but a twynkelyng of an eye ¶ The .xxxvij. questyon ¶ Is god of great yeldyng to tho That ryght in his seruyce here go IN al the worlde ne is no man That maye thynke ne tell can The good the honour in many wyse That god gyueth man for his seruyse That in hym ttusteth and in his myght And his coÌ„maundment doth aryght And short coÌ„maundment ordenyd hath he Do good and lete euyl be His sonne shall he send here doune To dye for mannys saluacyon And tho that his seruyse haue in mynde In his blys they shall it fynde For he shall them worshype more Than eny aungel that is thore ¶ The .xxxviij. questyon ¶ The people that in y t tyme shal be Of goddys sonne whan come is he ¶ And after shall they comenly Beleue in hym stedfastly ALl shall they in hym theyr trewth ley His own folke that is to sey But all shall they gatherede be Of dyuers spech and sondre countre But they shall not euerychon Haue coÌ„maundment after one Thâ— coÌ„maundment as men shall se Of goddys sonne shall truly one be After hym his mynisters twelue Shall coÌ„maund that selue But they that come after tho That in stede of mynisters shall go They shall well beholde and fynde The feblenes of mannes kynde And lyghter commaundment for that skyl Shall they make the folke vntyl And eche nacyon shall wene that he Be better than any other be But of them shal be at the fyne As it dothe by a great gardyne Where in many trees standeth And eche of them frewte bereth The tre that best frewte berys Be they appulles or be they peres The plentuousest of berynge And of best sauour in etynge That tre shall the gardynere Most loue and serue in tyme of yere Aâ—so they that shall best byleue In goddes sone and theyr harte hym geue And best shall here in erthe do Whan tyme cometh there vnto They shall most worshypped be In heuen before the Trinite A myrrour that they shall beholde and se Full of ioy that of no tong may expressed be ¶ The .xxxix. question ¶ What coÌ„maundment by thy leue Shall goddes sone his folke geue IT shal be loue and abstynence And charyte and pacyence And that no man other do Than he wolde were done hym to God hymselfe for mannes loue Shall sende his sone from aboue And shall fele here abstynence And sufferaunce and pacyence And bytter deth at the last His folke out of payne to cast And who so beholde these fowre thynges All goodnes out of them sprynges For he that good loue hathe in god Loue in hymselfe is not all odde And he that hathe abstynence And charyte and pacyence And haueth the loue of god with all No doute he shall haue the lyfe eternall ¶ The .xl. questyon ¶ The blesfulest thynge after thy wyt And dygniest and fayrest whiche is it A Sowle that is good of man Of all thynges that I tell can Is the fayrest thynge that maye be For bryghter than the sonne is he And a worthyer thynge is there nought Of all that god in erthe hath wrought For of goddes owne onde it came Whan god blewe on Adam Therfore are aungels set therto To kepe it in all that they maye do ¶ Also the blysfullest it is For it is ordayned to that blys There neuer ende shal be Of ioye and blysse and game and gle And god gaue coÌ„maundement to al thynge For to serue man his blyssynge Than is mannes sowle blysfulest tho And worthyest and fayrest also ¶ The .xlj questyon ¶ The fowlest y e ê‘elousest thynge to se And most wyckedest which may that be Wycked sowle of man I wysse Is the fowlest thyng that is So harde harted man is none And he a wycked sowle sawe one In the ryght lykenes of it That he ne shulde lese his wyt Also it is perelouse For it gothe to a velayne howse There parell is and moche wo Where it neuer shall come fro The most cursyd is it aye For goddes sone on domes daye Before all his aungels thore Shal curse it for euermore And of the payne that it shall to Aungels and Archangels also Shall haue bothe ioye and blysse For that it had done amys ¶ The .xlij. questyon ¶ The good sowles shal they ought For y e wyckyd sorow or take thought GOod men whan the wyckyd spyl Shalbe al of goddys wyl And whaÌ„ they y e dome haue sene Of them y t agayn god hath bene They shal be demt froÌ„ goddis face Which shulbe al theyr solace For the dome shal be ryghtwyse