He finds no helper until he falls in with Pierce the Ploughman, of whose poverty he gives a most touching description.

I shall, however, only quote some lines of _The Believe_ as taught by the Ploughman, and this principally to show the nature of the versification: Leve thou on our Lord God, that all the world wroughte; _believe._ Holy heaven upon high wholly he formed; And is almighty himself over all his workes; And wrought as his will was, the world and the heaven; And on gentle Jesus Christ, engendered of himselven, His own only Son, Lord over all y-knowen.
* * * * * With thorn y-crowned, crucified, and on the cross died; And sythen his blessed body was in a stone buried; _after that._ And descended adown to the dark helle, And fetched out our forefathers; and they full fain weren.

_glad._ The third day readily, himself rose from death, And on a stone there he stood, he stey up to heaven.

_where: ascended._ Here there is no rhyme.

There is measure--a dance-movement in the verse; and likewise, in most of the lines, what was essential to Anglo-Saxon verse--three or more words beginning with the same sound.