|b{THE_PERSONES_TALE,_in.}
|b{The_Complete_Works_of_Geoffrey_Chaucer}
|b{ed._Walter_W._Skeat,_2nd_ed.,_vol._4}
|b{Oxford:_Clarendon_Press,_1900,}
|b{pp._570-644.}
|b{Note:_Skeat's_numbering_of_sentences_on_}
|b{the_margin_has_been_omitted.}



|p{570}


THE PERSONES TALE.


Here biginneth the Persones Tale.

   Ier. 6=o=. State super vias et videte et interrrogate de viis antiquis,
que sit via bona; et ambulate in ea, et inuenietis refrigerium
animabus vestris, & c.

    1. Our swete lord god of hevene, that no man wole perisse,
but wole that we comen alle to the knoweleche of him, and to
the blisful lyf that is perdurable, / amonesteth us by the
prophete Ieremie, that seith in this wyse: / `stondeth upon
the weyes, and seeth and axeth of olde pathes (that is to seyn,
of olde sentences) which is the goode wey; / and walketh in
that wey, and ye shul finde refresshinge for your soules,' &c./
Manye been the weyes espirituels that leden folk to oure Lord
Iesu Crist, and to the regne of glorie. / Of whiche weyes, ther
is a ful noble wey and a ful covenable, which may nat faile to man
ne to womman, that thurgh sinne hath misgoon fro the righte
wey of Ierusalem celestial; / and this wey is cleped Penitence,
of which man sholde gladly herknen and enquere with al his
herte; / to witen what is Penitence, and whennes it is cleped
Penitence, and in how manye maneres been the accions or
werkinges of Penitence, / and how manye spyces ther been of
Penitence, and whiche thinges apertenen and bihoven to
Penitence, and whiche thinges destourben Penitence. /

    2. Seint Ambrose seith, that `Penitence is the pleyninge
of man for the gilt that he hath doon, and na-more to do any
thing for which him oghte to pleyne.' / And som doctour seith:
`Penitence is the waymentinge of man, that sorweth for his sinne



|p571


and pyneth him-self for he hath misdoon.' / Penitence, with
certeyne circumstances, is verray repentance of a man that halt
him-self in sorwe and other peyne for hise giltes. / And for he
shal be verray penitent, he shal first biwailen the sinnes that he
hath doon, and stidefastly purposen in his herte to have shrift of
mouthe, and to doon satisfaccioun, / and never to doon thing for
which him oghte more to biwayle or to compleyne, and to con_tinue
in goode werkes: or elles his repentance may nat availle. /
For as seith seint Isidre: `he is a Iaper and a gabber, and no
verray repentant, that eftsoone dooth thing, for which him oghte
repente.'/ Wepinge, and nat for to stinte to doon sinne; may
nat avaylle. /  But nathelees, men shal hope that every tyme that
man falleth, be it never so ofte, that he may arise thurgh Peni_tence,
if he have grace: but certeinly it is greet doute. / For as
seith Seint Gregorie: 'unnethe aryseth he out of sinne, that is
charged with the charge of yvel usage.' / And therfore re_pentant
folk, that stinte for to sinne, and forlete sinne er that
sinne forlete hem, holy chirche holdeth hem siker of hir sa_vacioun.
/  And he that sinneth, and verraily repenteth him in
his laste ende, holy chirche yet hopeth his savacioun, by the grete
mercy of oure lord Iesu Crist, for his repentaunce; but tak the
siker wey. /

    3{.} And now, sith I have declared yow what thing is Penitence,
now shul ye understonde that ther been three accions of Peni_tence.
/ The firste accion of Penitence is, that a man be
baptized after that he hath sinned. / Seint Augustin seith:
`but he be penitent for his olde sinful lyf, he may nat biginne
the newe clene lif.' / For certes, if he be baptized withouten
penitence of his olde gilt, he receiveth the mark of baptisme, but
nat the grace he the remission of his sinnes, til he have repent_ance
verray. /' Another defaute is this, that men doon deedly
sinne after that they han received baptisme. / The thridde
defaute is, that men fallen in venial sinnes after hir baptisme, fro
day to day. / Ther-of seith Seint Augustin, that `penitence of
goode and humble folk is the penitence of every day.' /



|p572


    4. The spyces of Penitence been three. That oon of hem
is solempne, another is commune, and the thridde is privee. /
Thilke penance that is solempne: is in two maneres; as to be put
out of holy chirche in lente, for slaughtre of children, and swich
maner thing. / Another is, whan a man hath sinned openly, of
which sinne the fame is openly spoken in the contree; and
thanne holy chirche by Iugement destreineth him for to do open
penaunce. / Commune penaunce is that preestes enioinen men
comunly in certeyn caas; as for to goon, peraventure, naked in
 pilgrimages, or bare-foot. / Privee penaunce is thilke that men
doon alday for privee sinnes, of whiche we shryve us prively and
receyve privee penaunce. /

    5. Now shaltow understande what is bihovely and necessarie
to verray parfit Penitence. And this stant on three thinges; /
Contricioun of herte, Confessioun of Mouth, and Satisfaccioun. /
For which seith Seint Iohn Crisostom: `Penitence destreyneth a
man to accepte benignely every peyne that him is enioyned, with
contricion of herte, and shrift of mouth, with satisfaccion; and
in werkinge of alle rnaner humilitee.' / And this is fruitful
Penitence agayn three thinges in whiche we wratthe oure lord
Iesu Crist: / this is to seyn, by delyt in thinkinge, by reccheles_nesse
in spekinge, and by wikked sinful werkinge. / And agayns
thise wikkede giltes is Penitence, that may be lykned un-to a
tree. /

    6. The rote of this tree is Contricion, that hydeth him in the
herte of him that is verray repentant, right as the rote of a tree
hydeth him in the erthe. / Of the rote of Contricion springeth a
stalke, that bereth braunches and leves of Confession, and fruit
of Satisfaccion. / For which Crist seith in his gospel: `dooth
digne fruit of Penitence'; for by this fruit may men knowe this
tree, and nat by the rote that is hid in the herte of man, ne by
the braunches ne by the leves of Confession. / And therefore
oure Lord Iesu Crist seith thus: `by the fruit of hem ye shul
knowen hem.' / Of this rote eek springeth a seed of grace, the
which seed is moder of sikernesse, and this seed is egre and



|p573


hoot. / The grace of this seed springeth of god, thurgh re_membrance
of the day of dome and on the peynes of helle. /
Of this matere seith Salomon, that `in the drede of god man
forleteth his sinne.' / The hete of this seed is the love of god,
and the desiring of the Ioye perdurable. / This hete draweth
the herte of a man to god, and dooth him haten his sinne. /
For, soothly, ther is no-thing that savoureth so wel to a child as
the milk of his norice, ne no-thing is to him more abhominable
than thilke milk whan it is medled with other mete. / Right so the
sinful man that loveth his sinne, him semeth that it is to him most
swete of any-thing; / but fro that tyme that he loveth sadly our
lord Iesu Crist, and desireth the lif perdurable, ther nis to him
no-thing more abhominable. / For soothly, the lawe of god is the
love of god; for which David the prophete seith: `I have loved
thy lawe and hated wikkednesse and hate'; he that loveth god
kepeth his lawe and his word: / This tree saugh the prophete
Daniel in spirit, up-on the avision of the king Nabugodonosor,
whan he conseiled him to do penitence. / Penaunce is the tree
of lyf to hem that it receiven, and he that holdeth him in verray
penitence is blessed; after the sentence of Salomon. /

    7. In this Penitence or Contricion man shal understonde
foure thinges, that is to seyn, what is Contricion: and whiche
been the causes that moeven a man to Contricion: and how he
sholde be contrit: and what Contricion availleth to the soule. /
Thanne is it thus: that Contricion is the verray sorwe that a man
receiveth in his herte for his sinnes, with sad purpos to shryve
him, and to do penaunce, and nevermore to do sinne. / And
this sorwe shal been in this manere, as seith seint Bernard: `it
shal been hevy and grevous, and ful sharpe and poinant in
herte.' / First, for man hath agilt his lord and his creatour;
and more sharpe and poinant, for he hath agilt his fader
celestial; / and yet more sharpe and poinant, for he hath
wrathed and agilt him that boghte him; which with his precious
blood hath delivered us fro the bondes of sinne, and fro the
crueltee of the devel and fro the peynes of helle. /

    8. The causes that oghte moeve a man to Contricion been
six. First, a man shal remembre him of hise sinnes; / but loke



|p574


he that thilke remembrance ne be to him no delyt by no wey,
but greet shame and sorwe for his gilt. For Iob seith: `sinful
men doon werkes worthy of Confession.' / And therfore seith
Ezechie: `I wol remembre me alle the yeres of my lyf, in bitter_nesse
of myn herte.' / And god seith in the Apocalips: `re_membreth
yow fro whennes that ye been falle'; for biforn that
tyme that ye sinned, ye were the children of god, and limes of
the regne of god; / but for your sinne ye been woxen thral and
foul, and membres of the feend, hate of aungels, sclaundre of
holy chirche, and fode of the false serpent; perpetuel matere of
the fyr of helle. / And yet more foul and abhominable, for ye
trespassen so ofte tyme, as doth the hound that retourneth to
eten his spewing. / And yet be ye fouler for your longe con_tinuing
in sinne and your sinful usage, for which ye be roten in
your sinne, as a beest in his dong. / Swiche manere of thoghtes
maken a man to have shame of his sinne, and no delyt, as god
seith by the prophete Ezechiel: /`ye shal remembre yow of
youre weyes, and they shuln displese yow.' Sothly, sinnes been
the weyes that leden folk to helle. /

    9. The seconde cause that oghte make a man to have desdeyn
of sinne is this: that, as seith seint Peter, `who-so that doth
sinne is thral of sinne'; and sinne put a man in greet thraldom./
And therfore seith the prophete Ezechiel: `I wente sorweful in
desdayn of my-self.' And certes, wel oghte a man have desdayn
of sinne, and withdrawe him from that thraldom and vileinye. /
And lo, what seith Seneca in this matere. He seith thus:
though I wiste that neither god ne man ne sholde nevere knowe
it, yet wolde I have desdayn for to do sinne.' / And the same
Seneca also seith: `I am born to gretter thinges than to be thral
to my body, or than for to maken of my body a thral.' / Ne a
fouler thral may no man ne womman maken of his body, than
for to yeven his body to sinne. / Al were it the fouleste cherl, or
the fouleste womman that liveth, and leest of value, yet is he
thanne more foule and more in servitute. / Evere fro the hyer
degree that man falleth, the more is he thral, and more to god
and to the world vile and abhominable. / O gode god, wel oghte



|p575


man have desdayn of sinne; sith that, thurgh sinne, ther he was
free, now is he maked bonde. / And therfore seyth Seint
Augustin: `if thou hast desdayn of thy servant, if he agilte or
sinne, have thou thanne desdayn that thou thy-self sholdest do
sinne.' / Take reward of thy value, that thou he be to foul to
thy-self. / Allas! wel oghten they thanne have desdayn to been
servauntz and thralles to sinne, and sore been ashamed of hem_self,
/ that god of his endelees goodnesse hath set hem in heigh
estaat, or yeven hem wit, strengthe of body, hele, beautee,
prosperitee, / and boghte hem fro the deeth with his herte blood,
that they so unkindely, agayns his gentilesse, quyten him so
vileinsly, to slaughtre of hir owene soules. / O gode god, ye
wommen that been of so greet beautee, remembreth yow of the
proverbe of Salomon, that seith: / `he lykneth a fair womman,
that is a fool of hir body, lyk to a ring of gold that were in the
groyn of a sowe.' / For right as a sowe wroteth in everich
ordure, so wroteth she hir beautee in the stinkinge ordure of
sinne. /

    lO. The thridde cause that oghte moewe a man to Contricion,
is drede of the day of dome, and of the horrible peynes of helle. /
For as seint Ierome seith: `at every tyme that me remembreth
of the day of dome, I quake; / for whan I ete or drinke, or
what-so that I do, evere semeth me that the trompe sowneth in
myn ere: / riseth up, ye that been dede, and cometh to the
Iugement.' / O gode god, muchel oghte a man to drede swich
a Iugement, `ther-as we shullen been alle,' as seint Poul seith,
`biforn the sete of oure lord Iesu Crist '; / wher-as he shal make
a general congregacion, wher-as no man may been absent. /
For certes, there availleth noon essoyne ne excusacion. / And
nat only that oure defautes shullen be iuged, but eek that alle
oure werkes shullen openly be knowe. / And as seith Seint
Bernard: `ther ne shal no pledinge availle, he no sleighte; we
shullen yeven rekeninge of everich ydel word.' / Ther shul we
han a Iuge that may nat been deceived ne corrupt. And why?
For, certes, alle our thoghtes been discovered as to him; ne for
preyere ne for mede he shal nat been corrupt. / And therfore



|p576


seith Salomon: `the wratthe of god ne wol nat spare no wight,
for preyere ne for yifte '; and therfore, at the day of doom, ther
nis noon hope to escape. / Wherfore, as seith Seint Anselm:
`ful greet angwissh shul the sinful folk have at that tyme; /
ther shal the sterne and wrothe Iuge sitte above, and under him
the horrible put of helle open to destroyen him that moot
biknowen hise sinnes, whiche sinnes openly been shewed biforn
god and biforn every creature. / And on the left syde, mo
develes than herte may bithinke, for to harie and drawe the
sinful soules to the pyne of helle. / And with-inne the hertes of
folk shal be the bytinge conscience, and with-oute-forth shal be
the world al brenninge. / Whider shal thanne the wrecched
sinful man flee to hyden him? Certes, he may nat hyden him,
he moste come forth and shewen him.' / For certes, as seith
seint Ierome: ` the erthe shal casten him out of him, and the see
also; and the eyr also, that shal be ful of thonder-clappes and
lightninges.' / Now sothly, who-so wel remembreth him of thise
thinges, I gesse that his sinne shal nat turne him in-to delyt, but
to greet sorwe, for drede of the peyne of helle. / And therfore
seith Iob to god: `suffre, lord, that I may a whyle biwaille and
wepe, er I go with-oute returning to the derke lond, covered with
the derknesse of deeth; / to the lond of misese and of derknesse,
where-as is the shadwe of deeth; where-as ther is noon ordre or
ordinance, but grisly drede that evere shal laste.' / Lo, here may
ye seen that Iob preyde respyt a whyle, to biwepe and waille his
trespas; for soothly oon day of respyt is bettre than al the tresor of
the world. / And for-as-muche as a man may acquiten him-self
biforn god by penitence in this world, and nat by tresor, therfore
sholde he preye to god to yeve him respyt a whyle, to biwepe and
biwaillen his trespas. / For certes, al the sorwe that a man
mighte make fro the beginning of the world, nis but a litel thing
at regard of the sorwe of helle. / The cause why that Iob clepeth
helle `the lond of derknesse '; / under-stondeth that he clepeth
it `londe ' or erthe, for it is stable, and nevere shal faille; `derk', for
he that is in helle hath defaute of light material. / For certes,



|p577


the derke light, that shal come out of the fyr that evere shal
brenne, shal turne him al to peyne that is in helle; for it sheweth
him to the horrible develes that him tormenten. / `Covered
with the derknesse of deeth ': that is to seyn, that he that is in
helle shal have defaute of the sighte of god; for certes, the sighte
of god is the lyf perdurble. / `The derknesse of deeth ' been the
sinnes that the wrecched man hath doon, whiche that destourben
him to see the face of god; right as doth a derk cloude bitwixe
us and the sonne. / `Lond of misese ': by-cause that ther been
three maneres of defautes, agayn three thinges that folk of this
world han in this present lyf, that is to seyn, honours, delyces,
and richesses. / Agayns honour, have they in helle shame and
confusion. / For wel ye woot that men clepen `honour ' the
reverence that man doth to man; but in helle is noon honour ne
reverence. For certes, na-more reverence shal be doon there to
a king than to a knave. / For which god seith by the prophete
Ieremye: `thilke folk that me despisen shul been in despyt.' /
`Honour' is eek cleped greet lordshipe; ther shal no man serven
other but of harm and torment. `Honour' is eek cleped greet
dignitee and heighnesse; but in helle shul they been al fortroden
of develes. / And god seith: `the horrible develes shulle goon
and comen up-on the hevedes of the dampned folk.' And this
is for-as-muche as, the hyer that they were in this present lyf, the
more shule they been abated and defouled in helle. / Agayns
the richesses of this world, shul they han misese of poverte; and
this poverte shal been in foure thinges: / in defaute of tresor, of
which that David seith; `the riche folk, that embraceden and
oneden al hir herte to tresor of this world, shul slepe in the
slepinge of deeth; and no-thing ne shul they finden in hir handes
of al hir tresor.' / And more-over, the miseise of helle shal been
in defaute of mete and drinke. / For god seith thus by Moyses;
`they shul been wasted with hunger, and the briddes of helle
shul devouren hem with bitter deeth, and the galle of the dragon
shal been hir drinke, and the venim of the dragon hir morsels.' /
And forther-over, hir miseise shal been in defaute of clothing: for
they shulle be naked in body as of clothing, save the fyr in which
they brenne and othere filthes; / and naked shul they been of



|p578


soule, of alle manere vertues, which that is the clothing of the
soule. Where been thanne the gaye robes and the softe shetes
and the smale shertes? / Lo, what seith god of hem by the
prophete Isaye: `that under hem shul been strawed motthes,
and hir covertures shulle been of wormes of helle.' / And
forther-over, hir miseise shal been in defaute of freendes; for he
nis nat povre that hath goode freendes, but there is no freend; /
for neither god ne no creature shal been freend to hem, and
everich of hem shal haten other with deedly hate. / `The sones
and the doghtren shullen rebellen agayns fader and mooder, and
kinrede agayns kinrede, and chyden and despysen everich of hem
other,' bothe day and night, as god seith by the prophete
Michias. / And the lovinge children, that whylom loveden so
fleshly everich other, wolden everich of hem eten other if they
mighte. / For how sholden they love hem togidre in the peyne
of helle, whan they hated ech of hem other in the prosperitee of
this lyf? / For truste wel, hir fleshly love was deedly hate; as
seith the prophete David: ` who-so that loveth wikkednesse he
hateth his soule.' / And who-so hateth his owene soule, certes,
he may love noon other wight in no manere. / And therefore,
in helle is no solas ne no frendshipe, but evere the more fleshly
kinredes that been in helle, the more cursinges, the more
chydinges, and the more deedly hate ther is among hem. / And
forther-over, they shul have defaute of alle manere delyces; for
certes, delyces been after the appetytes of the fyve wittes, as
sighte, heringe, smellinge, savoringe, and touchinge. / But in
helle hir sighte shal be ful of derknesse and of smoke, and
therfore ful of teres; and hir heringe, ful of waymentinge and of
grintinge of teeth, as seith Iesu Crist; / hir nosethirles shullen
be ful of stinkinge stink. And as seith Isaye the prophete: `hir savoring shal be ful of bitter galle.' / And touchinge of al
hir body, y-covered with `fyr that nevere shal quenche, and with
wormes that nevere shul dyen,' as god seith by the mouth of
Isaye. / And for-as-muche as they shul nat wene that they may
dyen for peyne, and by hir deeth flee fro pevne, that may they
understonden by the word of Iob, that seith: `ther-as is the



|p579


shadwe of deeth.' / Certes, a shadwe hath the lyknesse of the
thing of which it is shadwe, but shadwe is nat the same thing of
which it is shadwe. / Right so fareth the peyne of helle; it is
lyk deeth for the horrible anguissh, and why? For it peyneth
hem evere, as though they sholde dye anon; but certes they shal
nat dye. / For as seith Seint Gregorie: `to wrecche caytives
shal be deeth with-oute deeth, and ende with-outen ende, and
defaute with-oute failinge. / For hir deeth shal alwey liven, and
hir ende shal everemo biginne, and hir defaute shal nat faille.' /
And therfore seith Seint Iohn the Evangelist: `they shullen
folwe deeth, and they shul nat finde him; and they shul desyren
to dye, and deeth shal flee fro hem.' / And eek Iob seith: that
`in helle is noon ordre of rule.' / And al-be-it so that god hath
creat alle thinges in right ordre, and no-thing with-outen ordre,
but alle thinges been ordeyned and nombred; yet nathelees they
that been dampned been no-thing in ordre, ne holden noon
ordre. / For the erthe ne shal bere hem no fruit. / For, as the
prophete David seith: `god shal destroie the fruit of the erthe
as fro hem;' ne water ne shal yeve hem no moisture; ne the eyr
no refresshing, ne fyr no light. / For as seith seint Basilie:
`the brenninge of the fyr of this world shal god yeven in helle to
hem that been dampned; / but the light and the cleernesse shal
be yeven in hevene to hise children'; right as the gode man
yeveth flesh to hise children, and bones to his houndes. / And
for they shullen have noon hope to escape, seith seint Iob atte
laste: that `ther shaI horrour and grisly drede dwellen with-outen
ende.' / Horrour is alwey drede of harm that is to come, and
this drede shal evere dwelle in the hertes of hem that been
dampned. And therefore han they lorn al hir hope, for sevene
causes. / First, for god that is hir Iuge shal be with-outen mercy
to hem; ne they may nat plese him, ne noon of hise halwes; ne
they ne may yeve no-thing for hir raunson; / ne they have no
vois to speke to him; ne they may nat flee fro peyne; ne they have
no goodnesse in hem, that they mowe shewe to delivere hem fro
peyne. / And therfore seith Salomon: `the wikked man dyeth;
and whan he is deed, he shal have noon hope to escape fro
peyne.' / Who-so thanne wolde wel understande these peynes'