That god shal gyue his enemyes And whan they are in al theyr paynes A monge the other hell hownes The good sowles shal glade be Them in theyr paynes on to se As we haue game to beholde Fysshe swyme in the water colde ¶ The .xliij. questyon ¶ Whether is better so god y e saue Helth or syknes for to haue HElth of sowle is good to wynne To kepe it out of dedly synne For whan it is hole and fayre Of heuyn blys it shal be heyre And his dwellyng with god shal be For his laboure and dylygence If thou haddyst now a knyght That ware strong and stowt in fyght And ware hold bolde and hardy Hym thou woldyst holde the by And thou shuldyst in to fyght And ware he syke and of no myght No where woldyst thou with hym yede Wher thou shuldyst stonde in drede Lyke maner it is of sowles hele God wyl not with that sowle dele That feble is by the syknes of synne But he wyl therof blynne Ageyne the helth of the body To agood man saye I sykerly Is better hole than syke to be For in goodnes his helth vsyth he And they that lyue in synne and wo Sycknes is best for them tho Which for the payne of theyr sycknesse Shal they synne yet the lesse And withdrawe them therfro That in helth shuld not so do ¶ The .xliiij. questyon ¶ What poure is it y t wold I lere That god hath gyuen to sowle here GOd hath geuen sowle vnto Akyngdome for to rule also That yf he kepe it aryght His kynges sete shal be dyght Before god in heuen blys And god shal saye to hym this Come my dere sone to me The kyngdome that I behyght the Thou hast it so kepte in all thynge That thou art worthy to be a kyng Therfore shalte thou crowned be Before my fathers maieste The sowle for the kyng take I And for the kyngdome the body And the commaundment of eche good kyng In his land shuld be done aboue all thynge Therfore what so the sowle wyll The body shuld it do with skyll And but the body do also As the sowle counsaylethe hym to Bothe together they shuld be cast In fyre of hell at the last ¶ The .xlv questyon ¶ When goddes sone to y e erth is sent And agayne to heuen is went Shall he any gouernour leue here In this world the folke to
of man was made ech lym The seuenth day god restyd hym For veryhed toke he no rest But for that he chose it day best And bade man that day he in pees And of al werkes to fees Wherfore the Saturday of al The dygnyest day we cal But a tyme shal men se Whan goddys sonne shal man be That he shal dye and after aryse The thyrd day on alwyse Which rysyng day men worshyp shal ay And that shal be the Sonday And after shal men euer calle Sonday the best of al ¶ The CC.ij questyon ¶ Yet wold I wyt more Why slepe was made wherfore SLepe is made for mannys rest Of al thyng one of the best For it esyth the herte namely And myght geuyth to al the body As yf a lorde waken be Wakyd is al his meyne There ne may slepe non of al For to be redy yf he call Tyl he slepe slepe al his Than are they the lyghter in seruys The herte of man the lord call I For it maysteryth al the body And whan it is a slepe anon The lymes rest them euerychon And than al the kyndly hete Of the body geuyth to mete Aboute the stomacke for to brynne And to dygest that ther is with in And than the kynde to hym takys That to hym shal or he wakys And purges hym of that other dele As kynde geuyth hym ful we le Thus gatheryth the body myght And is after stronge and lyght For to do that it shal do That ne ware yf slepe ware not so Therfore hath god the nyght wrought To mannys rest and els nought For payne is none ne no mornyng Unto man agayne wakyng ¶ The CC.iij questyon ¶ Shal euer in this word be Warre and contecte as men now se AT the begynnyng whan there wore Foure men in the world no more Was there warre and enuy And mannys slawghter and felony And it shal neuer seas That the world be al in peas For were the world in peas holly Men myght calle it skylfully Paradyse and els nought For there was neuer no warre wrought But loue peas and charyte And tho may holly here not be But in this world are warres two Goostly and bodely also The goostly warre may no man se Which is of the deuyl and his meyne Nyght and day on man he warres And in al that he may men deres Bodely warre al