The poems of William of Shoreham ... Re-edited from the unique manuscript in the British Museum by M. Konrath |
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| I. |
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| 2. |
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| 4. |
| 5. | (I. 5) [D]E uncione extrema. |
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 | II. |
| III. |
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 | The poems of William of Shoreham |  |
(I. 5) [D]E uncione extrema.
158
Sacrement of an-EliingNou her ich wolle telle,
Þat man uangeþ wane he ne wenþ
No lenge he myȝte dwelle
A lyue;
Þe bodyes euel þat libbe mey,
And sone, hit mey to-dryue.
40
159
Many for de-faute deiþeOf þer anelyynge;
And ȝyf hys saule after hys deþe
Soffrey harde pynynge
In fere,
So scholde hy nauȝt, hedde he ihed
Ryȝt elyynge here.
160
For seint iames, in hys bok,Wysseþ wyd gode mende
Þat, ȝyf eny by-falþe ryȝt syke,
Þe prest he scholde of-sende
To hys ende;
And he schel elye hym wyþ ele,
Hys sauement to wynne.
161
Seynt iame seyþe þat orysounOf þer holy by-leue
Of hijs siknesse helþe wynþe,
Þat no fend schal reue
Þe helþe;
And ȝef þat he ine sennys be,
For-ȝeue hys him þat felþe.
162
Þys his, broþer, and gret confortFor for-ȝetene sennes,
Þat oure foman aredy haueþ
Aȝeynys þat we goþ hennes,
Ta-tuite;
Ac ȝef we aryȝt anelede beþ,
Hyȝt gayneþ ham wel lyte.
163
Ac þanne hys man aryȝt aneled,Wanne he myd wyl hyt takeþ,
41
And repentaunce makeþ
So digne;
And ȝyf he hyt oþere wyse fangeþ,
Ne takeþ ha bote þe syngne.
164
For þe sygne of þys sacrementÞe elyyng ys boute;
Þat þyngge hys alleggaunce of euel,
To lyf ȝef he schel loute;
And hennes
Þaȝ he wende, þat þyng is eke
Alleggaunce of hys sennes.
165
And ȝet me schal anelye a man,Þaȝ þat he lese hys speche;
For wet he þencheþ in hys mod
Ne may ous no man teche;
Ac stronge
He mot habbe deuocioun,
Þet schel a-ryȝt hyt fonge.
166
Þer-fore þis children eleþ me nauȝt,Ne forþe none wode,
For hy ne conne mende haue
Of þilke holy gode;
Ac fonge
Þe wode mey þat sacrement,
Wane reles comeþ amonge.
167
A prest mot do þys sacrement,For-why hyȝt hys wel werþe;
And þat seyde seynt Iames wel,
Þer-wyle he ȝede an erþe;
Ȝe hit hedde
42
Þes holye wordes redde.
168
Þe matyre of þis sacrementHys ryȝt þe oylle allone;
And wanne þe bisschop blesseþ hyt,
Baume ne me[n]gþ he none
Þer-inne;
For baume tokneþ lyues loos,
Oyle, mercy to wynne.
169
For wanne man deiþ, he let his lyfÞer þe god los by-houeþ;
Ac senne, ȝef he farþe aryȝt,
To bi-reusy he proueþ;
To oure lorde
Mercy he cryþ, and biddeþ hym
Mercy and misericorde.
170
Þe wordes þat þer beþ ised,Hyt beþ wordes of sealþe,
For hy biddeþ þe sike man
Of alle his sennes helþe;
In mende
Þer-to me an-eleþ þe wyttes fyȝf,
And feȝet, and breste, and lenden.
171
And for þe lecherye syȝtIn lenden of þe manne,
And, ase þe bok ous seyþ, hy sit
Inne nauele of þe wymman[e]:
To hele,
Me schel þe mannes lenden anelye,
Þe nauele of þe femele.
43
172
Þys beþ þe wordes wane me aneleþ:—“By þisse an-eliinge,
And be hijs milse, for-ȝyue þe god
Al þine senneȝynge
Mid eyen”;
And so he seyþ be al hys lymes
Þat scholle þe oyle dreȝen.
173
Caracter, þet is prente ycliped,Nys non of eliinge,
Ne furþ of penaunce ne þe mo,
Nof housel, nof spousynge,
In þede;
For man ofter þane ones takeþ
Þe sacremens for nede.
| The poems of William of Shoreham | |