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Þe prior þan with wordes hende
asked how sone a saul mal (wende)
when it es past fra þe body
to heuyn or hell or purgatori.
Þe voice answerd and said: “it may
in litill space wende all þat way,
sone es it broght whare it sal be.
þat mai þou bi ensampill se.
Þou sese when þe sun es riseand,
þe light gase sone ouer ilka land,
ouer al þis werld it passes playne,
bot if þare stand oght þarogaine.
right so þe saules, when men es ded,
alsone er in þaire sertain stede,
to heuyn or hell þai wend in hy;
and if þai pas to purgatori,
sum-tyme wend þai noght so sone,
and þat es for þaire profet done.
If þai haue any faithful frende
in þis werld here, when þai wende,
þat for þam will ger sing and rede
or els do ani almus-dede,
þai may so do for þam þat tide
þat in þe ayre þe saul sall bide
vntill it haue þe merit tane
of þaire prayers euerilkane,
and so by help of þaire gudenes
may his penance be made les;
þe dedes þat þan er done in haste
vnto mens saules amendes maste.
on þis same maner als I say
in þis cete was done þis day:
a frere died and demed was
to comun purgatori at pas;
bot in þe time of his transing
of his breþer he asked þis thing:
þat þai sold do in dede and saw
for him als þai war bunden by law
and messes þat þam aght to say,
par charite he gan þam pray
þat þai suld be said in hy,
and euerilkone of oure lady,
[OMITTED]
(and) afterward þan þus bitid:
when he was ded, þan þus bifell:
his angel demed him forto dwell
in comun purgatori playne
thre monethes to suffer payne
als worthi was, efter his dede;
bot þan oure lady ful sune ȝede
vntill hir sun and prayed þat tide
þat þe saul suld in þe aire abide
vnto it had þe merit clere
of dedes þat war done for it here.
and twa owres so dwelled it still
in þe aire, als was goddes will;
and mercy of god had he
thurgh praier of his moder fre
and thurgh þe dedes þat here war done,
þat he sal be in blis ful sone;
in pain he has no langer tyme
bot fra now till to-morn at prime”.
Þan said þe prior till hym sone:
“Whilk dedes of all þat here er done
may titest help a saul to heuyn?”
Þe voice answerd and said ful euyn:
“Þe parfite werkes of charite
þat er done als þam aw to be,
þat es to say till goddes bihoue
and oure euin-cristen if we lufe,
þan of oure werkes will god be paid”.
Þe prior answerd ful sone and sayd:
“If þat þou can, tell vs in haste
what maner of men þat now er maiste
in purgatori to suffer paine?”
Þe voice answerd and said ogain:
“no men cumes þat place within
bot anli þai þat haue done sin;
and al þat sines & saued sall be
er pined þare of ilk degre
efter þe dedes þat þai haue done”.
And þan þe prior asked sone
what maner of folk þat he here fand
þat in þaire life war best lifand.
Þe voice said: “sir, soth it es,
and hali writ wele beres witnes,
þat noman aw oþer to praise
wheþer he do ill or wele alwaise,
for mans lif es to prais nothing
bot he may haue gud ending;
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wheþer [he] be worthi luf or (hate),
(ne) wheþer his werkes er ill (or lele),
vntill þe dome be done ilk dele;
þan sal he se him-self sertayne
wheþer he es worthi ioy or paine”.
Þe prior said: “þan ask I þe,
whilk es most parfite degre
of all þat on þis grownd er grayd?”
Þe voice answerd ful sone & said:
“In ilka state I se, he sais,
sum thinges to lac, & sum to prayse,
þarfore I will prais no degre
ne none sall be empaired bi me;
bot neuer-þe-les ȝit wald I rede
þat all fulli in ilk a stede
serue god with all þaire might,
in what degre so þai be dight”.
Þe prior asked with wordes stabill
if þat god war oght merciabill
to sawles þat er in purgatori.
Þe voice said: “ȝa, sir, sertanli;
vnto sum saulles, þis es sertaine,
releses he forth part of þaire paine,
of sum þe thrid part he releses,
of sum þe secund part he seses;
and þat es for gude praiers (sere)
þat lifand frendes for þam (dos here);
if mani dedes for þam be done
þan mai þai pas fro pai(nes sone).
lifand frendes þus mai þam (ses)
of paines þat þai suld (haue les);
and praiers helpes þam (of angels)
and of halous þat in (heuyn dwells)”.
Þe prior said: “þan wald I [OMITTED]
whatkin pain þi-selfe [OMITTED]
in purgatori wills (þou sal dwell)”.
Þe voice said: “I sall þe tell;
in flaume of fir [OMITTED]
þat all þir [OMITTED]
and haue no [OMITTED]”
Þe prior said þ(an: “it es na fabil)
þat þou ert (a spirit deceyuabil);
þat sall I proue [OMITTED]
þis wate þou [OMITTED]
god dose no [OMITTED]
for [OMITTED]
his w [OMITTED]
[OMITTED]
[OMITTED] es a gaste spirituall,
(and bodili) thing mai haue no might
(in spiritual) thing bi dai ne night.
