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Here begynneth the fyrste parte of this boke/that speaketh of mannes wretchednes.

Nisi efficiamini sicut [illeg.]: non intrabitis in regnū celorū.

He sayeth, but ye be as meke as a chylde
That is to vnderstande, both meke and mylde
Ye shall nat come by any maner of way
In to the kyngdome of heauen on hey
But one thynge, maketh moste meke a man
To thynke in his herte, as often as he can
Howe he is made of foule mattere
Fouler thynge in earth, is none here
And so sayeth saynt Iob, in his morenynge lay
What is a man here, but earth and clay
And powder that with the wynde do breketh
And therfore the good man, to God thus speaketh.

Memēto quoth sicut lutū feceris me. & in puluerē reducie me.

He sayeth thynke Lorde, howe thou madest me
Of soule earth and clay, in this worlde to be
And therto shall I turne, at my last ende
Euen agayne to powdre, and to nought wende
And than sayth our Lorde, of myghtyes moste
To euery man, that hath in hym the holy Ghoste.

Memento quoth [illeg.], & in cinerem reuerteris.

He sayeth, thynke man that asshes art now
And into asshes agayne, tourne shalt thou
Than of this, euery man shulde haue mynde
And knowe the wretchydnes, of his owne kynde
For here a mannes lyfe, well cast may be
Pryncypally to tell in partyes thre
That ben maked, to our vnderstandynge
Begynnynge mydwarde, and last endynge
These thre partyes spaces, may be tolde
Of euery mannes lyfe, both yonge and olde.

Of the begynnyng of mans lyfe.

Ecce in iniquitatibus conceptus sum & in peccatis concepit me mater mea.

Beholde he sayeth, what mannes kynde is
In wretchydnes, I am conceyued ywys
And also my mother, hath conceyued me
In many synnes, and moche vylte
For there dwelleth a man, in a dercke dongyon
That is full of fylth and corrupcyon
Wherin he had, no maner of fode
But foule glat, and waltsome blode
And when that he hyther come was
From his mother wombe, that foule place
And was here brought, in to this worldes ryght
He had neyther power, ne myght
Neyther for to go, ne on fete stande
Neyther to crepe in fete, ne in hande
Than hath a man lesse myght, than hath a beest
When he is newe borne, and semeth leest
For when a beest is ybore, than it may go
And doth his kynde here euermo
But a man hath no myght, in his yongeheade
For he may nat go, but as men doth hym leade
For he may nother go nor crepe
But lye and spraule, crye, and wepe
For a chylde is nat fully ybore
That it ne cryeth as thynge forlore
And by that crye, men tell can
Whyther that it be woman or man
For when it is borne, it cryeth swa
And yf it be a man, it sayeth .A.
And that is the fyrste letter of the name
Of Adam our father that brought vs in blame
And yf it of a womans kynde be
When it is borne, it soundeth .E.
E. is the fyrste letter, who that taketh hede
Of the name of Eue, that brought vs in drede
Therfore a wyse Clarcke, made in this maner
A verse that telleth, of that same matter.

Dicentes .E. vel .A. quotquot nascuntur ab Eua.

All he sayeth, that cōmeth of Eue
May for nothynge, that letter leue
When they be borne, what soeuer they be
He cryeth fyrste .A. other els .E.
This is of our lyfe, the fyrste begynnynge
And after our byrth, sorowe and wepynge
And to wretchydnes, our kynde styrreth vs
And Innocent the bysshop, therfore sayth thus.

[illeg.] nascimus [illeg.] vt nature nostre miseriā cuprimamus.

He sayeth, we be ybore here euerychone
Makynge sorowe and reuthly mone
All for to shewe, our great wretchydnes
Of our kynde, that is full of brotelnes
And naked we come hyther, and bare
And so we shall all hence fare
Upon this thynke all, that any good can
For thus sayeth saynt Iob, the holy man.

Nudus egressus sum ex vtero matris mei et nudus reuertar illuc.

