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86

(III.) De decem preceptis.

1

Þe man þat godes hestes halt,
And þat myd gode wylle,
And nauȝt one by-fore men,
Ac boþe loud and stylle,
Meche hys þe mede þat hym worþe,
By so þat he na-drylle;
Ȝef he hys brekeþ, and so by-leefþ,
Hys sauyle schal he spylle.

2

Ȝef þou hys halst, man, god þe seiþe
Ha wole be þe so kende,
He wole be fo to þyne fon,
And frend to þyne frende;
Hye þe mysdoþ, ham wyle mysdo,
And haue þys in þyne mende:
Hys angel schal to-for þe go
To wyte þe fram þe fende.

3

Þyne sustenaunce þou schel[t] haue,
Þyȝ nauȝt a lyue delyce,
Ac mete and cloþes renableliche,
And lyf ine herte blysce.
Þaȝ folk þe heelde a nice man,
Þer-fore nert þou nauȝt nyce;
I-likned worþ þy gode loos
So swete so þe spyce.
87

4

Ȝef þe þat art a crystene man
Wel hy healde by-falleþ,
Syker þou myȝt be of þat lond
Þar melke and hony walleþ;
Þat hys þe blysse of heuene a-boue,
Þar holy soulen stalleþ
Ine glorye þer none ende nys,
Ne none swetnesse a-ppalleþ.

5

To wyte þanne wat god haȝt
Is eche man wel y-halde;
Þrof ich may telle ase ich wot,
Ase oþer men me tealde,
And ase hyt hys in holye boke
I-wryten ine many a felde:
Lestneþ to mey, par charyte,
Boþe ȝonge and ealde.

6

O þyng hyt hys, al þat god hat,
Bote a two he hyȝt dyȝte,
And þat hys loue, man, syker þou be,
To louye wyþ þy myȝte.
Þou ert y-helde, man, þer-to
By skele and eke by ryȝtte;
Þou þenke her-on, par charyte,
By dayes and eke by nyȝtte.

7

Þys loue god heþ y-diȝt a tuo
Amang hijs hestes alle.
Þe ferste hys, for to louye god,
By-falle what so falle;
Seþþe to louye alle men,
So broþren scholde ine halle,
Wyþ-outen byternesse of mode,
Þat hijs þare saule galle.
88

8

Þe man þat healdeþ þys[e] two,
Of charyte þe heastes,
Al he folue[l]þ þe lawe of gode,
And prophetene gestes.
Ac lasse loue þer hys wyþ men
Þane be wyþ wylde bestes:
Þat doþ þat manye y-schodred ben
Fram heuene-ryche festes.

9

Ten hestes haueþ y-hote god,
Ase holy wryt ous tealde;
Ope two tablettes of ston
Wyþ hys finger bealde
He hys wrot, Moyses by-tok,
Wylom by daȝes ealde,
To wyse man hou [he] schal wel
Þese ten hestes healde.

10

In ston ich wot þat he hys wrot,
In tokne of sykernesse,
Þat wo þat wole ysaued be,
Þe more and eke þe lesse,
By-houeþ þat he healde hy
Wyþ al hys bysynysse.
Allas! feawe þencheþ þer-on
I[n hare] wykkednesse.

11

Þet o table hedde þry
Of þyse hestes tene;
Þe þri longeþ to loue of gode,
Ase hyȝt schel wel be sene.
Þe seuen longet to loue of man,
Þat none scholde wene
89

Ine þoþer table sete þo,
To-gadere and al y-mene.

12

Honury þou schelt enne god,
Hym one to by-knowe;
Take nauȝt hys name in ydelschepe,
Wyþ ydel wynde to blowe;
Halȝe þou þe masseday,
Ase he comþe in þe rewe:
In þese þre schewyþ þe loue of god,
Were hyt hys to sewe.

13

Worschipe þy fader and moder eke;
Ne bryng no man of lyue;
Do þe to none lecherye,
Þaȝ þe fondyngge dryue;
Wytnesse uals ne bere þou non;
Of þefþe þou ne schryue;
Coueyte none mannes wyf,
Ne nauȝt of hys forstryue.

14

Þys beþe þe seuene þat loue of man
Schewe[þ] what hyȝt be scholde;
Ȝef eny man fayleþ eny of þys,
Nys hyȝt bote an on-holde.
Ac al to fewe louyeþ ham,
And wylleþ þat oþer wolde;
Alas! wat schal be hare red
Wanne hy beþ vnder molde?

15

Ac many man desceyued hys,
And weneþ þat he hys helde;
And weyneþ þat he be out of peryl,
Oþer ine senne so schealde,
Þat hym ne douteþ of no breche
Of godes hestes healde;
90

Ac he not nefer wat hy beeþ,
Ne neuer hy ne tealde.

