University of Virginia Library

Þis wordus here þat I ow say,
To Religious men longen þay;
Þus muche ben þei forte mene,
As ȝe schul heere al bydeene:
“Seo,” he seiþ, “bi-holde ȝe
To what þing ȝe cleped be.”
Þat he seiþ, hem to redresse
And to sturen hem to Parfytnesse.
ffor eueri Mon þat lyueþ here
Ouhte ha Ioye and Serwe I-fere:
Ioye for þe worþily wonynge
Þat is ordeynt to wel lyuynge,

Serwe also to haue þerbi
ffor vre liuynge vnrihtfuli.
ffor her seiþ seint Eusebi
Wordus þat ben ful dredfuly:

“A Mon to Religiun him dresse
Is aller-hext sikernesse;
Not parfyt liue þer-inne son
Is aller-hext Dampnacion.”
In Religiun we to beo don
Is aller-hext Saluacion:
Ȝif þow wolt þat saluacion proue,
Al þat is good þou most loue,
Þou most loue eke also
Al þat Religius longeþ to;
Þou most al þi wille ȝiue
Parfytly and sikerly to liue.
And seint Bernard vs techeþ in hiȝ
To liue Mekeli, loueli, and worschipfuli.
Þat “worschipfuli” is to mene,
To Godus worschipe feir and clene,
Þat þou do al þyn entent
To don al his Comaundement;
To don his biddyng þou not asterte
In al þat þou may þenke wiþ herte,
And loke þou no þing þer-of breke
Wiþ al þat þou wiþ mouþ mai speke,
Or worche in dede wiþ-oute striue
Wiþ eny of þi wittes fyue,
Wiþ siȝt of Eȝe, wiþ Tonge tastyng,
Smellyng of Neose, of Ere heryng;
What þou dost bi wei or strete
Wiþ bodi worching, going wiþ feete,
Liggyng, stondyng, þenkyng also,
Loke ȝif hit beo godus wille or no.
Ȝif hit beo his wille, do hit son;
Ȝif hit ne beo, hit not don,
Do hit not þenne for no maystrie,
Þouȝ þou scholdest þerfore dye.—
Þenne mony mon loud and stille
Wol aske, what is godus wille.
Hit is to vs boþe more and les
To haue vs euere in holynes.—

Þenne is to wite what, and whi,
Þat makeþ a mon þenne holi.
Two þinges þer ben In worchyng:
Þat on is loue, þat oþur knowyng;
Þat is knowyng of alle soþnes,
And loue of alle grete goodnes.
To knowyng of god þat is soþnes
Maist þou not come in blod and flesch,
Bote to knowe þin owne flesch,
And also godus grete goodnes,
Maistou not come, as I þe mene,
Wiþ-outen loue of þin Euencristene.
To knowyng of þi-sel[f] maistou
Come þorwh good þenkyng nou;
Þou mayȝt come to godus knowynge
Þorwh þin owne feire plesynge.
To knowe þi-self old or ȝinge
Maistou come bi þis bithinkynge:
Þenk bisiliche, I preye þe,
What þou weore, art, and schalt be,
ffurst as to þi bodi here,
Seþþhe to þi soule þat is so dere.
As to þi bodi: foulore hit is
Þen euer was eny donge, I-wis—
Was neuer ȝit dounge so foule
Þat wolde so stinke, rote and moule;
Þou weore in so gret fulþe igete,
Abhominable hit is þerof to speke;
Þou schalt beo dilyueret to frete
To Todus and oþur wormes mete.
What þou hast ben & art, haue in mynde,
Þat þi soule beo not beo-hynde;—
What þi soule schal beo in tyme comyng,
May no mon knowe but heuene-kyng.

Þenk þou hast In chele and hete
I-do mony wikkednesse and grete,
Þenk also, hem to redresse
Þow hast laft mony gret goodnesse.

Þenk also, þat þis beo not weyued,
Þat longe hast lyued, and muche reseiued,
And hou þou hast spendet þat reseit;
To þe þenne wol þis beo ful streit:
ffor vch a tyme, drede þe nouȝt,
Þat þou hast not on god I-þouȝt,
Þou hast so loren of þi dispens
And don aȝeyn þi lordus defens—
ffor hit is vr lordus biddyng
To loue him ouer al oþur þyng.
ffor þou schalt ȝelde also a-counte
What vch an Idel word wol amounte,
Also to Acountes þou schalt beo brouȝt
ffor euerich Idel werk and þouht;
And as vch an her on þin hed is wried
Þat is saued schal beo glorifyed,
Also schal no þing ascape
Wiþ-outen a-counte erly or late. . . .
ffor þe soule þer hit is holde,
Is more þen al þis worldus molde—
Here is muche of godus grace!
Ȝit schal hit ocupye no place.
Þe Bodi and þe soule ben al a-stray,
Diuerse þouȝtes, willes, disires al day:
Ho mihte þenne seche his herte so niȝ
To ȝiue acountes al trewely
Of al þat euere he hedde mys-wrouht
Or eny mis-dede hedde in þouht?
Seoþ now, breþeren bi ten or twelue,
How ȝe ha neode to knowe or-selue!—
Tac good ȝeme what þou [now] art
To soule, and let hit not astart,
Whon þou hast in þe luytel of goode,
Luitel of wit and pouwer and moode,
Þis is þus muche forte say
Þat þou coueytest vche a day
Þing þat nouht is worþ in dede
Ne þat þe helpe mai at gret nede.
Help vs god þat sitteþ on lofte,
ffor elles beo we bigyled ofte,
Oþurwhile þorwh Ragynge as vnwitti,
And oþurwhile beo veyn glori;
Now are we trauaylet in to drede I-lope,
Now beo þe wey of fals hope.
Þow art so chaungable be-hynde & bi-forn,
Þat we wol to-day we wol not to-morn;
Ofte vr-seluen for to plese
Are we aboute worldly ese,
But we haue hem at vr wille
We beo turmented, us þinkeþ wiþ ille:
Whon þou hem at þi wille most hast,
Þen art þou wiþ hem agreued mast.

