[Poems from the Vernon MS]

Þis prest was in ful gret þouht
Wher he schulde hosele hem or nouht.
He preyede to God, heuene-kyng,
Þat he wolde sende him tokenyng
Wheþer he scholde hem hosul forbede;
To ȝiue hit hem he hedde gret drede.

ffrom god he hedde þis onswere:
Þat vch on scholde heor oune charge bere,
And þat he scholde werne hit none
But ȝiue hit forþ to euerichone;
“Do as Ihesu dude in dede,
And þou schalt no mon hit forbede,
No more þen he dude Iudas
Þat hedde I-don a gret trespas;

Ihesu ȝaf alle wiþ mylde mood,
Whon Bred was turned to flesch and blod.
ffor summe þat hit take hit schal hem saue,
And summe þerfore peyne schal haue;
Aftur þey aren of synne clene,
Also schal hit on hem beo sene.”

206

Ȝit preyed he god of More grace:
Þat he mihte knowe be þe face
Whuche resceyued hit worþily,
And wȝuche to haue hit not worþi.
And [god] graunted him his wille,
To knowe þe goode from þe ille.
Þe folk þat to þe prest went
fforte receyue þe sacrament,

Of somme þe face was also briht
As þe sonne In somer-liht;

And summe þe visage was also blak
Þat noþing miht hit Blakore mak;

Of somme hit was as red as blod,
Starynge as þei weore wood;

Of somme þe visage was bolled stoute,
As boþe heore eȝen welleden oute;

And summe nymped wiþ feet and hondes,
As dogges don þat gnawen heore bondes;

And somme hedde visages of Meselri;
And somme were lyk foul Maumetri.
Moni wondres weore on hem seene,
Mo þen he couþe þenne deme.

Þe prest, whon he sauh alle þise,
Of þat siht he gan to grise,
ffor þat siht he was hidouse
And dredful and Meruilouse.

Ȝit preȝede he god wiþ good entent
Þat he mihte wite what al þis ment.
And god almihti louede him wel
And wolde schewe him eueridel:
“Þo Men þat weore so briht
As þe sonne on day-liht,
Þo Men aren ȝit in Charite
And clene of synne, and worschupeþ me.

Þo Men þat were so blake
Þat no þing mihte hem blakore make,
Þo weore lechours foul wiþ-Inne
And haue no wille to leue heor synne.

Þo Men þat weore so red as blood,
Þei are tirauns wikked of mood,

207

Heore Euencristen for to slo
Wiþ dede and wiþ word also.

Þo þat þow sauh wiþ Bollen visage,
Þo aren Envyous and ouer-outrage.

And þo þat nymped her fingres and hendes,
Are Bacbyteres bi-twene frendes.

Þo þat þou sauh Meseles bi siht,
Þey loue more good þen god almiht.

Þo þat þou sauh lik Maumetrie,
On worldly þinges þei most affye,
More loue þei catel þat he haþ sent
Þen þei don hym þat al haþ lent.

Þeose-maner men are riht in wille
In heore synne to leue stille,
And þerfore schal þe sacrament
Of hem aske heor Iugement,
Þat þei haue resceyued him vnworþily
And serued þe fend wiþ ful Envy.”—

Þis tale is told for loue of þo
Þat in synne to hosul go,
Or ben in wille to torne aȝeyn;
Al heore trauayle þei don in veyn.

Ȝif þou wole þyn hosel saue take,
Beo in wille þi synne to forsake
Euermore in studefast herte;
And ȝif þou synne in bodi smerte,
God takeþ hit nouȝt to so gret grim
As þou in tresun Receyuede hym.
In no þing wot I more tresun
Þen bringe þi lord on his felun,
And ȝit men seiþ þe synne is to greue
Þat bringeþ a trewe mon on a þeue.
Ȝif þou do þus þi witande,
Þen chargen hit me moste on hande.
Þerfore loke þou wite nouht
No synne I-hud In herte ne þouht!

ffor no Clerk þat is in synne,
Til he leue and þer-of blynne
He schulde not serue atte Auteer
Ne hondle þing þat comeþ þer neer.

208

I touched er of þis outrage
Whon I spac of þe sacrilage,
Þat þe holigost schewed him nouht
ffor þe Dekene syngede in þouht;
In þe tale of Ion Grisostomus
Þis tale is told, for ow and vs.

Als is he worþi to ben i-schent
Þat sone aftur þe sacrament
To folye and to synne drawes—
Luitel of Godus vengaunce hym awes!

Ȝif þou forȝete or ouer-sittes
Þe tyme of hosul þat þou wel wittes,
Luitel fors of him þou ȝeues,
Nouþur þou louest hym ne leues.
And ouer al he loueþ þe best;
And þou ne wolt a nihtes gest
Leten hym herborwe in þin hous!
Þou art vnkynde and Meruylous,
Þat al þe ȝer þou letest him weyue,
Wiþ worschipe woltou not him resceyue.
God Manaseþ for þis chesun,
ffor riht hit wole and eke resun:
ffor suche men aren holden vntrewe

In þe Olde lawe and in þe newe.
Comaunded In þe Olde lawe was
Ones in þe ȝeer to schewe þi trespas.

Þe newe lawe is of þe more honour,
Ones in þe ȝeer resceyue þi creatour,
Ones a ȝer him to knoweleche,
Þi lord to plese for doute of wreche.

Þat prest i blame ouer alle þinge,
Wiþ-outen gret skil þat letteþ to synge;
ffor mony a soule mihte I-saued be
Wiþ þat Masse þat þenne leueþ he.
ffor alle þat in þe peyne Is,
Abydeþ socour of þe Mes,
ffor eueri Masse makeþ Memorie
Of soules þat aren In purgatorie.
Muche þonk schal he haue
Þat helpeþ soules for to saue;

209

No þing may so muchel avayle
Of heore peynes and heore trauayle
As þe sacrament of þe Auteer,
Hit makeþ hem of peynes cleer.
And þat may I schewe apertely
Bi a tale of seynt Gregori:

University of Virginia Library

2. Narracio presbiteri parochialis.