Handlyng Synne :: :: University of Virginia Library

To þe fyfþe now shul we go,
Þat ys, ‘þou shalt no man slo.’
Þe fyfþë, shalt þou vndyrstonde,
Ys, ‘sle no man with þyn honde,
with-outyn iustyce, for felonye,
Ne for no manere of robbrye.’

Ȝyf þou do any man yn prysun,
wykkedly, as a fals felun,
Or bynde yn upland or in burgh,
Þat he haue hys deþe þer-þurgh,—

Certeyn þe shal no þyng were,
Þat for hys deþ þou shalt answere.

Ȝyf þou euer yn any tyme
Reftë any man hys lyme,
Or hyt was reftë þurgh þy rede,
Þou art enchesun of hys dede.
Ȝyf hyt be aȝens hys wylle
Or hys asent, þou synnest ful ylle.

Ȝyf þou þurgh wykked ordynaunce
Fordost pore mannys sustynaunce
þat aftyrward he may nat lyue,
þou art coupable,—a ȝyfte y ȝyue.

Ȝyf a porë man þe craue
A melys mete, hys lyfe to saue,—
Ȝyf þou mayst ȝyue hym, & nat wylt,
Beforë god þou hast hym spylt.
Seynt Ambrosë seyþ hardly,
Þat hyt ys slaghtyr gostly.

what shul we sey of þys dytours,
Þys fals men, þat beyn sysours,
Þat, for hate, a trewman wyl endyte,
And a þefe for syluer quyte?
Be he neuer so strong a þefe,
Ȝyf he may ȝyue, he shal be lefe;
A porë man þat may nat so,
Þe deþë þey wyl dampne hym to.
Also hyt ys of þys dormers yn tounne,—
Falsë treytours & feloune,—

þat falslychë, for enuye,
On here neghburs wyl gladly lye,
And seye forsoþe þat he haþ wroght
Þyng þat neuer ȝyt was do ne þoght.
þey sle hem allë þat þey may,
whan here gode los þey fordo for ay.
yn alle þe wrlde, no ys more felonye,
Þan of þy neghbur next þe by.

Ȝyf þou euer dedyst þyn entent
yn fals cunsél or cómaundment,
Þat a man to þe deþe were dyght
with wrong dome, or euyl syght;
Þoght hyt semyd with þe lawe
To ȝeue þe dome, hyt ys grete awe
who-so demyþ felunsly,
And noþer wyþ pyte ne mercy;
he [ne] shal no mercy haue,
Þat alle wyl sle, and no man saue.

y shal ȝow telle for swychë dome
A tale þat sum tyme fyl yn Rome.
Of holy wryt, þe englysh y toke,
‘Dialogus,’ men clepyn þe boke.
Þys tale ys wryte þer-yn redy,
And fyl yn þe tyme of seynt Gregory.

[The Tale of the Knight who had a Vision of the Judgment.]

yn Romë fyl a grete moreyne,
A pestelens of men, a veniaunce to pyne,
For some þat ȝedë yn þe strete

Sawe arwys fro heuene shete,
And smote men to þe deþ doun ryȝt;
And one of þe arwys wounded a knyȝt.
Þe knyȝt ful sorë syke gan lye,
And was yn poynt as he shuld deye;
hys spyryt was take to see a cas,
Ryght as goddys wyllë was.
hys frendys þat stode hym by
wende þat he hadde be dede bodely.
But sonë, yn a lytyl þrowe,
Þe body quaked þat þey alle sowe:
Seþþë he tolde where he hadde be,
And mochë þyng þat he hadde see.
“y sagh a brygge of mochë wndyr,
A grymly watyr was þer vndyr,
Blak and depe & ful stynkyngge,
Dredeful noyse hyt made rynnyngge.
Dunward yn-to helle hyt ȝede;
whan y sagh hyt, y hadde grete drede.
Be-ȝunde þat brygge was a cuntre,
Þe feyreste þat euer god lete be;
As a medue hyt was grene,
So feyre of syght ys noun, y wene,
So ful of flourys logh and hygh,
And saueryd swete as spycerye.
Þarto so feyre syght of coloure,
Delytable, & swete of sauoure,
Y dar weyl seye þat euermore
A man myght leuë þat were þore;