Naked he sayeth, in to this worlde I come
When from my mothers wombe nome
And naked I shall tourne hence away
And so shall all at the last day
Thus is a man, at his fyrste cōmynge
Naked and bare, and bryngeth nothynge
But a skynne foule and waltsome
That is his garment, when he shall come
And that is a blody skynne full thynne
That he brought, and was wounde in
When he in his mother wombe lay
Forsoth this was a symple aray
And thus is man made, as ye may se
In moche wretchydnes, and captyuyte
And afterwarde lyueth here, but a fewe dayes
As Iob openly vnto vs all sayes.

Homo natus de muliere breui viuens tempore.

He sayeth, man that is borne of a woman
Lyueth here lytell tyme, and soone is tan
And euery man is borne to nothynge elles
But to trauayle and sorowe, as the boke telles.

Homo nascitur ad laborem: sicut Auis ad volandum.

He sayeth man is made, to trauayle aryght
As the foule is made to his flyght
For lytell rest he hath in his lyfe ywys
But euer in trauayle, full besye is
And yet is a man, when he is bore
The fendes of hell, and all ylore
Untyll he throughe grace, agayne ben ynome
And to baptyme afterwarde come
Therfore euery man, shall vnderstande so
That his lyfe, is but sorowe and woo.

Of the myddes of a mans lyfe.

Homo nihil aliud est quoth Sperma [illeg.] vermium

Saynt Bernarde wytnesseth, as the boke telles
That a man in this lyfe, is nothynge elles
But a foule slyme, horryble to all men
And is a foule lake, of stynkynge fen
And also wormes meate, that they wyll haue
When that he is deade, and layde in graue
But some men and women, fayre they semeth
To syght without, as men it demeth
And sheweth nothynge, but the whyte skynne
But who that myght openly loke therin
A fouler caryon, myght there neuer be
Than men shulde on them than se
Therfore who that had a sharpe insyght
And had as clere eyen, and also as bryght
As hath a beest, that Lux men calles
That may se throughe thycke stone walles
Than lytell lykynge shulde a man haue
To beholde a woman, or after her craue
Than myght he se, without any doubte
As well within, as he doth with out
For yf a man myght se her within aryght
It were full dredefull, to euery mannes syght
And so foule euery man within is
As the boke telles, and wytnesseth all this
And therfore, I holde a man nothynge wyse
That maketh hym selfe, of to moche pryse
Syth he may euery day, both here and se
What that he is here, and what he shall be
But a proude man, of this taketh no hede
For hym fayleth reason, that shulde hym lede
When that he is yonge, and loueth playinge
Other hath welth at his lykynge
Other that he be brought, in to great worshype
Than he of hym selfe, taketh he no kepe
For hym selfe than he knoweth all there leest
And fareth than as vnreasonable beest
That foloweth his owne wyll, and nothynge elles
As saynt Dauid wytnesseth, and telles.

Homo cum in honore esset non intellegit comparatus est in mentis insipientibus.

He sayeth, when a man in worshyp is brought
Ryght good vnderstandynge, hath he nought
Therfore he may be lykened, both in flesshe and bone
To beestes that reason and wyt can none
Therfore euery man, that hath wyt and mynde
Oft shulde thynke, on his wretched kynde
And that with fylthe he is all ynome
As he may se euery day from his body come
Both at nose and at mouth, and byneth also
All maner corrupcyon, cōmeth hym fro
And howe foule it is to euery mannes syght
Saynt Bernarde wytnesseth to vs full ryght.

[illeg.] diligenter consideres quid per os quid per nares ceterosque meatus corporis tui egreditur: vilius stet qui [illeg.] quoth videres.

He sayeth man, wylt thou inwardly se
And beholde, what thynge cōmeth from the
Throughe nose and mouth, contynually
And throughe other places of thy body
A fouler dunghyll, sawe thou neuer none
Than is a man, made in flesshe and in bone
For in all that tyme, that a man here lyueth
His owne kynde, no good fruyte gyueth
Whyther that he lyue shorte tyme, other longe
But thynges that stynketh, wonder stronge
And foule fylthed, and nothynge elles
As Innocent the great clarcke, in a boke telles.

Herbas inquit & arbores diligenter iuuestiga, ille de se producunt flores & frondes & fructus: & tu de [illeg.]. Ille autem de se effundunt oleum & vinū, & tu de te, sputum, vrinam, & stercus. Ille de se spirant suauitatem: & in abhominationem stercoris.

