egular manner. It is desirable that most
men should marry, for

"The wife was made the way
For to help work;
And thus was wedlock wrought
With a mean person,
First by the father's will
And the friends counsel;
And sithens[36] by assent of themselves,
As they two might accord."

This is the essentially worldly way of making marriage arrangements yet
practised in some aristocratic circles, but the more democratic and
natural way is to reverse the process, and commence with the agreement
between the two persons most concerned. Such unequal matches as age and
wealth on one side, and youth and desire of wealth on the other, bring
about, are sternly reprobated.

"It is an uncomely couple,
By Christ! as me thinketh,
To give a young wench
To an old feeble,
Or wedden any widow
For wealth of her goods,
That never shall bairn bear
But if it be in her arms."

Such marriages lead to jealousy, bickerings, and open rupture,
disgraceful to husband and wife, and annoying to others. Therefore Piers
counsels

"all Christians,
Covet not to be wedded
For covetise of chattels.
Not of kindred rich;
But maidens and maidens
Make you together;
Widows and widowers
Worketh the same;
For no lands, but for love,
Look you be wedded";--

adding the sound bit of spiritual and worldly advice,

"And then get ye the grace of God;
_And goods enough, to live with_."

The touch of shrewd humor in the last line finds its counterpart in many
other passages. Thus, when the dreamer sits down to rest by the wayside,
his iteration of the prescribed prayers makes him drowsy:--

"So I babbled on my beads;
They brought me asleep."

The Franciscan friars, his especial aversion, get a sly thrust when he
says of Charity that

"in a friar's frock
He was founden once;
_But it is far ago_,
In Saint Francis's time:
In that sect since
Too seldom hath he been found."

When Covetousness has confessed his numerous misdeeds, and is asked if
he ever repented and made restitution, he replies,

"Yes, once I was harbored
With a heap of chapmen.[37]
I rose when they were at rest
And rifled their males[38]";--

and on being told that this was no restitution, but another robbery, he
replies, with assumed innocence of manner,

"I wened[39] rifling were restitution, quoth he,