University of Virginia Library

Of the day of dome

In the same fourme in whilk Crist suffrid payn
To deme both qwhik and ded he sal come agayn.
Then sal he shewe his body stremand al on blode
And his hert clouen in two, as he henge on rode,
And say: “For ȝow suffred I al this gret payn,
Telles now what ȝe to me has done theragayn!”
Allas! what may then til him synful man say,
That neuer wele withouten synne spendes on day.
Man sal ȝelde acompt then of al that God him sende,
Body and saul, witte and gode, how he has it spende,
And of ilk an ydel word that euer he here spak;
In wikked word and wikked dede then sal be gret lak.
After that degre of synne or of charite
That any man dyes inne sal he domed be.
Than sal clere conscience be mekil more of-told
Than any gret lordship with a world ful of gold,
For al sal then perisch that we here now make,
And synful man sal for drede sore tremble and qwak.
All synne for whilk is noȝt worthily asseth made her
Bes shewed ther al openly to shame and gret ler.
Ilk a man then sal se his dome verraily,
And for gret drede of God thus sal thei all cry:
“Montayns, falles doun on vs for to hid vs,
That we se noȝt the wrath of God, that is so hedous.
Allas! that euer wer we born anything to craue,
For withouten ende we are lorn, for nothing may vs saue.
Alas, alas, and wele-away! wherof may we ȝelp?
Whe are shent foreuer and ay, for no thing may vs help.”
Haly writ sais that befor this dome
Ouer al this wide warld a huge fire sal come.
Seint Peter sais that then al sal brenne;
Erth and water and al the warld and al that is therinne,
Heuens and ayr and all the elements
Fire thurgh brennyng then sal clens;
Fire sal noȝt touche heuen in the whilk is blis,
Bot other heuens that vnder hit is.
The fire sal purge venial synne,
And ful hard pyne thaim that dedly [synne] is inne;
Hit sal fordo thing that sal noȝt endure,
And make al the remanant of fairer figure.
Then al the qwik bestes sal tak thair endyng,
That were made bot for a tyme of mannes leuyng.
The four elements sal be farer seuen fold
Then euer thai were any tyme other newe or old.
Ther sal be no chaunging fro cold to the hete,
Ne non other tempest of wynd and wedirs gret;
Al cold and hete, foul venum, fylth, and stynk,
For to punish thaim in hell sal doun then synk.
The heuens sal noȝt turne aboute bot stand ay in rest,
The sunne ay in the est, the mone in the west;
Ilkon sal be more clere seuen fold than he was,
Bot[h] to Goddes worschip and to mannes solas.
This sais God bi Ysaie, that his wil wele knewe:
“Lo, I make both heuens and erth all span-newe.”
This fairnes of the warld sal dampned men noȝt se,
For thai sal be in helle-payne or that fairnes sal be.
First when God wil, sall aungeles a gret noyse make,
And Crist thaim that are in blis sal with him take.
Then the remanant that sal be in that blis faire
Sal be rauyst him agayn vp into the aere.
All sall ryse fro ded to lyf of Adames lynage
Als in thair awen statur of thritty ȝer age.
All Goddes chosen then sal ful parfit be
Withouten any foulnes or superfluite.
Then sal Crist say to thaim on his riȝt honde
A gode word of all wordes comfortande:
“Come, ȝe my fader blissed, and haues the reume of heuen,
That befor the warld was made [was] ordaynd ȝow ful euen!
Ȝe gaf me mete, whan I was hungry;
Ȝe gaf me drynk, whan y was thristy;
When I hade nede, ȝe harbard me;
When I was naked, ȝe cleded me;
Ȝe visit me, when I was seke,
And in prison ȝe wald me seke.
That ȝe did for my loue to the lest of myne,
That same ȝe did to myself, theron sal ȝe noȝt tyne.”
Then wikked men for heuenes of synne
Sall noȝt agayn Crist into the aier wynne
Bot thai on the erth [sal] Cristes wordes here,
That sal be to thaim withouten ende a lere,
When he sais: “Go, waried, into the fire of helle,
Thar ȝe in payne withouten ende with the fend sal dwell.
Ȝe serued neuer ioye ay-lastandly,
For ȝe fulfilled noȝt the warkes of mercy.”
Take now gode kepe here, wardly cristen m[a]n,
And do thi saule profit als wele as thou can!
Thurgh warkes of mercy may men heuen wynne,
And thai that dos thaim noȝt sal noȝt come therinne.
Bot ther are seuen warkes of mercy bodely,
And also other seuen warkes of mercy gastly;
Thurgh trewe kepyng of any of this seuen
May a trewe cristen man wel come to heuen.
Sex bodely warkes has thou befor redde,
The [seuent] taght Tobie when he beryd the dede.
Seuen gastly warkes, that are of more mede,
May thou hald in thi mynd to thin awen spede.
The first is for to teche the vncunnand,
The second is to counsail the doutand,
The thrid is to confort him that is sorowful,
The ferth is to chasty him that is in synne wilful,
The fift is to forgif him that has ill wratthed the,
The sext is to support him that irksum is to the,
The seuent is to pray to God for all thes hertely,
That he amend thaim of thair faute thurgh his gret mercy.