|p580


and bithinke him weel that he hath deserved thilke peynes for his
sinnes, certes, he sholde have more talent to syken and to wepe
than for to singen and to pleye./ For as that seith Salomon:
who-so that hadde the science to knowe the peynes that been
establissed and ordeyned for sinne, he wolde make sorwe.' /
`Thilke science,' as seith seint Augustin, `maketh a man to
waymenten in his herte.' /

    ll. The fourthe point, that oghte maken a man to have
contricion, is the sorweful remembrance of the good that he hath
left to doon here in erthe; and eek the good that he hath lorn. /
Soothly, the gode werkes that he hath left, outher they been the
gode werkes that he wrohte er he fel in-to deedly sinne, or elles
the gode werkes that he wroghte while he lay in sinne. / Soothly,
the gode werkes, that he dide biforn that hee fil in sinne, been al
mortified and astoned and dulled by the ofte sinning. / The
othere gode werkes, that he wroghte whyl he lay in deedly sinne,
they been outrely dede as to the lyf perdurable in hevene. /
Thanne thilke gode werkes that been mortified by ofte sinning,
whiche gode werkes he dide whyl he was in charitee, ne mowe
nevere quiken agayn with-outen verray penitence. / And ther-of
seith god, by the mouth of Ezechiel: that, `if the rightful man
returne agayn from his righwisnesse and werke wikkednesse, shal
he live?' / Nay; for alle the gode werkes that he hath wroght
ne shul nevere been in remembrance; for he shal dyen in his
sinne. / And up-on thilke chapitre seith seint Gregorie thus:
`that we shulle understonde this principally; / that whan we
doon deedly sinne, it is for noght thanne to rehercen or drawen
in-to memorie the gode werkes that we han wroght biforn.' /
For certes, in the werkinge of the deedly sinne, ther is no trust to
no good werk that we han doon biforn; that is to seyn, as for to
have therby the lyf perdurable in hevene. / But nathelees, the
gode werkes quiken agayn, and comen agayn, and helpen, and
availlen to have the lyf perdurable in hevene, whan we han con_tricion.
/ But soothly, the gode werkes that men doon whyl they
been in deedly sinne, for-as-muche as they were doon in deedly
sinne, they may nevere quiken agayn. / For certes, thing that
nevere hadde lyf may nevere quikene; and nathelees, al-be-it that



|p581


they ne availle noght to han the lyf perdurable, yet availlen they
to abregge of the peyne of helle, or elles to geten temporal rich_esse,
/ or elles that god wole the rather enlumine and lightne the
herte of the sinful man to have repentance; / and eek they
availlen for to usen a man to doon gode werkes, that the feend
have the lasse power of his soule. / And thus the curteis lord
Iesu Crist wole that no good werk be lost; for in somwhat it shal
availle. / But for-as-muche as the gode werkes that men doon
whyl they been in good lyf, been al mortified by sinne folwinge;
and eek, sith that alle the gode werkes that men doon whyl they
been in deedly synne, been outrely dede as for to have the lyf per_durable;
/ wel may that man, that no good werke ne dooth, singe
thilke newe Frenshe song: "Iai tout perdu mon temps et mon labour." / For certes, sinne bireveth a man bothe goodnesse of
nature and eek the goodnesse of grace. / For soothly, the grace
of the holy goost fareth lyk fyr, that may nat been ydel; for fyr
faileth anoon as it forleteth his wirkinge, and right so grace fayleth
anoon as it forleteth his werkinge. / Than leseth the sinful man
the goodnesse of glorie, that only is bihight to gode men that
labouren and werken. / Wel may he be sory thanne, that oweth
al his lif to god as longe as he hath lived, and eek as longe as
he shal live, that no goodnesse ne hath to paye with his dette to
god, to whom he oweth al his lyf / For trust wel, `he shal
yeven acountes,' as seith seint Bernard, `of alle the godes that han
be yeven him in this present lyf, and how he hath hem despended;/
in so muche that ther shal nat perisse an heer of his heed,
ne a moment of an houre ne shal nat perisse of his tyme, that he
ne shal yeve of it a rekening.'/

    12. The fifthe thing that oghte moeve a man to contricion,
is remembrance of the passion that oure lord Iesu Crist suffred
for our sinnes. /For, as seith seint Bernard: `whyl that I live, I
shal have remembrance of the travailles that oure lord Crist
suffred in preching; / his werinesse in travailling, hise temptacions
whan he fasted, hise longe wakinges whan he preyde, hise teres
whan that he weep for pitee of good peple; / the wo and the
shame and the filthe that men seyden to him; of the foule spit_ting
that men spitte in his face, of the buffettes that men yaven



|p582


him, of the foule mowes, and of the repreves that men to him
seyden; / of the nayles with whiche he was nailed to the croys,
and of al the remenant of his passion that he suffred for my sinnes,
and no-thing for his gilt.' / And ye shul understonde, that in
mannes sinne is every manere of ordre or ordinance turned up-so_doun. / 
For it is sooth, that god, and reson, and sensualitee, and
the body of man been so ordeyned, that everich of thise foure
thinges sholde have lordshipe over that other; / as thus: god
sholde have lordshipe over reson, and reson over sensualitee, and
sensualitee over the body of man. / But sothly, whan man
sinneth, al this ordre or ordinance is turned up-so-doun. / And
therfore thanne, for-as-muche as the reson of man ne wol nat be
subget ne obeisant to god, that is his lord by right, therfore leseth
it the lordshipe that it sholde have over sensualitee, and eek over
the body of man. / And why? For sensualitee rebelleth thanne
agayns reson; and by that wey leseth reson the lordshipe over sen_sualitee
and over the body. / For right as reson is rebel to god,
right so is bothe sensualitee rebel to reson and the body also. /
And certes, this disordinance and this rebellion oure lord Iesu
Crist aboghte up-on his precious body ful dere, and herkneth in
which wyse. / For-as-muche thanne as reson is rebel to god, ther_fore
is man worthy to have sorwe and to be deed. / This suffred
oure lord Iesu Crist for man, after that he hadde be bitraysed of
his disciple, and distreyned and bounde, `so that his blood brast
out at every nail of hise handes,' as seith seint Augustin. / And
forther-over, for-as-muchel as reson of man ne wol nat daunte sen_sualitee
whan it may, therfore is man worthy to have shame; and
this suffred oure lord Iesu Crist for man, whan they spetten in his
visage: / And forther-over, for-as-muchel thanne as the caitif body
of man is rebel bothe to reson and to sensualitee, therfore is it
worthy the deeth. / And this suffred oure lord Iesu Crist for man
up-on the croys, where-as ther was no part of his body free, with_outen
greet peyne annd bitter passion. / And al this suffred Iesu
Crist, that nevere forfeted. And therfore resonably may be
seyd of Iesu in this manere: `to muchel am I peyned for the
thinges that I nevere deserved, and to muche defouled for shend_shipe
that man is worthy to have.' / And therfore may the sinful



|p583


man wel seye, as seith seint Bernard: `acursed be the bitternesse
of my sinne, for which ther moste be suffred so muchel bitter_nesse.
' / For certes, after the diverse discordances of oure
wikkednesses, was the passion of Iesu Crist ordeyned in diverse
thinges, / as thus. Certes, sinful mannes soule is bitraysed of the
devel by coveitise of temporel prosperitee, and scorned by deceite
whan he cheseth fleshly delyces; and yet is it tormented by inpa_cience
of adversitee, and bispet by servage and subieccion of
sinne; and atte laste it is slayn fynally. / For this disordinaunce
of sinful man was Iesu Crist first bitraysed, and after that was
he bounde, that cam for to unbynden us of sinne and peyne. /
Thanne was he biscorned, that only sholde han been honoured in
alle thinges and of alle thinges. / Thanne was his visage, that
oghte be desired to be seyn of al man-kinde, in which visage
aungels desyren to looke, vileynsly bispet. / Thanne was he
scourged that no-thing hadde agilt; and fynally, thanne was he
crucified and slayn. / Thanne was acompliced the word of Isaye:
`he was wounded for oure misdedes, and defouled for oure felo_nies.
' / Now sith that Iesu Crist took up-on him-self the peyne
of alle oure wikkednesses, muchel oghte sinful man wepen and
biwayle, that for hise sinnes goddes sone of hevene sholde al this peyne endure. /

    13. The sixte thing that oghte moeve a man to contricion, is
the hope of three thynges; that is to seyn, foryifnesse of sinne,
and the yifte of grace wel for to do, and the glorie of hevene,
with which god shal guerdone a man for hise gode dedes. / And
for-as-muche as Iesu Crist yeveth us thise yiftes of his largesse
and of his sovereyn bountee, therfore is he cleped Iesus Nazarenus
rex Iudeorum. / Iesus is to seyn `saveour ' or `salvacion,' on
whom men shul hope to have foryifnesse of sinnes, which that is
proprely salvacion of sinnes. / And therfore seyde the aungel to
Ioseph: `thou shalt clepen his name Iesus, that shal saven his
peple of hir sinnes.' / And heer-of seith seint Peter: `ther is
noon other name under hevene that is yeve to any man, by which
a man may be saved, but only Iesus.' / Nazarenus is as muche
for to seye as `florisshinge,' in which a man shal hope, that he
that yeveth him remission of sinnes shal yeve him eek grace wel



|p584


for to do. For in the flour is hope of fruit in tyme cominge; and
in foryifnesse of sinnes hope of grace wel for to do. / `I was
atte dore of thyn herte,' seith Iesus, `and cleped for to entre; he
that openeth to me shal have foryifnesse of sinne. / I wol entre
in-to him by my grace, and soupe with him,' by the goode werkes
that he shal doon; whiche werkes been the foode of god; `and
he shal soupe with me,' by the grete Ioye that I shal yeven
him. / Thus shal man hope, for hise werkes of penaunce, that
god shall yeven him his regne; as he bihoteth him in the
gospel. /

    14. Now, shal a man understonde, in which manere shal been
his contricion. I seye, that it shal been universal and total;
this is to seyn, a man shal be verray repentant for alle hise sinnes
that he hath doon in delyt of his thoght; for delyt is ful perilous. /
For ther been two manere of consentinges; that oon of hem is
cleped consentinge of affeccion, when a man is moeved to do
sinne, and delyteth him longe for to thinke on that sinne; / and
his reson aperceyveth it wel, that it is sinne agayns the lawe of
god, and yet his reson refreyneth nat his foul delyt or talent,
though he se wel apertly that it is agayns the reverence of god;
al-though his reson ne consente noght to doon that sinne in
dede, / yet seyn some doctours that swich delyt that dwelleth
longe, it is ful perilous, al be it nevere so lite. / And also a man
sholde sorwe, namely, for al that evere he hath desired agayn the
lawe of god with perfit consentinge of his reson; for ther-of is no
doute, that it is deedly sinne in consentinge. / For certes, ther
is no deedly sinne, that it nas first in mannes thought, and after
that in his delyt; and so forth in-to consentinge and in-to dede. /
Wherfore I seye, that many men ne repenten hem nevere of
swiche thoghtes and delytes, ne nevere shryven hem of it, but
only of the dede of grete sinnes outward.,/ Wherfore I seye,
that swiche wikked delytes and wikked thoghtes been subtile
bigyleres of hem that shullen be dampned. / More-over, man
oghte to sorwe for hise wikkede wordes as wel as for hise wikkede
dedes; for certes, the repentance of a singuler sinne, and nat
repente of alle hise othere sinnes, or elles repentein him of alle
hise othere sinnes, and nat of a singuler sinne, may nat availle. /
For certes, god almighty is al good; and ther-fore he foryeveth al,



|p585


or elles right noght. / And heer-of seith seint Augustin: `I
woot certeinly / that god is enenny to everich sinnere'; and how
thanne? He that observeth o sinne, shal he have foryifnesse of
the remenaunt of hise othere sinnes? Nay. / And forther-over,
contricion sholde be wonder sorweful and anguissous, and therfore
yeveth him god pleynly his mercy; and therfore, whan my soule
was anguissous with-inne me, I hadde remembrance of god that
my preyere mighte come to him. / Forther-over, contricion
moste be continuel, and that main have stedefast purpos to shryven
him, and for to amenden him of his lyf. / For soothly, whyl
contricion lasteth, man may evere have hope of foryifnesse; and
of this comth hate of sinne, that destroyeth sinne bothe in him_self,
and eek in other folk, at his power. / For which seith
David: `ye that loven god hateth wikkednesse.'  For trusteth
wel, to love god is for to love that he loveth, and hate that he
hateth. /

    15. The laste thing that man shal understonde in contricion
is this; wher-of avayleth contricion. I seye, that som tyme
contricion delivereth a man fro sinne; / of which that David
seith: `I seye,' quod David, that is to seyn, `I purposed fermely
to shryve me; and thow, Lord, relesedest my sinne.' / And right
so as contricion availleth noght, with-outen sad purpos of shrifte,
if man have oportunitee, right so litel worth is shrifte or satisfac_cion
with-outen contricion. / And more-over, contricion destroy_eth
the prison of helle, and maketh wayk and feble alle the
strengthes of the develes, and restoreth the yiftes of the holy goost
and of alle gode vertues; / and it clenseth the soule of sinne,
and delivereth the soule fro the peyne of helle, and fro the com_panye
of the devel, and fro the servage of sinne, and restoreth it
to alle godes espirituels, and to the companye and communion
of holy chirche. / And forther-over, it maketh him that whylom
was sone of ire to be sone of grace; and alle thise thinges been
preved by holy writ. / And therfore, he that wolde sette his
entente to thise thinges, he were ful wys; for soothly, he ne sholde
nat thanne in al his lyf have corage to sinne, but yeven his body
and al his herte to the service of Iesu Crist, and ther-of doon him
hommage. / For soothly, oure swete lord Iesu Crist hath spared



|p586


us so debonairly in our folies, that if he ne hadde pitee of mannes
soule, a sory song we mighten alle singe. /

Explicit prima pars Penitentie; et sequitur secunda
pars eiusdem.

    l6. The seconde partie of Penitence is Confession, that is
signe of contricion. / Now shul ye understonde what is Con_fession,
and whether it oghte nedes be doon or noon, and whiche
thinges been covenable to verray Confession. /

    17. First shaltow understonde that Confession is verray
shewinge of sinnes to the preest; / this is to seyn `verray,' for
he moste confessen him of alle the condiciouns that bilongen to
his sinne, as ferforth as he can. / Al moot be seyd, and no
thing excused ne hid ne forwrapped, and noght avaunte him of
his gode werkes. / And forther over, it is necessarie to under_stonde
whennes that sinnes springen, and how they encresen, and
whiche they been. /

    18. Of the springinge of sinnes seith seint Paul in this wise:
that `right as by a man sinne entred first in-to this world, and
thurgh that sinne deeth, right so thilke deeth entred in-to alle men
that sinneden.' / And this man was Adam, by whom sinne entred
in-to this world whan he brak the comaundement of god. / And
therfore, he that first was so mighty that he sholde not have
dyed, bicam swich oon that he moste nedes dye, whether he
wolde or noon; and all his progenie in this world that in thilke
man sinneden. / Loke that in thestaat of innocence, when Adam
and Eve naked weren in paradys, and no-thing ne hadden shame
of hir nakednesse, / how that the serpent, that was most wyly of
alle othere bestes that god hadde maked, seyde to the womman:
`why comaunded god to yow ye sholde nat eten of every tree
in paradys? ' / The womman answerde: `of the fruit,' quod
she, `of the trees in paradys we feden us; but soothly, of the
fruit of the tree that is in the middel of paradys, god forbad us
for to ete, ne nat touchen it, lest per-aventure we should dyen.' /
The serpent seyde to the womman: `nay, nay, ye shul nat dyen
of deeth; for sothe, god woot, that what day that ye eten ther-of,
youre eyen shul opene, and ye shul been as goddes, knowinge



|p587


good and harm.' / The womman thanne saugh that the tree was
good to feding, and fair to the eyen, and delytable to the sighte;
she tok of the fruit of the tree, and eet it, and yaf to hir hous_bonde,
and he eet; and anoon the eyen of hem bothe openeden. /
And whan that they knewe that they were naked, they sowed of
fige-leves a manere of breches to hiden hir membres. / There
may ye seen that deedly sinne hath first suggestion of the feend,
as sheweth here by the naddre; and afterward, the delyt of the
flesh, as sheweth here by Eve; and after that, the consentinge of
resoun, as sheweth here by Adam. / For trust wel, thogh so
were that the feend tempted Eve, that is to seyn the flesh, and
the flesh hadde delyt in the beautee of the fruit defended, yet
certes, til that resoun, that is to seyn, Adam, consented to the
etinge of the fruit, yet stood he in thestaat of innocence. / Of
thilke Adam toke we thilke sinne original; for of him fleshly
descended be we alle, and engendred of vile and corrupt matere. /
And whan the soule is put in our body, right anon is contract
original sinne; and that, that was erst but only peyne of con_cupiscence,
is afterward bothe peyne and sinne. / And therfore
be we alle born sones of wratthe and of dampnacion perdurable,
if it nere baptesme that we receyven, which binimeth us the
culpe; but for sothe, the peyne dwelleth with us, as to tempta_cion,
which peyne highte concupiscenc. / Whan it is wrong_fully
disposed or ordeyned in man, it maketh him coveite, by
coveitise of flesh, fleshly sinne, by sighte of hise eyen as to erthely
thinges, and coveitise of hynesse by pryde of herte. /

    19. Now as for to speken of the firste coveitise, that is,
concupiscence after the lawe of oure membres, that weren lawe_fulliche
y-maked and by rightful Iugement of god; / I seye,
for-as-muche as man is nat obeisaunt to god, that is his lord,
therfore is the flesh to him disobeisaunt thurgh concupiscence,
which yet is cleped norissinge of sinne and occasion of sinne. /
Therfore, al the whyle that a man hath in him the peyne of con_cupiscence,
it is impossible but he be tempted somtyme, and
moeved in his flesh to sinne. / And this thing may nat faille as
longe as he liveth; it may wel wexe feble and faille, by vertu of
baptesme and by the- grace of god thurgh penitence; / but fully



|p588


ne shal it nevere quenche, that he ne shal som tyme be moeved
in him-self, but-if he were al refreyded by siknesse, or by malefice
of sorcerie or colde drinkes. / For lo, what seith seint Paul:
`the flesh coveiteth agayn the spirit, and the spirit agayn the
flesh; they been so contrarie and so stryven, that a man may
nat alwey doon as he wolde.' / The same seint Paul, after his
grete penaunce in water and in lond - (in water by night and by
day, in greet peril and in greet peyne, in lond, in famine, in
thurst, in cold and clothlees, and ones stoned almost to the deeth) /
yet seyde he: `allas! I, caytif man, who shal delivere me fro
the prisoun of my caytif body? ' /' And seint Ierome, whan he
longe tyme hadde woned in desert, where-as he hadde no com_panye
but of wilde bestes, where-as he ne hadde no mete but
herbes and water to his drinke, ne no bed but the naked erthe,
for which his flesh was blak as an Ethiopen for hete and ny
destroyed for cold, / yet seyde he: that `the brenninge of
lecherie boiled in al his body.' / Wherfore I woot wel sikerly,
that they been deceyved that seyn, that they ne be nat tempted
in hir body./ Witnesse on Seint Iame the Apostel, that seith:
that `every wight is tempted in his owen concupiscence';
that is to seyn, that everich of us hath matere and occasion to be
tempted of the norissinge of sinne that is in his body. / And ther_fore
seith Seint Iohn the Evaungelist: `if that we seyn that we beth
with-oute sinne, we deceyve us-selve, and trouthe is nat in us.'/

