Explicit secunda pars Penitencie et sequitur tercia pars eiusdem.
The thridde partie of Penitence is Satisfaccioun, and that
stant moost generally in almesse and in bodily peyne.
Now been ther thre manere of almesse: contricion of
herte, where a man offreth hymself to God; another is to han
pitee of defaute of his neighebores; and the thridde is in
yevynge of good conseil and comfort, goostly and bodily, where
men han nede, and namely in sustenaunce of mannes foode.
And
tak kep that a man hath nede of thise thinges generally: he hath
nede of foode, he hath nede of clothyng and herberwe, he hath
nede of charitable conseil and visitynge in prisone and in
maladie, and sepulture of his dede body.
And if thow mayst
nat visite the nedeful with thy persone, visite hym by thy
message and by thy yiftes.
Thise been general almesses or
werkes of charitee of hem that han temporeel richesses or
discrecioun in conseilynge. Of thise werkes shaltow heren at the
day of doom.
Thise almesses shaltow doon of thyne owene propre thynges,
and hastily and prively, if thow mayst.
But
nathelees, if thow mayst nat doon it prively, thow shalt nat
forbere to doon almesse though men seen it, so that it be nat
doon for thank of the world, but oonly for thank of Jhesu Crist.
For, as witnesseth Seint Mathew, capitulo
quinto,
"A citee may nat been hyd that is
set on a montayne, ne men lighte nat a lanterne and put it under
a busshel, but men sette it on a candle-stikke to yeve light to
the men in the hous.
Right so shal youre light lighten bifore
men, that they may seen youre goode werkes, and glorifie youre
fader that is in hevene."
Now as to speken of bodily peyne, it stant in preyeres,
in wakynges, in fastynges, in vertuouse techynges of orisouns.
And ye shul understonde that orisouns or preyeres is for to
seyn a pitous wyl of herte, that redresseth it in God and
expresseth it by word outward, to remoeven harmes and to han
thynges espiritueel and durable, and somtyme temporele thynges;
of whiche orisouns, certes, in the orison of the
Pater noster hath Jhesu Crist enclosed moost
thynges.
Certes, it is privyleged of thre thynges
in his dignytee, for which it is moore digne than any oother
preyere, for that Jhesu Crist hymself maked it;
and it is
short, for it sholde be koud the moore lightly, and for to
withholden it the moore esily in herte, and helpen hymself the
ofter with the orisoun,
and for a man sholde be the lasse
wery to seyen it, and for a man may nat excusen hym to lerne it,
it is so short and so esy, and for it comprehendeth in it self
alle goode preyeres.
The exposicioun of this hooly preyere,
that is so excellent and digne, I bitake to thise maistres of
theologie, save thus muchel wol I seyn; that whan thow prayest
that God sholde foryeve thee thy giltes as thou foryevest hem
that agilten to thee, be ful wel war that thow ne be nat out of
charitee.
This hooly orison amenuseth eek venyal synne, and
therfore it aperteneth specially to penitence.
This preyere moste be trewely seyd, and in verray
feith, and that men preye to God ordinatly and discreetly and
devoutly; and alwey a man shal putten his wyl to be subget to the
wille of God.
This orisoun moste eek been seyd with greet
humblesse and ful pure, honestly and nat to the anoyaunce of any
man or womman. It moste eek been continued with the werkes of
charitee.
It avayleth eek agayn the vices of the soule, for,
as seith Seint Jerome, "By fastynge been saved the vices of
the flessh, and by preyere the vices of the soule."
After this, thou shalt understonde that bodily peyne stant
in wakynge, for Jhesu Crist seith, "Waketh and preyeth, that
ye ne entre in wikked temptacioun."
Ye shul understanden
also that fastynge stant in thre thynges: in forberynge of bodily
mete and drynke, and in forberynge of worldly jolitee, and in
forberynge of deedly synne; this is to seyn, that a man shal
kepen hym fro deedly synne with al his myght.
And thou shalt understanden eek that God ordeyned
fastynge, and to fastynge appertenen foure thinges:
largenesse to povre folk, gladnesse of herte espiritueel, nat
to been angry ne anoyed, ne grucche for he fasteth, and also
resonable houre for to ete; ete by mesure; that is for to seyn,
a man shal nat ete in untyme, ne sitte the lenger at his table
to ete for he fasteth.
Thanne shaltow understonde that bodily peyne stant in
disciplyne or techynge, by word, or by writynge, or in ensample;
also in werynge of heyres, or of stamyn, or of haubergeons on
hire naked flessh, for Cristes sake, and swiche manere penances.