Deyë certys shuld he neuere,
For lyue and hele ys þere for euere.
y sagh þere folk [of so feyr syghte,
Here wonynge placys yn joye were dyghte;
All þe folke] þat I saghe þere
were as feyre as aungelys were.
y sagh þere housys of ful ryche atyre,
Alle of gletryng golde as fyre;
Blesful bryghtenes was þerynne;
Þe syght was cely, & welþe to wynne;
For, some of þo wynly wones
were peynted with precyus stones,
Some were caste with ryche colours
And feyr peynted with frute & floures.
Þere ys noun lyuyng here a lyue,
But criste, þat may hyt alle dyscryue.
Þe soþë myght y neuer wytte,
who shuld yn þo stedys sytte.
But yn þe watyr þat was hydus,
Sstynkyng, blak, & merueylus,
y say moche folk falle þerynne,
Caytyuys charged ful of synne.
A myste out of þe watyr come,
And to sum housys hyt gan gone,
And to sum, come hyt noght,
Þat me merueyled yn my þoght.

Þe bregge þat ouere þe watyr lay,
Hyt was euer of swyche a-say,
Þat þer-ouere myght no man passe

But he were clene of euery trespas
Þat he ne shulde yn þe watyr falle
To þe mayster fende of alle.
Þo men þat loue to do ryghtly,
Þey shal passe þere sauëly
Into þat blesful cuntre,
Þere ioyë withoute ende shal be.

A preste y sagh passe þere weyl,
And hadde no lettyng of any deyl,
As he hadde leuyd yn hys lyfe clene,
At hys passyng was hyt weyl sene.

A man y kneugh þere yn peynys strong.
Þat felunlyche dyde euer wrong;
I knegh hym here yn grete bayly,
He loued veniaunce with-oute mercy.
‘Pers,’ y wote weyl, was hys name,
Yn þe watyr he suffred shame.
y sagh hym bere vpp-on hys krowne
Brynnyng eryn þat bare hym downe
In-to þe watyr, blak as kole.
Alas, þe paynes y sagh hym þole!
Moche y desyred to wete certeyne
why he suffred al þat peyne;
And asswyþe hyt was me tolde,
For to do veniaunce he was euere bolde;
And whan he shuldë deme þe ryȝt,
To felunly he dyde hys myȝt;
At hym myght no man hauë grace,

Myldenesse, ne mercy, for any trespace;
And for he dede so mochë wogh,
Suffreþ he now shame ynogh.
Swyche ys goddys ordynaunce,
‘For veniaunce to take veniaunce.’

Ȝyt of a-noþer y had a syght,
‘Steuene,’ forsoþe, hys namë hyght;
Þat yche Steuene was wont to be
wonyng yn Romë, þys cyte.
As he wulde passe þe brygge, betydde,
Hys fete begunne to slyde besyde,
And, was yn poynt for to falle
In-to þe watyr bytterer þan galle;
Þe fendës wende weyl hym to fonge,
But by þe bregge þan gan he honge.
Þe fendys here crokys fasted yn hys knees,
And al to-drowe & rente hys þees;
Feyr men come þedyr,—but y not how,—
And by hys armys vp hym drow;
Þey wulde nat suffre hym falle al downe
In-to þat grete confucyoun;
He plesyd god with sum gode dede,
Þarefore þey hylpe hym yn hys nede.

Almysdede men vndyrstonde
By þe drawyng vp of hys honde.
Y trowe he trespast yn lecherye
Þat þey þe þeës drow hym by.
But forsoþe y can nat telle
wheþyr he shulde to heuene or helle.”

Þys talë haue y tolde to ȝow,

Ȝyf hyt myȝt fallë ȝow to prow,
Þys domus men, to chastyse,
Þat deme men wrong þurgh fals asyse.
Many beyn now, as Pers was,
Harde domys men as Satanas.
Þat man þat demeþ alle to þe ryȝt,
Of mercy get he no plyȝt;
And ȝyf he demeþ pytyffully
At hys demyng getyþ he mercy;
And ȝyf he deme fals iuggëment,
Þere falsnes ys, he shalle be shent;
He shal be slayn, þat al wyl slo;
Þat peyne wyl deme, to pyne shal go.

