University of Virginia Library

(Ilka man þat bunden es)
(in dedli sin), has (thre wrechednes),
þat bringes þam to þe ded of hell;
and whilk þai er I sal ȝow tell.
Þe first es defaut of gastly strenkith
þat þai sold haue þaire liue to lenkith;
þat mase þam so wayk in al thinges
þat þai may noght gainstand fandinges,
ne þai may noght lift vp þaire will
þe luf of god at ȝerne vntyll.
Þe toþer es vse of flesli syn
and a desire to dwell þare-in,
and for þai haue no will to stand
in lustes er þai lightly falland,
and [in] þaire lustes so will þai lend
many vnto þaire liues end.
Þe thrid wrechednes es chanieing
of lastand gudes for pasand thing,
als when þai leue þe ioy endles
for vaine ioy here þat pasand es.
and if þai turn þam ald or ȝing,
god will ordaine þaire wonyng
with angels and with hali men,
þaire wrechidnes if þai wil ken;
bot for þai folow þe filth of sin
and likes more to lend þarein
þan in þe grete fairehed of heuyn,
both it and þe werld lose þai euyn.
For he þat has noght Ihesu Criste,
al gude thing es fro him rauist;
al creatures sal uengance cry
on him in dome, als es worthi.—

Þir wrechidnes er noght anly
in þam þat luffes here licheri
and glotony and oþer sines
þat þaire luf oft fro god twines:
bot þai er in sum man and wife
þat semes in penance and gude life.
For when þe fende ful of enui
can parcayue here preueli
þat man or woman, ald or ȝing,
wald turn þam vnto gude lifing
and forsake werldly vanite,
a hundereth wiles þan has he
to put þam fro swilk purpose sune,
and ger þam leue yf oght be done;
and so warly oft will he wait
þat þai sal noght se his desayt.
Sum (he desaiues) thurgh þe syn
of erroure þat he puttes þam in;
and sum with singulere wittes here,
when þai think on þis manere,
whare so þai walk by est or west
þat þaire owin wit euer es best,
and þarfore will þai no counsayle
al-if it might þam mekil avayle,
his a wit think him best of all—
þat gers him oft in folis fall;
þis es a stinkand sin of pride,
þat þe fend gers walk ful wide.
Sum he desaiues thurgh vain glori,
þat es idel ioy, als when any
has pride in hert on ill manere
of penance þat þai suffer here,
or els of gude dedes þat þai do,
or uertus þat er gifen þam to;
and er sari when men þam lackes,
and meri when men rose of þam maks;
þam think þaire werkes & þaire gude dedes
fer passes þe lif þat oþer ledes;
þam think þat no man, ald no ȝing,
suld reprehend þam in no thing;
þai despise al sinful men
þat will noght wirk als þai þam ken.
how suld men find more sinful here
þan he þat lifes on þis manere?
and more sinful þarfore he es
þat he wate noght his wrechidnes.
Sum er desayued in lust & liking
of mete and drink outrage taking,
when þai haue grete delite þarin
and wenes þat þai do no syn,
þarfore þai amend þam noght,
and so þai er in bondage broght;
al gude vertus þai put byhind,
in þaire wittes er þai made so blind.
Sum er bigiled thurgh abstinens
fro mete and drink and oþer spens;
þat es desayueing of þe fende
to ger þam faile and þam-self schende,
þat if þai bigin any thing,
þai sall noght bring it to ending;
and þusgat es þaire mede made les
thurgh foli of þaire frawardnes.
Þis gilder þe fende vntill man merkes
when he bigins to luf gude werkes;
he suffers [OMITTED] of hert and (hend)
Þat þai bring no gude werk till end;
he gers þam wene at þai sall do
more þan þai may atteyn vnto,
and gers þam wene þaire werkes er lele,
when þai do harm to þaire saul hele.
For, als þir clerkes may knaw ful euyn,
we haue a lang way vnto heuyn,
and ay when we a gude dede do,
a pase þan mak we heuyn vnto,
and when we think gude thoghtes or pray,
vnto heuen we mak vs way;
þan, if we mak vs here so wayke
þat vs list nowþer lif ne (l)ayke
ne nowþir gude werkes forto wirk
ne forto pray ne go to kirk—
we er so febill we may noght rise
ne be lastand in goddes seruise:
me think we er worthi to blame,
and aght forto think mekill shame,
þat in oure werkes er failand
when we had moste mister to stand.
and sertes it es [noght] goddes will;
þat proues þe prophet by þis scill:
he said, “lord, I sal kepe mi might
vnto þe both day and nyght”—
his meneing was þan on þis wise,
þat he suld maintene goddes seruis
lastandly to his ded-day,
and noght sune waste his strenkith (oway)
and seþin lig waneand by þe waw.
þat es more perill þan we knaw;
Saint Ierom sais, to vnderstand,
þat he makes of rauyn ofrand
þat here will turment his body
fro mete and slepe outrageusly.
And saint Bernard sais þat f(asting)
ne wakeing lettes noght g(astli thing)
bot helpes it in ilk sesoune
if it be done with discrecioune,
and if discrecioun be n(oght) [OMITTED]
þan er þai tald vices al [OMITTED]
Þarfore to pine vs es (na nede)
and þan haue vnth(ank for our dede).
Bot þar er sum me(n þat wenes)
þat þaire life es (noght al þai menes)
bot if þai vse (swa mikil fasting)
þat all (men spek þarof, ald & ȝing):
(bot oft þe mo ioy þai haue þen)
(withow)ten of þe speche of men,
þe les ioy haue þai within
of þe luf of god þat neuer sal blyn.
It war wele more to goddes honore
to sustine þaire bodis in mesure
and forto tak with gude talent
what sustinance so god þam sent,
forto maintene his seruyse,
þan forto wirk on oþer wise,
thurgh penance & ypocrisy
to ger þam be halden haly.
for þe les þat men þaire gudnes neuyn,
þe more it es with god of heuyn.
What helpes it to more or les
to haue þe abit of halines
and be noght so, bot couer pride
and ire and enuy on ilk side,
and hide so many wikked dede
vnder þe clothes of Cristes barnhede?
(A) foul lust es it unparfite
(of) oþer mens wordes to haue delite,
(þat) of oure dedes may deme right noght
namore þan þai may of oure thoght;
(þ)arfore weþer þai say gude or ill,
(a) man sold gif no tent þartill;
(an)d if we hide oure werkes þen
(fro) þe loueing of werldly men,
(þan) will god for oure gudenes
(sche)w vs ioy þat es endles.
(For his) ioy es when alde and ȝing
(has) strenkith to fell þe fendes fanding
(and sekes) no thing forto haue
(bot lu)f of god his saul to saue:
(and þis de)sire of his luf smert
(ay sul)d kyndel in oure hert,
(and þe swetn)es of his grace
(be oure comfo)rt and oure solace.
(Lo þus hau)e I talde here now
[OMITTED] fende decayues & how
(men & women) þat er noght quainte
[OMITTED] be ataynt;
(if þou wil do bi gu)de counsayle
(and folow lare þat mig)ht availe,
(his malis sal turn him til) anoy
(and al his trappis þou sal) destruy.
God suffers þ(e fend to temp gud men)
for þaire profit, als clerkes ken,
þat þai sal be hegher in blis
when [þai] haue ouercumen him and his.