fyrst began Which is betwyx man and man And that shal neuer to ende torne Untyl it be the day of dome ¶ The CC.iiii questyon ¶ Wrathes god hī ough for mānis dede What ded so he dye good or quede THough god sawe al the world brynne And al the folke dye that are therin And dryed euerydele the see In god shold no wreth be In hym may be no euyl mode For nothyng of this worldes good Mannes dede deryth god no more What dede so he dyes no whore Than it doth the fyre to brynne A hylle that many auntes were in The payne that they fele in brennyng Ne derys them for no kynges thyng No more doth god soth to sey What tyme aman shal here dey No surar thyng than is the dede But of the tyme can no man rede And for that what tyme he dey shal God greuyth hym nothyng with al But sythen man wot no prow Whan he shal dey ne how Loke he be redy ay I rede Than shal hym not the dede drede ¶ The CC.v. questyon ¶ Which folke are it as thou wetes That the world now most susteynes FOure maner of folke there are That were it so that they ne ware The world myght not vp holden be Ne fare so wel as we now se One than are thes men of crafte That lerne other that are dafte Conyng theyr lyuelod for to wynne And god to serue without synne Another are tho that tyl the lande And wynne vs mete and drynke to hande The thryde are lordes that peas kepe For in peas may men suerly slepe If peas were not there were great doute To lyue or eny wher walke aboute The fourth maner of folke than are Chapmen that about fare Fro feyre to feyre fro lande to lande And bryng that men do wande And shuld defaute haue of it also Dyd not chapmen gyue them therto Wherfore the world with out thys Mought be kept on none wyse ¶ The CC.vij. questyon ¶ Whether is hyer as y u doyst vndarstād The kynge or the lawe of the lande LAwe is of more antyquyte Than kyng or prynce may be And yf thou wylt wyt why I shal the tel apertly The name of kynge or emperour Is geuyn for worldly honour And it fallyth to his myght The lawe for to kepe aryght Than is kynge for lawe set To kepe that lawe be not let Than is lawe more than he For to do lawe hath he potence For a thyng y t ordayned is For another than semys thys That he that it is dyght for Of them two is the more And yf the kynge for lawe be Than is lawe more than he Yet shal I say the a nother sawe If the kynge do agayne the lawe Lawe shal hym deme with skyl and ryght Than is lawe aboue his myght And breke he lawe in eny thyng He is not worthy to be kynge Truly here after shal come one A kyng that shal hyght Salomon In his sawes say shal he Blessyd mote they al be That shal in this world rounde Do iustyce and ryght in euery stounde ¶ The CC.viij questyon ¶ May man in ony manere Ony worldly good haue here That he ouer al may with hym bere And the weyght hym not dere AMan in this world may haue Good hym eneywhere for to saue And helpe hym at his nede And euer he may it with hym lede That is conyng of some arte Which wyl not fro man parte Who so hath hym nedyth not to drede For it wyl hym both cloth and fede Bettar tresour neuer no man wan Than is conyng vn to man And whyther so aman wyl go He may it bere with out wo And here vnto none of his Wherfore shal Salomon the wyse Say as aman wel be taught That wyt and wysdome is worldys aught The CC.ix. questyon ¶ If two haue loue to gether stronge And after are a sonder longe And come to gether ought one whore May they loue so as they dyd before LOue betwyx frendes twey That onys is ne shuld not dey And yf that they in sonder be That eyther other longe not se And they to gether come efte The loue y t was before lefte Before that they in sondre wore May come agayne and ryght wel more As thou in a garden mayst se Standyng a wel lykyng tre And the gardynar behaue hym so That he take no hede therto To mucke and tyl and els it dyght It myscaryeth anon ryght Losyng his wel lykyng For it zemyd is nothyng But whan the gardynar it sees That it fayleth among other trees Hede agayne therto he takys And
