"Alle thise clerkes," quod I tho, "That in Crist leven, 7980 Seyen in hir sermons That neither Sarsens ne Jewes Ne no creature of Cristes liknesse Withouten cristendom worth saved."
"_Contra_," quod Ymaginatif thoo, And comsed for to loure; And seide "_Salvabitur Vix justus in die judicii. Ergo salvabitur_," quod he, And seide na-moore Latyn. 7990
"Trojanus was a trewe knyght, And took nevere Cristendom, And he is saaf, so seith the book, And his soule in hevene. For ther is fullynge of font, And fullynge in blood shedyng, And thorugh fir is fullyng, And that is ferme bileve. { 245} _Advenit ignis divinus non comburens, sed illuminans, etc._ 8000
"Ac Truthe that trespased nevere, Ne traversed ayeins his lawe, But lyveth as his lawe techeth, And leveth ther be no bettre; And if ther were, he wolde amende, And in swich wille deieth, Ne wolde nevere trewe god, But truthe were allowed, And wheither it be worth or noght worth, The bileve is gret of truthe, 8010 And an hope hangynge therinne To have a mede for his truthe. For _Deus dicitur quasi dans vitam æternam suis, hoc est fidelibus. Et alibi: Si ambulavero in medio umbræ mortis._
"The glose graunteth upon that vers A greet mede to Truthe, And wit and wisdom," quod that wye, "Was som tyme tresor 8020 To kepe with a commune, No catel was holde bettre, And muche murthe and manhod;" And right with that he vanysshed. 8024
And I awaked therwith 8025 Wit-lees ner-hande, And as a freke that fre were Forth gan I walke In manere of a mendinaunt Many a yer after, 8030 And of this metyng many tyme Muche thought I hadde.
First how Fortune me failed At my mooste nede; And how that Elde manaced me, Myghte we evere mete; And how that freres folwede Folk that was riche, And folk that was povere At litel pris thei sette; 8040 And no corps in hir kirk-yerde Nor in his kirk was buryed, But quik he biquethe aught To quyte with hir dettes; And how this Coveitise over-com Clerkes and preestes; And how that lewed men ben lad, But oure Lord hem helpe, { 247} Thorugh un-konnynge curatours, To incurable peynes. 8050
And how that Ymaginatif In dremels me tolde Of Kynde and of his konnynge, And how curteis he is to bestes, And how lovynge he is to briddes On londe and on watre. Leneth he no lif Lasse ne moore. The creatures that crepen Of kynde ben engendred. 8060 And sithen how Ymaginatif seide, _Vix salvabitur_; And whan he hadde seid so, How sodeynliche he passed.