Handlyng Synne :: :: University of Virginia Library

Þys prest, þe moste part of hys lyfe,
Helde a womman as hys wyfe,
Þat no tymë he hare lete,
Só þoght hym þe synnë swete.
Yn synne, and yn foly desyre,
Foure chyldryn he gate on hyre.
Þese chyldryn, as þey wox more,
He sette hem vn-to scole to lore;
So þey lernede, þat þe þre
were ordeyned, prestes to be;
Þe fourþë sone was a scoler,
To lernë more he dyde hys power.
when þey were prestys, here fadyr deyde,—
Þe prest þat y er of seyde,—
Þys ychë womman lefte a-lyue
Aftyr hym foure ȝere or fyue.
Þese foure chyldryn had grete þoght
How þey were yn synne furþe broght,
And how here modyr leued ynne,
Alle here lyfe, yn dedly synne;
Þey preyde here, for allë chaunce,
To be of godë répentaunce,
And forþynkë here mysdede
with sorow of hert, and wyþ drede.

But þus answered she to hem alle,
“For no þyng þat may befalle,
Shal y neuer repentë me
whyle y haue ȝow prestës þre
Þat for me mow rede and synge,
And, ful weyl, me to blys brynge;
So may my soule to God be broght
For any synne þat I haue wroght;
But wylle ȝe allë fourë do
A þyng þat y prey ȝow to?
kepyþ my body, at ȝoure myȝt,
Þre dayys, and þre nyȝt,

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Yn þys hous whan y am dede,
And y hope be saued fro þe quede,
Þogh y haue lyued a synful lyfe,
And haue be called a prestës wyfe.”

Þat graunted þey euery deyl,
For þey wende ha do hyt wele.
Sone aftyrward she euyld,
And deyd sunner þan she wylde.

here chyldryn, as þey hadde here het,
To wake here body were þey set:
Þe fyrst nyght þat þey shulde here wake,
At mydnyȝt þe berë gan to quake;
Here fourë sonys þat saye hyt stere,
leyd on hond, and helde þe bere;
Þe ouþer men hadde swychë drede
Þat euery man hys wëy ȝede;
with mochë drede and hydous syght
Askaped þey on þe fyrst nyȝt.

Þe toþer nyȝt þat þe chyldryn woke,
At þe mydnyȝt þe berë quoke,
And alle þat sate or þerby stode,
For dredë wendë ha wox wode:
Þat nyȝt shewed he more hys ire,
Þat hys power was moche yn hyre.
with sorowful syȝt and grete affray
He drogh þe body þere hyt lay,
And to þe dore þe fende hyt broght;
Þat tymë fyrþer myȝt he noght.
Here fourë sones, with mochë peyne,
Efte hadde þe body yn aȝeyne;
Aboute þe body a rope þey wonde,
And to þe berë fast þey bonde;
So algate þe body with hem lefte;
At þat nyȝt was hyt nat refte.

Þe þred nyȝt, moste sorow gan falle;

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At þe mydnyȝt, as þey woke alle,
Come fendës fele, with loþely brous,
And fylden allë ful þe hous,
Þey toke þe body and þe bere
wyþ lothly cry, þat alle myȝt here;
And bare hyt furþe þat none wyst whore,
with-outen ende for euermore.
here sones hyt seyd, and hoped wel,
Þat body and soule was lore eche deyl.

Þe ȝongest sone þat was a scolere,
He preched þys yn stedys here;
Þurgh Ingland, yn euery cuntre,
he tolde þys tale of grete pyte,
Oueral as he went a-boute,
(He spared noþer for shame ne doute)
Aȝens wymmen þat prestës take,
For hys ownë modyr sake;
For to dampne and stroye þat synne,
Þat no womman falle þer-ynne.

Ȝe wommen, þenkeþ on þys tale,
And takeþ hyt for no troteuale!
Goddes veniaunce was hyt, and hys Ire,
To amende vs alle for loue of hyre.

Yn a prouerbe, telle men þys,
“He wyys ys, þat ware ys,”
And wysdom es, and feyre maystrye,
To chastyse vs wyþ ouþres folye.

Of prestës kan y sey no þyng,—
So seyd y at þe bygynnyng,—
Noþer of clerkys neuer a deyl,
Þéy wote what ys ylle and weyl;
But þus haue y herde for certeyn,
Yn þe worlde ys none so gode skryueyne—
Þogh he were wyser þan Salamon
And bettyr langaged þat was Mercyon

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And leued yn age a þousend ȝere—
Ne myȝt telle þe sorow and were,

[_]

dysese

Ne þe peyne, þat þe preste shal drye,

[_]

suffre

Þat haunteþ þat synne of lecchery.
Þey are wroth whan any þus precheþ,
But holy wryt þus vs telleþ and techeþ.

Now turne we aȝen þere we spak
Of handlyng synnë, þat yche lak;
Y tolde of handlyng synne as y kouþe,
And now wyþ foly kyssyng with mouþe.

kyssyng doþe moche more euyl
whan handlyng cumþ of þe deuyl;
Some wene þat kyssyng ys no synne,
But grete peryl falleþ þer-ynne.
Be þou neuer so chaste and straunge,
kyssyng wyl þyn hertë chaunge;
Hyt ys forbode, be þou weyl ware,
But ȝyf hyt be here, þat furþe þe bare;
Þy wyfë þou mayst kysse with ryȝt,
Ȝyt yn sum poynt mayst þou falle yn plyȝt.
Seynt Ierom, he spekeþ of þys,
Ouer moche for to daunte and kysse;
Daunte a womman oute of skylle,
when no tyme were, she wyl þer-tyl.

Maner þer ys of foule kyssyng,
As ys of dede and of handlyng,
Þat falleþ ofte yn pryuyte,
But þat shal nat be tolde for me;
Noþeles, hyt mote be tolde
Yn shryftë, boþe with ȝunge and olde.

Sum maner kyssyng ys ful grete vyce,
And wommens hertys to synne wyl tyse;
And who so delyteþ hym þer-ynne,
wommen to foly for to wynne,
Y do hym weyl to vndyrstande,

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So may he go yn deuyl hande.

Ȝyt mayst þou synne yn lecherye
Yn þe lokyng of þyn yȝe;
Beholde nat wymmen ouer mochyl;
Here syȝte makeþ mennys þoghtes fykyl;
And who-so haþ a feble herte,
hys ye ys euer ouerthuerte.
Þyn ye ys þyn messager
To brynge þy dedë yn powere;
Yn swychë syȝt ys mochë gylte;
Shryue þe þerof ȝyf þou wylt.

Ȝyt ys þer more of lecherye
Þat ys do with sorsorye,
Sorsorye þat ys wycchëcrafte;
He þat ys with þe fendë lafte
Grete synne hyt ys, y ȝeue þe a ȝyfte;
Þenk þer-on yn þy shryfte.
To man þat ys yn gode beleue,
wycchecrafte shal hym neuer greue;
Be þou yn gode lyfe, and byleue ryȝt,
And alle þe wecches wyþ alle here myȝt
Shul neuer drecche þe where-so þou art
with no queyntysë of here artt:
Þat sheweþ weyl seynt Cypryene,
he was a nygromancyene,
how he myȝt neuer a mayden wynne
with wycchëcrafte here þoghte to synne:
why? For here lyfe was gode and clene,
And stedfaste byleue yn here was sene.