    20. Now shal ye understonde in what manere that sinne
wexeth or encreseth in man. The firste thing is thilke norissinge
of sinne, of which I spak biforn, thilke fleshly concupiscence. /
And after that comth the subieccion of the devel, this is to seyn,
the develes bely, with which he bloweth in man the fyr of fleshly
concupiscence. / And after that, a man bithinketh him whether
he wol doon, or no, thilke thing to which he is tempted./ And
thanne, if that a man withstonde and weyve the firste entysinge
of his flesh and of the feend, thanne is it no sinne; and if it so
be that he do nat so, thanne feleth he anon a flambe of delyt. /
And thanne is it good to be war, and kepen him wel, or elles he
wol falle anon in-to consentinge of sinne; and thanne wol he do
it, if he may have tyme and place. / And of this matere seith
Moyses by the devel in this manere: `the feend seith, I wole



|p589


chace and pursue the man by wikked suggestion, and I wole
hente him by moevynge or stiringe of sinne. I wol departe my
pryse or my praye by deliberacion, and my lust shal been ac_compliced
in delyt; I wol drawe my swerd in consentinge:' /
for certes, right as a swerd departeth a thing in two peces, right
so consentinge departeth god fro man: `and thanne wol I sleen
him with myn hamd in dede of sinne'; thus seith the feend. /
For certes, thanne is a man al deed in soule. And thus is sinne
accompliced by temptacion, by delyt, and by consentinge; and
thanne is the sin cleped actuel. /

    21. For sothe, sinne is in two maneres; outher it is venial, or
deedly sinne. Soothly, whan man loveth any creature more than
Iesu Crist oure creatour, thanne is it deedly sinne. And venial
synne is it, if man love Iesu Crist lasse than him oghte. / For
sothe, the dede of this venial sinne is ful perilous; for it amenuseth
the love that men sholde han to god more and more. / And
therfore, if a man charge him-self with manye swiche venial sinnes,
certes, but-if so be that he som tyme descharge him of hem
by shrifte, they mowe ful lightly amenuse in him al the love that
he hath to Iesu Crist; / and in this wise skippeth venial in-to
deedly sinne. For certes, the more that a man chargeth his soule
with venial sinnes, the more is he enclyned to fallen in-to deedly
sinne. / And therfore, lat us nat be necligent to deschargen us
of venial sinnes. For the proverbe seith: that manye smale
maken a greet. / And herkne this ensample. A greet wawe
of the see comth som-tyme with so greet a violence that it drench_eth
the ship. And the same harm doth som-tyme the smale
dropes of water, that entren thurgh a litel crevace in-to the thur_rok,
and in-to the botme of the ship, if men be so necligent that
they ne descharge hem nat by tyme. / And therfore, al-thogh
ther be a difference bitwixe thise two causes of drenchinge, algates
the ship is dreynt. / Right so fareth it somtyme of deedly sinne,
and of anoyouse veniale sinnes, whan they multiplye in a man so
greetly, that thilke worldly thinges that he loveth, thurgh whiche
he sinneth venially, is as greet in his herte as the love of god, or
more. / And therfore, the love of every thing, that is nat biset in
god ne doon principally for goddes sake, al-though that a man love



|p590


it lasse than god, yet is it venial sinne; / and deedly sinne, whan
the love of any thing weyeth in the herte of man as muchel as the
love of god, or more. / `Deedly sinne,' as seith seint Augustin,
`is, whan a man turneth his herte fro god, which that is verray
sovereyn bountee, that may nat chaunge, and yeveth his herte to
thing that may chaunge and flitte'; / and certes, that is every
thing, save god of hevene. For sooth is, that if a man yeve his
love, the which that he oweth al to god with al his herte, un-to a
creature, certes, as muche of his love as he yeveth to thilke crea_ture,
so muche he bireveth fro god; / and therfore doth he sinne.
For he, that is dettour to god, ne yeldeth nat to god al his dette,
that is to seyn, al the love of his herte. /

    22. Now sith man understondeth generally, which is venial
sinne, thanne is it covenable to tellen specially of sinnes whiche
that many a man per-aventure ne demeth hem nat sinnes, and ne
shryveth him nat of the same thinges; and yet nathelees they
been sinnes. / Soothly, as thise clerkes wryten, this is to seyn,
that at every tyme that a man eteth or drinketh more than suffyseth
to the sustenaunce of his body, in certein he dooth sinne. / And
eek whan he speketh more than nedeth, it is sinne. Eke whan he
herkneth nat benignely the compleint of the povre. / Eke whan
he is in hele of body and wol nat faste, whan othere folk faste, with_outen
cause resonable. Eke whan he slepeth more than nedeth or
whan he comth by thilke enchesoun to late to chirche, or to
othere werkes of charite. / Eke whan he useth his wyf, with_outen
sovereyn desyr of engendrure, to the honour of god, or for
the entente to yelde to his wyf the dette of his body. / Eke whan
he wol nat visite the sike and the prisoner, if he may. Eke if he
love wyf or child, or other worldly thing, more than resoun
requyreth. Eke if he flatere or blandishe more than him oghte
for any necessitee. / Eke if he amenuse or withdrawe the almesse
of the povre. Eke if he apparailleth his mete more deliciously
than nede is, or ete it to hastily by likerousnesse. / Eke if he tale
vanitees at chirche or at goddes service, or that he be a talker of
ydel wordes of folye or of vileinye; for he shal yelden acountes of
it at the day of donne. / Eke whan he biheteth or assureth to do



|p591


thinges that he may nat perfourne. Eke whan that he, by light_nesse
or folie, misseyeth or scorneth his neighebore./ Eke whan he
hath any wikked suspecion of thing, ther he ne woot of it no sooth_fastnesse.
/ Thise thinges and mo with-oute nombre been sinnes,
as seith seint Augustin. /
Now shal men understonde, that al-be-it so that noon erthely
man may eschue alle venial sinnes, yet may he refreyne him by
the brenninge love that he hath to oure lord Iesu Crist, and by
preyeres and confession and othere gode werkes, so that it shal but
litel greve. / For, as seith seint Augustin: `if a man love god
in swiche manere, that al that evere he doth is in the love of god,
and forthe love of god verraily, for he brenneth in the love of god: /
loke, how muche that a drope of water that falleth in a fourneys
ful of fyr anoyeth or greveth, so muche anoyeth a venial sinne
un-to a man that is parfit in the love of Iesu Crist.' / Men may
also refreyne venial sinne by receyvinge worthily of the precious
body of Iesu Crist; / by receyving eek of holy water; by almesdede;
by general confession of Confiteor at masse and at complin; and by
blessinge of bisshopes and of preestes, and by othere gode werkes. /
Explicit secunda pars Penitentie.


Sequitur de Septem Peccatis Mortalibus et eorum
dependenciis circumstanciis et speciebus.

    23. Now is it bihovely thing to telle whiche been the deedly
sinnes, this is to seyn, chieftaines of sinnes; alle they renne in o
lees, but in diverse maneres. Now been they cleped chieftaines
for-as-muche as they been chief, and springers of alle othere
sinnes. / Of the roote of thise sevene sinnes thanne is Pryde, the
general rote of alle harmes; for of this rote springen certein
braunches, as Ire, Envye, Accidie or Slewthe, Avarice or Coveitise
(to commune understondinge), Glotonye, and Lecherye. / And
everich of thise chief sinnes hath hise braunches and hise twigges,
as shal be declared in hir chapitres folwinge. /


De Superbia.

    24. And thogh so be that no man can outrely telle the



|p592


nombre of the twigges and of the harmes that cometh of Pryde, yet
wol I shewe a partie of hem, as ye shul understonde. / Ther is In_obedience,
Avauntinge, Ipocrisie, Despyt, Arrogance, Impudence,
Swellinge of herte, Insolence, Elacion, Impacience, Strif, Con_tumacie,
Presumpcion, Irreverence, pertinacie, Veyne Glorie; and
many another twig that I can nat declare. / Inobedient, is he that
disobeyeth for despyt to the connandements of god and to hise
sovereyns, and to his goostly fader. / Avauntour, is he that
bosteth of the harm or of the bountee that he hath doon. /
Ipocrite, is he that hydeth to shew e him swiche as he is, and
sheweth him swiche as he noght is. / Despitous, is he that hath
desdeyn of his neighebore, that is to seyn, of his evene-cristene, or
hath despyt to doon that him oghte to do. / Arrogant, is he that
thinketh that he hath thilke bountees in him that he hath noght,
or weneth that he sholde have hem by hise desertes; or elles he
demeth that he be that he nis nat. / Impudent, is he that for his
pride hath no shame of hise sinnes. / Swellinge of herte, is whan
a man reioyseth him of harm that he hath doon. / Insolent, is he
that despyseth in his Iugement alle othere folk as to regard of his
value, and of his conning, and of his speking, and of his bering. /
Elacion, is whan he ne may neither suffre to have maister ne
felawe. / Impacient, is he that wol nat been y-taught ne under_nome
of his vyce, and by stryf werreieth trouthe witingly, and def
fendeth his folye. / Contumax, is he that thurgh his indignacion
is agayns everich auctoritee or Power of hem that been hise sover_eyns.
/ Presumpcion, is whan a man undertaketh an empryse
that him oghte nat do, or elles that he may nat do; and that is
called Surquidrie. Irreverence, is whan men do nat honour there_as
hem oghte to doon, and waiten to be reverenced. / Pertinacie, is
whan man deffendeth his folye, and trusteth to muchel in his owene
wit. / Veyne glorie, is for to have pompe and delyt in his tem_porel
hynesse, and glorifie him in this worldly estaat. / Ianglinge,
is whan men speken to muche biforn folk, and clappen as a mille,
and taken no kepe what they seye. /

    25. And yet is ther a privee spece of Pryde, that waiteth first
to be salewed er he wole salewe, al be he lasse worth than that



|p593


other is, per-aventure; and eek he waiteth or desyreth to sitte, or
elles to goon above him in the wey, or kisse pax, or been encensed,
or goon to offring biforn his neighebore, / and swiche semblable
thinges; agayns his duetee, per-aventure, but that he hath his
herte and his entente in swich a proud desyr to be magnifyed and
honoured biforn the peple. /

    26. Now been ther two maneres of Pryde; that oon of hem
rs with-inne the herte of man, and that other is with-oute. / Of
whiche soothly thise forseyde thinges, and mo than I have seyd,
apertenen to pryde that is in the herte of man; and that othere
speces of pryde been with-oute. / But natheles that oon of thise
speces of pryde is signe of that other, right as the gaye leefsel atte
taverne is signe of the wyn that is in the celer. / And this is in
manye thinges: as in speche and contenaunce, and in outrageous
array of clothing; / for certes, if ther ne hadde be no sinne in
clothing, Crist wolde nat have noted and spoken of the clothing
of thilke riche man in the gospel. / And, as seith Seint Gregorie,
that precious clothing is coupable for the derthe of it, and for his
softenesse, and for his strangenesse and degysinesse, and for the
superfluitee, or for the inordinat scantnesse of it. / Allas! may
men nat seen, as in oure dayes, the sinful costlewe array of cloth_inge,
and namely in to muche superfluitee, or elles in to desordinat
scantnesse? /

    27. As to the firste sinne, that is in superfluitee of clothinge,
which that maketh it so dere, to harm of the peple; / nat only
the cost of embroudinge, the degyse endentinge or barringe,
oundinge, palinge, windinge, or bendinge, and semblable wast of
clooth in vanitee; / but ther is also costlewe furringe in hir
gounes, so muche pounsoninge of chisels to maken holes, so
muche dagginge of sheres; / forth-with the superfluitee in lengthe.
of the forseide gounes, trailinge in the dong and in the myre, on
horse and eek on fote, as wel of man as of womman, that al thilke
trailing is verraily as in effect wasted, consumed, thredbare and
roten with donge, rather than it is yeven to the povre; to greet



|p594


damage of the forseyde povre folk. / And that in sondry wyse:
this is to seyn, that the more that clooth is wasted, the more it
costeth to the peple for the scantnesse; / and forther-over, if so be
that they wolde yeven swich pounsoned and dagged clothing to
the povre folk, it is nat convenient to were for hir estaat, ne suffi_sant
to bete hir necessitee, to kepe hem fro the distemperance of
the firmament. / Upon that other syde, to speken of the horrible
disordinat scantnesse of clothing, as been thise cutted sloppes or
hainselins, that thurgh hir shortnesse ne covere nat the shameful
membres of man, to wikked entente. / Allas! somme of hem
shewen the boce of hir shap, and the horrible swollen membres,
that semeth lyk the maladie of hirnia, in the wrappinge of hir
hoses; / and eek the buttokes of hem faren as it were the hindre
part of a she-ape in the fulle of the mone. / And more-over, the
wrecched swollen membres that they shewe thurgh the degysinge,
in departinge of hir hoses in whyt and reed, semeth that half hir
shameful privee membres weren flayn. / And if so be that they
departen hire hoses in othere colours, as is whyt and blak, or whyt
and blew or blak and reed, and so forth; / thanne semeth it,
as by variance of colour, that half the partie of hir privee membres
were corrupt by the fyr of seint Antony, or by cancre, or by other
swich meschaunce. / Of the hindre part of hir buttokes, it is ful
horrible for to see. For certes, in that partie of hir body ther-as
they purgen hir stinkinge ordure, / that foule partie shewe they to
the peple proudly in despyt of honestetee, the which honestetee
that Iesu Crist and hise freendes observede to shewen in hir
lyve. / Now as of the outrageous array of wommen, god woot, that
though the visages of somme of hem seme ful chaast and debonaire,
yet notifie they
in hir array of atyr likerousnesse and pryde. / I
sey nat that honestetee in clothinge of man or womman is un-covenable, but certes the superfluitee or disordinat scantitee of
clothinge is reprevable. / Also the sinne of aornement or of
apparaille is in thinges that apertenen to rydinge, as in to manye
delicat horses that been holden for delyt, that been so faire, fatte,
and costlewe; / and also to many a vicious knave that is sustened



|p595


by cause of hem; in to curious harneys, as in sadeles, in
crouperes, peytrels, and brydles covered with precious clothing and
riche, barres and plates of gold and of silver. / For which god
seith by Zakarie the prophete, `I wol confounde the ryderes of
swiche horses.' / This folk taken litel reward of the rydinge of
goddes sone of hevene, and of his harneys whan he rood up-on
the asse, and ne hadde noon other harneys but the povre clothes
of hise disciples; ne we ne rede nat that evere he rood on other
beest. / I speke this for the sinne of superfluitee, and nat for
reasonable honestetee, whan reson it requyreth. / And forther,
certes pryde is greetly notified in holdinge of greet meinee, whan
they be of litel profit or of right no profit. / And namely, whan
that meinee is felonous and damageous to the peple, by hardi_nesse
of heigh lordshipe or by wey of offices. / For certes, swiche
lordes sellen thanne hir lordshipe to the devel of helle, whanne
they sustenen the wikkednesse of hir meinee. / Or elles whan
this folk of lowe degree, as thilke that holden hostelries, sustenen
the thefte of hir hostilers, and that is in many manere of deceites. /
Thilke manere of folk been the flyes that folwen the hony, or
elles the houndes that folwen the careyne. Swiche forseyde folk
stranglen spiritually hir lordshipes; / for which thus seith David
the prophete, `wikked deeth mote come up-on thilke lordshipes,
and god yeve that they mote descenden in-to helle al doun; for
in hir houses been iniquitees and shrewednesses,' and nat god of
hevene. / And certes, but-if they doon amendement, right as
god yaf his benison to Laban by the service of Iacob, and to
Pharao by the service of Ioseph, right so god wol yeve his malison
to swiche lordshipes as sustenen the wikkednesse of hir servaunts,
but-if they come to amendement. / Pryde of the table appereth
eek ful ofte; for certes, riche men been cleped to festes, and povre
folk been put awey and rebuked. / Also in excesse of diverse
metes and drinkes; and namely, swiche manere bake metes and
dish-metes, brenninge of wilde fyr, and peynted and castelled with
papir, and semblable wast; so that it is abusion for to thinke. /
And eek in to greet preciousnesse of vessel and curiositee of min_stralcie,
by whiche a man is stired the more to delyces of luxurie, /



|p596


if so be that he sette his herte the lasse up-on oure lord Iesu
Crist, certein it is a sinne; and certeinly the delyces mighte been
so grete in this caas, that man mighte lightly falle by hem in-to
deedly sinne. / The especes that sourden of pryde, soothly whan
they sourden of malice ymagined, avysed, and forncast, or elles of
usage, been deedly synnes, it is no doute. / And whan they
sourden by freletee unavysed sodeinly, and sodeinly withdrawen
ayein, al been they grevouse sinnes, I gesse that they ne been nat
deedly. / Now mighte men axe wher-of that Pryde sourdeth and
springeth, and I seye: som-tyme it springeth of the goodes of
nature, and som-tyme of the goodes of fortune, and som-tyme of
the goodes of grace. / Certes, the goodes of nature stonden outher
in goodes of body or in goodes of soule. / Certes, goodes of
body been hele of body,, as strengthe, delivernesse, beautee, gen_trye,
franchise. / Goodes of nature of the soule been good wit,
sharp understondynge, subtil engin, vertu naturel, good memorie. /
Goodes of fortune been richesses, highe degrees of lordshipes,
preisinges of the peple. / Goodes of grace been science, power
to suffre spirituel travaille, benignitee, vertuous contemplacion,
withstondinge of temptacion, and semblable thinges. / Of whiche
forseyde goodes, certes it is a ful greet folye a man to pryden him
in any of hem alle. / Now as for to speken of goodes of nature,
god woot that som-tyme we han hem in nature as muche to oure
damage as to oure profit. / As, for to speken of hele of body;
certes it passeth ful lightly, and eek it is ful ofte encheson of the
siknesse of oure soule; for god woot, the flesh is a ful greet enemy
to the soule: and therfore, the more that the body is hool, the
more be we in peril to falle. / Eke for to pryde him in his
strengthe of body, it is an heigh folye; for certes, the flesh
coveiteth agayn the spirit, and ay the more strong that the flesh is,
the sorier may the soule be: /and, over al this, strengthe of body
and worldly hardinesse causeth ful ofte many a man to peril and
meschaunce.,/ Eek for to pryde him of his gentrye is ful greet
folye; for ofte tyme the gentry e of the body binimeth the gentrye
of the soule; and eek w e ben alle of o fader and of o moder; and
alle we been of o nature roten and corrupt, both riche and povre./



|p597


For sothe, o manere gentrye is for to preise, that apparailleth
mannes corage with vertues and moralitees, and maketh him
Cristes child. / For truste weI, that over what man sinne hath
maistrie, he is a verray cherl to sinne. /

    28. Now been ther generale signes of gentilesse; as eschew_inge
of vice and ribaudye and servage of sinne, in word, in werk,
and contenance; / and usinge vertu, curteisye, and clennesse, and
to be liberal, that is to seyn, large by mesure; for thilke that
passeth mesure is folye and sinne. / Another is, to remembre him
of bountee that he of other folk hath receyved. / Another is, to
be benigne to hise goode subgetis; wherfore, as seith Senek, `ther
is no-thing innore covenable to a man of heigh estaat than debo_nairetee
and pitee. / And therfore thise flyes that men clepeth
bees, whan they, maken hir king, they chesen oon that hath no
prikke wherwith he may stinge.' / Another is, a man to have a
noble herte and a diligent, to attayne to heighe vertuouse thinges./
Now certes, a man to pryde him in the goodes of grace is eek
an outrageous folye; for thilke yiftes of grace that sholde have
turned him to goodnesse and to medicine, turneth him to venim
and to confusion, as seith seint Gregorie. / Certes also, who-so
prydeth him in the goodes of fortune, he is a ful greet fool; for
som-tyme is a man a greet lord by the morwe, that is a caitif and
a wrecche er it be night: / and somtyme the richesse of a man is
cause of his deeth; somtyme the delyces of a man is cause of the
grevous maladye thurgh which he dyeth. / Certes, the commen_dacion
of the peple is somtyme ful fals and ful brotel for to triste;
this day they preyse, tomorwe they blame. / God woot, desyr to
have commendacion of the peple hath caused deeth to many a
bisy man. /

Remedium contra peccatum Superbie.


    29. Now sith that so is, that ye han understonde what is
pryde, and whiche been the speces of it, and whennes pride sour_deth
and springeth; / now shul ye understonde which is the
remedie agayns the sinne of pryde, and that is, humilitee or meke_nesse.
/ That is a vertu, thurgh which a man hath verray knowe_leche
of him-self, and holdeth of him-self no prys ne deyntee as in
regard of hise desertes, consideringe evere his freletee. / Now



|p598


been ther three maneres of hunnilitee; as humilitee in herte, and
another humilitee in his mouth; the thridde in hise werkes. /
The humilitee in herte is in foure maneres: that oon is, whan a
man holdeth him-self as noght worth biforn god of hevene.
Another is, whan he ne despyseth noon other man. /
The thridde is, whan he rekketh nat thogh men holde him noght worth.
The ferthe is, whan he nis nat sory of his humiliacion. /Also, the
humilitee of mouth is in foure thinges: in attempree speche, and
in humblesse of speche, and whan he biknoweth with his owene
mouth that he is swich as him thinketh that he is in his herte.
Another is, whan he preiseth the bountee of another man, and
nothing ther-of amenuseth. / Humilitee eek in werkes is in foure
maneres: the firste is, whan he putteth othere men biforn him.
The seconde is, to chese the loweste place over-al. The thridde
is, gladly to assente to good conseil. / The ferthe is, to stonde
gladly to the award of hise sovereyns, or of him that is in hyer
degree; certein, this is a greet werk of humilitee./


Sequitur de Inuidia.