Ȝyf þou with-drowe any mannys wyl,
Þat he ne myȝt þe gode fulfyl
whan he þoght to haue wel doun,
Or entycedest any fro relygyoun,
Gostly þou mayst hym slo
Þyf he to ouþer wykkednes go:—
As, ȝyf a man haue a chylde,
And to relygyun hys wyl be mylde,
And þou eggyst hym away
To folue þe fals wrldës pay;
Ȝyf he þarefore be lore yn synne,
For hym grete perel þou fallyst ynne;
Byforë god þou hast hym slayn,
And for hym þou shalt suffre payn.

what sey ȝe of þys bakbyters
Þat wykked wurdes aboutë bers?
Þey makë oftë mochë stryfe,

And a-peyryn many mannys lyfe.
Ȝyf þou bryng a man yn fame,
Þat he haue euer lastyng shame,—
Byforë god, þou hym slos
whan þou hym reuyst hys gode los.
Bakbyter, þurgh ryght resun,
Of þre mennys deþ ys enchesun.
Þou wost weyl, with-outyn les,
þe bakbyter fyrst hym self sles;
He slekþ hym þat trowyþ hys lesyng,
whan he forþ beryþ hys bakbytyng;
And hym algate þat hyt ys on leyde,
He ys slayn; god help þe vpbreyde.
As mochë þan he ys to blame
Þat ȝeueþ a man a vyle ekename;
Ȝyf hys ryȝt name be withdrawe,
Gostlychë þou hast hym slawe.

Also ys slaghter gostly
To vse to spekë vyleyny.
For many wurdys þat beþ spoke,
were better yn brest to be loke.
And, sum owtȝë nat to be
Of herë wurdys to fre,—
By þese ordryd men, y mene,
Here wurdys owtȝ to be feyr & clene,
And namlyche to relygyun
Men shuld fynde noun enchesun:
For ȝyf þey spekë oute of skore,
Þey beþ to be blamed eft þarfore.

A tale

Seynt Gregori of a nunne tellys
Þat ȝede to helle for no þyng ellys
But for she spake euer vyleyny
Among here felaws al ahy.
Þys nunnë was of dedys chaste,
But þat she spakë wurdys waste
She madë many of here felawys
Þenke on synnë for her sawys.
For many tyme a vyleynys wurde
Gadryþ foulë þouþ to hurde.
So dede she her felawys alle,
For here wurdys, yn synnë falle.
Noþeles, yn here dedys,
Se was chaste as men er hedys.

Sone aftyr þys nunnë deyde,
As of herë was purueyde,
She was beryyd, as fyl to be,
Be syde an auter before þe gre.
Sone aftyr, þys chaunce gan falle:—
Of þe cherche þe wardeynys alle
were waked oute of here slepe,
So loude þey herde one cry & wepe;
Þey sterte vp allë for to see
what wundyr þyng þat myȝt be.
Þey say aboute þe Nunnë stonde,
Fendys, with brynnyng swerdys yn honde:
Al hem þoght þey wulde here slo,
For þey cloue here mouþe euyn o two;

And, þe to syde al to-brent
Before þe auter on þe pament.
Þe wardeynys come eft on þe morow
To see where had be þat sorow.
þey fonde þe brenyng euery deyl
As þey before had seye hyt weyl;
Half þe body was brent a-way,
And haluyndele yn her grauë lay.
Seynt Gregorye seyþ þat hyt was sygne
Þat half here lyfë was nat dygne;
For þogh here dedys werë chaste,
Here wurdys were al vyle & waste.
So was hyt shewyd before here ygne,
Þat haluyndele she was ȝoue to pyne.
Loke how ȝeuene dome þer was,
Euene lyke aȝens here trespas.
See how here tunggë made here slayn
And foulë wurdes broght here to payn.

By þys ensample þat vs awys

[_]

feryþ

Y rede þat we leue alle oure foule sawys,
Þat we sle nat vs self gostly,
Ne noun ouþer so, ne bodyly,
Þat we be nat with herë brent
Yn hellë fere, no with here shent.
God almyghty shelde vs þar fro,
And late vs neuer no man slo.