16

I-wryte hyt hys, ich telle hyȝt þe,
Ine þe boke of wysdome,
Þat eche man scholde conne hy,
And rekeny wel y-lome;
And þat hy nere nauȝt for-ȝete,
Wane oþere þouȝtes come,
Tys fyngres scolde man bynde hy
For doute of harde dome.

17

For mannes honden and hys fet
Beret tokene wel gode
Of alle þe tenne comaundemens:
Þat, man, þyt onder-stoude!
Ten fyngres and ten þine tone,
Of flesche and bon and blode,
Tokneþ þat þyne workes ne be,
Aȝeyns þe hestes, for-broude.

18

Ȝet somman hijs þat passioun-lyche
Can telle hy myd þe beste,
Ac ine hys dedes uares he
Ase he nauȝt of hem neste;
And ȝet hym þingþ þat he deþ wel,
And for to come to reste;
Ac al desceyued schel he be,
Wanne comeþ þe grete enqueste.

19

Here-fore nys hyȝt nauȝt y-nouȝ
To telle hy uor to conne:
And telle and werche wel þer-by,
Þanne hys hyȝt alle y-wonne.
91

For wel to conne, and nauȝ[t] to don,
Nys naþer rawe ne y-sponne;
Lytel hijs worþ, bote hyt endy wel,
Þyng þat hijs wel by-gonne.

20

Þey hyt be wel lyttelyche ysed,
Þe ferste heste a rowe,
For to honoury anne god,
Hym one to by-knowe,
Þenche þou most wel bysyly,
And þy wyȝt þran by-stowe,
And bydde hym, þat þou hyt mote do,
Wel myldeleche a knowe.

21

For þou ne myȝt hytte nefere do,
Man, wel wyþ-oute grace:
So heþ þys wordle bounde þe
Wyþ here lykynges lace.
Þer-fore þe by-houeþ godes helpe,
Þat he hyt wolde arace,
So þat þou ne teldest no worþ
Of [here] blandynge face.

22

For ȝyf þy wyl reio[ye]þ more
In enyes kennes þynges,
Be hyȝt þy childe, oþer þy best,
Land, brouches, oþer rynges,
Oþer aȝt elles, wat so hyt be,
Bote god þat hys kynge of kynges,
Þou ne a-nourest god aryȝt,
Ac dest is onderlynges.
92

23

By-lef þou in no wychecraft,
Ne ine none teliinge,
Ne forþe inne none ymage self,
Þaȝ þat be great botninge;
Bote as al holy cherche þe tek[þ]
Þou make þyne worþynge,
For gode nele nauȝt þat þou hyt do,
Bote by þere wyssynge.

24

Þanne asay þyn oȝe þoȝt
By þysser ylke speche,
And ȝyf þou annourest god aryȝt,
Þyne inwit wyle þe teche;
And ȝyf þou fynst þat þou ne dest,
Amende, ich þe by-seche:
Þou ert a sot, and myȝt do bet,
And so siȝst yn þe smeche.

25

Þat oþer heste apertelyche
Schewed mannes de-faute,
Wanne he alday swereþ ydelleche
In kebbyng and in caute.
Mechel hys þat he makeþ hym
Her-efterward to touty,
Wenne he schal hys a-countes ȝyue
Of ech idel sente.

26

Þenne ne couþe ich nanne red
Of þylke a-countes oure,
Nere þe milse of god self,
Oure alder auditour[e],
Þat wolle þe arerages for-ȝeue,
Ȝef hyt hys to hys honoure;
Ac cesse, man, of þy ydelschep,
Oþer ich wole out wel soure.
93

27

Þe þrydde heste apertelyche
Scheweþ þy wykked rote,
Wanne þou [ne] halst þy masseday,
As god hyt haþ y-hote,
Ac werkest, oþer werky dest,
Werkes þat beþ to note:
Þe wykkede ensaumple þat þou ȝefst
Þou a-beyst, ich þe by-hote.

28

And þaȝ þou ne werche nauȝt,
Ac gest to þyne gloutynge,
Oþer in eny oþer folke
In pleye of þretynge,
Þou halst wel wors þane masseday
Þane man myd hys workynge;
Þare-fore do þe al y-holliche
Þat day to holy þynge.

29

Þe ferþe heste scheweþ þe
Þat þye senne schal sle þe,
Ȝyf þou rewardest þyne eldrynges nauȝt
A lyue and eke a deþe,
Þat were wel besy to brynge þe forþe,
As hy myȝten onneþe;
Ȝyf þou hy gnaȝst and flagȝst ek,
Ryȝt hys þat fendes flea þe.