    30. After Pryde wol I speken of the foule sinne of Envye,
which is, as by the word of the philosophre, sorwe of other
mannes prosperitee; and after the word of seint Augustin, it
is sorwe of other mannes wele, and Ioye of othere mennes harm. /
This foule sinne is platly agayns the holy goost. Al-be-it so that
every sinne is agayns the holy goost, yet nathelees, for as muche as
bountee aperteneth proprely to the holy goost, and Envye comth pro_prely
of malice, therfore it is proprely agayn the bountee of the holy
goost. / Now hath malice two speces, that is to seyn, hardnesse
of herte in wikkednesse, or elles the flesh of man is so blind, that
he considereth nat that he is in sinne, or rekketh nat that he is in
sinne; which is the hardnesse of the devel. / That other spece of
malice is, whan a man werreyeth trouthe, whan he woot that it is
trouthe. And eek, whan he werreyeth the grace that god hath
yeve to his neighebore; and al this is by Envye. / Certes,
thanne is Envye the worste sinne that is. For soothly, alle othere
sinnes been som-tyme only agayns o special vertu; / but certes,
Envye is agayns alle vertues and agayns alle goodnesses; for it is



|p599


sory of aIle the bountees of his neighebore; and in this manere it
is divers from alle othere sinnes. / For wel unnethe is ther any
sinne that it ne hath som delyt in itself, save only Envye, that
evere hath in itself anguish and sorwe. / The speces of Envye
been thise: ther is first, sorwe of other mannes goodnesse and of
his prosperitee; and prosperitee is kindely matere of Ioye; thanne
is Envye a sinne agayns kinde. / The seconde spece of Envye is
Ioye of other mannes harm; and that is proprely lyk to the devel;
that evere reioyseth him of mannes harm. / Of thise two speces
comth bakbyting; and this sinne of bakbyting or detraccion hath
certeine speces, as thus. Som man preiseth his neighebore by a
wikke entente; / for he maketh alwey a wikked knotte atte laste
ende. Alwey he maketh a `but ' atte laste ende, that is digne of more
blame, than worth is al the preisinge. / The seconde spece
is, that if a man be good and dooth or seith a thing to good entente,
the bakbyter wol turne all thilke goodnesse up-so-doun to his
shrewed entente. / The thridde is, to amenuse the bountee of
his neighebore. / The fourthe spece of bakbyting is this; that if
men speke goodnesse of a man, thanne wol the bakbyter seyn,
`parfey, swich a man is yet bet than he'; in dispreisinge of him
that men preise. / The fifte spece is this; for to consente gladly
and herkne gladly to the harm that men speke of other folk. This
sinne is ful greet, and ay encreseth after the wikked entente of the
bakbyter. / After bakbyting cometh grucching or murmuracion;
and somtyme it springeth of inpacience agayns god, and somtyme
agayns man. / Agayns god it is, whan a man gruccheth agayn the
peynes of helle, or agayns poverte, or los of catel, or agayn reyn
or tempest; or elles gruccheth that shrewes han prosperitee, or
elles for that goode men han adversitee. / And alle thise thinges
sholde men suffre paciently, for they comen by the rightful Iuge_ment
and ordinance of god. / Som-tyme comth grucching of
avarice; as Iudas grucched agayns the Magdaleyne, whan she
enoynte the heved of oure lord Iesu Crist with hir precious oyne_ment.
/ This maner murmure is swich as whan man gruccheth
of goodnesse that him-self dooth, or that other folk doon of hir
owene catel. / Som-tyme comth murmure of pryde; as whan
Simon the Pharisee grucched agayn the Magdaleyne, whan she
approched to Iesu Crist, and weep at his feet for hir sinnes. /



|p600


And somtyme grucching sourdeth on Envye; whan men dis_covereth
a mannes harm that was privee, or bereth him on hond
thing that is fals. / Murmure eek is ofte amonges servaunts, that
grucchen whan hir sovereyns bidden hem doon leveful thinges; //
and, for-as-muche as they dar nat openly withseye the comaunde_ments
of hir sovereyns, yet wol they seyn harm, and grucche, and
murmure prively for verray dispyt; / whiche wordes men clepen
the develes Pater-noster, though so be that the devel ne hadde
nevere Pater-noster, but that lewed folk yeven it swich a name. /
Som tyme grucching comth of ire or prive hate, that norisseth
rancour in herte, as afterward I shal declare. / Thanne cometh
eek bitternesse of herte; thurgh which bitternesse every good dede
of his neighebor semeth to him bitter and unsavory. / Thanne
cometh discord, that unbindeth alle manere of frendshipe. Thanne
comth scorninge, as whan a man seketh occasioun to anoyen his
neighebor, al do he never so weel. / Thanne comth accusinge, as
whan man seketh occasion to anoyen his neighebor, which that
is lyk to the craft of the devel, that waiteth bothe night and day
to accusen us alle. / Thanne comth malignitee, thurgh which a
man anoyeth his neighebor prively if he may; / and if he noght
may, algate his wikked wil ne shal nat wante, as for to brennen
his hous prively, or empoysone or sleen hise bestes, and semblable
thinges. /

Remedium contra peccatum Inuidie.


    31. Now wol I speke of the remedie agayns this foule sinne
of Envye. First, is the love of god principal, and loving of his
neighebor as hinn-self; for soothly, that oon ne may nat been with_oute
that other. / And truste wel, that in the name of thy neighe_bore
thou shalt understonde the name of thy brother; for certes
alle we have o fader fleshly and o moder, that is to seyn, Adam
and Eve; and eek o fader espirituel, and that is god of hevene. /
Thy neighebore artow holden for to love, and wilne him alle
goodnesse; and therfore seith god, `love thy neighebore as thy_selve,'
that is to seyn, to salvacion bothe of lyf and of soule.'/ And
more-over, thou shalt love him in word, and in benigne amonest_inge,
and chastysinge; and conforten him in hise anoyes, and preye



|p601


for him with al thyn herte. / And in dede thou shalt love him
in swich wyse, that thou shalt doon to him in charitee as thou
woldest that it were doon to thyn owene persone. / And therfore,
thou ne shalt doon him mo damage in wikked word, ne harm in
his body, ne in his catel, ne in his soule, by entysing of wikked
ensample. / Thou shalt nat desyren his wyf, ne none of hise
thinges. Understond eek, that in the name of neighebor is com_prehended
his enemy. / Certes man shal loven his enemy by the
comandement of god; and soothly thy frend shaltow love in God. /
I seye, thyn enemy shaltow love for goddes sake, by his comande_ment.
For if it were reson that a man sholde haten his enemy,
for sothe god nolde nat receiven us to his love that been hise
enemys. / Agayns three manere of wronges that his enemy dooth
to hym, he shal doon three thinges, as thus. / Agayns hate and
rancour of herte, he shal love him in herte. Agayns chyding and
wikkede wordes, he shal preye for his enemy. And agayn the wikked
dede of his enemy, he shal doon him bountee. / For Crist seith;
`loveth youre enemys, and preyeth for hem that speke yow harm;
and eek for hem that yow chacen and pursewen, and doth bountee
to hem that yow haten.' Lo, thus comaundeth us oure lord Iesu
Crist, to do to oure enemys. / For soothly, nature dryveth us to
loven oure freendes, and parfey, oure enemys han more nede to
love than oure freendes; and they that more nede have, certes,
to hem shal men doon goodnesse; / and certes, in thilke dede
hawe we remembrance of the love of Iesu Crist, that deyde for hise
enemys. / And in-as-muche as thilke love is the more grevous to
perfourne, in-so-muche is the more gretter the merite; and ther_fore
the lovinge of oure enemy hath confounded the venim of the
devel. / For right as the devel is disconfited by humilitee, right
so is he wounded to the deeth by love of oure enemy. / Certes,
thanne is love the medicine that casteth out the venim of Envye
fro mannes herte. / The speces of this pas shullen be more
largely in hir chapitres folwinge declared. /


Sequitur de Ira.

    32. After Envye wol I discryven the sinne of Ire. For soothly,.
who-so hath envye upon his neighebor, anon he wole comunly



|p602


finde him a matere of wratthe, in word or in dede, agayns him to
whom he hath envye. / And as wel comth Ire of Pryde,
as of
Envye; for soothly, he that is proude or envious is lightly wrooth /

    33. This sinne of Ire, after the discryving of seint Augustin,
is wikked wil to been avenged by word or by dede. / Ire, after the
philosophre, is the fervent blood of man y-quiked in his herte,
thurgh which he wole harm to him that he hateth. /For certes
the herte of man, by eschaufinge and moevinge of his blood
wexeth so trouble, that he is out of alle Iugement of resoun. /
But ye shal understonde that Ire is in two maneres; that oon of
hem is good, and that other is wikked. / The gode Ire is by
Ialousye ofgoodnesse, thurgh which a man is wrooth with wikked_nesse
and agayns wikkednesse; and therfore seith a wys man, that
`Ire is bet than pley.'/ This Ire is with debonairetee, and it is
wrooth withouten bitternesse; nat wrooth agayns the man, but
wrooth with the misdede of the man; as seith the prophete David,
Irascimini et nolite peccare./ Now understondeth, that wikked Ire
is in two maneres, that is to seyn, sodeyn Ire or hastif Ire, with_outen
avisement and consentinge of resoun. / The mening and the
sens of this is, that the resoun of man ne consente nat to thilke
sodeyn Ire; and thanne it is venial. / Another Ire is ful wikked,
that comth of felonye of herte avysed and cast biforn; with wikked
wil to do vengeance, and therto his resoun consenteth; and soothly
this is deedly sinne. / This Ire is so displesant to god, that it
troubleth his hous and chaceth the holy goost out of mannes soule,
and wasteth and destroyeth the lyknesse of god, that is to seyn,
the vertu that is in mannes soule; / and put in him the lyknesse
of the devel, and binimeth the man fro god that is his rightful
lord. / This Ire is a ful greet plesaunce to the devel; for it is the
develes fourneys, that is eschaufed with the fyr of helle. / For
certes, right so as fyr is more mighty to destroyen erthely thinges
than any other element, right so Ire is mighty to destroyen alle
spirituel thinges. / Loke how that fyr of smale gledes, that been
almost dede under asshen, wolIen quike agayn whan they been
touched with brimstoon; right so Ire wol everemo quiken agayn,
whan it is touched by the pryde that is covered in mannes herte. /
For certes fyr ne may nat comen out of no-thing,
but-if it were first in the same thing naturelly; as fyr is drawen out of flintes



|p603


with steel. / And right so as pryde is ofte tyme matere of Ire,
right so is rancour norice and keper of Ire. / Ther is a maner
tree, as seith seint Isidre, that whan men maken fyr of thilke tree,
and covere the coles of it with asshen, soothly the fyr of it wol
lasten al a yeer or more. / And right so fareth it of rancour;
whan it is ones conceyved in the hertes of som men, certein, it
wol lasten peraventure from oon Estre-day unto another Estre-day,
and more. / But certes, thilke man is ful fer fro the mercy of god
al thilke while. /

    3 4. In this forseyde develes fourneys ther forgen three
shrewes: Pryde, that ay bloweth and encreseth the fyr by chyd_inge
and wikked wordes. / Thanne stant Envye, and holdeth the
hote iren upon the herte of man with a peire of longe tonges of
long rancour. / And thanne stant the sinne of contumelie or
stryf and cheeste, and batereth and forgeth by vileyns reprevinges. /
Certes, this cursed sinne anoyeth bothe to the man him-self and
eek to his neighebor. For soothly, almost al the harm that any man
dooth to his neighebore comth of wratthe. / For certes, outrageous
wratthe doth al that evere the dewel him comaundeth; for he ne
spareth neither Crist, ne his swete mooder. / And in his out_rageous
anger and Ire, allas! allas! ful many oon at that tyme_feleth
in his herte ful wikkedly, bothe of Crist and of alle hise
halwes. / Is nat this a cursed vice? Yis, certes! Allas! it
binimeth from man his wit and his resoun, and al his debonaire
lyf espirituel that sholde kepen his soule. / Certes, it binimeth
eek goddes due lordshipe, and that is mannes soule, and the love
of hise neighebores. It stryveth eek alday agayn trouthe. It
reveth him the quiete of his herte, and subverteth his soule. /

    35. Of Ire comen thise stinkinge engendrures: first hate, that_is
old wratthe; discord, thurgh which a man forsaketh his olde
freend that he hath loved ful longe./ And thanne cometh werre,
and every manere of wrong that man dooth to his neighebore, in
body or in catel. / Of this cursed sinne of Ire cometh eek man_slaughtre.
And understonde wel, that homicyde, that is man_slaughtre,
is in dyverse wyse. Som manere of homicyde is
spirituel, and som is bodily. / Spirituel manslaughtre is in six



|p604


thinges. First, by hate; as seint Iohn seith, `he that hateth his
brother is homicyde.' / Homicyde is eek by bakbytinge, of
whiche bakbyteres seith Salomon, that `they han two swerdes with
whiche they sleen hir neighebores.' For soothly, as wikke is to
bininne his good name as his lyf / Homicyde is eek, in yevinge
of wikked conseil by fraude; as for to yeven conseil to areysen
wrongful custumes and taillages. / Of whiche seith Salomon,
`Leon rorynge and bere hongry been lyke to the cruel lordshipes,'
in withholdinge or abregginge of the shepe (or the hyre), or of the
wages of servaunts, or elles in usure or in withdrawinge of the
almesse of povre folk. / For which the wyse man seith, `fedeth
him that almost dyeth for honger '; for soothly, but-if thou fede
him, thou sleest him; and alle thise been deedly sinnes. / Bodily
manslaughtre is, whan thow sleest him with thy tonge in other
manere; as whan thou comandest to sleen a man, or elles yevest
him conseil to sleen a man. / Manslaughtre in dede is in foure
maneres. That oon is by lawe; right as a Iustice dampneth him
that is coupable to the deeth. But lat the Iustice be war that he
do it rightfully, and that he do it nat for delyt to spille blood,
but for kepinge of rightwisenesse. / Another homicyde is,
that is doon for necessitee, as whan o man sleeth another in
his defendaunt, and that he ne may noon otherwise escape from
his owene deeth. / But certeinly, if he may escape withouten
manslaughtre of his adversarie, and sleeth him, he doth sinne,
and he shal bere penance as for deedly sinne. / Eek if a man,
by caas or aventure, shete an arwe or caste a stoon with which
he sleeth a man, he is homicyde. / Eek if a womman by necli_gence
overlyeth hir child in hir sleping, it is honnicyde and
deedly sinne. / Eek whan man destourbeth concepcion of a
child, and maketh a womman outher bareyne by drinkinge
venemouse herbes, thurgh which she may nat conceyve, or
sleeth a child by drinkes wilfully, or elles putteth certeine
material thinges in hir secree places to slee the child; '/ or elles
doth unkindely sinne, by which man or womman shedeth hir
nature in manere or in place ther-as a child may nat be con_ceived;
or elles, if a womman have conceyved and hurt hir-self,



|p605


and sleeth the child, yet is it homicyde. /What seye we eek of
wommen that mordren hir children for drede of worldly shame?
Certes, an horrible homicyde. / Homicyde is eek if a man ap_procheth
to a womman by desir of lecherye, thurgh which the
child is perissed, or elles smyteth a womman witingly, thurgh
which she leseth hir child. Alle thise heen homicydes and hor_rible
deedly sinnes. / Yet comen ther of Ire manye mo sinnes, as
wel in word as in thoght and in dede; as he that arretteth upon
god, or blameth god, of thing of which he is him-self gilty; or
despyseth god and alle hise halwes, as doon thise cursede hasard_ours
in diverse contrees. / This cursed sinne doon they, whan
they felen in hir hertes ful wikkedly of god and of hise halwes. /
Also, whan they treten unreverently the sacrement of the auter,
thilke sinne is so greet, that unnethe may it been relesed, but that
the mercy of god passeth alle hise werkes; it is so greet and he
so benigne. / Thanne comth of Ire attry angre; whan a man is
sharply amonested in his shrifte to forleten his sinne, / than wole
he be angry; and answeren hokerly and angrily, and deffenden or
excusen his sinne by unstedefastnesse of his flesh; or elles he dide
it for to holde companye with hise felawes, or elles, he seith, the fend entyced him; / or elles he dide it for his youthe, or elles his
complexioun is so corageous, that he may nat forbere; or elles it
is his destinee, as he seith, unto a certein age; or elles, he seith,
it cometh him of gentillesse of hise auncestres; and semblable
thinges. / Alle this manere of folk so wrappen hem in hir sinnes,
that they ne wol nat delivere hem-self. For soothly, no wight that
excuseth him wilfully of his sinne may nat been delivered of his
sinne, til that he mekely biknoweth his sinne. / After this, thanne
cometh swering, that is expres agayn the comandement of god;
and this bifalleth ofte of anger and of Ire. / God seith: `thou
shalt nat take the name of thy lord god in veyn or in ydel.' Also
oure lord Iesu Crist seith by the word of seint Mathew: `Volite iurare omnino: / ne wol ye nat swere in alle manere; neither by
hevene, for it is goddes trone; ne by erthe, for it is the bench of
his feet; ne by Ierusalenn, for it is the citee of a greet king; ne
by thyn heed, for thou mayst nat make an heer whyt ne blak. /
But seyeth by youre word, "ye, ye," and "nay, nay"; and what



|p606


that is more, it is of yvel,' seith Crist. / For Cristes sake, ne
swereth nat so sinfully, in dismembringe of Crist by soule, herte,
bones, and body. For certes, it semeth that ye thinke that the
cursede Iewes ne dismembred nat y-nough the preciouse persone
of Crist, but ye dismembre him more. / And if so be that the
lawe compelle yow to swere, thanne rule yow after the lawe of
god in youre swering, as seith Ieremye quarto capitulo, `Iurabis in veritate, in iudicio et in iusticia: thou shalt kepe three con_dicions;
thou shalt swere in trouthe, in doom, and in rightwis_nesse.
'/ This is to seyn, thou shalt swere sooth; for every lesinge
is agayns Crist. For Crist is verray trouthe. And think wel this,
that every greet swerere, nat compelled lawefully to swere, the
wounde shal nat departe from his hous whyl he useth swich unleve_ful
swering. / Thou shalt sweren eek in doom, whan thou art
constreyned by thy domesman to witnessen the trouthe. / Eek
thou shalt nat swere for envye ne for favour, ne for mede, but for
rightwisnesse; for declaracioun of it to the worship of god and
helping of thyne evene-cristene. / And therfore, every man that
taketh goddes name in ydel, or falsly swereth with his mouth, or
elles taketh on him the name of Crist, to be called a Cristene man,
and liveth agayns Cristes livinge and his techinge, alle they, taken
goddes name in ydel. / Loke eek what seint Peter seith, Actuum quarto capitulo, Non est aliud nomen sub celo,' &c. `Ther nis
noon other name,' seith seint Peter, `under hevene, yeven to
men, in which they mowe be saved;' that is to seyn, but the name
of Iesu Crist. / Take kepe eek how that the precious name of
Crist, as seith seint Paul ad Philipenses secundo, `In nomine Iesu, &c.: that in the name of Iesu every knee of hevenely creatures,
or erthely, or of helle sholden bowe'; for it is so heigh and so wor_shipful,
that the cursede feend in helle sholde tremblen to heren
it y-nempned. / Thanne semeth it, that men that sweren so
horribly by his blessed name, that they despyse him more boldely
than dide the cursede Iewes, or elles the devel, that trembleth
whan he hereth his nanne. /

    36. Now certes, sith that swering, but-if it be lawefully doon,



|p607


is so heighly deffended, muche worse is forswering falsly, and yet
nedelees./

    37. What seye we eek of hem that delyten hem in swering,
and holden it a gentrie or a manly dede to swere grete othes?
And what of hem that, of verray usage, ne cesse nat to swere
grete othes, al be the cause nat worth a straw? Certes, this is
horrible sinne. / Sweringe sodeynly with-oute avysement is eek a
sinne. / But lat us go now to thilke horrible swering of adiura_cioun
and coniuracioun, as doon thise false enchauntours or
nigromanciens in bacins ful of water, or in a bright swerd, in a
cercle, or in a fyr, or in a shulder-boon of a sheep./ I can nat
seye but that they doon cursedly and damnably, agayns Crist and
al the feith of holy chirche. /

    38. What seye we of hem that bileven in divynailes, as by
flight or by noyse of briddes, or of bestes, or by sort, by geo_mancie,
by dremes, by chirkinge of dores, or crakkinge of houses,
gnawynge of rattes, and swich manere wrecchednesse? /
Certes, al this thing is deffended by god and by al holy chirche.
For which they been acursed, til they come to amendement, that
on swich filthe setten hir bileve. / Charmes for woundes or
maladye of men, or of bestes, if they, taken any effect, it may be
peraventure that god suffreth it, for folk sholden yeve the more
feith and reverence to his name. /

