University of Virginia Library

“Ihesu, lord, welcome þow be,
In forme of bred as I þe se;
Ihesu! for thy holy name,
Schelde me to day fro synne & schame;
Schryfte & howsele, lord, þou graunte me bo,
Er that I schale hennes go,
And verre contrycyone of my synne,
That I lord neuer dye there-Inne;
And as þow were of a may I-bore,
Sofere me neuer to be for-lore,
But whenne þat I schale hennes wende,

Teche hem þus oþer sum oþere þynge,
To say at the holy sakerynge.
Teche hem also, I the pray,
That whenne þey walken in þe way
And sene þe preste a-gayn hem comynge,
Goddes body wyth hym berynge,
Thenne wyth grete deuocyone,
Teche hem þere to knele a-downe;
Fayre ne fowle, spare þey noghte
To worschype hym þat alle hath wroghte;
For glad may þat mon be
Þat ones in þe day may hym se;
For so mykyle gode doþ þat syȝt,
(As seynt austyn techeth a ryȝt,)
Þat day þat þow syst goddes body,
Þese benefyces schalt þou haue sycurly;
Mete & drynke at thy nede,
Non schal þe þat day be gnede;
Idele othes and wordes also
God for-ȝeueþ the bo;
Soden deth that ylke day,
The dar not drede wyþowte nay;
Also þat day I the plyȝte
Þow schalt not lese þyn ye syȝte;
And euery fote þat þou gost þenne,
Þat holy syȝt for to sene,
Þey schule be tolde to stonde in stede
Whenne thow hast to hem nede.
Also wyth-ynne chyrche & seyntwary
Do ryȝt thus as I the say,
Songe and cry and suche fare,
For to stynte þow schalt not spare;
Castynge of axtre & eke of ston,
Sofere hem þere to vse non;
Bal and bares and suche play,
Out of chyrcheȝorde put a-way;
Courte holdynge and suche maner chost,
Out of seyntwary put þow most;
For cryst hym self techeth vs
Þat holy chyrche ys hys hows,
Þat ys made for no þynge elles
But for to praye In, as þe boke telles;
Þere þe pepulle schale geder with Inne
To prayen and to wepen for here synne.
Teche hem also welle and greythe
How þey schule paye here teythe:
Of alle þynge that doth hem newe,
They schule teythe welle & trewe,
After þe costome of þat cuntraye
Euery mon hys teythynge schale paye
Bothe of smale and of grete,
Of schep and swyn & oþer nete.
Teyþe of huyre and of honde,
Goth by costome of þe londe.
I holde hyt but an ydul þynge
To speke myche of teythynge,
For þaȝ a preste be but a fonne,
Aske hys teyþynge welle he conne.
Wychecrafte and telynge,
Forbede þou hem for any þynge;
For who so be-leueth in þe fay
Mote be-leue thus by any way,
That hyt ys a sleghþe of þe del
Þat makeþ a body to cache el.
Þenne syche be-leue he gart hem haue,
Þat wychecrafte schale hem saue,
So wyth chames & wyth tele,
He ys I-broȝte aȝeyn to hele.
Þus wyth þe fende he ys I-blende,
And hys by-leue ys I-schende.
Vsure and okere þat beth al on,
Teche hem þat þey vse non;
That ys a synne fulle greuus
By-fore owre lord swete Ihesus.
God taketh myche on gref
To selle a mon in hys myschef
Any þynge to hye prys.
For welle he wot þat oker hyt ys,
And lene .xij d. to haue .xiij.
For þat [is] vsure wyþowte wene.
Teche hem also to lete one,
To selle þe derrer for þe lone.
To preche hem also þou myȝt not wonde,—
Bothe to wyf and eke husbonde,—
Þat nowþer of hem no penaunce take,
Ny non a vow to chastite make,
Ny no pylgrimage take to do
But ȝef boþe assente þer to.
These þre poyntes verement
Nowþer schale do but boþe assent,
Saue þe vow to Iherusalem,
Þat ys lawful to eþer of hem.
Þenne schale þe husbonde als blyue
Teche & preche so hys wyue,
That heo a-vow no maner þynge
But hyt be at hys wytynge;
For þaȝ heo do, hyt may not stonde
But heo haue grawnte of hyre husbonde;
And ȝef þe husbonde assente þer to,
Þenne nedely hyt mote be do;
No more schale he verement
But hys wyf þerto assent.
The pater noster and þe crede,
Preche þy paresche þou moste nede;
Twyes or þryes in þe ȝere
To þy paresch hole and fere,
Teche hem þus, and byd hem say
Wyþ gode entent euery day,