University of Virginia Library

Instructive Pieces: Religious, Moral, Ritual

20. The vij vertwys Agyn the vij dedley Synys

21. Augustinus de peccatis venialibus

1

Fyrst whan a man or a woman drynkes more
Eny tyme here then myster wore
Whan þou may helpe thorwgh wytte or skylle

2

And wyl not helpe bot holdes hym stylle
Whan þou spekes schortly vn to the pore

3

That askys som gud at thy dore
Whan þou art hole & may wele laste

4

And etes wan tyme ware to faste
Whan þou lyste to slepe & wil not ryse

5

And commes ouer latte in to goddes seruyce
Or whan þou arte in gud state

6

And says thy prears ouer late
Or whan þou has ouer lytul deuocyon

7

In prears or in orison
Whan a man wyl dele in bedde
Whyt hys wyfe þat he has wedde

8

Hys lust only to fulfylle
And to geyt a chylde ys not hys wil
Whan þou vysyttes men ouer late
That ys seke in febul state
Or men þat ligges in preson
Or in angur or in trybulacyon
Or men þat are synful or sory
Or soules that are in purgatory
To vyset them yt ware gret need
Thorowgh praer or thorough almesdede
Whan þou folowes nouȝth aftur thy state
To acord them that are at debate
Whan þou spekys ouer bytturly
Vn to any man with noys or cry
Whan þou presys any man more
Thorowght flateryng than myster wore
Whan þou in kyrke makys janglyng
Or in wayn thynkys on any thyng
Be yt withoute be yt withinne
ȝyt yt ys a venial syn
When þou arte lyȝtly worthe
Or sweres & may not holde thyn oythe
Wan þou bannys any man
In whom þou fyndes no gylte to banne
Whan þou supposys any wyckednese
Thorowgh susspeccyon there non ys
Thyes smale synnys sent austyn tellus
Thorowgh wyche many synnys dwellus
In purgatory in payn and woo
But ȝyt there are many moo
Of venyal synnes be many store
Ouer thyes þat y haue tolde here before
But so wytte ys no erthly man
That all venyall synnes rekyn can
ffor ofte sythes on þe day men falles
In synnes þat clarkes venyall synnes calles
Thorwght thowte or ded or speche in vayn
And yche a syn ys worthy payn

22. Decem remedia contra peccata venialia ut patebit inferus

We fynde wryttyn . X . thynges sere
That venial synnes for doys here
Theys . X . are thyes þat I now rede
Holy water & almes dede
ffastyng and howsyl of goddes body
Praer of þe pater noster namely
Seueral schrifte þat yche day may be
Blessyng of bysschop thorough hys dygnyte
And blessyng of preyst þat gyfen ys
Namely in þe endyng of þe messe
Knockyng of brest of man þat ys meke
Laste anoyntyng þat ys gyften to þe seke
Thyes . X . poyntes puttes venial synnes away
As men may here thyes clarkes say
But so many veniall synnes sere
May be gaderd to gedyr here
That thay may way on þe soule as hewy
As a noder syn ys dedly
That sles þe soule þat god myspays
And therefore þe poyt on thys says
Als of many smale cornes ys mayd
To a hors a gret loyd
Ryȝth so many veniall synnes smale
may make a dedly syn all

23. The Five Goostly Wyttys

Haue mynde on the blys þat neuer schall blyne
And on grete peyne þat synners shall wynne
Desyre that goddys wylle be wrought
Thy fleschely wylle sett hyt at nought
Rewle the ay be reson ryght
And þo þat ben vnder þe aftur þy myght
Vndurstonde goddys kyndenes & hys mercy
And ther aȝeyn thyn vnkynde foly
Ymagyne to all men goodnes/
Ymagyne no wrong nor falsenes/
Of fyue ynwyttys / þe rewle ys thys/
That helpen a man to heuene blys/

24. Lines on the Old Testament Worthies

Abel wes looset in treunesse
Habraham in bousumnesse.
Ysaac in studeuestnesse.
Iacob in þinenkenesse.
Ioseph [OMITTED] in edmodnesse
& moyses in ritwisnesse.
David þe kinc hede reunesse.
Iob þe gode þolemodnesse.

25. A Riming Exhortation

And ye will please god gretly .
Use preuey penaunce discretly .
And deuoute prayers clerly .
Mesurably eate and drynke .
Wake praye and thynke .
Be sober sad and chaste .
And talke no worde in waste .
As ye love goode mete and drynke .
So y praye you bothe speke and thynke .
Loue gentel ihesu feruently .
And take alle aduersyte pacyently .
And prosperyte mekely .
And ye schall haue heyvon merely .
ffor vnder the sunne a man may se .
Thys worlde ys but a vanyte .
Grace passeth gollde .
And precyous stoon .
And god schalbe god .
When goollde ys goon .

26. Admonition Against Swearing

How darest thow swere or be so bold also
To blasfeme hym that is very rote and rynde
And pull his armes his precious body fro
Alas what vnkendnesse is in thy mynde
Yf thowe were to eny erthly kyng so vnkynde
Thow shuldest be drawe and hangyd by þe chyn
As a traytour horrybill thogh þou were next of his kyn

27. Health of Body and Soul

Liuis firist . & licames hele.
þine sinnes heir to beten. & þine soule to saluen
þine children to consailen
& þine frent to gladien
To heowene crist þe sende
þer blisse is bouten hende.
God turneþe to þen ilke þinke þat þe is bett to lif & to soule.

28. Penaunce is in Herte Reusing

Penaunce is in herte reusinge.
in mouþe tellinge.
in edbote douinge.
for hot. & let euer serwinde.
þou scalt halven heuene at þin endinge.
þer is god þat neuer ne lei.
þer is ioye þat neuer [col. 2] ne ageet.
þer is lif wid outen deet.
Seinte marie bi sech þi sone.
þat we moten þider com