Þenk wel ȝit, I rede þe,
Hou liht þou art to tempted be,
ffebel and Brutel to stonde a-ȝeyn,
Redi to asente wiþ al oure mayn.
Of alle þeos Merueylous chaunces
Vr lord haþ sent vs diliueraunces,
And vche oþur day þerfore
He vs dilyuereþ more and more.

Whon þou weore nouȝt, he formede þe,
Þi soule to his liknesse to be,
And þy stinkynde bodi also
ffoormed he wiþ lymes two,
So feir and noble and of gret prise
Þat no Mon may no such deuise.

Þenk bisiliche, ȝe
Þat loueþ or ffadres and modres fre,
Whi ȝe louen hem so tenderly—
I wolde wite þe resun whi.
Ȝif þou seist þus, as soþ hit is,
ffor þou wer born and geten of her flesch:
So don þe beestes, soþ to say,
Þat breden of Mon and wommon al day.
Þe soþe ȝif þou wol lerne þen,
Bodi ne soule nastou of hem,
But bi him ful witterli
Þat is vr lord, god Almihti.
What heddestou ben, I preye þe,
Ȝif þou heddest stille such i-be
In fulþe of synne as þou i-gete were?
fful Abhomynable hit is to here.

Ȝif þou loue broþur or suster þan
ffor þei ben of þat fflesch i-tan
Þat þou weore þi-self also—
Þerfore þat loue hast þou hem to:
Þou scholdust þen loue hard and nesch
A pece of ffadur or Modur fflesch
In þis Maner, þat I sei here,
Al on Schornes þeiȝ hit were.

Ȝif þou sigge in þis degre
Þou louest hem, for flesch figured þei be
To þi liknes, and for þei han
Soule of god as þou hast tan:
Bi þis is he no more þi broþur
But on as muche as is a-noþur,
But in as muche neuer-þe-latur
As ȝe hedde boþe on flesch-fadur,
And þenne þe biginnyng of vre flesch
Is stynkynde fulþe neuerþeles.

Of O flesch-ffadur alle we came,
Adam was he cald bi name;
And for he dude so gret folye,
Scholde we neuer loue her fleschlye,
Bute vche Mon þus scholde loue oþur
Gostlich here as sustur and broþur.—
Ihesu, þat is vr aller kyng,
As I seide atte bygynnyng,
Whon þou weor nouȝt, þen formed he þe.
Whon þou weore lore, þen fond þe he,
Whon þou weore sold in sorwe and sinne,
Þen bouȝt he þe wiþ muchel wynne;
Whon þou were diht, i-dampned also,
Þen mihtfulliche he saued þe þo;
Whon þou weore boren in synne eke,
He Baptised þe wiþ wordus swete.
And whon þou sungest, al day to se,
Þen Mekeliche he soffreþ þe,
And longe he wol ȝit þe abyde,
Resseyue þe aftur, so may be-tyde,
And putte þe in to his swete couent,
Euer to beo to him present.
Whon þou mis-dost, he wol þe þrete,
Longe he bydeþ ar he wol bete;
Whon þou syngest wiþ wille fre,
fful sone wol he for-ȝiue hit þe.
Whon þou mis-gost eke also,
He þe Amendeþ wiþ wille ful þro,
Whon þat þou in doute art ouht,
In to þe techyng he haþ þe brouht;
Whon þou art hungri in eny neode,
ffeire he ordeyneþ þe to ffeede;
Whon þou hast colde, he warmeþ þe, Mon,
Whon þou hast hete, he keleþ þe þon;
Whon þou wakest, he saueþ þe so,
Whon þou slepest, he kepeþ þe to;
Whon þou rist vp, he þe sosteyneþ,
Whon þou fallest, he þe reiseþ,
Whon þou sittest, he halt þe ek,
Whon þou stondest, he strengþeþ þi feet,
And also, soþ for to say,
He vndursitteþ þe euere and ay;
Whon þou gost, he wol þe lede,
Whon þou aȝeyn turnest, resseyueþ þe eke,
Whon þou gost mis, a-ȝeyn calleþ he,
Whon þou art seek, þi cumfort to be.
Such goodnesses in mony degre
Haþ vr lord god I-do for þe.
And goodnesse in þyn herte wore,
Þou weore holden euer-more
Alle dayes to þenke [on him] I-wis,
And alle tymes to þonke for þis,
Alle dayes to speke to [him] Aboue
And alle dayes him hertly loue,
And also wel, ȝit i þe say,
On niht as vppon þe day.
Þerfore þou þat art þus wrouȝt,
At euen and morwe haue þus þi þouȝt
Hou mony þousund men to say
Han perisched in þat niht or þat day,
Summe in bodi, soþ hit is,
Summe in soule leosen her blis;
Summe in fuire and oþur maneere,
Summe in water þat is so clere;
Summe Robbed and woundet also;
Summe sodeynly to deþ han go
Wiþ-outen schrif and hosul þen
Þat hem þe rihte wei scholde ken,
And for defaute of Confessiun
Parauntur go to dampnaciun.