Handlyng Synne :: :: University of Virginia Library

The fourþe comaundment ys, “oure
Fadyr & modyr we shal honoure.”
Certys þe chylde trespasyþ ful yl
Þat wyl nat do þe fadrys wyl;
Þe chylde owyþ hys wyl al do,
But dedly synne be þar-vnto;
For god forbedeþ swych synne algate,
For loue, or for drede, erly or late.
Ellys yn al þyng þat we may,
Fadyr & modyr wurschype we ay.

Ȝyf þou euer, yn euyl wetand,
On fadyr or modyr leydest þyn hand,

Hyt ys comaunded yn sum lawe
þat swych men shulde be doun o dawe.
Vnneþys shuld þey mercy fynde,
For swyche a chylde ys kalled vnkynde;
No bysshope may ȝyue þerfore dome
But þe pope of þe court of Rome.

Ȝyf þou were euer so felun
To ȝyue fadyr or modyr þy malysun,
Or stonde aȝens hem yn answere,
And wldest nat bowë ne forbere,
Þou hast synned þan dedly,
To endëles penaunce wurþy,
But sonë þou þer-of þe shryue
And be bowyng yn al þy lyue.

Ȝyf þy fadyr or modyr bydde þe ouȝt do,
And þou wylt nat bleþly þarto
By þy wyl, but euer gruchande,
Þou shalt weyl vndyrstande,
Þat, þogh þou do forþe þy dede,
Þat synne ys mochë for to drede.
Þou oghtyst to bere penaunce grym,
For þou greuyst a lytyl hym.
with al þy myght, and ryȝt gode wyl,
Þy fadrys byddyng þou shalt fulfyl.

Ȝyf fadyr or modyr falle yn elde,
And noþer, for pouert, may hem self welde,
Here chyldryn are holdë þan, þurgh ryȝt,
To susteyn hem at alle here myght.

Ȝyf þey se hem so at mysese
And þey may lyuë wel at ese,
But þey help hem, þey are to blame
And wrþy to haue wrldës shame.
Þoght þey hauë þe mysdoun,
Þou shalt nát fynde enchesoun
Þat þyn help be fro hem went,
For hyt were aȝens þe comaundment.

Y se men þat purchasours are,
Þat coueyte catel with sorwe & kare
Here chyldryn godë for to wynne,
And here soulës synke for synne.

And oþer men also y see,
Þat ȝyue here chyldryn boþe lond & fee
For to fynde hem sustynaunce
yn here age, for allë chaunce.
Þo men, me þynkeþ, most mysdo,
Þat ȝyue here godë fro hem so;
Hyt were bettyr holde here land,
Þan begge hyt at a-nouþers hand:
Men wexen sone sadde of hem þat craue
When þey weyl wete þat þey naght haue.
By a tale, y shal ȝou mone,

[_]

warne

Þat fyl betwyx þe fadyr & þe sone.

[The Tale of the Fond Father.]

Of a man þat sum tyme was,
y shal ȝou telle a lytyl pas.
Of hys sone he was gelous,

And ȝaue hym alle hys land & hous,
And al hys catel in toune & felde,
þat he shulde kepe hym wel yn hys elde.
Þys ȝong man wax fast, & was iolyfe,
hys cunseyl was to take a wyfe;
he weddyd one, & broght here home
with alle þe myrþe þat þerto come;
He badde here fyrst, loude and stylle,
To serue hys fadyr weyl at hys wylle.
Sone aftyrwarde, þys ȝongë man,
Hys herte, hys þoght, chaunge began;
Tendrere he was of wyfe and chylde,
Þan to hys fadyr oþer meke or mylde.
Of o day, he þoght [four or] fyue;
Long hym þoght hys fadyr a-lyue;
And euery day, boþe þe toon and þe toþer,
Serued hym weyl wers þan oþer.
Y trowe þys man, whan he gan mone
For þoght þat he ȝaf so meche hys sone,
Þys oldë man was broght so logh
Þat he lay ful colde besyde a wogh.
Þys oldë man, vp-on a day,
Pleyned hym þat he coldë lay:
“Sone,” he seyde, “for goddys loue
wrye me with sum cloþe aboue.”
Þe sone, þat was þe husband
To whom was ȝyuë alle þe land,
Clepyd hys sone, & bade hym take
A sak of þo þat he dede make,
And badde hym turnë hyt tweyfolde

And ley hyt on hys fadyr for colde.
Þe chylde [dede] as he bad hym do,
Toke a sak & karf hyt yn two.
Hys fadyr spakë to hym ȝorne,
“Sey, why hast þou þe sak shorne?”
þe chylde answered hym yn haste
A wurdë þurgh þe holy gaste,
“Þys dedë haue y do for þe;
Gode ensample ȝyuyst þou me
How y shal serue þe yn þy elde,
whan þou, þy self, mayst nat welde;
Þys halfe sak shal lygge þy fadyr aboue,
And kepe þe touþer part to þy behoue.
Vnkyndly þou techyst me þe gode;
Of unkynde cumþ vnkyndë blode.”

Þys ensample were gode to kone,
Boþe to þe fadyr & eke to þe sone.
God ys noght payd, here we fynde,
Þat þe sone to þe fadyr ys nat kynde.
Þarfor spekþ Salamon
To fadrys & to husbandys echon,
‘Þe whylys þat ȝe may drawe ȝoure hand,
Ne ȝyueþ neuer awey ȝoure land,
And make ȝoure self, sogettys to be
To hem þat owyn ȝow seruee.’
Anoþer wysdom a clerk vs telleþ,

Senek, þat moche of wysdom spellyþ,
‘Ne be þou neuere yn swych errour
To make þyn eyr þy secutour,
Ne þy sekutoure þy fysycyene,
Yn hopë for to leue a-ȝene.’
For þy þyng, þy eyr seyþ þys,
Þat byfore was þyn, he halt hyt hys;
Þyn executure, to haue þy þyng,
wlde þat þou madyst þyn endyng.