wyte his wyl God wottyth the thoughtes of ech one But his knoweth ryght none Saue the holy Trynyte For al one are they thre Somtyme wottyth man what god do wyl That is he that he sendyth vntyl By aungels to tel hym his thought Ellys none wote it nought ¶ The C.lxxj questyon ¶ Yet wold I wyte yf I may If aman shal worshype god alday EUery man shuld with ryght do so But theyr myght is not therto For the body is feble of myght And behouyth somtyme rest with ryght And but he rest may haue Longe may he not the lyfe saue Wherfore god honoure he may At serteyne howres of the day And in serteyne tyme he shal Trauayle to hold the lyfe with all And somtyme rest shal he take The body stronge with to make For after mete and drynke is rest To nature of the body best And whan he shal god worshype do Loke al his herte be therto For he that sayeth to god his bede And his thought be in other stede The tonge were as good be styll For it askys with no wyl Wherfore that god worshype shal Speke tonge herte thought and al ¶ The C.lxxij questyon ¶ Wherof may it be and why That eyne somtyme loke bleryly SOmtyme herys aman a thyng That is not to his lykyng Or a thyng of great pyte And he of tender herte be The herte mekys anone ryght And castyth wather to the syght So wepe the eyne also smert And al makyth the tendernes of the herte And of that herte shal seldom Euyl wyl of felnesse come And the eyne that wepe ofte Oldeth the herte and doth it softe For the hete that the herte felys With the teres greatly kelys But he that not wel 〈◊〉 wepe Great felnesse in his herte can kepe And of hard herte than is he And of no mercy nor pyte But he that to wepe is redy In hym is pyte and mercy ¶ The C.lxxiij questyon ¶ What maner of folke are mē hold to In this world worshype to do EUery man shal pryncypaly Worshype god that is on hy That hym made and shal vnmake Whan that talent wyl hym take His wyfe shal man worshype also For one body are they two His lorde also worshype he shal That he seruys and dwellyth with al Father and mother also shal he Worshype before al that be Yet shal he worshype for theyr mede That hym good doth with worde or dede Suster and brother and his kynde Unto worshype shuld he haue in mynde And euery man yf that he myght Ought he to worshype with ryght ¶ The C.lxxiiii questyon ¶ The largest man which is he That now in the world may be A Large man that haue shal Thoughe he the world seke al Shal he none fynde ne se That of his owne may large be For of no largenes told it is Aman to gyue that not is his For al the largesse that men telles Of god they are and no man elles And al that man is sent Of goddys loue it is hym lent For nakyd hyther is he brought And of hym selfe he hath nought And nakyd away shal he wende With hym he berys it not at the ende And yf it his owne were Than myght he it with hym bere And god hym lendyth good truly That he it spend worthely Hym selfe at mesure for to fede And helpe the pouer that hath nede And seyng he is bounde therto The pouer for to helpe also So may no man make his roos That it is largesse that he doos Wherfore wote I no large man That to hym selfe appropryat it can ¶ The C.lxxv questyon ¶ Shal a pouer man euery whore Put hym arych man before IF it be so that they tweye Go to gether by the weye The pouer man shal euer more Put the rych man before And at one table be they The pouer set hym not to hye For yf arycher come than he Hym behouyth to flyte his se And than better yt wore That he had set hym els whore But be they both in a batayle And shal theyr enymes assayle There the pouer with out drede Before the rych hym forth bede For a pouer may be also doughty As arych man of his body And with y t forth puttyng percaas he may Worshype more get than y e rych that day ¶ The C.lxxvj questyon ¶ Is a man in eny synne to ete Al thyng that he may gete UNto man god had such loue That he made to his behoue Fowle and fysshe in the see Beast and frute in erth to be And whan that he man had wrought And in to paradyse hym brought He made hym lorde of al thys Them to put in his seruys And for to vse them to his fode For god made al thynges good And seyng he gaue hym leue ther tyl He doth no synne me thynke with skyl That of al thyng etes At mesure whan he it gethes For what he etes with good wyl Ne may euer do hym yl Though it adder were or snake But