Þe fende on thre wise has powere
forto dwell in a man here:
Ane es, hurtand þe gudes of kind,
als reuand men speche, wit & mynde.
Anoþer es thurgh þe gudes of grace,
þat he makes men in many place
to haue swilk delite and liking
in werldli gudes þat es vain thing
þat þai forget god euer omell
and wendes with þe fende to hell.
Þe thrid maner es, turmentand
a mans body by water or land,
als Iob was turment lifand here
with maladies and sekenes sere.
Bot wit þou wele, for ani gyn
if he may noght temp þe within
nowþer with his worde ne dede,
withowten thar þe noght him drede;
for vnto no man may he greue
ferrer þan god will gif him leue.

Þe fende, als hali writ witnes,
transfigures him in sere liknes:
sum tyme als ane angell of light
tempes he men both day and night,
and hides ill to ald and ȝing
vnder þe liknes of gude thing.
and þat es on two maners done:
Ane es when he at morn or none
egges men till esse of body
and forto kepe þam tenderly;
he sais if þat þaire fless be pinde,
þai may sustyne [noght] wele þaire kinde,
and þat es nede on alkins wise
forto mai[n]tene goddes seruise;
on þis wise makes he vs to think,
bot if we ett wele and wele drink
and lig soft and sit warm,
els may we lightly haue grete harm,
and els till end bese it noght won
þe trauail þat we haue bygun;
þus bringes he men both more & les
to lust and liking of þaire fless.
Anoþer es when he thurg chance
entices vs to grete penance
[OMITTED]
of gastly gudes, and þusgat sais:
“He þat moste hard life wil lede
for goddes luf, sal haue most mede:
þarfore ett lityl and febil mete,
and thinest drink þat þou may gete,
vse litel slepe, and were þe hayre,
and fast mekill þi fless to payre,
þat þare be none for nokins chance
þat may pass þe in penance”.
þus sais þe fende in þi conciens
to sla þe with grete abstinens,
right als he said þe toþer thing
to sla þe with outrage etting.
and þarfore, if we right lif wald,
a gude mene bihoued vs hald,
þar-thurgh we may gett oure saul bute
and hald oure fless ay vnder fote,
and suffer it to haue strenkith þarto
at serue god als it suld do.

Also oure [enmy] wil noght sese
ne suffer vs here to rest in pese
onightes, when we suld slepe a while:
bot þan he sekes vs to bigile
with uanitese, to mak vs glad,
and sumtyme sightes to mak vs rad
and ger vs lathe with oure awin state—
for al oure febilles wele he wate.
with faire sightes he makkes vs fain
forto ger vs be glad in vaine,
to ger vs wene so þat we er
better þan we may be bi fer.
sumtyme he puttes intil oure mode
þat we er halden hali and gude,
to mak vs proud of oure gude dede
and so to ger vs lose oure mede;
sumtyme he sais we er werst of all,
at gerr vs into wan-hope fall
and so forto di in despaire.
Þus colures he his falshedes faire.
bot god ful kindely wil vs kepe
and saue, wheþer we wake or slepe,
if we rewle vs efter his will,
þat þe fende noght dere vs till.
Þou sinnes noght slepeand, sais þir clerkes,
if þou be wakeand with gude werkes,
withowten outrage of mete and drink,
and euil thoghtes on none wise think.