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The eyȝtþe poynt of shryfte.
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The eyȝtþe poynt of shryfte.

The eyghtþe poynt of þe twelue,
‘Þy shryfte shal be alle of þy selue,’
Of þyn ownë proper dede,
And bewreye none ouþer, y þe forbede.
Þyn ownë foly þou shalt seye,
And none ouþer body bewreye.
Dauyd seyþ yn þe sautere
Þese wurdes, þurgh Goddys powere,—
he spekeþ as weyl to lerned as to lewed,—
“Myn owne lyfe, lorde, y haue þe shewed;
None ouþer mannes y wyl dyscrye,
For þat were boþe synne and vyleynye.”
Ȝyue gode tent, to þys poynt,
Þou prest þat art a-noynt!
Ȝyf a man telle þe hys synne,
And a-noþer be menged þer-ynne,—
As ȝyf hyt were yn lecherye,
Or hylp to sle, or robborye,
For þese may nat a man weyl do
Alone, but ouþer be þar-vnto,—
Aske aftyr none ouþer name,
But lestene wyl hys ownë blame;
For ȝyf þou any ouþer man namest,

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Y dar weyl seye þou hym dyffamest;
hyt ys grete synne to hym and þe
To aske or telle þat shulde nat be;
hyt ys bakbytyng, and no shryfte;
hyt ys a spyce of euyl þryfte.
Þou lewed man, y forbede þe weyl,
Þogh þe prest aske, bewreye þou no deyl;
Bewreyë weyl þyn ownë dede,
But none ouþer, y þe forbede.
y tolde langer yn myn auys,
Loke algate þy preste be wys.
Do nat as þe pharysu,
Preydë God aȝens hys pru;
He ȝede to þe cherche with a man
Þat men calle a publycan,—
A publycan ys, yn oure sawe,
A synful man, oute of þe lawe;
Þys pharysu ys to mene ‘byfore,’
As forby alle, and fro ouþer shore,—
Þys pharysu bygan to prey,
And seyd, as a shrewe shulde sey,
“Lordë, þanked mote þou be,
y am nat, as y ouþer se,
Coueytous, ne lecherous of flesshe,
And nat as he, þys publycan, ys:
Euery woke y fastë twys,
And ȝyue my tyþes of rychë prys.”
Loke how he made hys auauntement
Of þat gode þat God hadde hym sent;
ȝe, syre, on a wykked wyse,
Oþer men for tó despyce;
hys owne godenes, coude he nat sey,
But algate ouþer, behoueþ hym wreye.
Besydë stode þe pupblycan,
And knew hym self a wykked man,

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And durst nat loke to God vpward,
But knokked on hys brest ful harde,
And seyd with herte ful drefully,
“Lorde, þou haue on me mercy!”
Þe þublycan had mochë þanke;
Þe pharysu, byfore God he stanke.
Þus seyþ þe gospel, þat we alle knowe,
“who so makeþ hym hygh, he shal be lowe;
And, who loghyþ hym yn skylle,
Gode heghnes he shal come tylle.”
Some, whan þey here shryfte bygynne,
he shal hepe on God hys synne,
And seyþ algate, ‘he ne may noȝt
kepe hym, but synne be wroȝt.’
And some sey, whan þey do euyl,
Hyt was algate þurgh þe deuyl;
And some sey, as y haue herde,
‘A! syre! so synneþ alle þe werlde.’
Of þy self, shal nat be seyd;
On þe, shal alle þe blame be leyd;
God blameþ þe for þy mysdede,
why seyst þou þan, ‘þe behoueþ nede?’
Ne no fende may but temptë þe;
Þe dede shal alle þyn ownë be;
Ne at þe worlde mayst þou noȝt kest;
Do þy self weyl, hyt ys þe best;
Here mayst þou se wyþ godë skyl,
Alle hyt ys at þyn ownë wyl.