Handlyng Synne :: :: University of Virginia Library

Ȝyf þou euer þurgh folye
Dydyst ouȝt do nygrómauncy.
Or to þe deuyl dedyst sacryfyse
Þurgh wychcraftys asyse,
Or any man ȝaf þe mede
For to reyse þe deuyl yn dede,
For to telle, or for to wrey,
Þyng þat þe was don awey;
Ȝyf þou haue do any of þys,
Þou hast synned & do a-mys,
And þou art wurþy to be shent
Þurgh þys yche commaundëment.

Ȝyf you yn swerd, oþer yn bacyn,
Any chylde madyst loke þeryn,
Or yn þumbe, or yn cristal,—
wycchëcraft men clepyn hyt al:
Beleue nouȝt yn þe pyys cheteryng;
Hyt ys no trouþe, but fals beleuyng.
Many beleuyn yn þe pye:
whan she comyþ lowe or hye
Cheteryng, and haþ no reste,
þan sey þey we shul haue geste.
Manyon trowyn on here wylys,
And many tymes þe pye hem gylys.

Also ys metyng on þe morwe
when þou shalt go to bye or to borwe;
ȝyf þan þy erende spede ne sette,
þan wylt þou curse hym þat þou mette.
Hyt ys þe tycement of þe deuyl
To curse hem þat þoght þe no euyl.

Of hancel y can no skylle also;
Hyt ys nouȝt to beleue þarto:
Me þynkeþ hyt ys fals euery deyl,
Y beleue hyt nouȝt, ne neuer shal weyl.
For many hauyn glad hancel at þe morw,
And to hem or euyn comþ mochyl sorw;
And manyon hauyn yn þe day grete noy,
And ȝyt or euyn comþ to hem mochyl ioye.
So mayst þou wyte, ȝyf þou gode can,
Þat hancel ys no beleue to man.

Beleuë nouȝt moche yn no dremys,
For many be nat but gleteryng glemys.
Þese clerkys seyn þat hyt ys vanyte,
Þat nouȝt ys, ne neuer shal be;
And oftë mayst þou fynde hyt ryght
þat þou hast mete vpon þe nyght.
But þerof to haue mochyl affyaunce
Þe may betyde þe sunner a chaunce.

On syxë maners may a man mete:
Sum beyn to beleue, sum beyn to lete.
Sum men dremyn for surfeture,

þat etyn or drynkyn ouer mesure;
And sum dremë on veyn þyng
For ouer mychyl and grete fastyng;
And sum beyn þe fendes temptacyoun
Þat to þe trowþe ys fals tresoun;
And sum come of ouer mochyl þouȝt
Of þyng þat men wuld hauë wrouȝt;
And sum beyn goddys pryuyte
Þat he shewyþ to warnë þe;
And, sum come þurgh grete stody,
And shewë to þe apertly.
Þese syxë maners a clerk vs tellyþ,
Seynt Gregory, þat mochyl spellyþ.

Þe fyrst twey maners, we wote weyl,
Beyn oure defautë euery deyl.
Þe ton ys for ouer mychel outrage,
Þe touþer ys febylnesse of corage,
As yn mete, or drynk, ouer moche takyng,
Or yn feblyng þe body with moche fastyng.
þe touþer fourë þys clerkys wytyn,
For yn þe byble þey ben wrytyn.
Ȝyf þey ne come þurgh temptacyun
Of þe fende, þat ys a felun,
Neuere had seyd Salamon
‘þat dremys, men deseyue manyon.’
For þo þat to dremys ouer moche trastys,

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beleuyn

To scornë hem þe fende þen frastys.

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asayþ

Ȝyf þey come nat also þurgh þoght,
Þe wysë clerk hadde tolde hyt noght,
Ne suffryd hyt be wrytyn yn boke
Þat men alle day rede yn, and loke.
Þus þe wyse clerk seyþ, Catun,
And techyþ chyldryn þys lessun,
‘Ȝeue no charge to [þy] dremys,
Þey been but as [glasyng] glemys
Þat yn þe þouȝt [stertys &] lepys
A-nyȝt whan þou [restys &] slepys:
þat you wakyng [sumtyme] þenkes,
Beforë þy yȝen hyt blenkys.’

Ȝyf þey ne come þurgh pryuyte
Þat god wyl shewë me or þe,
Iosep of dremys had ȝyue no kepe
what hym was shewed yn hys slepe,
þat fadyr and modyr & al hys kynde,
Þurgh hym shuld þey wurshyp fynde.
yn þe byble men redë þys
In þe fyrst boke of genesys.
Also hyt was shewyd pryuyly
To iosep þat wedded oure lady,
Þat with þe chyld þey shuldë fle
To egypt, þat yche cuntre.
þys ys clepyd reuelacyun,
To shewe byfore what ys to doun.

Ȝyf þey com noght þurgh stodyyng,
þat tokene ys of selkouþe þyng,
Danyel had noght wyst byfore

Þe dreme of Nabugodonósore.
Danyel seyd vn-to þe kyng,
“þou þouȝtyst to nyȝt a selkouþe þyng;
‘what manere folk shuld þey be
Þat yn þis worlde come aftyr þe,
And how þey shulde þe wurlde gouerne;’
yn þy þoght þou gunne hyt ȝerne;
And god shewyd hyt yn þy syȝt;
þat dremed þe þe touþer nyȝt.”
He tolde þe profyte þan euery deyl;
And þe profete redde hyt weyl:
wysly he seyd, and weyl þurgh soght,
whan he hede toke to þat þe kynge þoght.
And god shewyd what shuld betyde;
what manere folk shulde aftyr a-byde.

Seþyn þer beyn dremys so many manere,
þan ys doute & gretë were
To wytë where-of dremys come,
Þat euery nyȝt dremyn þurgh custome;
Þer beyn so many dremys yn veyne,
Þat no man wotë no certeyn
But þey þat beyn with god pryue,
To whom ys graunted, swych þyng to see:
Swych men deseyueþ nat þe deuyl,
þey haue no grace to knowe hys euyl;
Ellys may no man fynde hem stable,
So ben dremys déseyuable.

ȝyf þou telle hem, þan mayst þou erre;
And ȝyf þow trow hem, þat ys wel werre;
For þou mayst dreme of sum euyl þyng
Þat may turne to better for þy preyyng.
“Þou, leudman, ȝyf godë tent,
Trow noght aȝen þe comaundment.”

Ȝyf þou beleue yn wycchëcraft
To chaungë þyng be þe deuylys craft,—
Swych beyn þe deuyl betaght,
with holy chyrche þey ben vnsaght,
And allë þo þat on hem trowe
Mow drede hem self to brenne yn lowe;

[_]

fyre

And þogh þey fynde hyt soþe oþer whyle,
Hyt ys þurgh þe fendës gyle.
Þe fend fondyþ with alle hys myȝt
To put sumwat yn herë syght
Þat shal make hem swych þyng beleue
And god almyȝty myspay and greue.
For þer was neuer womman ne man
Þat any wycchëcraft be-gan,
Þat euer myȝt bryng hyt to an ende,
But fals beleue þat wyl hem shende.
þe wurdys certys beyn ryght noght,
But fals beleue makeþ dede y-wroght.
For whan þou trowyst yn a fals þyng
þe deuyl hyt shewyþ for þat trowyng.
lo here a tale of a wycche,
Þat leued no better þa[n] a bycche.