yf he agayne herte it take Though it be the best men fynde It doth no good to his kynde ¶ The C.lxxvij questyon ¶ Shal aman another grete Alday whan he may hym mete AMan so ofte nought grete thou shal As thou hym metyst aday with al But yf thou in thy how 's be Among thy folke and thy meyne Gretyng shalt thou sey them thore Twyes vpon the day no more On morne whan thou comyst them amonge And on euyn at thy bede goynge And mete thou thy frende be the strete Ones in the day thou shalt hym grete And thou shalt say hym that gretyng After the tyme of your metyng At morne or euyn wether it be And yf that he fyrst grete the Grete hym agayne curtesly Men shal the say worshyp therby But thou hym shalt but onys grete On the day that thou hym ofte mete ¶ The C.lxxviij questyon ¶ How shal aman his chyldren ordre So that after repentyth not he IF you haue chyldren kepe them wel Tyl they be of age somedele And than yf thou haue them dere Cause them some crafte to lere That in nede myster can His conyng is esy to bere It wyl helpe and nothyng dere There is no tresure therto For tresure wyl a way go And whan the tresure is gon al Conyng a gayne it bryng shal Daunt them not whyle they are yonge But sharpe wordes of thy tonge Sey vnto them euer amonge So shal they drede to do wronge With thy chyldren do thou shal As men doth a grene wand with al It may be wrethen whyle it is grene How so men wyl without tene Were it drye sone wold it crake A withe therof shuld no man make So shuld men chyldren chastyse in youth Tyl that they some good couth For that yougth takyth comenly In age he shal fynde it redely ¶ The C.lxxix questyon ¶ Whether shal amā more loue haue tyl His wyfe or chyld with skyl AMan shal loue ouer al
thynge God his maker heuyn kynge And next his owne body And than his wyfe pryncypaly His chyldren ought aman by kynde For to loue and haue in mynde But whan god fyrst made adam And Eue of his body came He gaue hym her vnto fere And bade hym for to haue her dere Than in that geuyng made he Man and his wyfe one to be And yf thou and thy wyfe be one And that partyng is none Ne none other may forsake Unto deth the one take Thou ought thy wyfe to loue more Than al the chyldren that thyne more If thou forlese thy good wyfe Than lesyst thou the solace of thy lyfe And yf thou thy chyldren forgo Of thy wyfe may thou wyn mo Wherfore shalt thou thy wyfe loue more Than thy chyldren and hold in store ¶ The C.lxxx questyon ¶ If I had no father borne Ne no mother me beforne How shuld I haue borne be In this world or here or se LOnge or god the world wrought Or man or beast therin brought He knewe al that shuld be borne Which saued and which forlorne And al theyr names and thought God had bene elles nought Wherfore he wyst wel of the That thou shuldest borne be And seyng thou nedys shuldest be borne Though thy father the beforne Ne thy mother that was also Had nother come this world vnto Another father thou shuldest haue had And mother that had the both fede and clad ¶ The C.lxxxj questyon ¶ The chyld that hath ful the shap In the mother by what hap Is it somtyme brought to nought And may alyue forth be brought BE thre causes may it come to Why it comyth to pas so One than may be goddys wyl That he wylleth that it shal spyl Another skyl also ther is Why it so fareth somtyme amys The feble norysshyng in the wyfe That it may not come to lyfe For the feblenesse of the which norture Makyth the seed not to dure Feblenes of raynes the thyrd As in woman is be tyde Some woman with chyld may be And so feble of rayns is she That she is not of the myght Of the chyld to suffer the weyght The mother sterys and turnes about So that the chyld fallyth out Whan it is out than is it lorne And so than is it ded borne And by the grace of goddys myght The mother sperys a non ryght ¶ The C.lxxxij questyon ¶ Wymen y t in this world are here Are they al of one manere WImen are made al after one In flesshe blode hyde and bone And al the lymes y u seyst one bere Euery one such lymes were And that men felys one vpon May men fele on euery one But of complexcyon are they sere Of word wyl and of manere But al on one delyte men fynde Whan it