(and by) þis resoun may þou se
(þat) fire may haue no might in þe,
(al)-if þou þarin sit or gang”.
Þe voice said: “sir, þou has þe wrang
þat þou me haldes so decaiuabill,
and þou has fun in me no fabill.
Bot neuer-þe-les, sir, whare þou sais
þat bodili thing bi nokins wais
in gastli thing mai haue powere,
I answer þe on þis manere.
Þou wate wele þat þe deuils sal lend
in fire of hell with-owten end,
and þat fire es als bodily
als þe fire of purgatori
and ȝit pines it þe fendes in hell;
als god witnes in his godspell
(ho)w he to þe fendes sal say
and to þe dampned on domes-day:
‘(ȝe) weried wightes, I bid ȝow wende
(to þe fir) þat l(ast)es withouten ende
(þat ordand) es for nothing els
(bot) to þe deuill and his angels’.
(And) whare þou sais þat god duse noght
(ogay)nes kind in þe werkes he wroght,
(I sai god) dose, als men mai finde,
([OMITTED]m)irakill oft ogaines kinde,
(als sum)-time fell of childer thre
(þat in fir war set) brint forto be—
(þair nam)es er þai named so:
(Sidrak, Mi)sac and Abdenago;
[OMITTED] with ful grete yre
[OMITTED] ful of fire,
(bot als it was) oure lordes will,
(þe fir did) no harm þam till.
[OMITTED]
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[OMITTED]
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(sen þat) it es so hate and kene”.
Þe voice said: “now es wele sene
þat in þe es ful litil scill.
(but right) now tald I þe vntill
þat god may mesure thurgh his might
þe strenkit of fire both dai & night
so þat it no harm (mai do)
till thing þat it es put vnto,
als he did to þe childer thre
of wham I haue tald vnto þe.
Also þou sese fire of leuening
wendes obout in alkins thing,
clereli als clerkes declare it can,
and nowþer brines it hows ne man,
bot if it be thurgh ani chance
þat it brin bi goddes sufrance.
and als þou ses þe sun mai pas
thurgh windows þat er made of glas,
and þe glas noght empaired þarby;
so may a spirit sekerli
in ilka place cum in and out
and brin noght þat es him about,
howses ne clathes ne oþer atyre,
al-if him-self be flaumd in fire.
right so þis hows mai resaiue me
and it-self noght empaired be.
Bot, sir, þis saltou vnderstand,
if all howses in ilka land
in a stede war brinand shire,
it might noght be so hate a fire
als I now suffer night and day”.
Þe prior þan to him gan say
and asked of him þis questiowne:
if he trowed þe incarnacioune,
how Ihesus Criste toke fless & blude.
Þe voice answerd with eger mode
a(ls it) war greued inwardli,
with loud voice þus gan he cri:
“A, sir, he said, whilk er þa men
þat þe incarnacioun wil noght ken?
whilk er þai þat will noght knaw
how angels said it in þaire saw,
and deuels trowes it wonder wele,
and saules in pain þai mai it fele?
ful mekill wa þai er worþi
þat will noght trow it stedfastli.
(and all þat trowes it noght) in ded,
(in) hali writ þe (soth) may rede
how þat þe godspell sais of Crist:
‘wha trewli trowes and es baptist,
to endles blis þai sall be broght’,
and als he sais: ‘wha trowes it noght
þat Crist of Mari toke oure manhede,
þai sal be dampned withouten drede
and euer haue bale, and neuer blis’”.
Þan said þe prior: “(tell me) þis:
sen þat þe Sarȝins and þe Iowes
and þe paienes it noght trowes:
whi god lattes þam dwell so lang
in þaire trowth, sen it es wrang,
and sen þai will for no resoune
trow Cristes incarnacioune?”
Þan þe voice said þus him till:
“no questioune es it of goddes will,
and þarfor (falles) it noght þe to
(to) ask whi god dose so or so
or thing þat towches his godhede,
bot fande to do his will in dede.
I wate noght whi þam life es lent,
bot if it be to þis entent
þat cristenmen mai on þam fight,
in trowth forto defend þaire right;
for batell on þam forto bede
may cristen men encrese þaire mede,
If faith be fulli in þaire fare”.
And þan þe prior asked mare:
“Kan þou oght tell whilk maner of syn
es vsed moste omang man-kyn?”
Þe voice þan answerd on þis wise:
“Pride, Licheri, and Couatise,
and Vsuri, þir foure in fere,
with þair branches many and sere,
þai er ful foul both day and night
bifor god and his angels bright.
Thre sins þare er if þai be done,
for whilk god will tak vengance sone:
Ane es, if man and woman here
won samyn als þai wedded were
and wandes noght þaire will to wirk
out of þe sacrament of haly kirk,
or if both be wedded þat tide
and ouþer do sin on oþer side
and brek þaire sposaile in þat space—
to god þis es a grete trispase.
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[OMITTED] kindly [OMITTED]
sodom [OMITTED] þe sin es cald—
unkindli sin men sall it hald.
Þe thrid sin es ful euyl thing,
þat es manslaghter with mainsuering;
þis greues gretly to god mighty,
whare it es done wilfully”.