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Thus thow moste also preche,
And thy paresche ȝerne teche;
Whenne on hath done a synne,
Loke he lye not longe there ynne,
But a-non that he hym schryue,
Be hyt husbande be hyt wyue,
Leste he forȝet by lentenes day,
And oute of mynde hyt go away.
Wymmen that ben wyth chy[l]de also,
Thow moste hem teche how þey schule do.
Whenne here tyme ys neghe y-come,
Bydde hem do thus alle & some.
Theche hem to come & schryue hem clene,
And also hosele hem bothe at ene,
For drede of perele that may be-falle,
In here trauelynge that come schalle.
To folowe the chylde ȝef hyt be nede,
Ȝef heo se hyt be in drede;
And teche the mydewyf neuer the latere,
That heo haue redy clene watere,

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4

Thenne bydde hyre spare for no schame,
To folowe the chylde there at hame,
And thaghe þe chylde bote half be bore,
Hed and necke and no more,
Bydde hyre spare neuer þe later
To crystene hyt and caste on water;
And but scho mowe se þe hed,
Loke scho folowe hyt for no red;
And ȝef the wommon thenne dye,
Teche the mydwyf that scho hye
For to vndo hyre wyth a knyf,
And for to saue the chyldes lyf
And hye that hyt crystened be,
For that ys a dede of charyte.
And ȝef hyre herte ther-to grylle,
Rather þenne the chylde scholde spylle,
Teche hyre thenne to calle a mon
That in that nede helpe hyre con.
For ȝef the chylde be so y-lore,
Scho may that wepen euer more.
Bote ȝef the chylde y-bore be,
And in perele thow hyt se,
Ryght as he byd hyre done,
Caste on water and folowe hyt sone.
A-noþere way þow myght do ȝet,
In a vessel to crystone hyt,
And when scho hath do ryȝt so,
Watere and vessel brenne hem bo,
Othere brynge hyt to þe chyrche a-non,
And caste hyt in the font ston,
But folowe thow not þe chylde twye,
Lest afterwarde hyt do the nuye.
Teche hem alle to be war and snel
That they conne sey þe wordes wel,

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5

And say the wordes alle on rowe
As a-non I wole ȝow schowe;
Say ryȝt thus and no more,
For non othere wymmenes lore;

I folowe the or elles I crystene þe, in the nome of the fader & þe sone and the holy gost. Amen.

Or elles thus, Ego baptiȝo te. N. In nomine patris & filij & spiritus sancti. Amen.

Englysch or latyn, whether me seyþ,
Hyt suffyseth to the feyth
So that þe wordes be seyde on rowe,
Ryȝt as be-fore I dyde ȝow schowe;
And ȝef þe cas be-falle so,
Þat men & wymmen be fer hyre fro,
Then may the fader wyþoute blame
Crysten the chylde and ȝeue hyt name;
So may the moder in suche a drede
Ȝef scho se that hyt be nede.
Ȝet thow moste teche hem more,
That alle þe chyldren þat ben I-bore
Byfore aster and whyssone tyde,
Eghte dayes they schullen a-byde,
That at the font halowynge
They mowe take here folowynge,
Saue tho that mowe not a-byde
For peryle of deth to that tyde.
A-nother tyme gyf hem folghthe
As the fader & þe moder wolþe.
Godfader and godmoder þou moste preche
Þat þey here godchyldere to gode teche,
Here pater noster and here crede
Techen hem they mote nede.
By hem also they schule not slepe
Tyl þey con hem self wel kepe.

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6

Also wyth-ynne the fyfþe ȝere
Do þat they I-bysbede were;
For tho þat bydeth ouer more,
The fader & þe moder mote rewe hyt sore;
Out of chyrche schule be put
Tyl þe byschope haue bysbede hyt.
And ȝet moste thow teche hem more,
That godfader and godmoder be war be-fore,
That they þat ben at the folowynge,
Holde not þe chylde at the confermynge;
And also þow moste, as þou dost preche,
The cosynage of folowynge teche;
And þow wolt that conne wel,
Take gode hede on thys spel.
In the myddel the chylde stont,
As he ys folowed in the font.
Alle these be cosynes to hym for ay,
That none of hem he wedde may;

The preste þat foloweþ, þe prestes chyldere, þe preste, And the chyldes fader & moder, þe godfader & hys Wyfknowe be-fore folghthe, þe godfader chylderen, the chyldes moder and hys godfader, &c.

The chylde þat ys confermet, þe byschop, þe byschopes chylderen, þe byschop and þe chyldes fader and hys moder, the godfader and hys wyf, the chyldes fader and hys godfader, the chyldes moder and hys godmoder,