Remedium contra peccatum Luxurie.
Now comth the remedie agayns Leccherie, and that
is generally chastitee and continence, that restreyneth alle the
desordeynee moevynges that comen of flesshly talentes.
And
evere the gretter merite shal he han that moost restreyneth the
wikkede eschawfynges of the [ardour] of this synne. And this is
in two maneres—that is to seyn, chastitee in mariage, and
chastitee of widwehod.
Now shaltow understonde that
matrimoyne is leefful assemblynge of man and of womman that
receyven by vertu of the
sacrement
the boond thurgh which they may nat be
departed in al hir lyf—that is to seyn, whil that they lyven
bothe.
This, as seith the book, is a ful greet sacrement. God
maked it, as I have seyd, in paradys, and wolde hymself be born
in mariage.
And for to halwen mariage he was at a weddynge,
where as he turned water into wyn, which was the firste miracle
that he wroghte in erthe biforn his disciples.
Trewe
effect of mariage clenseth fornicacioun and replenysseth hooly
chirche of good lynage, for that is the ende of mariage; and it
chaungeth deedly synne into venial synne bitwixe hem that been
ywedded, and maketh the hertes al oon of hem that been ywedded,
as wel as the bodies.
This is verray mariage, that was
establissed by God, er that synne bigan, whan natureel lawe was
in his right poynt in paradys; and it was ordeyned that o man
sholde have but o womman, and o womman but o man, as seith Seint
Augustyn, by manye resouns.
First, for mariage is figured bitwixe Crist and holy
chirche. And that oother is for a man is heved of a womman;
algate, by ordinaunce it sholde be so.
For if a womman hadde
mo men than oon, thanne sholde she have moo hevedes than oon, and
that were an horrible thyng biforn God; and eek a womman ne
myghte nat plese to many folk at oones. And also ther ne sholde
nevere be pees ne reste amonges hem, for everich wolde axen his
owene thyng.
And forther over, no man ne sholde knowe his
owene engendrure, ne who sholde have his heritage; and the womman
sholde been the lasse biloved fro the tyme that she were conjoynt
to many men.
Now comth how that a man sholde bere hym with his
wif, and namely in two thynges; that is to seyn, in suffraunce
and reverence, as shewed Crist whan he made first womman.
For
he ne made hire nat of the heved of Adam, for she sholde nat
clayme to greet lordshipe.
For ther as the womman hath the
maistrie, she maketh to muche desray. Ther neden none ensamples
of this; the experience of day by day oghte suffise.
Also,
certes, God ne made nat womman of the foot of Adam, for she ne
sholde nat been holden to lowe; for she kan nat paciently suffre.
But God made womman of the ryb of Adam, for womman sholde be
felawe unto man.
Man sholde bere hym to his wyf in feith, in
trouthe, and in love, as seith Seint Paul, that a man sholde
loven his wyf as Crist loved hooly chirche, that loved it so wel
that he deyde for it. So sholde a man for his wyf, if it were
nede.
Now how that a womman sholde be subget to hire
housbonde, that telleth Seint Peter. First, in obedience.
And
eek, as seith the decree, a womman that is wyf, as longe as she
is a wyf, she hath noon auctoritee to swere ne to bere witnesse
withoute leve of hir housbonde, that is hire lord; algate, he
sholde be so by resoun.
She sholde eek serven hym in alle
honestee, and been attempree of hire array. I woot wel that they
sholde setten hire entente to plesen hir housbondes, but nat by
hire queyntise of array.
Seint Jerome seith that "wyves
that been apparailled in silk and in precious purpre ne mowe nat
clothen hem in Jhesu Crist." Loke what seith Seint John eek
in thys matere?
Seint Gregorie eek seith that "No wight
seketh precious array but oonly for veyne glorie, to been
honoured the moore biforn the peple."
It is a
greet folye, a womman to have a fair array outward
and in hirself be foul inward.
A wyf sholde eek be mesurable
in lookynge and in berynge and in lawghynge, and discreet in alle
hire wordes and hire dedes.
And aboven alle worldly thyng she
sholde loven hire housbonde with al hire herte, and to hym be
trewe of hir body.
So sholde an housbonde eek be to his wyf.
For sith that al the body is the housbondes, so sholde hire herte
been, or elles ther is bitwixe hem two, as in that, no parfit
mariage.
Thanne shal men understonde that for thre thynges
a man and his wyf flesshly mowen assemble. The firste is in
entente of engendrure of children to the service of God, for
certes that is the cause final of matrimoyne.
Another
cause is to yelden everich of hem to oother the dette of hire
bodies, for neither of hem hath power of his owene body. The
thridde is for to eschewe leccherye and vileynye. The ferthe is
for sothe deedly synne.
As to the firste, it is
meritorie; the seconde also, for, as seith the decree,
that she hath merite of chastitee that yeldeth to hire housbonde
the dette of hir body, ye, though it be agayn hir likynge and the
lust of hire herte.
The thridde manere is venyal synne; and,
trewely, scarsly may ther any of thise be withoute venial synne,
for the corrupcion and for the delit.
The fourthe manere is
for to understonde, as if they assemble oonly for amorous love
and for noon of the foreseyde causes, but for to accomplice
thilke brennynge delit, they rekke nevere how ofte. Soothly it
is deedly synne; and yet, with sorwe, somme folk wol peynen hem
moore to doon than to hire appetit suffiseth.
The seconde manere of chastitee is for to been a clene
wydewe, and eschue the embracynges of man, and desiren the
embracynge of Jhesu Crist.
Thise been tho that han
been wyves and han forgoon hire housbondes, and eek wommen that
han doon leccherie and been releeved by penitence.
And
certes, if that a wyf koude kepen hire al chaast by licence of
hir housbonde, so that she yeve nevere noon occasion that he
agilte, it were to hire a greet merite.
Thise manere wommen
that observen chastitee moste be clene in herte as wel as in body
and in thought, and mesurable in clothynge and in contenaunce,
and been abstinent in etynge and drynkynge, in spekynge, and in
dede. They been the vessel or the boyste of the blissed
Magdelene, that fulfilleth hooly chirche of good odour.
The
thridde manere of chastitee is virginitee, and it bihoveth that
she be hooly in herte and clene of body. Thanne is she spouse to
Jhesu Crist, and she is the lyf of angeles.
She is the
preisynge of this world, and she is as thise martirs in egalitee;
she hath in hire that tonge may nat telle ne herte thynke.
Virginitee baar oure Lord Jhesu Crist, and virgine was
hymselve.
Another remedie agayns Leccherie is specially to
withdrawen swiche thynges as yeve occasion to thilke vileynye,
as ese, etynge, and drynkynge. For certes, whan the pot boyleth
strongly, the beste remedie is to withdrawe the fyr.
Slepynge
longe in greet quiete is eek a greet norice to Leccherie.
Another remedie agayns Leccherie is that a man or a womman
eschue the compaignye of hem by whiche he douteth to be tempted,
for al be it so that the dede be withstonden, yet is ther greet
temptacioun.
Soothly, a whit wal, although it ne brenne noght
fully by stikynge of a candele, yet is the wal blak of the leyt.
Ful ofte tyme I rede that no man truste in his owene
perfeccioun, but he be stronger than Sampson, and hoolier than
David, and wiser than Salomon.
Now after that I have declared yow, as I kan, the sevene
deedly synnes, and somme of hire braunches and hire remedies,
soothly, if I koude, I wolde telle yow the ten comandementz.
But so heigh a doctrine I lete to divines. Nathelees, I hope
to God, they been touched in this tretice, everich of hem alle.