But war thee wel that swiche manere penaunces on thy flessh
ne make nat thyn herte bitter or angry or anoyed of thyself, for
bettre is to caste awey thyn heyre, than for to caste awey the
swetenesse of Jhesu Crist.
And therfore seith Seint Paul,
"Clothe yow, as they that been chosen of God, in herte of
misericorde, debonairetee, suffraunce, and swich manere of
clothynge," of whiche Jhesu Crist is moore apayed than of
heyres, or haubergeouns, or hauberkes.
Thanne is discipline eek in knokkynge of thy
brest, in scourgynge with yerdes, in knelynges, in tribulacions,
in suffrynge paciently wronges that been doon to thee, and
eek in pacient suffraunce of maladies, or lesynge of worldly
catel, or of wyf, or of child, or othere freendes.
Thanne shaltow understonde whiche thynges destourben
penaunce; and this is in foure maneres: that is, drede, shame,
hope, and wanhope, that is desperacion.
And for to speke
first of drede, for which he weneth that he may suffre no
penaunce;
ther-agayns is remedie for to thynke that bodily
penaunce is but short and litel at regard of the peyne of
helle,
that is so crueel and so long that it lasteth
withouten ende.
Now again the shame that a man hath to shryven
hym, and namely thise ypocrites that wolden been holden so
parfite that they han no nede to shryven hem;
agayns that
shame sholde a man thynke that, by wey of resoun, that he that
hath nat been shamed to doon foule thinges, certes hym oghte nat
been ashamed to do faire thynges, and that is confessiouns.
A
man sholde eek thynke that God seeth and woot alle his thoghtes
and alle his workes, to hym may no thyng been hyd ne covered.
Men sholden eek remembren hem of the shame that is to come
at the day of doom to hem that been nat penitent and shryven in
this present lyf.
For alle the creatures in hevene, in erthe,
and in helle shullen seen apertly al that they hyden in this
world.
Now for to speken of the hope of hem that been
necligent and slowe to shryven hem, that stant in two maneres.
That oon is that he hopeth for to lyve longe and for to
purchacen muche richesse for his delit, and thanne he wol shryven
hym; and, as he seith, hym semeth thanne tymely ynough to come
to shrifte.
Another is of surquidrie that he hath in Cristes
mercy.
Agayns the firste vice, he shal thynke that oure lif
is in no sikernesse, and eek that alle the richesses in this
world ben in aventure and passen as a shadwe on the wal;
and,
as seith Seint Gregorie, that it aperteneth to the grete
rightwisnesse of God that nevere shal the peyne stynte of hem
that nevere wolde withdrawen hem fro synne, hir thankes, but ay
continue in synne; for thilke perpetueel wil to do synne shul
they han perpetueel peyne.
Wanhope is in two maneres: the firste wanhope is
in the mercy of Crist; that oother is that they thynken that they
ne myghte nat longe persevere in goodnesse.
The firste
wanhope comth of that he demeth that he hath synned so greetly
and so ofte, and so longe leyn in synne, that he shal nat be
saved.
Certes, agayns that cursed wanhope sholde he thynke
that the passion of Jhesu Crist is moore strong for to unbynde
than synne is strong for to bynde.
Agayns the seconde wanhope
he shal thynke that as ofte as he falleth he may arise agayn by
penitence. And though he never so longe have leyn in synne, the
mercy of Crist is alwey redy to receiven hym to mercy.
Agayns
the wanhope that he demeth that he sholde nat longe persevere in
goodnesse, he shal thynke that the feblesse of the devel may
nothyng doon, but if men wol suffren hym;
and eek
he shal han strengthe of the help of God, and of al hooly
chirche, and of the proteccioun of aungels, if hym list.
Thanne shal men understonde what is the fruyt of penaunce;
and, after the word of Jhesu Crist, it is the endelees blisse of
hevene,
ther joye hath no contrarioustee of wo ne grevaunce;
ther alle harmes been passed of this present lyf; ther as is the
sikernesse fro the peyne of helle; ther as is the blisful
compaignye that rejoysen hem everemo, everich of otheres joye;
ther as the body of man, that whilom was foul and derk, is
moore cleer than the sonne; ther as the body, that whilom was
syk, freele, and fieble, and mortal, is inmortal, and so strong
and so hool that ther may no thyng apeyren it;
ther as ne is
neither hunger, thurst, ne coold, but every soule replenyssed
with the sighte of the parfit knowynge of God.
This
blisful regne may men purchace by poverte espiritueel, and the
glorie by lowenesse, the plentee of joye by hunger and thurst,
and the reste by travaille, and the lyf by deeth and
mortificacion of synne.