    39. Now wol I speken of lesinges: which generally is fals
significacioun of word, in entente to deceyven his evene-cristene./
Som lesinge is of which ther comth noon avantage to no wight:
and som lesinge turneth to the ese or profit of o man, and to disese
and damage of another man. / Another lesinge is for to saven
his lyf or his catel. Another lesinge comth of delyt for to lye,
in which delyt they wol forge a long tale, and peynten it with alle
circumstaunces, where al the ground ofthe tale is fals. / Som lesinge
comth, for he wole sustene his word; and som lesinge comth of
recchelesnesse, with-outen avysement; and semblable thinges. /

    40. Lat us now touche the vyce of flateringe, which ne comth
nat gladly but for drede or for coveitise./ Flaterye is generally
wrongful preisinge. Flatereres been the develes norices, that



|p608


norissen hise children with milk of losengerie. / For sothe,
Salomon seith, that `flaterie is wors than detraccioun.' For
som-tyme detraccion maketh an hautein man be the more humble,
for he dredeth detraccion; but certes flaterye, that maketh a man
to enhauncen his herte and his contenaunce. / Flatereres been
the develes enchauntours; for they make a man to wene of him-self
be lyk that he nis nat lyk. / They been lyk to Iudas that
bitraysed [god; and thise flatereres bitraysen] a man to sellen him
to his enemy, that is, to the devel. / Flatereres been the develes
chapelleyns, that singeni evere PLacebo. / I rekene flaterye in the
vyces of Ire; for ofte tyme, if o man be wrooth with another,
thanne wol he flatere som wight to sustene him in his querele. /

    41. Speke we now of swich cursinge as comth of irous herte.
Malisoun generally may be seyd every maner power or harm.
Swich cursinge bireveth man fro the regne of god, as seith seint
Paul. /And ofte tyme swich cursinge wrongfully retorneth agayn
to him that curseth, as a brid that retorneth agayn to his owne
nest. / And over alle thing men oghten eschewe to cursen hir
children; and yeven to the devel hir engendrure, as ferforth as in
hem is; certes, it is greet peril and greet sinne./

    42. Lat us thanne speken of chydinge and reproche, whiche
been ful grete woundes in mannes herte; for they unsowen the
semes of frendshipe in mannes herte. / For certes, unnethes
may a man pleynly been accorded with him that hath him openly
revyled and repreved in disclaundre. This is a ful grisly sinne,
as Crist seith in the gospel. / And tak kepe now, that he
that repreveth his neighebor, outher he repreveth him by som
harm of peyne that he hath on his body, as `mesel,' `croked harlot,'
or by som sinne that he dooth. / Now if he repreve him by harm
of peyne, thanne turneth the repreve to Iesu Crist; for peyne is
sent by the rightwys sonde of god, and by his suffrance, be it
meselrie, or maheym, or maladye. / And if he repreve him un_charitably
of sinne, as, `thou holour,' `thou dronkelewe harlot, and
so forth; thanne aperteneth that to the reioysinge of the devel,
that evere hath Ioye that men doon sinne. / And certes, chydinge
may nat come but out of a vileyns herte. For after the habundance
of the herte speketh the mouth ful ofte. / And ye shul understonde



|p609


that loke, by any wey, whan any man shal chastyse another, that
he be war from chydinge or reprevinge. For trewely, but he be
war, he may ful lightly quiken the fyr of angre and of wratthe,
which that he sholde quenche, and per-aventure sleeth him which
that he mighte chastyse with benignitee. / For as seith Salomon,
`the amiable tonge is the tree of lyf,' that is to seyn, of lyf
espirituel: and sothly, a deslavee tonge sleeth the spirites of him
that repreveth, and eek of him that is repreved. / Lo, what seith
seint Augustin: `ther is no-thing so lyk the develes child as he
that ofte chydeth.' Seint Paul seith eek: `I, servant of god,
bihove nat to chyde.' / And how that chydinge be a vileyns
thing bitwixe alle manere folk, yet it is certes most uncovenable
bitwixe a man and his wyf; for there is nevere reste. And ther_fore
seith Salomon, `an hous that is uncovered and droppinge,
and a chydinge wyf, been lyke.' / A man that is in a droppinge
hous in many places, though he eschewe the droppinge in o
place, it droppeth on him in another place; so fareth it by a
chydinge wyf But she chyde him in o place, she wol chyde him
in another. / And therfore, `bettre is a nnorsel of breed with
Ioye than an hous ful of delydes, with chydinge,' seith Salomon. /
Seint Paul seith: `O ye wommen, be ye subgetes to youre
housbondes as bihoveth in god; and ye men, loveth youre wyves.
Ad Colosenses, tertio.

    43. Afterward speke we of scorninge, which is a wikked
sinne; and namely, whan he scorneth a man for hise gode
werkes. / For certes, swiche scorneres faren lyk the foule tode,
that may nat endure to smelle the sote savour of the vyne whanne
it florissheth.,./ Thise scorneres been parting felawes with the
devel; for they han Ioye whan the devel winneth, and sorwe
whan he leseth. / They been adversaries of Iesu Crist; for
they haten that he loveth, that is to seyn, salvacion of soule. /

    44. Speke we now of wikked conseil; for he that wikked
conseil yeveth is a traytour. For he decevveth him that trusteth
in him, ut Achitophel ad Absolonem. But natheless, yet is his
wikked conseil first agayn him-self. / For, as seith the wyse man,



|p610


every fals livinge Hath this propertee in him-self, that he that
wole anoye another man, he anoyeth first him-self / And men
shul understonde, that man shal nat taken his conseil of fals folk,
ne of angry folk, or grevous folk, ne of folk that loven specially
to muchel hir owene profit, ne to muche worldly folk, namely, in
conseilinge of soules. /

    45. Now comth the sinne of hem that sowen and maken
discord amonges folk, which is a sinne that Crist hateth outrely;
and no wonder is. For he deyde for to make concord. / And
more shame do they to Crist, than dide they that him crucifyede;
for god loveth bettre, that frendshipe be amonges folk, than he
dide his owene body, the which that he yaf for unitee. Therfore
been they lykned to the devel, that evere been aboute to maken
discord. /

    46. Now comth the sinne of double tonge; swiche as speken
faire biforn folk, and wikkedly bihinde; or elles they maken
semblant as though they speke of good entencioun, or elles in
game and pley, and yet they speke of wikked entente. /

    47. Now comth biwreying of conseil, thurgh which a man is
defamed; certes, unnethe may he restore the damage. /
Now comth manace, that is an open folye; for he that ofte
manaceth, he threteth more than he may perfourne ful ofte
tyme. /
Now cometh ydel wordes, that is with-outen profit of him that
speketh tho wordes, and eek of him that herkneth tho wordes.
Or elles ydel wordes been tho that been nedelees, or with-outen
entente of naturel profit. / And al-be-it that ydel wordes been
som tyme venial sinne, yet sholde meneri douten hem; for we shul
yeve rekeninge of hem bifore god. /
Now comth Ianglinge, that may nat been withoute sinne.
And, as seith Salomon, it is a sinne of apert folye.'/ And
therfore a philosophre seyde, whan men axed him how that men
sholde plese the peple; and he answerde, `do many gode werkes,
and spek fewe IangIes.' /
After this comth the sinne of Iaperes, that been the develes
apes; for they maken folk to laughe at hir Iaperie, as folk doon at



|p611


the gaudes of an ape. Swiche Iaperes deffendeth seint Paul. /
Loke how that vertuouse wordes and holy conforten hem that
travaillen in the service of Crist; right so conforten the vileyns
wordes and knakkes of Iaperis hem that travaillen in the service
of the devel. / Thise been the sinnes that comen of the tonge,
that comen of Ire and of othere sinnes mo. /


Sequitur remedium contra peccatum Ire.

    48. The remedye agayns Ire is a vertu that men clepen
Mansuetude, that is Debonairetee; and eek another vertu, that
men callen Pacience or Suffrance. /

    49. Debonairetee withdraweth and refreyneth the stiringes and
the moevynges of mannes corage in his herte, in swich manere that
they ne skippe nat out by angre ne by Ire. / Suffrance suffreth
swetely alle the anoyaunces and the wronges that men doon to
man outward. / Seint Ierome seith thus of debonairetee, that
`it doth noon harm to no wight, ne seith; ne for noon harm that
men doon or seyn, he ne eschaufeth nat agayns his resoun.'
This vertu som-tyme comth of nature; for, as seith the
philosophre, `a man is a quik thing, by nature debonaire
and tretable to goodnesse; but whan debonairetee is enformed
of grace, thanne is it the more worth.' /.

    50. Pacience, that is another remedye agayns Ire, is a vertu
that suffreth swetely every mannes goodnesse, and is nat wrooth for
noon harm that is doon to him. / The philosophre seith, that
`pacience is thilke vertu that suffreth debonairely alle the outrages
of adversitee and every wikked word.' / This vertu maketh a man
lyk to god, and maketh him goddes owene dere child, as seith
Crist. This vertu disconfiteth thyn enemy. And therfore seith
the wyse main, `if thou wolt venquisse thyn enemy, lerne to
suffre.' / And thou shalt understonde, that man suffreth foure
manere of grevances in outward thinges, agayns the whiche foure
he moot have foure manere of paciences. /

    51. The firste grevance is of wikkede wordes; thilke suffrede
Iesu Crist with-outen grucching, ful paciently, whan the Iewes
despysed and repreved him ful ofte. / Suffre thou therfore
paciently; for the wyse man seith: `if thou stryve with a



|p612


fool, though the fool be wrooth or though he laughe, algate
thou shalt have no reste.' / That other grevance outward is
to have damage of thy catel. Ther-agayns suffred Crist ful
paciently, whan he was despoyled of al that he hadde in this
lyf, and that nas but hise clothes. / The thridde grevance is a
man to have harm in his body. That suffred Crist ful paciently in
al his passioun. / The fourthe grevance is in outrageous labour
in werkes. Wherfore I seye, that folk that maken hir servants to
travaillen to grevously, or out of tyme, as on halydayes, soothly
they do greet sinne. / Heer-agayns suffred Crist ful paciently, and
taughte us pacience, whan he bar up-on his blissed shulder the
croys, up-on which he sholde suffren despitous deeth. / Heer
may men lerne to be pacient; for certes, noght only Cristen men
been pacient for love of Iesu Crist, and for guerdoun of the blisful
lyf that is perdurable; but certes, the olde payens, that nevere
were Cristene, commendeden and useden the vertu of pacience. /

    52. A philosophre up-on a tyme, that wolde have beten his
disciple for his grete trespas, for which he was greetly amoeved,
and broghte a yerde to scourge the child; / and whan this child
saugh the yerde, he seyde to his maister, `what thenke ye to do?'
`I wol bete thee,' quod the maister, `for thy correccion.' / `For
sothe,' quod the child, `ye oghten first correcte youre-self, that
han lost al youre pacience for the gilt of a child.' / `For sothe,'
quod the maister al wepinge, `thou seyst sooth; have thou the
yerde, my dere sone, and correcte me for myn inpacience.' / Of
Pacience comth Obedience, thurgh which a man is obedient to
Crist and to alle hem to whiche he oghte to been obedient in
Crist. / And understond wel that obedience is perfit, whan that
a man doth gladly and hastily, with good herte entierly, al that he
sholde do. / Obedience generally, is to perfourne the doctrine of
god and of his sovereyns; to whiche him oghte to ben obeisaunt in
alle rightwysnesse. /


Sequitur de Accidia.

    53. After the sinnes of Envie and of Ire, now wol I speken
of the sinne of Accidie. For Envye blindeth the herte of a man,



|p613


and Ire troubleth a man; and Accidie maketh him hevy, thoghtful,
and wrawe. / Envye and Ire maken bitternesse in herte which
bitternesse is moder of Accidie, and binimeth him the love of alle
goodnesse. Thanne is Accidie the anguissh of a trouble herte; and
seint Augustin seith: `it is anoy of goodnesse and Ioye of
harm.' / Certes, this is a dampnable sinne; for it doth wrong to
Iesu Crist, in-as-muche as it binimeth the service that men oghte
doon to Crist with alle diligence, as seith Salomon. / But Accidie
dooth no swich diligence; he dooth alle thing with anoy, and with
wrawnesse, slaknesse, and excusacioun, and with ydelnesse and
unlust; for which the book seith: `acursed be he that doth the
service of god necligently.' / Thanne is Accidie enemy to everich
estaat of man; for certes, the estaat of man is in three maneres. /
Outher it is thestaat of innocence, as was thestaat of Adam biforrn
that he fil into sinne; in which estaat he was holden to wirche, as
in heryinge and adouringe of god. / Another estaat is the estaat
of sinful men, in which estaat rinen been holden to laboure in
prey-inge to god for amendement of hir sinnes, and that he wole
graunte hem to arysen out of hir sinnes. / Another estaat is
thestaat of grace, in which estaat he is holden to werkes of peni_tence;
and certes, to alle thise thinges is Accidie enemy and
contrarie. For he loveth no bisinesse at al. /Now certes, this
foule sinne Accidie is eek a ful greet enemy to the lyflode of the
body; for it ne hath no purveaunce agayn temporel necessitee;
for it forsleweth and forsluggeth, and destroyeth alle goodes tem_poreles
by reccheleesnesse. /

    64. The fourthe thinge is, that Accidie is lyk to hem that
been in the peyne of helle, by-cause of hir slouthe and of hir
hevinesse; for they that been dampned been so bounde that they
ne may neither wel do ne wel thinke. / Of Accidie comth
first, that a man is anoyed and encombred for to doon any
goodnesse, and maketh that god hath abhominacion of swich
Accidie, as seith seint Iohan. /

    55. Now comth Slouthe, that wol nat suffre noon hardnesse
ne no penaunce. For soothly, Slouthe is so tendre, and so
delicat, as seith Salomon, that he wol nat suffre noon hardnesse
ne penaunce, and therfore he shendeth al that he dooth. / Agayns



|p614


this roten-herted sinne of Accidie and Slouthe sholde men
exercise hem-self to doon gode werkes, and manly and vertuously
cacchen corage wel to doon; thinkinge that oure lord Iesu Crist
quyteth every good dede, be it never so lyte. / Usage of labour
is a greet thing; for it maketh, as seith seint Bernard, the laborer
to have stronge armes and harde sinwes; and Slouthe maketh hem
feble and tendre. / Thanne comth drede to biginne to werke any
gode werkes; for certes, he that is enclyned to sinne, him thinketh
it is so greet an empryse for to undertake to doon werkes of
goodnesse, / and casteth in his herte that the circumstaunces of
goodnesse been so grevouse and so chargeaunt for to suffre, that
he dar nat undertake to do werkes of goodnesse, as seith seint
Gregorie. /

    56. Now comth wanhope, that is despeir of the mercy of
god, that comth somtyme of to muche outrageous sorwe, and
somtyme of to muche drede; imagininge that he hath doon so
muche sinne, that it wol nat availlen him, though he wolde repenten
him and forsake sinne: / thurgh which despeir or drede he abaun_doneth
al his herte to every maner sinne, as seith seint Augustin. /
Which dampnable sinne, if that it continue un-to his ende, it
is cleped sinning in the holy gost. / This horrible sinne is so
perilous, that he that is despeired, ther nis no felonye ne no sinne
that he douteth for to do; as shewed wel by Iudas. / Certes,
aboven alle sinnes thanne is this sinne most displesant to Crist,
and most adversarie. / Soothly, he that despeireth him is lyk the
coward champiouin recreant, that seith creant withoute nede.
Allas! allas! nedeles is he recreant and nedeles despeired. /
Certes, the mercy of god is evere redy to every penitent, and is
aboven alle hise werkes. / Allas! can nat a man bithinke him
on the gospel of seint Luk, 15., where-as Crist seith that `as wel
shal ther be Ioye in hevene upon a sinful man that doth penitence,
as up-on nynety and nyne rightful men that neden no penitence?' /
Loke forther, in the same gospel, the Ioye and the feste of the gode
man that hadde lost his sone, whan his sone with repentaunce was
retourned to his fader. / Can they nat remembren hem eek, that,
as seith seint Luk XXIIIo capitulo, how that the theef that was hanged



|p615


bisyde Iesu Crist, seyde: `Lord, remembre of me, whan thou
comest in-to thy regne?' / `For sothe,' seyde Crist, `I seye to
thee, to-day shaltow been with me in Paradys.' / Certes, ther is
noon so horrible sinne of man, that it ne may, in his lyf, be des_troyed
by penitence, thurgh vertu of the passion and of the deeth
of Crist. / Allas! what nedeth man thanne to been despeired,
sith that his mercy so redy is and large? Axe and have. / Thanne
cometh Sompnolence, that is, sluggy slombringe, which maketh a
man be hevy and dul, in body and in soule; and this sinne comth
of Slouthe. / And certes, the tyme that, by wey of resoun, men
sholde nat slepe, that is by the morwe; but-if ther were cause
resonable. / For soothly, the morwe-tyde is most covenable, a
man to seye his preyeres, and for to thinken on god, and for to
honoure god, and to yeven almesse to the povre, that first cometh
in the name of Crist. / Lo! what seith Salomon: `who-so wolde
by the morwe awaken and seke me, he shal finde.' / Thanne
cometh Necligence, or recchelesnesse, that rekketh of no-thing.
And how that ignoraunce be moder of alle harm, certes, Necligence
is the norice. / Necligence ne doth no fors, whan he shal doon
a thing, whether he do it weel or baddely. /

    57. Of the remedie of thise two sinnes, as seith the wyse
man, that `he that dredeth god, he spareth nat to doon that him
oghte doon.' / And he that loveth god, he wol doon diligence
to plese god by his werkes, and abaundone him-self, with al his
might, wel for to doon. / Thanne comth ydelnesse, that is the
yate of alle harmes. An ydel man is lyk to a place that hath no
walles; the develes may entre on every syde and sheten at him at
discovert, by temptacion on every syde. / This ydelnesse is the
thurrok of alle wikked and vileyns thoghtes, and of alle Iangles,
trufles, and of alle ordure. / Certes, the hevene is yeven to hem
that wol labouren, and nat to ydel folk. Eek David seith: that
`they he been nat in the labour of men, ne they shul nat been
whipped with men,' that is to seyn, in purgatorie. / Certes,
thanne semeth it, they shul be tormented with the devel in helle,
but-if they doon penitence. /

    58. Thanne comth the sinne that men clepen Tarditas, as
whan a man is to latrede or taryinge, er he wole turne to god; and



|p616


certes, that is a greet folye. He is lyk to him that falleth in the
dich, and wol nat aryse. / And this vyce comth of a fals hope,
that he thinketh that he shal live longe; but that hope faileth ful
ofte. /

    59. Thanne comth Lachesse; tnat is he, that whan he bi_ginneth
any good werk, anon he shal forleten it and stinten; as
doon they that han any wight to governe, and ne taken of him
na-more kepe, anon as they finden any contrarie or any anoy. /
Thise been the newe shepherdes, that leten hir sheep witingly go
renne to the wolf that is in the breres, or do no fors of hir owene
governaunce. / Of this comth poverte and destruccioun, bothe
of spirituel and temporel thinges. Thanne comth a manere cold_nesse,
that freseth al the herte of man. / Thanne comth undevo_cioun,
thurgh which a man is so blent, as seith Seint Bernard, and
hath swiche langour in soule, that he may neither rede ne singe
in holy chirche, ne here ne thinke of no devocioun, ne travaille
with hise handes in no good werk, that it nis him unsavory and
al apalled. / Thanne wexeth he slow and slombry, and sone wol
be wrooth, and sone is enclyned to hate and to envye. / Thanne
comth the sinne of worldly sorwe, swich as is cleped tristicia, that
sleeth man, as seint Paul seith. / For certes, swich sorwe werketh
to the deeth of the soule and of the body also; for ther-of comth,
that a man is anoyed of his owene lyf. / Wherfore swich sorwe
shorteth ful ofte the lyf of a man, er that his tyme be come by wey
of kinde./

Remedium contra peccatum Accidie.


