Handlyng Synne :: :: University of Virginia Library

Now of þe eytþë wyl we speke,
Þat fals sysours vse moste to breke.
‘Þous halt no fals wytnes bere,
Þyn euene crystyn for to dere.’
who-so with hys mouþe, one, seys,
And with hys herte þenkeþ ouþer weys,—

he ys wurþy to be shent,
For a doþ aȝens þys comaundment.
But many one þat are þus fykyl
Synnyn nat ylychë mykyl;
Þarfor behoueþ be tolde þe skyl
As holy men seyn vs tyl.

who-so beleuyþ a wycches sawe,
he bereþ wytnes aȝens þe lawe.
Swyche wycches are for to weyue,
For many men þey wyl dysceyue.

Some men wytnessen a lesyng
For nonë ouþer wynnyng
But for to begyle sum man þer-ynne;
Ȝyf hyt delyte hym, grete ys þat synne.

On ouþer manere synnen sum
Þat makeþ lesyng þurgh custum
To plese þe folk yn rybaudy:
Þat y halde no synne dedly,
But þey haue þeryn delyte;
Þan mow þey synne dedely ful tyte.

And sum vsë for curtesye
To speke nobly, and ȝyt wyl lye,
Þey synnë yn þat feyre spekyng
Ȝyf þey haue delyt yn þat lesyng.

And some lye oþer more or lesse,
To preyse one bettere þan he es;
Swyche lesyng ys nat grete folye
But þey hyt vsë comunly.

And somë lye as þey were wode
For men shuld ȝyuë hem sum gode,
And seyn þat he haþ do so or so
Þat he myȝt neuer come-to to do.
But þogh no man haue þer-of euyl,
Ȝyt hyt ys þe tycement of þe deuyl.
No lesyng ys with-outë synne,
But þat þer ys algate, sum plyght þerynne;
Al aftyr þat þe lesyng ys,
Sum ys more, and sum ys les.

But some men synnë greuusly
yn þys comaundment so hy,
Þat of grete þyng fals wytnes beryn,
And þar to-also grete oþys sweryn.
Swyche synnë greueþ now mekyl,
For many one are boþe fals and fykyl;
Þat oþer for loue, or for awe,
Wyl men swere falsly a sawe,
And bere wytnes of swyche a fals
To make a man hang be þe hals.

[_]

nek (O. necke)

God haþ sent for swyche veniaunce,
But many trusten of long suffraunce.
Men hope so moche hys mercy to,
Þat some neuer recche what þey do.
But þe wys man seyþ yn hys lore,
‘Þat here synne ys moche þe more
Ȝyf þey synne custummably
yn þe hope of hys mercy.’
Y shal ȝou tellë how hyt fore
Of a man þat hym forswore.

[Tale of the Rich Forswearer at a Trial in London.]

Yn Londun toune fyl swyche a chek,
A ryche man and pore were at cuntek,

[_]

debate

And pleted a-boute a lytyl land
Tyl a day was take yn hand;
þat day was so ny[e] dreue
þat þe othe was to þe ryche man ȝyue:
wytnes þey allë gan hym bere
Þat he ne wuld[ë] falsly swere;
For rychë men are holdë trewe,
Þogh here falsnes be neuer so newe.
whan he was charged þe soþe to seye,
Þat he ne shulde, for loue ne eye,
Ne for lefë, no for loþe,
But trew[ë]ly to swere hys oþe;
A-nouþer þan was yn hys þoght,
For falshede he wlde haue furþ broȝt;
And God toke veniaunce apertly,
Þat alle hyt say þat stode hym by.
For whan he hadde hys oþë swore,
And kest þe boke hem alle before,
Vp ne ros he neuer more,
But, lay dede befor hem þore.
Þan y trowe þat y dar seye
Þat he ȝede an euyl weye.

By þys tale, ȝe mowe se alle
Þat fals sweryng wyl euyl befalle,
Namlyche, on þe halydom
whan he ys charged of any whom.

