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, 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."