30

Nauȝt nys þys heste y-hote of god
For suche eldren al-lone,
Ac hys of mannes eldren eke
As he teȝt atte font-stone,
94

Þer holy cherche þy moder hys
In fader cristes mone;
Ȝef þou ert on-boxom to hyre,
Grace of God ne worþe þe none.

31

Þe fyfte heste scheweþ þe
Þat þou ne schalt nauȝt smyte,
Ne nauȝt ne mys-segge ne mys-do,
Ne nauȝt foulleche at-wyte.
For ofte þe mannes sleȝte aryst,
Were man hyȝt weneþ wel lyte;
And he þat spilleþ mannes lyf,
Veniounse hyt schel a[c]wyte.

32

And ȝef þer hys mansleȝþe pur,
As ous telleþ holy boke,
Ȝyf eny man for de-faute deyþ,
And eny hym for-soke
To helpe hym of þat he may,
Hys lyf to saue and loke:
Her dere ȝer acuseþ fele
Þat god and orþe touke.

33

And ȝet seint iohan þe-wangelyst
Al into mende draȝeþ,
He þat hatyeþ eny man,
He seche þat he hym slaȝe.
Manye suche mansleȝþen beþ,
Þat al day men for-gnaȝeþ,
& Sweche beþ in helle depe,
Þat deuelen al to-draweþ.
95

34

Þe sixte heste scheweþ wel
Þe soþe to al mankenne,
Þe dede ydo in lechery
Hys ryȝt a dedleche senne;
And elles nere hyȝt nauȝt for-bode
amange þe hestes tenne:
Þe þat seggeþ hyt nys nauȝt so,
hare wyȝt hys al to þenne.

35

Her hys for-bode glotenye,
So ich þe by-hote;
For hyt norysseþ lecherye,
Ase fer, þe brondes hote.
And þaȝ þer be alone lomprynge
In lecheryes rote,
Al hyt destrueþ charyte,
Wyþ wrake and wyþ þrete.

36

Þe seuende heste schewed wel
Man schal be true in dede,
Þat no man abbe of þe oþeres naut
Þorȝ þefte wycke rede;
For al hys þefte þat man teȝt
Myd wyl of wynnynghede
Aȝens þe ryȝt oȝeres wyl,
So lawe y-wryte hyt sede.

37

Þanne hys hyt a þef, wo-so hyt be,
Þat manne god so takeþ,
Be hyȝt by gyle oþer mestry,
Oþer wordes þat he crakeþ.
In londe suche his many a þef
Þat y-now hym makeþ;
96

He wenþ by chere of iugement,
Ac helle after hym wakeþ.

38

Þe eȝtende heste þe for-bed
Þe false wytnessynge;
And þat hys, man, syker þou be,
Alle manere lesynge
To hermy in [hys] body man,
Oþer in hys oþer þynge,
Oþer in hys saule, and þat hys worst,
In peryl for to brynge.

39

Al hyt hys senne þat me leȝþ,
Bote þat men leȝþ for gode
Ryȝt deadlyche senne nys þat nauȝt,
For myldenesse of mode.
Ac elles, man, al þat þou legst
Is deaþlich and for-brode;
Þo þet hyȝt useþ, ich wot hy beþ
Vn-wyser þane þe wode.

40

Alas! onneþe eny man
Þat þyse heste(s) healde;
Alle hy beþ y-torned to lesynge,
Þes ȝonge and eke þes ealde.
Þer-to hys mentenaunce great,
Þat makeþ hy wel bealde:
Do ȝe nauȝt so, par charyte,
Ac ȝoure tongen ȝe wealde.

41

Þe neȝende heste þe for-bed
Þat wyl to lecherye,
And to spousbreche nameleche,
Þat so meche hys to glye.
Þanne nys hyt nauȝt one dea[d]lyche
Swych dede to complye,
97

Ac ys þat uoule wyl al so
To swyche fylenye.

42

Þe teþe heste þe fo[r]-bet
Wyl tou oþer manne þynge,
For þat desturbet charyte,
In onde man to brynge.
Defendeþ ȝou for godes loue
Fram alle wykked wyllynge;
For suche wyl hys for dede iset
In godes knelechynge.

43

Nou ich ȝou bydde for þe blode
Þat ihesus blede on þe rode,
Þat in te herte takeþ þys two
To ȝoure soule fode;
And fo[l]ȝeþ nauȝt in þys wordle
Þe uyle commune floude
Þat fleuþ in-to þe fendes mouþe;
And so seiþe iop þe gode
AmeN.
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