    60. Agayns this horrible sinne of Accidie, and the brancheþ
of the same, ther is a vertu that is called Fortitudo or Strengthe;
that is, an affeccioun thurgh which a man despyseth anoyous
thinges./ This vertu is so mighty and so vigorous, that it dar
withstonde mightily and wysely, kepen him-self fro perils that been
wikked, and wrastle agayn the assautes of the devel. / For it
enhaunceth and enforceth the soule, right as Accidie abateth it
and maketh it feble. For this Fortitudo may endure by long
suffraunce the travailles that been covenable. /



|p617


    61. This vertu hath manye speces; and the firste is cleped
Magnanimitee, that is to seyn, greet corage. For certes, ther bi_hoveth
greet corage agains Accidie, lest that it ne swolwe the soule
by the sinne of sorwe, or destroye it by wanhope.,/ This vertu
maketh folk to undertake harde thinges and grevouse thinges, by
hir owene wil, wysely and resonably. / And for as muchel as the
devel fighteth agayns a man more by queyntise and by sleighte
than by strengthe, therfore men shal withstonden him by wit and
by resoun and by discrecioun. / Thanne arn ther the vertues of
feith, and hope in god and in hise seintes, to acheve and acomplice
the gode werkes in the whiche he purposeth fermely to continue.'/
Thanne comth seuretee or sikernesse; and that is, whan a man
ne douteth no travaille in tyme cominge of the gode werkes that
a man hath bigonne. / Thanne comth Magnificence, that is to
seyn, whan a man dooth and perfourneth grete werkes of goodnesse
that he hath bigonne; and that is the ende why that men sholde
do gode werkes; for in the acomplissinge of grete goode werkes
lyth the grete guerdoun. / Thanne is ther Constaunce, that is,
stablenesse of corage; and this sholde been in herte by stedefast
feith, and in mouth, and in beringe, and in chere and in dede. /
Eke ther been mo speciale remedies agains Accidie, in diverse
werkes, and in consideracioun of the peynes of helle, and of the
Ioyes of hevene, and in trust of the grace of the holy goost, that
wole yeve him might to perfourne his gode entente. /


Sequitur de Auaricia.

    62. After Accidie wol I speke of Avarice and of Coveitise, of
which sinne seith seint Paule, that `the rote of alle harmes is
Coveitise ': Ad Timotheum, sexto capitulo. / For soothly, whan
the herte of a man is confounded in it-self and troubled, and that
the soule hath lost the confort of god, than seketh he an ydel
solas of worldly thinges. /

    63. Avarice, after the descripcion of seint Augustin, is liker_ousnesse
in herte to have erthely thinges. / Som other folk seyn,
that avarice is, for to purchacen manye erthely thinges, and no_thing
yeve to hem that han nede. / And understond, that
Avarice ne stant nat only in lond ne catel, but somtyme in science



|p618


and in glorie, and in every manere of outrageous thing is Avarice
and Coveitise. / And the difference bitwixe Avarice and Coveitise
is this. Coveitise is for to coveite swiche thinges as thou hast nat;
and Avarice is for to withholde and kepe swiche thinges as thou
hast, with-oute rightful nede. / Soothly, this Avarice is a sinne
that is ful dampnable; for al holy writ curseth it, and speketh
agayns that vyce; for it dooth wrong to Iesu Crist. / For it
bireveth him the love that men to him owen, and turneth it bak_ward
agayns alle resoun; / and maketh that the avaricious man
hath more hope in his catel than in Iesu Crist, and dooth more
observance in kepinge of his tresor than he dooth to service of
Iesu Crist. / And therfore seith seint Paul ad Ephesios, quinto,
that `an avaricious man is in the thraldom of ydolatrie. /

    64. What difference is bitwixe an ydolastre and an avaricious
man, but that an ydolastre, per aventure, ne hath but o mawmet
or two, and the avaricious man hath manye? For certes, every
florin in his cofre is his mawmet. / And certes, the sinne of
Mawmetrye is the firste thing that God deffended in the ten
comaundments, as bereth witnesse Exodi, capitulo XXo:/ `Thou
shalt have no false goddes bifore me, ne thou shalt make to thee
no grave thing.' Thus is an avaricious man, that loveth his
tresor biforn god, an ydolastre, / thurgh this cursed sinne of
Avarice. Of Coveitise comen thise harde lordshipes, thurgh
whiche men been distreyned by tailages, custumes, and cariages,
more than hir duetee or resoun is. And eek they taken of hir
bonde-men amerciments, whiche mighten more resonably ben
cleped extorcions than amerciments. / Of whiche amerciments
and raunsoninge of bondemen, somme lordes stywardes seyn, that
it is rightful; for-as-muche as a cherl hath no temporel thing that
it ne is his lordes, as they seyn. / But certes, thise lordshipes
doon wrong, that bireven hir bonde-folk thinges that they nevere
yave hem: Augustinus de Civitate, libro nono. / Sooth is, that the
condicioun of thraldom and the firste cause of thraldom is for
sinne; Genesis, quinto. /

    65. Thus may ye seen that the gilt disserveth thraldom, but
nat nature. / Wherfore thise lordes ne sholde nat muche glorifyen
hem in hir lordshipes, sith that by naturel condicion they been nat



|p619


lordes of thralles; but for that thraldom comth first by the desert
of sinne. / And forther-over, ther-as the lawe seith, that temporel
godes of bonde-folk been the godes of hir lordshipes, ye, that is
for to understonde, the godes of the emperour, to deffenden hem
in hir right, but nat for to robben hem ne reven hem. / And
therfore seith Seneca: `thy prudence sholde live benignely with
thy thralles.' / Thilke that thou clepest thy thralles been goddes
peple; for humble folk been Cristes freendes; they been contu_bernial
with the lord. /

    66. Think eek, that of swich seed as cherles springeth, of swich
seed springen lordes. As wel may the cherl be saved as the lord. /
The same deeth that taketh the cherl, swich deeth taketh the
lord. Wherfore I rede, do right so with thy cherl, as thou woldest
that thy lord dide with thee, if thou were in his plyt./ Every sinful
man is a cherl to sinne. I rede thee, certes, that thou, lord, werke
in swiche wyse with thy cherles, that they rather love thee than
drede. / I woot wel ther is degree above degree, as reson is; and
skile it is, that men do hir devoir ther-as it is due; but certes,
extorcions and despit of youre underlinges is dampnable. /

 67. And forther-over understond wel, that thise conquerours
or tiraunts maken ful ofte thralles of hem, that been born of
as royal blood as been they that hem conqueren. / This name
of thraldom was nevere erst couth, til that Noe seyde, that his
sone Canaan sholde be thral to hise bretheren for his sinne. /
What seye we thanne of hem that pilen and doon extorcions
to holy chirche? Certes, the swerd, that men yeven first to a
knight whan he is newe dubbed, signifyeth that he sholde def_fenden
holy chirche, and nat robben it ne pilen it; and who so
dooth, is traitour to Crist. / And, as seith seint Augustin, `they
been the develes wolves, that stranglen the sheep of Iesu Crist';
and doon worse than wolves. / For soothly, whan the wolf hath
ful his wombe, he stinteth to strangle sheep. But soothly, the
pilours and destroyours of goddes holy chirche ne do nat so; for
they ne stinte nevere to pile. / Now as I have seyd, sith so
is that sinne was first cause of thraldom, thanne is it thus; that
thilke tyme that al this world was in sinne, thanne was al this
world in thraldom and subieccioun. / But certes, sith the tyme
of grace cam, god ordeyned that som folk sholde be more heigh



|p620


in estaat and in degree, and som folk more lowe, and that everich
sholde be served in his estaat and in his degree. / And therfore,
in somme contrees ther they byen thralles, whan they han turned
hem to the feith, they maken hir thralles free out of thraldom.
And therfore, certes, the lord oweth to his man that the man
oweth to his lord. / The Pope calleth him-self servant of the
servaunts of god; but for-as-muche as the estaat of holy chirche
ne mighte nat han be, ne the commune profit mighte nat han be
kept, ne pees and reste in erthe, but-if god hadde ordeyned that
som men hadde hyer degree and som meen lower: / therfore was
sovereyntee ordeyned to kepe and mayntene and deffenden hir
underlinges or hir subgets in resoun, as ferforth as it lyth in hir
power; and nat to destroyen hem ne confounde. / Wherfore I
seye, that thilke lordes that been lyk wolves, that devouren the
possessiouns or the catel of povre folk wrongfully, with-outen
mercy or mesure, / they shul receyven, by the same mesure that
they han mesured to povre folk, the mercy of Iesu Crist, but-if it
be amended. / Now comth deceite bitwixe marchant and mar_chant.
And thow shalt understonde, that marchandyse is in two
maneres; that oon is bodily, and that other is goostly. That oon is
honeste and leveful, and that other is deshoneste and unleveful. /
Of thilke bodily marchandyse, that is leveful and honeste, is
this; that, there-as god hath ordeyned that a regne or a contree
is suffisaunt to him-self, thanne is it honeste and leveful, that
of habundaunce of this contree, that men helpe another contree
that is more nedy. / And therfore, ther mote been marchants to bringen fro that o contree to that other hire marchandyses. / That
other marchandise, that men haunten with fraude and trecherie
and deceite, with lesinges and false othes, is cursed and dampna_ble.
/ Espirituel marchandyse is proprely Symonye; that is, en_tentif
desyr to byen thing espirituel, that is, thing that aperteneth
to the seintuarie of god and to cure of the soule. / This desyr, if
so be that a man do his diligence to parfournen it, al-be-it that his
desyr ne take noon effect, yet is it to him a deedly sinne; and if
he be ordred, he is irreguler. / Certes, Symonye is cleped of
Symon Magus, that wolde han boght, for temporel catel, the yifte
that god hadde yeven, by the holy goost, to seint Peter and to



|p621


the apostles. / And therfore understond, that bothe he that
selleth and he that byeth thinges espirituels, been cleped Symo_nials;
be it by catel, be it by procuringe, or by fleshly preyere of
hise freendes, fleshly freendes, or espirituel freendes. / Fleshly,
in two maneres; as by kinrede or othere freendes. Soothly, if they
praye for him that is nat worthy and able, it is Symonye if he take
the benefice; and if he be worthy and able, ther nis noon. /
That other manere is, whan a man or womman preyen for folk to
avauncen hem, only for wikked fleshly affeccioun that they have
un-to the persone; and that is foul Symonye. / But certes, in
service, for which men yeven thinges espirituels un-to hir servants,
it moot been underdstonde that the service moot been honeste, and
elles nat; and eek that it be with-outen bargayninge, and that the
persone be able. / For, as seith Seint Damasie, `alle the sinnes
of the world, at regard of this sinne, arn as thing of noght'; for it
is the gretteste sinne that may be, after the sinne of Lucifer and
Antecrist. / For, by this sinne, god forleseth the chirche, and the
soule that he boghte with his preciouwis blood, by hem that yeven
chirches to hem that been nat digne. / For they putten in theves,
that stelen the soules of Iesu Christ and destroyen his patri_moine.
,/ By swiche undigne preestes and curates han lewed men
the lasse reverence of the sacraments of holy chirche; and swiche
yeveres of chirches putten out the children of Crist, and putten
in-to the chirche the develes owene sone. / They sellen the soules
that lambes sholde kepen to the wolf that strangleth hem. And
therfore shul they nevere han part of the pasture of lambes, that
is, the blisse of hevene. / Now comth hasardrye with hise apur_tenaunces,
as tables and rafles; of which comth deceite, false
othes, chydinges, and alle ravines, blaspheminge and reneyinge of
god, and hate of hise neighebores, wast of godes, misspendinge of
tyme, and somtyme manslaughtre. / Certes, hasardours ne mowe
nat been with-outen greet sinne whyles they haunte that craft.,//
Of avarice comen eek lesinges, thefte, fals witnesse, and false
othes. And ye shal understonde that thise been grete sinnes,
and expres agaynn the comaundements of god, as I have seyd. /
Fals witnesse is in word and eek in dede. In word, as for to
bireve thy neighebores goode name by thy fals witnessing, or



|p622


bireven him his catel or his heritage by thy fals witnessing;
whan thou, for ire or for mede, or for envye, berest fals witnesse,
or accusest him or excusest him by thy fals witnesse, or elles ex_cusest
thy-self falsly. / Ware yow questemongeres and notaries!
Certes, for fals witnessing was Susanna in ful gret sorwe and peyne,
and many another mo. / The sinne of thefte is eek expres agayris
goddes heste, and that in two maneres, corporel and espirituel. /
Corporel, as for to take thy neighebores catel agayn his wil, be it
by force or by sleighte, be it by met or by mesure. / By steling
eek of false enditements upon him, and in borwinge of thy neighe_bores
catel, in entente nevere to payen it agayn, and semblable
thinges. / Espirituel thefte is Sacrilege, that is to seyn, hurtinge
of holy thinges, or of thinges sacred to Crist, in two maneres; by
reson of the holy place, as chirches or chirche-hawes, / for which
every vileyns sinne that men doon in swiche places may be cleped
sacrilege, or every violence in the semblable places. Also, they
that withdrawen falsly the rightes that longen to holy chirche. /
And pleynly and generally, sacrilege is to reven holy thing fro
holy place, or unholy thing out of holy place, or holy thing out of
unholy place. /


Relevacio contra peccatum. Avaricie.

    68. Now shul ye understonde, that the relevinge of Avarice
is misericorde, and pitee largely taken. And men mighten axe,
why that misericorde and pitee is relevinge of Avarice? / Certes,
the avaricious man sheweth no pitee ne misericorde to the nede_ful
man; for he delyteth him in the kepinge of his tresor, and nat
in the rescowinge ne relevinge of his evene-cristene. And ther_fore
speke I first of misericorde. / Thanne is misericorde, as
seith the philosophre, a vertu, by which the corage of man is stired
by the misese of him that is misesed. / Up-on which misericorde
folweth pitee, in perfourninge of charitable werkes of misericorde. /
And certes, thise thinges moeven a man to misericorde of Iesu
Crist, that he yaf him-self for oure gilt, and suffred deeth for
misericorde, and forgaf us oure originale sinnes; / and therby
relessed us fro the peynes of helle, and amenused the peynes of
purgatorie by penitence, and yeveth grace wel to do, and atte laste



|p623


the blisse of hevene. / The speces of misericorde been, as for to
lene and for to yeve and to foryeven and relesse, and for to han
pitee in herte, and compassioun of the meschief of his evene-cris_tene,
and eek to chastyse there as nede is. / Another manere of
remedie agayns Avarice is resonable largesse; but soothly, here
bihoveth the consideracioun of the grace of Iesu Crist, and of hise
temporel goodes, and eek of the godes perdurables that Crist yaf
to us; / and to han remembrance of the deeth that he shal receyve,
he noot whanne, where, ne how; and eek that he shal forgon al
that he hath, save only that he hath despended in gode werkes. /

    69. But for-as-muche as som folk been unmesurable, men
oghten eschue fool-largesse, that men clepen wast. / Certes, he
that is fool-large ne yeveth nat his catel, but he leseth his catel.
Soothly, what thing that he yeveth for veyne glorie, as to minstrals
and to folk, for to beren his renoun in the world, he hath sinne
ther-of and noon almesse. / Certes, he leseth foule his good, that
ne seketh with the yifte of his good no-thing but sinne. / He is
lyk to an hors that seketh rather to drinken drovy or trouble water
than for to drinken water of the clere welle. / And for-as-muchel
as they yeven ther as they sholde nat yeven, to hem aperteneth
thilke malisoun that Crist shal yeven at the day of dome to hem
that shullen been dampned./


Sequitur de Gula.

    70. After Avarice comth Glotonye, which is expres eek agayn
the comandement of god. Glotonye is unmesurable appetyt to ete
or to drinke, or elles to doon y-nogh to the unmesurable appetyt
and desordeynee coveityse to eten or to drinke. / This sinne
corrumped al this world, as is wel shewed in the sinne of Adam
and of Ewe. Loke eek, what seith seint Paul of Glotonye. /
`Manye,' seith seint Paul, `goon, of whiche I have ofte seyd to yow
and now I seye it wepinge, that they been the enemys of the croys
of Crist; of whiche the ende is deeth, and of whiche hir wombe is
hir god, and hir glorie in confusioun of hem that so saveren erthely
thinges.' / He that is usaunt to this sinine of Glotonye, he ne
may no sinne withstonde. He moot been in servage of alle vyces,
for it is the develes hord ther he hydeth him and resteth. / This



|p624


sinne hath manye speces. The firste is dronkenesse, that is the
horrible sepulture of mannes resoun; and therfore, whan a man
is dronken, he hath lost his resoun; and this is deedly sinne. /
But soothly, whan that a man is nat wont to strong drinke, and
peraventure ne knoweth nat the strengthe of the drinke, or hath
feblesse in his heed, or hath travailed, thurgh which he drinketh
the more, al be he sodeynly caught with drinke, it is no deedly
sinne, but venial. / The seconde spece of Glotonye is, that the
spirit of a man wexeth al trouble; for dronkenesse bireveth him
the discrecioun of his wit. / The thridde spece of Glotonye is,
whan a man devoureth his mete, and hath no rightful manere of
etinge. / The fourthe is whan, thurgh the grete habundaunce of
his mete, the humours in his body been destempred. / The fifthe
is, foryetelnesse by to muchel drinkinge; for which somtyme a
man foryeteth er the morwe what he dide at even or on the night
biforn. /

    71. In other manere been distinct the speces of Glotonye,
after seint Gregorie. The firste is, for to ete biforn tyme to ete.
The seconde is, whan a man get him to delicat mete or drinke. /
The thridde is, whan men taken to muche over mesure. The
fourthe is curiositee, with greet entente to maken and apparaillen
his mete. The fifthe is, for to eten to gredily. / Thise been the
fyve fingres of the develes hand, by whiche he draweth folk to
sinne. /

Remedium contra peccatum Gule.


    72. Agayns Glotonye is the remedie Abstinence, as seith Ga_lien;
but that holde I nat meritorie, if he do it only for the hele of
his body. Seint Augustin wole, that Abstinence be doon for vertu
and with pacience. / Abstinence, he seith, is litel worth, but-if a
man have good wil ther-to, and but it be enforced by pacience and
by charitee, and that men doon it for godes sake, and in hope to
have the blisse of hevene. /

    73. The felawes of Abstinence been Attemperaunce, that
holdeth the mene in alle thinges: eek Shame, that eschueth alle
deshonestee: Suffisance, that seketh no riche metes ne drinkes,
ne dooth no fors of to outrageous apparailinge of mete. / Mesure
also, that restreyneth by resoun the deslavee appetyt of etinge:



|p625


Sobrenesse also, that restreyneth the outrage of drinke: / Spar_inge
also, that restreyneth the delicat ese to sitte longe at his mete
and softely; wherfore som folk stonden of hir owene wil, to eten
at the lasse leyser. /


Sequitur de Luxuria.