Vndyrstand þys weyl yn þy wyt,
Þat god seyþ yn þe holy wryt,
‘Þat fals oþys, ne wrong Iugement,
Shul neuer morë be vnshent.’
Se how veniaunce was hys mede
whan he hadde of God no drede:
Almyghty God, þat ys soþfastnes,
hé wulde take to fals wytnes.

Fals sweryng ys nat ellys to say,
But ‘forsakyng of god, and alle hys lay.’
A man þat swereþ fals swerynges,
He forsakeþ fyuë þynges:—
Þe ioye of heuene he forsakeþ,
whan he, wetyng, fals oþys makeþ,
And alle hys blessyd cumpanye
Þat þey hym neuer helpe ȝyf þat he lye;
And Ihesu crystys passyun
þat for hym to þe deþ was doun,
þat hyt helpe hym neuer at nede,
Ȝyf he swere fals, or falsdom bede.
Þe þryddë, ȝyf he swerë fals,
hys crystendom he forsakþ als,
þat hyt helpe hym neuer more
Ȝyf þat he lyë þore.
Þe fourþe ys, he forsakeþ þe preyers
þat holy wryt wytnes of beres,
þat þey neuer stonde hym by
ȝyf he swere hys oþe falsly.
Þe fyueþë þyng wyl hym shende,
For he ȝyfþe hym self wyþ-oute[n] ende
To þe fende þat ys yn helle,
Ȝyf þat he lye, or falsly telle.

On þese fyue maners hymself deryþ
þat on þe bokë falsly sweryþ.
For hys loue þat deyde on þe rode,
Forswere ȝow neuer for worldys gode.
For ȝe wyte weyl, aud haue hyt herde,
þat trouþe ys more þan alle þe worlde.

Ȝyt þer ys anoþer sweryng
where-þurgh comþ oftë grete cumbryng,
Þe whyche ys, an oþe oute of mesure,
Þat he shulde haue a mysauenture
On wyfë, and on chylde, to falle,
And on hys ouþer godys alle,
But he holdë at hys myght
hys oþe þat he swereþ to alle ryght.
Swyche an oþe ys grete doute to swere,
For chauncë comþ on many manere.
Þou settest þy chylde to mychë rewþe
But þou holde þyn oþe to trewþe.

A-nouþer oth comþ ȝyt yn place,
Þer a man swereþ by fallace.
Fallace ys, as who seye, ‘gyle,’
As many one sweryn vmwhyle.
Ȝyf þou swere to me for oght,
And a-nouþer ys yn þy þoght,
wenyst þou þan þat þou swerest wel
when þyn oth to me ys gyle eche del?
Nay: for, as y vndyrstande of þe,
So shal þy as othë charged be.
Þus techyþ vs seynt Austyne
Þat was a clerk of gret dyuyne.

Y pray ȝow alle, boþe lefe and loþe,

Þat ȝe charge neuer body with oþe
Þat ȝe suppose wyl be forswore;
For, y warne ȝow wel byfore,
Þat who-so putteþ hym to swere,
Grete chargë for hym shal he bere.

Ȝyf þou madest awhere any vowe
To wurschyp God for þy prowe,—
Ȝyf þou dedyst hyt with þy gode wylle,
with-outë stresse or ouþer ylle,
Þou art holde to ȝelde hyt hym
Or þy synne ys grete and grym;
wytnes of othë and of hote:

[_]

vowe

Yn heuene, allë þyng þey wote.

Noþeles, y sey hardly,
Ȝyf þou vowe to do foly,—
As a man to bete or slo,
Or to take hys gode hym fro;
Or ȝyf þou vowe yn ȝungþe or elde,
And þou mayst nat but wykkedly ȝelde,—
God wyl nat þou hold yt so
þat þou þy vowe yn wykkednes do;
God haþ leuer þou þe wyþdrow
Þan do euyl dede after foly vow,
Bettere ys a foly wrde be wyþdrawe
Þan wyþ euyl dede to fulfyl þat sawe.
Þurgh goddys wurd yn þe gospel,
Þys may be preuyd ryȝt wel.

