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Þe prior bad þai suld stand still,
& þus he spak þe voyce vntill:
“Whether ertou ane ill gaste or a gude?”
Þe voyce answerd with eger mode
and said: “Sir, I am a gude gaste;
þat may I proue þe here in haste.
for hali writ þus beres wittnes:
when god had made both more & les,
(he luk)ed his werkes in ilka wane
(and) þai war wonder gude ilkane.
(al werkes) er gude þat he gan ma,
(and) sen þat I am ane of þa,
(a gu)de gast I am forþi
(al) for my maker souerainly.
(þarf)ore may þou haue in minde
(þat I) am a gude gaste by kinde.
(Bot I a)m euyl for mine euil dede,
(& þar)fore haue I payn to mede”.
(Þe prior) answerd him in hy
(and said): “Þou sais noght sothfastly;
(þat may I proue) þe here in haste.
(þou sais þou ert) ane euil gaste
(for þe pain)es þat þou has here;
[OMITTED] þis manere:
[OMITTED] (g)ude, þat proue I þe,
[OMITTED] gude degre
[OMITTED] onis sin
[OMITTED] ld noght blin
[OMITTED] goddes will
[OMITTED] ht ill
[OMITTED] þarby”.
[OMITTED] Gy:
”[OMITTED] le
[OMITTED]
[OMITTED]
[OMITTED]
by iugement and [OMITTED]
for euil dedis þat þai did here;
bot neuer-þe-les þe pain es ill
to þam þat it es gifen vntill.
so es mine ill to me allane,
for me it pines and oþer nane.
and sen I haue swilk euyl payne
for mi sins, als es sertayne,
ane euill spirite men may cal me,
vntill time þat I clensed be
of euil þat I haue done”.
Þan al þus said þe prior sone:
“Tell vs apertly, or þou pas,
whilk mans spirite þat þou was”.
Þe voice answerd to him in hy
and said: “I am [þe] spirit of Gy,
þe whilk ȝe wate was newly dede
and was husband here in þis stede”.
Þe prior said: “Þan wele I finde
by reson þat þou ert vnkinde,
þat þou makes slike sclander & strife
vnto Gies bodi and to his wife.
for ay whils Gy was lifand man,
ful rightwis was he halden þan
and trew in faith, of nobill fame,
and his wif was halden þe same;
and for þir meruailes þat þou mase
now will men say in ilka place
þat Gy was man of wikked life
and þarfore turmentes he his wife;
for laud folk in ilka land
sais euyll men er oft walkand.
and Gy was halden gude alway,
wharfore þou ert vnkind, I say”.
Þe voice answerd þan als him thoght
and said: “vnkinde ne am I noght
nowþer to mi wif ne to my bodi.
enchesun sal I say þe why,
by sause þat þou sal noght forsake,
for swilk a scill here I þe make.
if þou had gifen a man to were
kote or hode or oþer gere,
and he þat so þi cote had tane
wald suffer for þi luf allane
in gude and ill to lif and dy,
war he noght kinde to þe forþi?”
Þe prior said: “ȝis, for sertayne”.
and þan answerd þe voyce ogayne
& said: “(right so bi me bifell).
here in þis erth wils I gan dewell,
of Gy I toke none oþer thing
bot his cors vnto my clething;
and þat cors þat I dedli call,
gert vs both in folies fall,
and for þe wikkednes þat it wroght
am I in all þir bales broght,
and his doing was ilkadele;
als haly writ witnes ful wele
and sais þat liking here of fless
contrari vnto þe saule es.
and if I sufferd noght þis payne,
Gyes bodi and als his saul sertaine
sul suffer paine with-outen ende
in fire of hell with mani a fende.
For ilka man both more and myn
sall suffer penance for þaire syn
ouþer in þis erth whare þai dwell,
or els in purgari, or in hell;
and ilka man might better here
suffer pain thurgh seuen ȝere
als mekill als ani man suffer may,
þan in purgatori a day;
and a day here to suffer care
may of a ȝere relese him þare.
Gyes bodi has now no skathe
and I am pined to saue vs bathe;
and efter when we cum to blis,
what ioy so I haue sall be his,
for bath togeder sall be þan
bodi and saul of ilka man.
and sen I haue þir paines grim
noght anly for me bot for him,
till he of all filthes be finde,
þan am I noght [to] him vnkinde.
And, sir Prior, also þou sais
þat I of Gy suld sclander rais.
þat will I answer on þis wise
and say þat I ger no sclander rise.
for þat es sklander kindely kend
þat sownes in ill or has ill end;
wha so it dose mun dere aby,
for haly writ sais weterly
Vnto þat man sall wa be wroght
thurgh wham sclander first vp es broght.
and all if answer þus for Gy
I do to him no vilany.
my spekeing es all for his spede
þat I haue neuynd to ȝow his nede,
and als my speche may gretly gayn
till oþer saules þat suffers payn.
and þat may þou þi-seluen se:
for mani folk of þis cete
cums to þis hows ful hastily,
and ilkone pray þai fast for Gy
þat god deliuer him out of care,
als þou and þi breþer did are;
and in þaire praiers þat þai say,
for al cristen saules þai prai,
and þe prayers þat men makes for ane
may help to oþer saules ilkane.
