University of Virginia Library

Þe Prior said: “now, if þou can,
tell vs what thing moste noyes man,
wit paynes of ded when he es tane”.
Þe voice answerd and said onane
þat vgly sightes sall moste him dere
of foule fendes þat him sal fere;
“ful many sall obout him be
defigured all in foule degre,
and grisly sall þai grin & gnaiste,
out of þaire wit þam forto wrayste,
and als byfor him sall be broght
al wikkednes þat euer he wroght;
so will þai fande with any gin
thurgh wanhope if þai might him win”.
Þe prior sayd: “þat wald I frayne
what remedy war þare-ogayne
and thing þat might help men maste
in (band)es of ded when þai er braste”.
(Þe) vo[i]ce sayd: “þare es sum man
(þat) may hope for no helping þan:
(for) if a man lede all his lyue
(in) sin and seþin wil him noght schriue
(and in) his hert will haue no care
(for) ill dedes he has done are,
(þan s)all his angell to him tell
(how Cr)iste for him had paines fell
(and ho)w he died for his byhoue,
(bot þat) sall be to his reproue;
(& sai als) how he was vnkinde
(vnto god) whils he had minde
(and als þa)t he was mys-avised
(þe sacra)mentes when he despised
(& wald noght) schriue him of his sin
[OMITTED] and ended þarin.
(when his wer)kes er thusgat sayd,
(þe fendes sall) obout him braid
(and him take) with all þaire might
(and sai to him): ‘þou weried wight,
(cum with vs now in) to hell,
(þare withowten ende) to dwell’.
(Bot if a man be schreuen) clene
[OMITTED] bydene
[OMITTED] ilkane
[OMITTED] (g)ane,
all-if his penance be noght done
his gude angell says to him (sone):
‘cumfort þe wele, I sall þe were
þat þe deuils sall þe noght dere’;
and vnto þe fendes þan sal he say:
‘ȝe weried wightes, wendes oway,
for ȝe haue no part in þis man’.
and þe fendes sall answer þan
and say on þis wise: ‘oures he es
by resun and by rightwisnes’,
and þarto sall þai schew full sone
all euell dedes þat he has done
both in eld and als in ȝowth,
sen first he kind[l]y wittes kowth,
and say: ‘he sinned þus and þus,
þarfore him aw to wend with vs’.
His gude angell will mak debate
and say: ‘he sined, wele I wate,
all on þis wise als ȝe haue talde;
bot he es borowed, be ȝe balde,
for with schrift was he clensed clene
and toke his sacramentes bidene,
and he had sorow for his sinyng;
to clensing fire þat sal him bring,
and þe merit of Cristes passion now
sal [be mene] bitwyx him and ȝow
and serue him both for sheld and spere,
þat ȝowre desaytes sal him noght dere.
and Cristes hend and als his side,
þat thirled war with wowndes wide,
sal be bitwix him and ȝowre hend
and fro ȝowre felnes him defend;
and Cristes face þat buffet was,
bitwix him and ȝowre face sal pas,
so þat he sall, if he ȝow se,
for ȝowre boste noght abaist be;
Al Cristes bodi spred on rode
sal be vnto him armure gude,
so þat ȝe sall haue no powere
him forto dere on no manere;
and þe lims of Ihesu fre
þat for mankind was pined on tre,
sall clens him now of his foly
he did whith lyms of his body;
þe saul of Crist, als we wele ken,
þat ȝolden was for erthly men,
sall purge him now of all þe plight
þat þis saule did with his awin myght.
so þat in him (sal leue no gilt)
(whar)fore he (suld) with . . (be) spilt,
ne no pain vnto him sall stand
bot purgatori þat (es) passand;
he sall be purged in þat place
and suffer pain a sertayne space,
and seþin with vs sall he wende
and won in welth with-owten ende’.
Þus sall þe gude angell help him
ogaynes þe deuils griseli and grim,
and þus es Cristes passioune
set bifor vs redy boune
forto defend vs fra þe fende
out of þis werld when we sall wende.
and þarfore aw ilk man bi kinde
to haue þat passioun most in minde,
and namely in þe tyme of dede,
for þan it standes man moste in stede.