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On þis wise þan þe prior sais:
“haly writ wittnes always
þat saules er helpid for sertaine
and oft deliuerd out of payne
thurgh speciall praier and special dede
þat frendes dose here for þaire mede,
and þa frendes dose þa dedes allane
for a saul and for oþer nane.
(þan þi)nk me þat his mede sall fall
[OMITTED] þan it war done for all
and more alege him of his payne”.
Þe voice answerd and said ogayne
þat all þe prestes þat messes singes
nedes forto do twa thinges:
(f)irst his praiers forto make
specialli for þat saul sake
þat he es most halden vntill,
(þ)at god deliuer him of all ill;
(and) when he has so praied for ane,
(þan) sall he pray for oþer ilkane.
(so) ilkane has mede of þat mes,
(and) þai for wham it ordand es
(er he)lpid maste fro bale þarby.
(And on) þis same maner am I
(deliuerd) of mi penance here
[OMITTED] lasted bi foure ȝere
[OMITTED] (m)isdedes als it was det.
[OMITTED] frende here has it sett
[OMITTED] þat þou wele knew
[OMITTED] þat I find trew;
[OMITTED] when he had nede
[OMITTED] þe scoles ȝede
[OMITTED] d most mister here
[OMITTED] fiue ȝere.
[OMITTED] wele I wroght
[OMITTED] forgetes he noght
[OMITTED] has me maste
[OMITTED] in haste
[OMITTED]
[OMITTED] passe
[OMITTED]
[OMITTED] payne,
and if þou here no(ght) þan of me
sothly sertayne may þou be
þat I in (blis) of heuen am stad”.—
Þe prior did right als he bad,
at þe pase efter he him soght:
bot of þe voice he herd right noght;
þarfore in heuyn he hopid he ware.—
bot in þat time ȝit asked he mare.
He said: “can þou oght trewli tell
if þou in þat ilk heuyn sal dwell
þat for goddes halows es puruaid?”
Þe voice answerd sune and sayd:
“Sir, I tald þe are ful euyn
þat I come neuer ȝit in heuyn,
þarfore I may tell þe nomare
of thinges þat er ordaind þare.
Bot of þat blis I mai be balde,
for þus myne angell has me talde,
þat I to passe in paine sold be
and þan, he said, þat I sall se
þe king of heuyn in his godhede
with his angels all on brede
and with his halows euerilk-ane.
and I answerd to him onane
and said: ‘lord, ful lang think me
þat semely sight vntill I se’.
bot he be loued in ilka place
þat vnto me has gifen swilk grace,
for trewly mai I trow by þis
þat I sall be in þat ilk blis
whare god and his angels sal be,
sen þat I sall þam þusgat se”.
Þan said þe prior: “what helpes maste
a saul vp into heuyn at haste
out of þe paynes of purgatori?”
Þe voice answerd to him in hy:
“messes may moste help þam þen
þat here er said of hali men,
and ordand of milde Mari fre”.
Þe prior said: “þan thinkes me
þe office þat es for saules sertain,
of Requiem, was made in vayn,
sen oþer helpes þam more þan it”.
Þe voice answerd vnto him ȝit
and said: “þat office es gude to say
when a man for al saules will pray
þat saued sall be efter þaire paine;
þan may þat office gretely gaine.
and for þat laud men here in land
can noght graythli vnderstand
þat saules has mede of oþer mes,
þarfore þat office ordand es”.
Þe prior said: “sen þou has kend
þat speciall messes may moste amend:
whilk oþer praiers withowten þa
may tittest saules fro penance ta?”
Þe voyce sayd þan: “Syr, sertaynly,
seuyn psalmes with þe letany”.
Þe prior said: “þat war noght right;
þe pater noster es more of might,
for it was made of Criste god sun
vntill all crysten folk to kun,
als prise of praiers, als men telles,
and þe Aue made angels
vnto Mari for manes mede,
and XII. apostels made þe crede;
and þe seuyn psalmes er erthli werkes,
ordand of bisshopes and oþer clerkes
men for to say for sin allane,
and Dauid made þam euerilkane;
and nowþer Dauid, wele we ken,
ne bisshoppes, ne none oþer men,
vnto Criste þai [er] noght at neuyn
ne ȝit vnto angels of heuyn
ne till apostels er þai noght pere.
þarfore me think þat þaire prayere
may noght of swilk merit be
als þe pater noster and þe Aue,
ne als þe Crede, for þam it wroght”.
Þe voice answerd þan als him thoght:
“Þir praiers er ful mekill of mede
and ful hali, if we tak hede,
in þam-self, þis es sertayne,
and þaire makers er mekill of mayne;
men sal þam honore als worthy es
bifore al oþer, out-tane þe mes.
Bot neuer-þe-les, syr, sertaynly
þe seuyn psalmes and þe letany
forto say er moste souerayne
vnto þe saules þat suffers payne,
for þai er ordand more and myn
euer a psalme ogaynes a sin,
so þai destroy þe sines seuyn;
þarfore þai er noteful to neuyn.
þe first psalme ful gudely grayd
ogaines pryde it es puruayd;
and þus it sais: ‘god lord and (syre),
deme vs noght in þi grete yre,
als þou did Lucifer þat fell
for his pride fra heuyn to hell’;
and so þe oþer psalmes on rawe
ilkone a sin away may drawe,
thurgh help of all halows in-fere
þat neuind er in þat praiere”.