University of Virginia Library

þer was a man of relygyun,
þat yn þys he was a felun,
Yn bakbytyng, as ȝe han herde,
As many one are now yn þys werlde.
He was wunt to seye wykked sawes
Behynde þe bak of hys felaws;
For he wulde be holde þe beste
Of all hys breþer, and þe wylyeste.
A syknes toke þys munke, and deyde,
As God had of hym purueyde,
And went yn-to peynë hard,
As was shewed aftyrward.
Befel þe tyme, as hyt ys ryȝt,
Munkës to rysë at mydnyȝt;
And when matynes were al done,
Þe couent ȝede to beddë sone.
A munkë lefte be-hynde a throwe,
Þat þe dede was wunt to knowe;
whan þys munke come before þe chapytyl,
As ordyr askyþ, he louted a lytyl;
And as he louted, hys ye gan blenche,
And say one sytte before þe benche,
A foulë þyng, and a grysly,
he sagh neuer none so loþly;
he shette hys tunge before þe grecys,
And gnogh hyt ynwarde al to pecys.
hys tunge was brennynge þat he so gnogh,
yn-to hys mouþe aȝen he hyt drogh;
And eft, oute he dede hyt shete,
And gnogh hyt eft with peynës grete.
Many tymes þan dede he so;
Þys munke stode and loked þarto,
And had þerof so mochë drede
Þat he wende hauë go to wede.

[_]

mad

As he stode so sore a glyfte,

[_]

feryd

Hys ryȝt hand vp he lyfte
And blessede hym-self stedfastly;
And seþþen, he wax more hardy,
And þoght, ‘þys ys sum pryuyte
Þat God almyȝty sheweþ to me.’
hastyly þer-to he ȝede,
And hadde þer-of no morë drede;
And seyd, “best, y cóniure þe,
Yn God þat ys persónës thre,
Þat þou me telle why þou syttest here,
Yn swych forme, and yn swych manere.”

To answere, he ne myȝt wyþ-drawe,
“y was a munke, þyn owne felawe,
Þat suffre all þys peyne and shame;
Hyt am y,”—and tolde hys name,—
“y was a wykked bakbytere,
Euyl wurdys aboute for to bere;
Of my felaws, wykkedly to seye
Al þat euer y myȝt bewreye;
And mystrowyng was y ay
Of my felaws boþe nyȝt and day.
Þe wykked wurdys þat y haue seyd,
wykkedly are þey on me leyde;
Y shal abeye hem ful dere
with peynës strong, as ȝe se here.”
he wente, an was no more sene;
Dampned he was, as y wene.

þys tale y wote and vndyrstand
where hyt fyl, yn Yngland,
At a ful namecouthe abbey
Þat y ne wyl telle, ne bewrey.
Swych peyne ys for hem dyȝt
Þat kunne nat kepe here tungë ryȝt.
yn þe byble men mow se,
yn a boke of pryuyte,
Apocalyps þese clerkys wote,
Seynt Ioun þe euangylyst hyt wrote;
Oure lordë seyþ þat þey shal ete
here tunges in peynes, and al to-frete,
Þese lyers and þese bakbyters;
Þe talë, of þys, wytnes berys.

Of þys synne, y rede we vs shryue,
And take oure penaunce by oure lyue;
For but we yn þys so do,
harder peyne shul we go to.
with what lyme þon dost most synne,
yn þat shalt þou have most pyne ynne.

ȝyf þou euer wyþ bakbytyng
ȝaue cunsel to wykked þyng,
Þat ys a wundyr grete foly;
Hyt may be prydë with enuye;
who-so-euer haunteþ þat yche dede,
Hym shal fayle cunsel at hys nede.
And swyche are preued with resun,
wykked treytours ful of tresun.
ȝyue gode cunsel, ȝyf þat þou kan,
And auowe hyt, byfore god and man.

Pryde haþ ȝyt anoþer tresun,
And a vnkyndhede as a felun;
Þat now ys vnneþë none
Þat yn þat synne ne ys mys gone.
Ȝyf any shewe to oþer a pryuyte
Þat for cunseyl oght to be,
ȝyf he þat cunseyl fyrþer fame,
Þat þerof cumþ boþe synne and shame,
Y kan nat se, as yn þys kas,
How hé may ámende þys trespas;
And specyaly to a preste
Cunsel of shryfte sperd yn hys breste,
He ne oght for to telle
For lyfe ne deþ, what so euer befelle.
Shryfte ys goddys pryuyte
Þat euer for cunsel oght to be.
Ȝyf a synnë neuer so grym,
To a prest, yn shryfte, were shewede hym;
Þogh men aforced hym for drede,
To sey þat, ‘þat man dyd þat dede’
Seþþen he had hys penaunce take,
And yn shryfte hys synne forsake,
He shuld raþer swere on þe halydam
‘Nay!’ or he tolde hyt any man,
Ȝyf he ne myȝt with noun answere
Or ouþer manere hym seluen were.

[_]

saue

Þe prest þat telleþ goddys cunsel,
he shal se hyt wroþer yn helle;
Yn erþe hys tunge oght to be oute drawe,
And yn helle be al to-gnawe.

hyt ys also grete pryde and herte hy,
To speke foule wurdys yn rybaudy;
Seynt Poule seyþ, vs to chastyse,
‘kepyþ ȝoure tungës on al wyse,
And spekeþ no fylþe oute of skore,
Þat noun ouþer synne þarfore.’

Ȝyf þou any man manasse
Þurgh force or power þat þou hasse,
Hyt ys grete pryde, y ȝeue þe a ȝyfte;
Þenkë þer-on, yn þy shryfte.

ȝyf þou euer ȝaue iogolours of þy þyng
For to be yn here preysyng,
Or þou madyst wrastlyng yn place
Þat nonë were to þy pygace,—

[_]

so grete as þou

Alle ys pryde and vanyte;
Of al behoueþ þe shryuë be.
No prydë ne may be stole,
No yn shryftë be forhole;
For ȝyf hyt be forholë here
Yn oþer stede þou shalt abye hyt dere.

Now of pryde shul we leue and dwelle,
And furþer of oþer synnys telle;
Þogh y þer-of spake euere and oo,
Ȝyt myȝt menne telle of many mo;
For of pryde ys þe bygynnyng
Of al manere wykked þyng:
God shelde vs þer-yn to falle,
And haue mercy on vs alle!