    74. After Glotonye, thanne comth Lecherie; for thise two
sinnes been so ny cosins, that ofte tyme they wol nat departe. /
God woot, this sinne is ful displesaunt thing to god; for he seyde
himself, `do no lecherie.' And therfore he putte grete peynes
agayns this sinne in the olde lawe. / If womman thral were taken
in this sinne, she sholde be beten with staves to the deeth. And
if she were a gentil womman, she sholde be slayn with stones.
And if she were a bisshoppes doghter, she sholde been brent, by
goddes comandement. / Forther over, by the sinne of Lecherie,
god dreynte al the world at the diluge. And after that, he brente
fyve citees with thonder-leyt, and sank hem in-to helle. /


    76. Now lat us speke thanne of thilke stinkinge sinne of
Lecherie that men clepe Avoutrie of wedded folk, that is to seyn,
if that oon of hem be wedded, or elles bothe. / Seint Iohn seith,
that avoutiers shullen been in helle in a stank brenninge of fyr
and of brimston; in fyr, for the lecherie; in brimston, for the
stink of hir ordure. / Certes, the brekinge of this sacrement is
an horrible thing; it was maked of god him-self in paradys, and
confermed by Iesu Crist, as witnesseth seint Mathew in the
gospel: `A man shal lete fader and moder, and taken him to
his wyf, and they shullen be two in o flesh.' / This sacrement
bitokneth the knittinge togidre of Crist and of holy chirche. /
And nat only that god forbad avoutrie in dede, but eek he.
comanded that thou sholdest nat coveite thy neighebores wyf /
In this heeste, seith seint Augustin, is forboden alle manere
coveitise to doon lecherie. Lo what seith seint Mathew in the
gospel: that `who-so seeth a womman to coveitise of his lust, he
hath doon lecherie with hir in his herte.' / Here may ye seen
that nat only the dede of this sinne is forboden, but eek the desyr
to doon that sinne. / This cursed sinne anoyeth grevousliche



|p626


hem that is haunten. And first, to hir soule; for he oblygeth it
to sinne and to peyne of deeth that is perdurable. / Un-to the
body anoyeth it grevously also, for it dreyeth him, and wasteth,
and shent him, and of his blood he maketh sacrifyce to the feend
of helle; it wasteth his catel and his substaunce. / And certes,
if it be a foul thing, a man to waste his catel on wommen, yet is it
a fouler thing whan that, for swich ordure, wommen dispenden
up-on men hir catel and substaunce. / This sinne, as seith the
prophete, bireveth man and womman hir gode fame, and al hir
honour; and it is ful pleasaunt to the devel; for ther-by winneth
he the moste partie of this world. / And right as a marchant
delyteth him most in chaffare that he hath most avantage of,
right so delyteth the feend in this ordure. /

    76. This is that other hand of the devel, with fyve fingres, to
cacche the peple to his vileinye. / The firste finger is the fool
lookinge of the fool womman and of the fool man, that sleeth,
right as the basilicok sleeth folk by the venim of his sighte; for
the coveitise of eyen folweth the coveitise of the herte. / The
seconde finger is the vileyns touchinge in wikkede manere; and
ther-fore seith Salonnon, that who-so toucheth and handleth a
womman, he fareth lyk him that handleth the scorpioun that
stingeth and sodeynly sleeth thurgh his enveniminge; as who-so
toucheth warm pich, it shent hise fingres. / The thridde, is foule
wordes, that fareth lyk fyr, that right anon brenneth the herte. /
The fourthe finger is the kissinge; and trewely he were a greet
fool that wolde kisse the mouth of a brenninge ovene or of a
fourneys. / And more fooles been they that kissen in vileinye;
for that mouth is the mouth of helle: and namely, thise olde
dotardes holours, yet wol they kisse, though they may nat do, and
smatre hem. / Certes, they been lyk to houndes; for an hound,
whan he comth by the roser or by othere [busshes], though he may
nat pisse, yet wole he heve up his leg and make a contenaunce to
pisse. / And for that many man weneth that he may nat sinne,
for no likerousnesse that he doth with his wyf; certes, that
opinion is fals. God woot, a man may sleen him-self with his
owene knyf, and make him-selven dronken of his owene tonne. /
Certes, be it wyf, be it child, or any wordly thing that he loveth



|p627


biforn god, it is his maumet, and he is an ydolastre. / Man
sholde loven his wyf by discrecioun, paciently and atemprely;
and thanne is she as though it were his suster. / The fifthe finger
of the deveIes hand is the stinkinge dede of Lecherie. / Certes,
the fyve fingres of Glotonie the feend put in the wombe of a man,
and with hise fyve fyngres of Lecherie he gripeth him by the
reynes, for to throwen him in-to the fourneys of helle; / ther-as
they shul han the fyr and the wormes that evere shul lasten, and
wepinge and wailinge, sharp hunger and thurst, and grimnesse of
develes that shullen al to-trede hem, with-outen respit and with_outen
ende. / Of Lecherie, as I seyde, sourden diverse speces;
as fornicacioun, that is bitwixe man and womman that been nat
maried; and this is deedly sinne and agayns nature. / AI that is
enemy and destruccioun to nature is agayns nature. / Parfay,
the resoun of a man telleth eek him wel that it is deedly sinne,
for-as-muche as god forbad Lecherie. And seint Paul yeveth
hem the regne, that nis dewe to no wight but to hem that doon
deedly sinne. / Another sinne of Lecherie is to bireve a mayden
of hir maydenhede; for he that so dooth, certes, he casteth a
mayden out of the hyeste degree that is in this present lyf, /
and
bireveth hir thilke precious fruit that the book clepeth `the hundred
fruit.' I ne can seye it noon other weyes in English, but in Latin
it highte Centesimus fructus. / Certes, he that so dooth is cause of
manye damages and vileinyes, mo than any man can rekene;
right as he som-tyme is cause of alle damages that bestes don in
the feeld, that breketh the hegge or the closure; thurgh which he
destroyeth that may nat been restored. / For certes, na-more may
maydenhede be restored than an arm that is smiten fro the body
may retourne agayn to wexe.,/ She may have mercy, this woot I
wel, if she do penitence; but nevere shal it be that she nas
corrupt. / And al-be-it so that I have spoken somwhat of
Avoutrie, it is good to shewen mo perils that longen to Avoutrie,
for to eschue that foule sinne. / Avoutrie in Latin is for to seyn,
approchinge of other mannes bed, thurgh which tho that whylom
weren o flessh abaundone hir bodyes to othere persones. / Of
this sinne, as seith the wyse man, folwen manye harmes. First,
brekinge of feith; and certes, in feith is the keye of Cristendom. /
And whan that feith is broken and lorn, soothly Cristendom stant



|p628


veyn and with-outen fruit. / This sinne is eek a thefte; for thefte
generally is for to reve a wight his thing agayns his wille. / Certes,
this is the fouleste thefte that may be, whan a womman steleth hir
body from hir housbonde and yeveth it to hire holour to defoulen
hir; and steleth hir soule fro Crist, and yeveth it to the devel. /
This is a fouler thefte, than for to breke a chirche and stele the
chalice; for thise Avoutiers breken the temple of god spiritually,
and stelen the vessel of grace, that is, the body and the soule, for
which Crist shal destroyen hem, as seith Seint Paul. / Soothly of
this thefte douted gretly Ioseph, whan that his lordes wyf preyed
him of vileinye, whan he seyde, `lo, my lady, how my lord hath
take to me under my warde al that he hath in this world, ne
no-thing of hise thinges is out of my power, but only ye that been
his wyf. / And how sholde I thanne do this wikkednesse, and
sinne so horribly agayns god, and agayns my lord? God it for_bede.
' Allas! al to litel is swich trouthe now y-founde! / The
thridde harm is the filthe thurgh which they breken the comande_ment
of god, and defoulen the auctour of matrimoine, that is
Crist. / For certes, in-so-muche as the sacrement of mariage is so
noble and so digne, so muche is it gretter sinne for to breken it;
for god made mariage in paradys, in the estaat of Innocence, to
multiplye man-kinde to the service of god. / And therfore is the
brekinge ther-of more grevous. Of which brekinge comen false
heires ofte tyme, that wrongfully occupyen folkes heritages. And
therfore wol Crist putte hem out of the regne of hevene, that is
heritage to gode folk. / Of this brekinge comth eek ofte tyme,
that folk unwar wedden or sinnen with hir owene kinrede; and
namely thilke harlottes that haunten bordels of thise fool wommen,
that mowe be lykned to a commune gonge, where-as men purgen
hir ordure. / What seye we eek of putours that liven by the
horrible sinne of putrie, and constreyne wommen to yelden to
hem a certeyn rente of hir bodily puterie, ye, somtyme of his
owene wyf or his child; as doon this baudes? Certes, thise been
cursede sinnes. / Understond eek, that avoutrie is set gladly in
the ten comandements bitwixe thefte and manslaughtre; for it is
the gretteste thefte that may be; for it is thefte of body and of
soule. / And it is lyk to homicyde; for it kerveth a-two and



|p629


breketh a-two hem that first were maked o flesh, and therfore, by
the olde lawe of god, they sholde be slayn. /' But nathelees, by
the lawe of Iesu Crist, that is lawe of pitee, whan he seyde to the
womman that was founden in avoutrie, and sholde han been slayn
with stones, after the wil of the Iewes, as was hir lawe: `Go,'
quod Iesu Crist, `and have na-more wil to sinne'; or, `wille
na-more to do sinne.' / Soothly, the vengeaunce of avoutrie is
awarded to the peynes of helle, but-if so be that it be destourbed
by penitence. / Yet been ther mo speces of this cursed sinne; as
whan that oon of hem is religious, or elles bothe; or of folk that been
entred in-to ordre, as subdekne or dekne, or preest, or hospitaliers.
And evere the hyer that he is in ordre, the gretter is the sinne. /
The thinges that gretly agreggen hir sinne is the brekinge of hir
avow of chastitee, whan they receyved the ordre. / And forther_over,
sooth is, that holy ordre is chief of al the tresorie of god, and
his especial signe and mark of chastitee; to shewe that they been
ioyned to chastitee, which that is most precious lyf that is. / And
thise ordred folk been specially, tytled to god, and of the special
meynee of god; for which, whan they doon deedly sinne, they
been the special traytours of god and of his peple; for they liven
of the peple, to preye for the peple, and whyle they been suche
traitours, hir preyers availen nat to the peple. / Preestes been
aungeles, as by the dignitee of hir misterye; but for sothe, seint
Paul seith, that `Sathanas transformeth him in an aungel of light.' /
Soothly, the preest that haunteth deedly sinne, he may be lykned
to the aungel of derknesse transformed in the aungel of light; he
semeth aungel of light, but for sothe he is aungel of derknesse. /
Swiche preestes been the sones of Helie, as sheweth in the book
of Kinges, that they weren the sones of Belial, that is, the devel. /
Belial is to seyn `with-outen Iuge '; and so faren they; hem
thinketh they been free, and han no Iuge, na-more than hath a
free bole that taketh which cow that him lyketh in the toun. / So
faren they by wommen. For right as a free bole is y-nough for al
a toun, right so is a wikked preest corrupcioun y-nough for al a
parisshe, or for al a contree. / Thise preestes, as seith the book,
ne conne nat the misterie of preesthode to the peple, ne god ne
knowe they nat; they ne helde hem nat apayd, as seith the book,



|p630


of soden flesh that was to hem offred, but they toke by force the
flesh that is rawe. / Certes, so thise shrewes ne holden hem nat
apayed of rosted flesh and sode flesh, with which the peple fedden
hem in greet reverence, but they wole have raw flesh of folkes
wyves and hir doghtres. / And certes, thise wommen that
consenten to hir harlotrie doon greet wrong to Crist and to holy
chirche and alle halwes, and to alle soules; for they bireven alle
thise him that sholde worshipe Crist and holy chirche, and preye
for cristene soules. / And therfore han swiche preestes, and hir
lemmanes eek that consenten to hir lecherie, the malisoun of al
the court cristen, till they conne to amendement. / The thridde
spece of avoutrie is som-tyme bitwixe a man and his wyf; and
that is whan they take no reward in hir assemblinge, but only to
hire fleshly delyt, as seith seint Ierome; / and ne rekken of no_thing
but that they been assembled; by-cause that they been
maried, al is good y-nough, as thinketh to hem. / But in swich
folk hath the devel power, as seyde the aungel Raphael to Thobie;
for in hir assemblinge they putten Iesu Crist out of hir herte, and
yeven hem-self to alle ordure. / The fourthe spece is, the assem_blee
of hem that been of hire kinrede, or of hem that been of
oon affinitee, or elles with hem with whiche hir fadres or hir
kinrede han deled in the sinne of lecherie; this sinne maketh
hem lyk to houndes, that taken no kepe to kinrede. / And
certes, parentele is in two maneres, outher goostly or fleshly;
goostly, as for to delen with hise godsibbes. / For right so as he
that engendreth a child is his fleshly fader, right so is his godfader
his fader espirituel. For which a womman may in no lasse sinne
assemblen with hir godsib than with hir owene fleshly brother. /
The fifthe spece is thilke abhominable sinne, of which that no
man unnethe oghte speke ne wryte, nathelees it is openly reherced
in holy writ. / This cursednesse doon men and wommen in
diverse entente and in diverse manere; but though that holy writ
speke of horrible sinne, certes, holy writ may nat been defouled,
na-more than the sonne that shyneth onn the mixen. / Another
sinne aperteneth to lecherie, that comth in slepinge; and this
sinne cometh ofte to hem that been maydenes, and eek to hem
that been corrupt; and this sinne men clepen pollucioun, that



|p631


comth in foure maneres. / Somtyme, of languissinge of body; for
the humours been to ranke and habundaunt in the body of man.
Somtyme of infermetee; for the feblesse of the vertu retentif, as
phisik maketh mencioun. Som-tyme, for surfeet of mete and
drinke. / And somtyme of vileyns thoghtes, that been enclosed
in mannes minde whan he goth to slepe; which may nat been
with-oute sinne. For which men moste kepen hem wysely, or
elles may men sinnen ful grevously. /

Remedium contra peccatum Luxurie.


    77. Now comth the remedie agayns Lecherie, and that is,
generally, Chastitee and Continence, that restreyneth alle the
desordeynee moevinges that comen of fleshly talentes. / And
evere the gretter merite shal he han, that most restreyneth the
wikkede eschaufinges of the ordure of this sinne. And this is in
two maneres, that is to seyn, chastitee in mariage, and chastitee of
widwehode. / Now shaltow understonde, that matrimoine is
leefful assemblinge of man and of womman, that receyven by
vertu of the sacrement the bond, thurgh which they may nat be
departed in al hir lyf, that is to seyn, whyl that they liven bothe. /
This, as seith the book, is a ful greet sacrement. God maked it,
as I have seyd, in paradys, and wolde him-self be born in mariage. /
And for to halwen mariage; he was at a weddinge, where-as he
turned water in-to wyn; which was the firste miracle that he
wroghte in erthe biforn hise disciples. / Trewe effect of mariage
clenseth fornicacioun and replenisseth holy chirche of good linage;
for that is the ende of mariage; and it chaungeth deedly sinne
in-to venial sinne bitwixe hem that been y-wedded, and maketh
the hertes al oon of hem that been y-wedded, as wel as the
bodies. / This is verray mariage, that was establissed by god er
that sinne bigan, whan naturel lawe was in his right point in
paradys; and it was ordeyned that o man sholde have but o
womman, and o womman but o man, as seith Seint Augustin, by
manye resouns. /

    78. First, for mariage is figured bitwixe Crist and holy chirche.
And that other is, for a man is heved of a womman; algate, by
ordinaunce it sholde be so. / For if a womman had mo men



|p632


than oon, thanne sholde she have  mo hevedes than oon, and that
were an horrible thing biforn god; and eek a womman ne mighte
nat plese to many folk at ones. And also ther ne sholde nevere
be pees ne reste amonges hem; for everich wolde axen his owene
thing. / And forther-over, no man ne sholde knowe his owene
engendrure, ne who sholde have his heritage; and the womman
sholde been the lasse biloved, fro the time that she were conioynt
to many men./

    79. Now comth, how that a man sholde bere him with his
wyf; and namely, in two thinges, that is to seyn in suffraunce and
reverence, as shewed Crist whan he made first womman.,/ For
he ne made hir nat of the heved of Adam, for she sholde nat
clayme to greet lordshipe. / For ther-as the womman hath the
maistrie, she maketh to muche desray; ther neden none en_samples
of this. The experience of day by day oghte suffyse. /
Also certes, god ne made nat womman of the foot of Adam, for she
ne sholde nat been holden to lowe; for she can nat paciently
suffre: but god made womman of the rib of Adam, for womman
sholde be felawe un-to man. / Man sholde bere him to his wyf
in feith, in trouthe, and in love, as seith seint Paul: that `a man
sholde loven his wyf as Crist loved holy chirche, that loved it so
wel that he deyde for it.' So sholde a man for his wyf, if it were
nede. /

    80. Now how that a wonnman sholde be subget to hir hous_bonde,
that telleth seint Peter. First, in obedience. / And eek,
as seith the decree, a womman that is a wyf, as longe as she is a
wyf, she hath noon auctoritee to swere ne bere witnesse with-oute
leve of hir housbonde, that is hir lord; algate, he sholde be so by
resoun. / She sholde eek serven him in alle honestee, and been
attempree of hir array. I wot wel that they sholde setten hir
entente to plesen hir housbondes, but nat by hir queyntise of array. /
Seint Ierome seith, that wyves that been apparailled in silk and in
precious purpre ne mowe nat clothen hem in Iesu Crist. What
seith seint Iohn eek in this matere? / Seint Gregorie eek seith,
that no wight seketh precious array but only for veyne glorie, to
been honoured the more biforn the peple. / It is a greet folye, a
womman to have a fair arraw outward and in hir-self be foul inward. /



|p633


A wyf sholde eek be mesurable in lokinge and in beringe and in
laughinge, and discreet in alle hir wordes and hir dedes. / And
aboven alle worldly thing she sholde loven hir housbonde with al hir
herte, and to him be trewe of hir body; / so sholde an housbonde
eek be to his wyf. For sith that al the body is the housbondes, so
sholde hir herte been, or elles ther is bitwixe hem two, as in that,
no parfit mariage. / Thanne shal men understonde that for three
thinges a man and his wyf fleshly mowen assemble. The firste
is in entente of engendrure of children to the service of god, for
certes that is the cause fynal of matrimoine. / Another cause is,
to yelden everich of hem to other the dette of hir bodies, for
neither of hem hath power over his owene body. The thridde is,
for to eschewe lecherye and vileinye. The ferthe is for sothe deedly
sinne. / As to the firste, it is meritorie; the seconde also; for, as
seith the decree, that she hath merite of chastitee that yeldeth to
hir housbonde the dette of hir body, ye, though it be agayn hir
lykinge and the lust of hir herte. / The thridde manere is venial
sinne, and trewely scarsly may ther any of thise be with-oute venial
sinne, for the corrupcion and for the delyt. / The fourthe manere
is for to understonde, if they assemble only for amorous love and
for noon of the forseyde causes, but for to accomplice thilke
brenninge delyt, they rekke nevere how ofte, sothly it is deedly
sinne; and yet, with sorwe, somme folk wol peynen hem more to
doon than to hir appetyt suffyseth. /

    81. The seconde manere of chastitee is for to been a clene
widewe, and eschue the embracinges of man, and desyren the.
embracinge of Iesu Crist. / Thise been tho that han been wyves
and han forgoon hir housbondes, and eek wommen that han doon
lecherie and been releeved by Penitence. / And certes, if that a
wyf coude kepen hir al chaast by licence of hir housbonde, so that
she yeve nevere noon occasion that he agilte, it were to hire a
greet merite. / Thise manere wommen that observen chastitee
moste be clene in herte as well as in body and in thoght, and
mesurable in clothinge and in contenaunce; and been abstinent
in etinge and drinkinge, in spekinge, and in dede: They been
the vessel or the boyste of the blissed Magdelene, that fulfilleth
holy chirche of good odour. / The thridde manere of chastitee is



|p634


virginitee, and it bihoveth that she be holy in herte and clene of
body; thanne is she spouse to Iesu Crist, and she is the lyf of
angeles. / She is the preisinge of this world, and she is as thise
martirs in egalitee; she hath in hir that tonge may nat telle ne
herte thinke. / Virginitee baar oure lord Iesu Crist, and virgine
was him-selve. /

    82. Another remedie agayns Lecherie is, specially to with_drawen
swiche thinges as yeve occasion to thilke vileinye; as ese,
etinge and drinkinge; for certes, whan the pot boyleth strongly,
the beste remedie is to withdrawe the fyr. / Slepinge longe in greet
quiete is eek a greet norice to Lecherie. /

    83. Another remedie agayns Lecherie is, that a man or a
womman eschue the companye of hem by whiche he douteth to be
tempted; for al-be-it so that the dede is withstonden, yet is ther
greet temptacioun. / Soothly a whyt wal, al-though it ne brenne
noght fully by stikinge of a candele, yet is the wal blak of the leyt. /
Ful ofte tyme I rede, that no man truste in his owene perfeccioun,
but he be stronger than Sampson, and holier than DanieI, and
wser than Salomon. /

    84. Now after that I have declared yow as I can, the sevene
deedly sinnes, and somme of hir braunches and hir remedies,
soothly, if I coude, I wolde telle yow the ten comandements. /
But so heigh a doctrine I lete to divines. Nathelees, I hope
to god they been touched in this tretice, everich of hem alle. /

De Confessione.


