the more correct text.