And also þai þat er on liue
sall suner of þaire sins þam schriue
and gif þam vnto penance hard,
þat þai be noght pined efterward
als I am pined now for my plight
þat Gy amended noght whils he might.
I say I sklander noght forþi
nowþer Gyes wife ne his body,
bot all þir sauwes þat I say now
er for þaire honore and for þaire prow”.
Þe Prior said: “þan ask I þe
how any man may euill be
when he es ded, sen þat he was
schreuen clene or he gan pas,
and was in will gude werkes to wirk
and ended in trowth of haly kirk
and had his sacramentes ilkane?”
Þe voice answerd sone onane
and said: “þat men may euyl be
on two maners, þat proue I þe,
when þai er ded and heþin gane.
þat may on þis maner be tane:
for þai er ill whare so þai wend,
þat dampned er, with-owten end;
and þai er euill for sertayn (space)
þat suffers pains in any p(lace)
for þaire sins, þat es to sai
till tyme þat it be wasted (owai).
þis same right in mi [OMITTED]
for I was schreuen [OMITTED]
ȝit am I euill, þis es [OMITTED]
till I haue sufferd [OMITTED]
For als men [OMITTED]
clerkes sais [OMITTED]
[OMITTED]
[OMITTED] here [OMITTED] syn was.
(þar)fore fully it suffices noght
forto be schreuen in will and thoght,
bot if men may in dede fulfill
þe penance þat es gifen þam till;
for þat þai do noght or þai dy,
sall fulfillde be in porgatory;
and a day þare to suffer paine
semes als a ȝere here for sertayne.
þarfore es gude þat men þam schriue,
and suffer penance in þaire liue”.
Þe Prior þan of him gan craue
if þat he wist oght wha war saue
or whilk men war dampned bidene,
in þe stedes whare he had bene.
Þe voyce answerd sone þartill
and sayd: “it es noght goddes will
þat I suld swilk thinges ascri;
I will þe say encheson why.
all þat in purgatori er dwelland
to blis of heuin er þai ordand,
þarfore þam au nothing to say
bot þat þai may warand alway.
and þe soth of þis may no man tell
bot he had bene in heuyn and in hell
and sene what sorow es in þe tane,
and ioy in þe toþer þat neuer bese gane;
(þu)s in þam bath wha so had bene,
(might) say þe soth als he had sene.
(and) sen I am þe gaste of Gy
(and) suffers pain in purgatori,
(pain)es in hell may I noght se—
(I was) neuer þare ne neuer sal be;
(and to he)uin may I noght win
(till I be clen)sed clene of sin;
(þarfor þe) soth may I noght say
(wha sal be saue)d or damned for ay”.
(Þe prior sai)d: “þou ert noght stabill,
(bot a spirit) fals and desayueabill,
[OMITTED] noght here,
[OMITTED] þis manere.
[OMITTED] kes k[n]awe
[OMITTED] in þe ald lawe
[OMITTED] resowne
[OMITTED] oune
[OMITTED] (incar))nacioune,
[OMITTED]
[OMITTED]
in Mari þe mayden milde of mode;
and als þai talde in mani a stede
how he in erth suld suffer dede,
and of his rising talde þai right:
and ȝit þai saw him neuer in sight.
And sen þai war men bodily
and said slike thinges thurgh prophecy
and kend þe folk how þai might knaw
swilk thing als þai neuer saw,
of more force þan thinkes me
a clene spirit, als þou suld be,
sold haue more might swilk thinges to tell
þan þai þat lifed in fless and fell;
and þan aght þe to wit by þis
whilk er in bale and whilk in blis”.
Þe voyce answerd to him in haste
and said: “forsoth þir wordes er wast;
I may wele proue þe in þis place,
it es no liknes þat þou mase
by-twix prophetes þat standes in stori,
and saules þat er in purgatori.
Þe prophettes had, whils þai wond here,
of god and of his angels clere
and of gift of þe haly gaste
al þaire maters leste and maste
þat þai might tell and preche ouerall
byfore als it sold efter fall;
swilk grete grace was gifen þam till,
and all was for þis sertayn scill:
for laud folk in ilka land
by þaire steuyns might vnderstand
and better trow how Criste was born,
by saus þat þai had said biforn;
for sen þaire saus fra god war sent,
men sal þam trow with gude entent.
And I am set for sertaine space,
to time þat god will grante me grace,
þus for my sins to suffer paine,
and, sir, I say þe for sertayne
þat I may now none angels se
bot þam þat has kepeing of me,
and to me will þai tell right noght
till I out of mi paines be broght.
Þarfor I may noght say sertaine
whilk er in ioy or wlik in payne”.
Þan said þe Prior sone onane:
“right in þi saus þou sall be tane.
(þou) sais no spi(rit mai sai to) me
whilk saules sal saued or dampned be;
and bukes beres witnes, be balde,
þat fendes sum tyme to men has talde
and said þe soth haly bydene
of þam þat saued or dampned has bene”.