    85. Now for-as-muche as the second partie of Penitence stant
in Confessioun of mouth, as I bigan in the firste chapitre, I seye,
seint Augustiri seith: / sinne is every word and every dede, and al
that men coveiten agayn the lawe of Iesu Crist; and this is for to
sinne in herte, in mouth, and in dede, by thy fyve wittes, that
been sighte, heringe, smellinge, tastinge or savouringe, and
felinge. / Now is it good to understonde that that agreggeth
muchel every sinne. / Thou shalt considere what thou art that
doost the sinne, whether thou be male or femele, yong or old,
gentil or thral, free or servant, hool or syk, wedded or sengle,
ordred or unordred, wys or fool, clerk or seculer; / if she be of



|p635


thy kinrede, bodily or goostly, or noon; if any of thy kinrede have
sinned with hir or noon, and manye mo thinges. /

    86. Another circumstaunce is this; whether it be doon in
fornicacioun, or in avoutrie, or noon; incest, or noon; mayden,
or noon; in manere of homicyde, or noon horrible grete sinnes,
or smale; and how longe thou hast continued in sinne. / The
thridde circumstaunce is the place ther thou hast do sinne;
whether in other mennes hous or in thyn owene; in feeld or in
chirche, or in chirche-hawe; in chirche dedicat, or noon. / For if
the chirche be halwed, and man or womman spille his kinde in_with
that place by wey of sinne, or by wikked temptacion, the
chirche is entredited til it be reconciled by the bishop; / and the
preest that dide swich a vileinye, to terme of al his lyf, he sholde
na-more singe masse; and if he dide, he sholde doon deedly sinne
at every tyme that he so songe masse. / The fourthe circum_staunce
is, by whiche mediatours or by whiche messagers, as for
entycement, or for consentement to bere companye with felawe_shipe;
for many a wreche, for to bere companye, wil go to the
devel of helle. / Wher-fore they that eggen or consenten to the
sinne been parteners of the sinne, and of the dampnacioun of the
sinner. / The fifthe circumstaunce is, how manye tymes that he
hath sinned, if it be in his minde, and how ofte that he hath falle. /
For he that ofte falleth in sinne, he despiseth the mercy of god,
and encreesseth his sinne, and is unkinde to Crist; and he
wexeth the more feble to withstonde sinne and sinneth the more
lightly, / and the latter aryseth, and is the more eschew for to
shryven him, namely, to him that is his confessour. / For which
that folk, whan they falle agayn in hir olde folies, outher they for_leten
hir olde confessours al outrely, or elles they departen hir
shrift in diverse places; but soothly, swich departed shrift deserveth
no mercy of god of hise sinnes. / The sixte circumstaunce is, why
that a man sinneth, as by whiche temptacioun; and if him-self
procure thilke temptacioun, or by the excytinge of other folk; or if
he sinne with a womman by force, or by hir owene assent; / or if
the womman, maugree hir heed, hath been afforced, or noon; this
shal she telle; for coveitise, or for poverte, and if it was hir pro_curinge,
or noon; and swiche manere harneys. / The seventhe



|p636


circumstaunce is, in what manere he hath doon his sinne, or how
that she hath suffred that folk han doon to hir. / And the same
shal the man telle pleynly, with alle circumstaunces; and whether
he hath sinned with comune bordel-wommen, or noon; / or
doon his sinne in holy tymes, or noon; in fasting-tymes, or noon;
or biforn his shrifte, or after his latter shrifte; / and hath, per-aven_ture,
broken ther-fore his penance enioyned; by whos help and
whos conseil; by sorcerie or craft; al moste be told. / Alle thise
thinges, after that they been grete or smale, engreggen the con_science
of man. And eek the preest that is thy Iuge, may the
bettre been avysed of his Iugement in yevinge of thy penaunce,
and that is after thy contricioun. / For understond wel, that after
tyme that a man hath defouled his baptesme by sinne, if he wole
come to salvacioun, ther is noon other wey but by penitence and
shrifte and satisfaccioun; / and namely by the two, if ther be a
confessour to which he may shryven him; and the thridde, if he
have lyf to parfournen it. /

    87. Thanne shal man looke and considere, that if he wole
maken a trewe and a profitable confessioun, ther moste be foure
condiciouns. / First, it moot been in sorweful bitternesse of herte,
as seyde the king Ezekias to god: `I wol remembre me alle the
yeres of my lyf in bitternesse of myn herte.' / This condicioun
of bitternesse hath fyve signes. The firste is, that confessioun
moste be shamefast, nat for to covere ne hyden his sinne, for he
hath agilt his god and defouled his soule. / And her-of seith
seint Augustin: `the herte travailleth for shame of his sinne ';
and for he hath greet shamefastnesse, he is digne to have greet
mercy of god. / Swich was the confession of the publican, that
wolde nat heven up hise eyen to hevene, for he hadde offended
god of hevene; for which shamefastnesse he hadde anon the
mercy of god. / And ther-of seith seint Augustin, that swich
shamefast folk been next foryevenesse and remissioun. / Another
signe is humilitee in confessioun; of which seith seint Peter,
`Humbleth yow under the might of god.' The hond of god is
mighty in confession, for ther-by god foryeveth thee thy sinnes;
for he allone hath the power. / And this humilitee shal been in
herte, and in signe outward; for right as he hath humilitee to god



|p637


in his herte, right so sholde he humble his body outward to the
preest that sit in goddes place. / For which in no manere, sith
that Crist is sovereyn and the preest mene and mediatour bitwixe
Crist and the sinnere, and the sinnere is the laste by wey of resoun, /
thanne sholde nat the sinnere sitte as heighe as his confessour,
but knele biforn him or at his feet, but-if maladie destourbe it.
For he shal nat taken kepe who sit there, but in whos place that
he sitteth. / A man that hath trespased to a lord, and comth for
to axe mercy and maken his accord, and set him doun anon by
the lord, men wolde holden him outrageous, and nat worthy so
sone for to have remissioun ne mercy. / The thridde signe is,
how that thy shrift sholde be ful of teres, if man may; and if man
may nat wepe with hise bodily eyen, lat him wepe in herte. /
Swich was the confession of seint Peter; for after that he hadde
forsake Iesu Crist, he wente out and weep ful bitterly. / The
fourthe signe is, that he ne lette nat for shame to shewen his con_fessioun.
/ Swich was the confessioun of the Magdelene, that ne
spared, for no shame of hem that weren atte feste, for to go to oure
lord Iesu Crist and biknowe to him hir sinnes. / The fifthe signe
is, that a man or a womman be obeisant to receyven the penaunce
that him is enioyned for hise sinnes; for certes Iesu Crist, for the
giltes of a man, was obedient to the deeth. /

    88. The seconde condicion of verray confession is, that it be
hastily doon; for certes, if a man hadde a deedly wounde, evere
the lenger that he taried to warisshe him-self, the more wolde it
corrupte and haste him to his deeth; and eek the wounde wolde
be the wors for to hele. / And right so fareth sinne, that longe
tyme is in a man unshewed. / Certes, a man oghte hastily
shewen hise sinnes for manye causes; as for drede of deeth, that
cometh ofte sodenly, and is in no certeyn what tyme it shal be, ne
in what place; and eek the drecchinge of o synne draweth in
another; / and eek the lenger that he tarieth, the ferther he is fro
Crist. And if he abyde to his laste day, scarsly may he shryven
him or remembre him of hise sinnes, or repenten him, for the
grevous maladie of his deeth. / And for-as-muche as he ne hath
nat in his lyf herkned Iesu Crist, whanne he hath spoken, he shal
crye to Iesu Crist at his laste day, and scarsly, wol he herkne him. /
And understond that this condicioun moste han foure thinges.



|p638


Thy shrift moste be purveyed bifore and avysed; for wikked haste
doth no profit; and that a man conne shryve him of hise sinnes,
be it of pryde, or of envye, and so forth of the speces and circum_stances;
/ and that he have comprehended in his minde the nom_bre
and the greetnesse of hise sinnes, and how longe that he hath
leyn in sinne; / and eek that he be contrit of hise sinnes, and in
stedefast purpos, by the grace of god, nevere eft to falle in sinne;
and eek that he drede and countrewaite him-self, that he flee the
occasiouns of sinne to whiche he is enclyned. / Also thou shalt
shryve thee of alle thy sinnes to o man, and nat a parcel to o man
and a parcel to another; that is to understonde, in entente to
departe thy confessioun as for shanne or drede; for it nis but
stranglinge of thy soule. / For certes, Iesu Crist is entierly al
good; in him nis noon inperfeccioun; and therfore outher he
foryeveth al parfitly or never a deel. / I seye nat that if thou be
assigned to the penitauncer for certein sinne, that thou art bounde
to shewen him al the remenaunt of thy sinnes, of whiche thou
hast be shriven to thy curat, but-if it lyke to thee of thyn humilitee;
this is no departinge of shrifte. / Ne I seye nat, ther-as I speke
of divisioun of confessioun, that if thou have lycence for to shryve
thee to a discreet and an honeste preest, where thee lyketh, and
by lycence of thy curat, that thou ne mayst wel shryve thee to him
of alle thy sinnes. / But lat no blotte be bihinde; lat no sinne
been untold, as fer as thou hast remembraunce. / And whan thou
shalt be shriven to thy curat, telle him eek alle the sinnes that
thou hast doon sin thou were last y-shriven; this is no wikked
entente of divisioun of shrifte. /

    89. Also the verray shrifte axeth certeine condiciouns. First,
that thou shryve thee by thy free wil, noght constreyned, ne for
shame of folk, ne for maladie, ne swiche thinges; for it is resoun
that he that trespasseth by his free wil, that by his free wil he
confesse his trespas; / and that noon other man telle his sinne
but he him-self, ne he shal nat nayte ne denye his sinne, ne
wratthe him agayn the preest for his amonestinge to leve sinne. /
The seconde condicioun is, that thy shrift be laweful; that is to
seyn, that thou that shryvest thee, and eek the preest that hereth
thy confessioun, been verraily in the feith of holy chirche; / and
that a man ne be nat despeired of the mercy of Iesu Crist, as



|p639


Caym or Iudas. / And eek a man moot accusen him-self of his
owene trespas, and nat another; but he shal blame and wyten
him-self and his owene malice of his sinne, and noon other; / but
nathelees, if that another man be occasioun or entycer of his sinne,
or the estaat of a persone be swich thurgh which his sinne is
agregged, or elles that he may nat pleynly shryven him but he
telle the persone with which he hath sinned; thanne may he
telle; / so that his entente ne be nat to bakbyte the persone, but
only to declaren his confessioun. /

    90. Thou ne shalt nat eek make no lesinges in thy confessioun;
for humilitee, per-aventure, to seyn that thou hast doon sinnes of
whiche that thou were nevere gilty. / For Seint Augustin seith:
if thou, by cause of thyn humilitee, makest lesinges on thy-self,
though thou ne were nat in sinne biforn, yet artow thanne in sinne
thurgh thy lesinges. / Thou most eek shewe thy sinne by thyn
owene propre mouth, but thou be wexe dounnb, and nat by no
lettre; for thou that hast doon the sinne, thou shalt have the
shame therfore. / Thou shalt nat eek peynte thy confessioun by
faire subtile wordes, to covere the more thy sinne; for thanne
bigylestow thy-self and nat the preest; thou most tellen it pleynly,
be it nevere so foul ne so horrible. / Thou shalt eek shryve thee
to a preest that is discreet to conseille thee, and eek thou shalt nat
shryve thee for veyne glorie, ne for ypocrisye, ne for no cause, but
only for the doute of Iesu Crist and the hele of thy soule. / Thou
shalt nat eek renne to the preest sodeynly, to tellen him lightly thy
sinne, as who-so telleth a Iape or a tale, but avysely and with
greet devocioun. / And generally, shryve thee ofte. If thou ofte
falle, ofte thou aryse by confessioun. / And thogh thou shryve
thee ofter than ones of sinne, of which thou hast be shriven, it is
the more merite. And, as seith seint Augustin, thou shalt have
the more lightly relesing and grace of god, bothe of sinne and of
peyne. / And certes, ones a yere atte leeste wey it is laweful for
to been housled; for certes ones a yere alle thinges renovellen. /


Explicit secunda pars Penitencie; et sequitur tercia
pars eiusdem, de Satisfaccione.

    91. Now have I told you of verray Confessioun, that is the
seconde partie of Penitence. /



|p640


The thridde partie of Penitence is Satisfaccioun;  and that
stant most generally in almesse and in bodily peyne. / Now been
ther three manere of almesses; contricion of herte, where a man
offeth himself to god; another is, to han pitee of defaute of hise
neighebores; and the thridde is, in yevinge of good conseil goostly
and bodily, where men han nede, and namely in sustenaunce of
mannes fode. / And tak keep, that a man hath need of thise
thinges generally; he hath need of fode, he hath nede of clothing,
and herberwe, he hath nede of charitable conseil, and visitinge in
prisone and in maladie, and sepulture of his dede body. / And
if thou mayst nat visite the nedeful with thy persone, visite him by
thy message and by thy yiftes. / Thise been generally almesses
or werkes of charitee of hem that han temporel richesses or
discrecioun in conseilinge. Of thise werkes shaltow heren at the
day of dome. /

    92. Thise almesses shaltow doon of thyne owene propre
thinges, and hastily, and prively if thou mayst; / but nathelees, if
thou mayst nat doon it prively, thou shalt nat forbere to doon
almesse though men seen it; so that it be nat doon for thank of
the world, but only for thank of Iesu Crist. / For as witnesseth
Seint Mathew, capitulo quinto, `A citee may nat been hid that is
set on a montayne; ne men lighte nat a lanterne and put it under
a busshel; but men sette it on a candle-stikke, to yeve light to the
men in the hous. / Right so shal youre light -lighten bifore men,
that they may seen youre gode werkes, and glorifie youre fader that
is in hevene.' /

    93. Now as to speken of bodily peyne, it stant in preyeres, in
wakinges, in fastinges, in vertuouse techinges of orisouns. / And
ye shul understonde, that orisouris or preyeres is for to seyn a
pitous wil of herte, that redresseth it in god and expresseth it by
word outward, to remoeven harmes and to han thinges espirituel
and durable, and somtyme temporel thinges; of whiche orisouns,
certes, in the orisoun of the Pater-noster, hath Iesu Crist enclosed
most thinges. / Certes, it is privileged of three thinges in his
dignitee, for which it is more digne than any other preyere; for
that Iesu Crist him-self maked it; / and it is short, for it sholde
be coud the more lightly, and for to withholden it the more
esily in herte, and helpen him-self the ofter with the orisoun; /



|p641


and for a man sholde be the lasse wery to seyen it, and for a man
may nat excusen him to lerne it, it is so short and so esy; and for
it comprehendeth in it-self alle gode preyeres. / The exposicioun
of this holy preyere, that is so excellent and digne, I bitake to
thise maistres of theologie; save thus muchel wol I seyn: that,
whan thou prayest that god sholde foryeve thee thy giltes as thou
foryevest hem that agilten to thee, be ful wel war that thou be nat
out of charitee. / This holy orisoun amenuseth eek venial sinne;
and therfore it aperteneth specially to penitence. /

    94. This preyere moste be trewely seyd and in verray feith,
and that men preye to god ordinatly and discreetly and devoutly;
and alwey a man shal putten his wil to be subget to the wille
of god. / This orisoun moste eek been seyd with greet humblesse
and fuI pure; honestly, and nat to the anoyaunce of any man or
womman. It moste eek been continued with the werkes of
charitee. / It avayleth eek agayn the vyces of the soule; for, as
seith seint Ierome, `By fastinge been saved the vyces of the flesh,
and by preyere the vyces of the soule.' /

    95. After this, thou shalt understonde, that bodily peyne stant
in wakinge; for Iesu Crist seith, `waketh, and preyeth that ye ne
entre in wikked temptacioun.' / Ye shul understanden also, that
fastinge stant in three thinges; in forberinge of bodily mete and
drinke, and in forberinge of worldly Iolitee, and in forberinge of
deedly sinne; this is to seyn, that a man shal kepen him fro deedly
sinne with al his might. /

    96. And thou shalt understanden eek, that god ordeyned
fastinge; and to fastinge appertenen foure thinges. / Largenesse
to povre folk, gladnesse of herte espirituel, nat to been angry
ne anoyed, ne grucche for he fasteth; and also resonable houre
for to ete by mesure; that is for to seyn, a man shal nat ete
in untyme, ne sitte the lenger at his table to ete for he
fasteth. /

    97. Thanne shaltow understonde, that bodily peyne stant in
disciplyne or techinge, by word or by wrytinge, or in ensample.
Also in weringe of heyres or of stamin, or of haubergeons on hir
naked flesh, for Cristes sake, and swiche manere penances. / But
war thee wel that swiche manere penances on thy flesh ne make nat
thyn herte bitter or angry or anoyed of thy-self; for bettre is to caste



|p642


awey thyn heyre, than for to caste away the sikernesse of Iesu
Crist. / And therfore seith seint Paul: `Clothe yow as they
that been chosen of god, in herte of misericorde, debonairetee,
suffraunce, and swich manere of clothinge '; of whiche Iesu Crist
is more apayed than of heyres, or haubergeons, or hauberkes. /

    98. Thanne is disciplyne eek in knokkinge of thy brest, in
scourginge with yerdes, in knelinges, in tribulacions; / in suffringe
paciently wronges that been doon to thee, and eek in pacient
suffraunce of maladies, or lesinge of worldly catel, or of wyf, or of
child, or othere freendes. /

    99. Thanne shaltow understonde, whiche thinges destourben
penaunce; and this is in foure maneres, that is, drede, shame, hope,
and wanhope, that is, desperacion. / And for to speke first of
drede; for which he weneth that he may suffre no penaunce; /
ther-agayns is remedie for to thinke, that bodily penaunce is but
short and litel at regard of the peyne of helle, that is so cruel and
so long, that it lasteth with-outen ende. /

    100. Now again the shame that a man hath to shryven him,
and namely, thise ypocrites that wolden been holden so parfite
that they han no nede to shryven hem; / agayns that shame,
sholde a man thinke that, by wey of resoun, that he that hath nat
been ashamed to doon foule thinges, certes him oghte nat been
ashamed to do faire thinges, and that is confessiouns. / A man
sholde eek thinke, that god seeth and woot alle hise thoghtes and
alle hise werkes; to him may no thing been hid ne covered. /
Men sholden eek remembren hem of the shame that is to come at
the day of dome, to hem that been nat penitent and shriven in this
present lyf. / For alle the creatures in erthe and in helle shullen
seen apertly al that they hyden in this world. /

    101. Now for to speken of the hope of hem that been necligent
and slowe to shryven hem, that stant in two maneres. / That oon
is, that he hopeth for to live longe and for to purchacen muche
richesse for his delyt, and thanne he wol shryven him; and, as he
seith, him semeth thanne tymely y-nough to come to shrifte. /
Another is, surquidrie that he hath in Cristes mercy. / Agayns
the firste vyce, he shal thinke, that oure lyf is in no sikernesse;
and eek that alle the richesses in this world ben in aventure, and
passen as a shadwe on the wal. / And, as seith seint Gregorie,



|p643


that it aperteneth to the grete rightwisnesse of god, that nevere
shal the peyne stinte of hem that nevere wolde withdrawen hem
fro sinne, hir thankes, but ay continue in sinne; for thilke
perpetuel wil to do sinne shul they han perpetuel peyne. /

    102. Wanhope is in two maneres: the firste wanhope is in
the mercy of Crist; that other is that they thinken, that they
ne mighte nat longe persevere in goodnesse. / The firste wanhope
comth of that he demeth that he hath sinned so greetly and
so ofte, and so longe leyn in sinne, that he shal nat be saved. /
Certes, agayns that cursed wanhope sholde he thinke, that the
passion of Iesu Crist is more strong for to unbinde than sinne is
strong for to binde. / Agayns the seconde wanhope, he shal thinke,
that as ofte as he falleth he may aryse agayn by penitence. And
thogh he never so longe have leyn in sinne, the mercy of Crist is
alwey redy to receiven him to mercy. / Agayns the wanhope, that
he demeth that he sholde nat longe persevere in goodnesse, he
shal thinke, that the feblesse of the devel may no-thing doon but_if
men wol suffren him; / and eek he shal han strengthe of the
help of god, and of al holy chirche, and of the proteccioun of
aungels, if him list. /

    103. Thanne shal men understonde what is the fruit of
penaunce; and, after the word of Iesu Crist, it is the endelees
blisse of hevene, / ther Ioye hath no contrariustee of wo ne
grevaunce, ther alle harmes been passed of this present lyf;
ther-as is the sikernesse fro the peyne of helle; ther-as
is the blisful companye that reioysen hem everemo, everich of
otheres Ioye; / ther-as the body of man, that whylom was foul and
derk, is more cleer than the sonne; ther as the body, that whylom
was syk, freele, and feble, and mortal, is inmortal, and so strong
and so hool that ther may no-thing apeyren it; / ther-as ne is
neither hunger, thurst, ne cold, but every soule replenissed with
the sighte of the parfit knowinge of god. / This blisful regne
may men purchace by poverte espirituel, and the glorie by lowe_nesse;
the plentee of Ioye by hunger and thurst, and the reste by
travaille; and the lyf by deeth and mortificacion of sinne. /



|p644


Here taketh the makere of this book his leve.


    104. Now preye I to hem alle that herkne this litel tretis or
rede, that if ther be any thing in it that lyketh hem, that ther-of
they thanken oure lord Iesu Crist, of whom procedeth al wit
and al goodnesse. / And if ther be any thing that displese hem,
I preye hem also that they arrette it to the defaute of myn
unconninge, and nat to my wil, that wolde ful fayn have seyd
bettre if I hadde had conninge. / For oure boke seith, `al that
is writen is writen for oure doctrine '; and that is myn entente. /
Wherfore I biseke yow mekely for the mercy of god, that ye preye
for me, that Crist have mercy on me and foryeve me my giltes: /
-- and namely, of my translacions and endytinges of worldly
vanitees, the whiche I revoke in my retracciouns: / as is the
book of Troilus; The book also of Fame; The book ofthe nynetene
Ladies; The book of the Duchesse; The book of seint Valentynes
day of the Parlement of Briddes; The tales of Caunterbury, thilke
that sounen in-to sinne; / The book of the Leoun; and many
another book, if they were in my remembrance; and many a song
and many a lecherous lay; that Crist for his grete mercy foryeve me
the sinne. / But of the translacion of Boece de Consolacione, and
othere bokes of Legendes of seintes, and omelies, and moralitee,
and devocioun, / that thanke I oure lord Iesu Crist and his blisful
moder, and alle the seintes of hevene; / bisekinge hem that they
from hennes-forth, un-to my lyves ende, sende me grace to biwayle
my giltes, and to studie to the salvacioun of my soule: - and graunte
me grace of verray penitence, confessioun and satisfaccioun to
doon in this present lyf; / thurgh the benigne grace of him that
is king of kinges and preest over alle preestes, that boghte us with
the precious blood of his herte; / so that I may been oon of hem
at the day of dome that shulle be saved: Qui cum patre, &c.

Here is ended the book of the Tales of Caunterbury,
compiled by Geffrey Chaucer, of whos soule Iesu Crist
have mercg. Amen.