Þou owyst to do no þyng stylle
withoute leue of þy fadrys wylle;
Þat ys to seyë, take no wyfe
For to make betwyxe ȝou stryfe;
Ne no grete þyng beye ne selle
Ȝyf þou vndyr hys gouernaunce dwelle.
To relygyun þou mayst go
withoutë cunseyl of any mo;
And to holy land, ȝyf þou haue hyt hette;
Syb, ne vnsyb, may hyt lette.

A clerk þat folylyche dyspendyth
þe godys þat hys fadyr hym ȝyueþ or sendyþ,
And wyl nat ȝyue hym for to lere
Clergye ne craft, or ouþer mystere,
wykkedlyche al þat gode he dyspendyþ
þat hys fadyr for godenesse spelyþ.
To hard a-cuncte shall he be sette
At hys endyng, whan he shal be fette,
Þat so hys tyme haþ al forlore,

And aȝens hys fadyr so hym mysbore,
But he ȝelde hym, ȝyf þat he may,
Or preye for hym boþe nyght and day;
For ȝyf þou mayst, & wylt noght,
Þou art yn weye to peyne be broght.

For a-noþer also þou mayst be shent:
Ȝyf þou destroblyst here testament
Yn here lyfe, or aftyr here ded,
with powere or ȝyft, cunseyl or rede,
Þou hast trespast apertly
Aȝens þys cómaundment so hy.
Of alle wykked men þat men calle,
Þe fals executours be werst of alle;

[_]

nota bene

For þey ne reche how þe soulë fare,
And mennys owne eyres, werst with hem are.

y tolde erwhyle, for no socour
Þou make þyn eyre þyn executour;
For alle þat was langere þy catel,
he halt hyt hys, euery deyl.
‘Loue þou þy chyldyr out of wytte;
Trust to hem, and helples sytte.’
Ouþer ensample nedyþ þe noun take;
what dost þou for þy fadrys sake,
Ȝyt shal þy sone do for þe, les;
For euer þe lastë, þe werst es.
On hem y rede þyn herte so kest,
Þat þou louë þy self best;
Loue so þy chyldyr, loue so þy wyff,

Þat þou saue þe, boþe soule & lyff.
Loue fadyr & modyr, þat þe forþe brouȝt,
Þenk on þat loue whan þey may nouȝt.

Seynt poule þat sagh goddys pryuyte,
he seyþ yn hys autoryte
A feyrë wurd vs for to saue,
And specyaly to hem þat chyldryn haue:
He seyþ “be ȝe neuer so fole hardy
To curse ȝoure chyldryn byttyrly;
Ne greuusly, for lytyl trespas,
Betechë hem to satanas.”
Moche ys ȝour malysun to drede;
Curseþ hem noght; y ȝow forbede.
Oft haue men boþe herde & see
Þat moche veniaunce þerfor haþ bee.

For to leue ȝoure cursyng bolde,
Y shal ȝow telle what me was tolde
Of a prest þat sagh and fonde
Þys chauncë yn þe holy londe.

[The Tale of the Mother who curst her Child.]

A womman on a day ful raþe
Ȝede to a watyr here for to baþe,
And to[ke] here doghtyr here cloþys to kepe,
And baddë here she shuld nat slepe;
“But, as sone as y þe kalle,
Be redy with my cloþys alle.”
whan she was baþed, she kalled here faste,
And bade here brynge here cloþys yn haste.

Here douȝtyr was nat alle redy,
Ne comë nat at here fyrst cry.
Þe modyr þat sat in here baþ
wax ful of ire and of wraþ,
And cleþyd eft-sonys aftyr here,
kursyng with ryghte gretë yre,
And seyd, “þe devyl come on þe,
For, þou art nat redy to me.”
“And y am redy,” seyd þe deuyl,
“To take þat þou me betaght with euyl.”
he flegh on herë þere she stode,
And madë herë wytte al wode.

Þys godë man for a-nouþer þyng
Tolde hyt oft yn hys prechyng,
Þat none durste speke with here syþyn
But ȝyf he werë clenë shryuyn;
For ȝyf he were yn dedely synne,
Þe fendë þat was here with-ynne
Made here seye hym so moche shame
Þat alle men wundred on hys blame.
And þat was preued with many one
Þat to þe holy lond was gone.

Þerfore, ȝe chyldryn, before al þyng
Dredyþ ȝoure modrys warryng;
And, ȝe wyuys, þenkeþ on þys cas,
werryþ nat for lytyl trespas.
Þey þat wyl gladly warye,
hem warryþ god & seynt marye.
For ho-so haunteþ hyt comunly

Yn ernest or yn rybaudy,
He shall haue warryng for blysse,
And of blessyng shal he mysse;
And ho-so curseþ withoutyn gylt
Hyt shal on hys hede be pylt.
Curser[y]s yn alle here lyue
Shal neuer haue grace for to þryue;
As þey vse, so shal hem falle,
For kursyng shal come on hem alle.

wurschepyþ ȝoure fadrys, & ȝoure fadrys ȝow,
Þan queme ȝe God, and doun ȝoure prow.
God ȝyue vs grace to oure endyng
To kepe vs fro modrys cursyng,
And oure fadrys so to queme;
Þat goddys comaundement we may ȝeme.