comyth to dede of kynde Ofte of wathers may thou se That of dyuers hewes they be But in thy mouth yf thou them take Al as one water shal they smake So do wemen whare they fare Al of one sauyour they are But thynketh some man That swetar is some woman Than some other fyftene And of that may be thre thynges mene One is yf she be fayre and whyte For aman hath more delyte In her that is bryght on ble Than in a lothlyer on to se Another cause is noble wede For aman geuyth gladder mede To her that nobely is dyght Than to a pouer raggyd wyght The thyrd skyl is whan a man So great loue hath to woman That hym thynkyth none so swete to hold For loue hath no lacke it is sayd of olde ¶ The C.lxxxiij questyon ¶ If thy frend haue wyfe and meyne And them mysdo thou se Salt thou vnto thy frēde it sey And his wyfe and meyne be wrey IF thy neyghbor haue a wyfe That be of euyl lyfe And thou may it vndertake That she wronge doth agayne her make Or dystroyer of his good be And thou maye it wete or se Warne hym so preuely and styl That he smyte in none euyl wyl But byd hym that he loke therto So that they nomore do so And make he hym wroth at the fyrst Whan that he the soth hathe wyst And throughe thy wordes he shal take hede And than shal he the better spede And saue his good that shuld away And yf thou hym no word dyd say For men sayne in olde sawes By good neyghbours god day men dawes ¶ The C.lxxxiiij questyon ¶ Yf a man any thynge shal do Shal he hym ought hast therto IF thou thynke to do a good dede Hastly therto thou the spede For good dede shal haue no respyte He doth it twyes that doth it tyte But thynke thou euyl dede to do Haste the nothyng there vnto Be thynke the fyrst in thy herte That it the not after smerte For yf that thou take good hede Euyl haste is al vnspede In lytel tyme may befalle the That thy herte may chaunged be So that thou shalt the with holde Fro that thou fyrst don wolde And than shalt thou lyke wele That thou hasted to it no dele ¶ The C.lxxxv questyon ¶ Shal he that eny good can In this world loue euery man GOostly for god loue shalt thou Euery man and I shal tel the how Tyl his sowle no euyl wyl More than thou wylt thyne owne tyl But bodely thy loue shal be To euery man as he loueth the Loue he the loue hym a geyne And of his company be feyne Hate he the hate hym also And do with hym as he wold to the do Come thou to thy frendes how 's There thy foes thou feryst not thus He wyl receyue the with blys And for the the gladder he is If thou eny thyng hym craue With good wyl thou mayst it haue Such aman shalt thou loue ageyne And his wyl to do be feyne If thou come vnto thy foo That sawe the leuer hang than go Despyte of hym may thou gete Or eyther drynke or mete From such aman shalt thou fle And hate hym as he doth the For in old sawes says men that He that loues there he is hate Agayne the streme he rowes sore And to lese hath he no more ¶ The C.lxxxvj questyon ¶ The folke of this world ech one Are they comune after one BEtwyx them is comunaute In some thynges as thou may se For al are they borne in care And al shal they hens fare And al shal they rotte away And al aryse at domysday But betwyx them in some thyng Is dyuersyte for some is kynge Some pouer and vyle is theyr mete Some lyue by that they may gete Some go clade and some bare And of dyuerse manere men are Of dyuerse wyl of dyuerse thought Here in comune are they nought And as here is dyuersyte So shal there in other world be Some shal in to payne be brought To dole the werkes that he hath wrought And some shal in to payne of helle There with out ende to dwelle And some shal in to