This Clarcke telleth thus in his boke
Thou man he sayeth, beholde well and loke
Herbes and trees, that in earth doth sprynge
Take thou good hede, what they forth brynge
Herbes bryngeth floures, and maketh sede
And trees fruyte, and braunches sprede
And thou bryngest forth, of thy selfe here
Both nyttes, and lyse, and other vermyne yfere
Of herbes and trees, spryngeth bawme good
Both oyle and wyne, in helpe of mannes fode
And that cōmeth from the, doth foule stynke
As dounge and pysse, and spatlynge
Of herbes and trees, cōmeth good sauoure
And of the man, foule breth and soure
For suche as the tre, beareth with the bowes
Suche is the same fruyte, that theron growes
For a man is as a tre, that standeth nat harde
Of whom the crop is tourned downwarde
And the rote is an hye, towarde the fyrmament
As wytnesseth in this boke, the clarcke Innocent.

Quid est homo secūdum formam nisi quedam arbor euersa cuius radicis sunt crines trinicus est caput cum collo, stipes est pectus cum alno, rami et vlne cum tibiis frōdes st. digiti cum artil. hoc est folium quod a vento rapiter, & stipula que a sole siccatur.

He sayeth what is a man, but in shape as a tre
Tourned vp so downe, as men may se
Of the whiche the rote, that therto belongeth
Is the heere on thyne heade, that theron hangeth
Than is the stocke nexte the rote growynge
That is thyne heade, with thy necke shewynge
The body of the tree, that is sette therto
Is thy brest, with thy wombe also
The bowes be thyne armes with thy handes
And the legges with thy fete, that thou on standes
Men may them braunches, by reason call
The toes, and the fete, with thy fynges all
Lyfe is the lefe, that hangeth nat fast
That wyll away, with the wyndes blast
And a man that is both yonge and lyght
Thoughe he be neuer so hardy in fyght
And comely of shape, and louely of chere
Yet syckenes and anger may hym dere
And his myght and fayrenes abate
And brynge hym soone, in to lowe state
And soone chaunge his fayre coloure
And make hym fade, as doth the floure
For a flour, that is fayre to mannes syght
Throughe stormes it fadeth, and leseth his myght
Angres and euylles, and myschyfes both
Ofte cōmeth to a man, that be hym loth
As feuers and dropsye, and Iaundyse also
[illeg.] and the gowte, and other euylles mo
That maketh his fayrenes, away for to wende
As stormes doth theyr floures shende
This shulde be euer ensample to vs
Therfore saynt Iob, in his boke sayeth thus.

Homo quasi flos egreditur & contritur & fugit velud vmbra, & num quoth in eod. &c.

Man he sayeth, as flour is bryght
When it cōmeth fyrste to earthly syght
And soone is broke, and passeth away
As doth the shadowe, in sōmers day
And neuer in the same state dwelleth
But euermore passeth as Iob telleth
Of this the Prophete wytnesseth ywys
In a psalme of the Psalter that sayeth this.

Mane sicut herba transeat mane floreat & transeat vespere descidat. &c.

The Prophete sayeth thus, in that case
A man passeth away, as doth the grasse
Early begynnynge of the day
He floureth, and soone passeth away
And at euen, it is downe brought
That fadeth and wexeth all to nought
In the begynnynge of man, hym was gyue
Nyne hundred yeare, in earth to lyue
As Clarckes in bokes, beareth wytnes
And sayeth, that mannes lyfe is drawe to shortnes
For God wolde, that it shulde so be
And God sayde hym selfe, so vnto Noe.

Non permanebit spiritus meus in homine [illeg.] caro est: erunt enim dies illius centum viginti anni.

My Ghoste he sayeth, shall nat euer dwell
In man that is made of flesshe and fell
His dayes shall be to lyue in here
An hundred, and also twentye yere
But so great age, may no man bere
For death wyll hym, in shorter tyme dere
For the complexyon of euery man
Is nowe more febler, than it was than
Therfore mannes lyfe, myght shorter be
For nowe it is feblest, all for to se
For the longer, that a man shall lyfe
To more sorowe, he shall be dryfe
And lesse thynke, that this lyfe is swete
As in the psalter, wytnesseth the Prophete.