[The Bible-story of John the Baptist's Death.]

Hyt speketh of seynt Ion baptyst,
Þe best chylde borë vndyr Cryst.

100

Hyt telleþ þat Eroud swore
To here þat tumbled yn þe flore,
Þat what-aseuer she wuld aske to mede,
he wuld fulfyl hyt here yn dede;
halfe hys kyngdom, ȝyf she wuld craue,
haluyndele she shuld hyt haue.
Eueyl he vowed, and swore hys oth,
Þer-for with hym ys now god wroth.
For ouþer mede wuld she haue none,
But þe hede of swete seynt Ion;
Here modyr bade here askë þys,
Þe hede of seynt Ion yn a dyssh.
Folylyche, certeyn, Eroud swore,
And yn dede weyl werse he fore.

[_]

dede

But ȝyf she hade asked Eroudes ye,
Troust þou he wuld nat a made a lye?
Y trowe he wulde haue be forswore
Ar he hade hys ye forlore.
So had hym better, for hys prowe,
For to haue broke þat ychë vowe,
And with-oute mede haue late here go,
Þan for hys vowe a man do slo.

Ȝyt may y preue hyt by ouþer sawe
Þat wryte ys yn þe oldë lawe;
Yn þe gest of syre Ieptë,
Yn þe byble men mow hyt se.

101

[þe Gest of Syre Jepte,—or the Tale of Jephthah and his Daughter.]

Ieptë went onys to batayle
And preyd God hys powere shuld nat fayle;—
“Graunte me, Lorde, þe maystry nowe,
And y shal make to þe a vowe,
þat þe fyrst þyng þat y mete
Befor me homward yn þe strete,
Þerof shal y make sacryfyse;”
For to sle hyt, was þan þe asyse.

whan he had, þurgh goddys vertu,
Of þe batayle prys and pru,
Homward as syre Ieptë ȝede
he þanked god for hys gode dede.
hys doghtyr was þe fyrstë þyng
þat mette hym and made hym welcomyng;
She grette here fadyr fayre with mouþe
And made hym all þe ioye þat she couþe.
Þan þoght Ieptë on hys vow,
And hadde yn herte sorow ynow.
To hys doghtyr þan seyd he,
“Þou art deseyuyd, and y for þe;
Y made my vow to heuene kyng
Þat y shuld sle þe fyrstë þyng
Þat y mette homwarde fro þe batayle;
And my vow y wyl nat fayle.”
Hys doghtyr answered myldly,
“Fadyr,” she seyde, “y am redy
For to take my deþe of þe;
But y am glade þat y þe se.

102

But, swetë fadyr, y pray þe
Graunte me two moneþes ar y dye,
Þat y may wepe my virginite
with hem þat noryst be with me.”
Here fadyr graunted weyl þarto,
And she forsoþë ded ryȝt so;
She weptë nat for any outrage,
But for of here come no lynage;
Þat no fruyt of here myȝt spryng,
Þare-for she madë here wepyng,
And for here fadyr had chylder no mo
Þat furþer myȝt yn kyndë go.
But, ryȝt át þe moneþes ende,
here fadyr dede nat þerof hende,
Þat he hys ownë doghtyr slowe
For a foly and a wykked vowe.

Seynt Austyne seyþ certeynly
Þat he synned ryȝt dedly;
For he auowede, and nedyd naght,
And ȝyt yn dede wel werse he wroght.
Seynt Austyn seyþ so redy wey
Þat y to ȝou dar weyl seye
‘Ȝoure wykked vowys shul ȝe nat fylle,
Ne make no vowe to any ylle,
But chaungë hem to better prow,
And take penaunce for foly vowe.’

God shelde vs alle wykkedly to swere,
And late vs neuer fals wytnes bere,
Ne foly vow for to make,
lordë, for þy wurschyp sake.