Si in potentatibus octoginta anni amplius eorum labor et dolor. &c.

If in strenghthes foure score yere, myght befall
The more is theyr trauayle, and sorowe with all
But nowe moche shorter be mannes dayes
As Iob the good man openly sayes.

Nun quid non paucitas dierum meorum finietur breui.

Nowe he sayeth my shorte dayes that fewe were
Shall come to ende, in lytell tyme here
And when a man waxeth to be olde
Than begynneth his kynde, to be feable and colde
And than chaungeth his complexyon
And his maners tourne vp so downe
Than waveth his herte, full heuy and harde
And his heade feble, and euer downwarde
Than reueleth his face, euermore and more
And fouler waxeth, than it was before
His wyt is short when he ought thynketh
His nose droppeth, his onde stynketh
His syght waxeth dym, he loketh vnder the browe
His backe is croked, he stopeth full lowe
His eares waxeth death, and harde to here
And his tongue to speake, is nothynge clere
Soone he is wroth, and waxeth all frowarde
To tourne hym from wrath, it is harde
He is couytous, and fast holdynge
And heuy of chere, and euer lourynge
He prayseth olde men, and holdeth them wyse
And yonge men hym lysteth to dyspyse
And often is sycke, and begynneth to grone
And often angrye, and playneth hym soone
All these thynges, to an olde man befalleth
That Clarckes propertyes of age calleth
Thus men may se, that rede can
The condycyons, that be in an olde man.

Here ye may here of the ende of a mannes lyfe.

Quid enim fetidius humano cadauere Quid horribilius homine mortuo. &c.

He sayeth, what thynge may fouler be
Than a deade mannes body, is for to se
And what is more horryble, in any place
Than is to behelde a deade mannes face
And when it is, in earth by wounde
Wormes wyll do eate it, in a lytell stounde
Tyll that foule flesshe, away be ybyte
And thus I fynde, in holy boke ywryte.

Cum autem moritur homo hereditabit serpentes & vermes.

The boke sayeth, that when a man shall dye
As his kynde herytage, he taketh the way
To wormes and adders, that foule be of syght
For to them falleth mannes flesshe by ryght
Therfore shall euery man after earth slepe
Amonge foule wormes, that on them shall crepe
And they shall gnawe his foule carkayes
And so sayeth holy wryt, and speaketh this wayes.

Omnes enim in puluere doimient & vermes operient eos.

That is in earth, shall slepe euery man
And wormes shall eate them, from the toe to the pan
For in this worlde, so wytty man is none
Neyther so fayre in flesshe ne bone
Neyther Emperour, Kynge, ne Ceaser
Ne none other Lorde, what state he haue here
Neyther ryche, ne poore, ne bonde, ne fre
Learned ne lewde, what euer he be
That he ne shall tourne, after his last day
To earth and to powdre, and to foule clay
Therfore in my thought, I haue moche wonder
Syth that wormes shall freate vs a sonder
That no man in earth, unneth wyll it so
What he was, and is, and what he shall be
But who that wyll here, in his herte cast
What he fyrste was, and shall be at the last
And also what he is, whyle he lyueth here
He shulde than fynde, full lytell mattere
To make any myrth here, whyle he dwelleth
As a wyse vercyfyour in his verse telleth.

Si quis sentiet quo tendet & vnde veniret Num quoth gauderet: set in omni tempore fleret.

He sayeth, who that wyll fele and se
Whence he cōmeth, and whyther shall he
All maner myrthes, he shulde forsake
And euer wepe, and sorowe make
For who that of a man, had than a syght
When wormes had gnawen hym out ryght
And eaten his flesshe, in to the harde bone
So horryble a syght, sawe he neuer none
As he myght se in that carkayes
As saynt Bernarde wytnesseth and sayes.

Post hominem vermis, post vermen fetor & horror Et sic in non hominem, vertitur omnis homo.

He sayeth after death, man is worme become
And after wormes, to stenche he is nome
And so euery man, here tourned shall he be
Fro man in to no man, as it were nat he
Thus may men se, as it is wryte
Howe that a man, in his mother is behyght
And of this matter, more myght I tell
But no lenger theron, thynke I to dwell.