the erth about it bettar makys And than begynneth it to sprynge And take agayne to his lykynge So it faryth of frendes two If that one fro the other go And after to gether come agayne Eyther wylbe of other feyne And the loue they had before Or that they a sondre wore For new may they them betwene As the tree that eft waxed grene ¶ The CC.x. questyon ¶ How may amā loue woman ryght Or she hym for the syght SOmtyme fallyth aman to mete Afayre woman in the strete His eyen wyl he on her caste Beholdyng her ryght faste And the eyen a non present ryght Unto the braynes that same syght Braynes send the herte vnto And in delyte he fallyth also And as sone as he is in delyte He begynneth to loue tyte The brayne sendyth to the eye agayne That they of that syght are fayne Delytyng them to beholde more So that the herte therfore Fallyth in a fowle lykyng And so begynneth the loue to spryng But and the herte were of myght Stronge to hold hym in that syght And say lorde I thanke it the The syght that I yonder se That thou woldest after thy fygure Make so fayre a creature Temptacyon shuld he none be in Ne falle in no delyte of synne Ne his herte shuld haue no menyng Another tyme to such a thyng No more shuld woman on her syde If she dyd thanke god euery tyde ¶ The CC.xj. questyon ¶ Aman that lyght conscyence berys And by his god falsly swerys Of .x. false thynges for the nonys Is he ought for swore but onys HE that swerys an oth amys By his god what so he is For .x. false thynges al in one Soth as he swerys for ech one And yf ech of the .x. false be Tene tymes forsworne is he An hundreth thynges though it wore So ofte forsworne is he thore And who so assentys therto That he made that othe also Also ofte is he forsworne As he that made that oth beforne ¶ The CC.xij questyon ¶ Tho that any knowlege haue here The folke for to lere Shal eny grace come them vnto More than it shal other men to Ryght it is that euery man That trauayls in labour as he can That it be hym yeldyd so As his trauayle amountys to And he that trauayls here Ony good other to lere Or preches to them how they shal Heuynly blys wyn with al God shal them in heuyn saue And double mede shal they haue For that they haue techyd ryght The way vnto heuyn lyght But two maner of techers be In this world as thou mayst se Unto the sonne is lykened one That geuyth his lyght euer anon And euery lyke his lyght lastes For ought that he doune castes That are the good that teches here Doyng them selfe as they do lere But some are that tech wel And wickydly lyue them selfe euery dele Unto the candel lyght are tho That to other geuyth his lyght hym fro And wasteth hym selfe hastely He that is no grace worthy For yf aman were set to dele Tresour among feele And he myght pay them ech one wel And holde hym selfe a great dele If he dele so his delyng That hym selfe lefte nothyng Or yf ought hym left wicked ware It is but ryght he euyl fare Skyl it is that he fare yl That wyl chose it of hys wyl ¶ The CC.xiij questyon ¶ Thought y t a man thynkes alday Wherof euer come it may COmenly thought in herte wyl spryng Of clere herte and conyng For euer the more that aman Of arte in this world can The more thought he hath thefore And ymagynes more and more The wysdom that thes wyse haue so Of pure corage it comyth them to And that is of pure blode nought elles That about the herte dwelles And the puryte of that blode Cleres the braynes and makys them good And that claryte that in the braynes dure Geuyth to the corage moysture And vnto the eyen claryte And to al the lymes lyght to be The herte it geuyth vnto Blythnes and lykyng also Which makyth aman conyng And to haue thought of moch thyng But for his conyng shal he nought Smyte in to an euyl thought And his thought shal be holly To worshyp god pryncypaly And after to worke at his myght Thynges that be honest and ryght ¶ The CC xiiij questyon ¶ Why than falle the folke also Of the euyl as men se they do FOr thre thynges pryncypaly Falles vmwhyle amannys body One is for colours humors wyk That stere in the body thycke And the humors day and nyght With the good in the body fyght And yf the wicked maysters be The herte somtyme they tourne perde And ableese to the braynes cast That aman falles at the last And for that same vanyte With fote and hand trauayleth he And fome out of the mouth doth falle His wyttes so and doth lose al Another than is deedly synne That aman is combred in And goddys cōmaundment doth nought But in synne is al his thought Such powre hath the deuyl of hym That he hym shewes to hym ful grym The aungel that hath hym in kepyng Rekenys than of hym nothyng Wherfore the deuyl than fouly Turmentys hym this pytyously The thyrd cause than is fantasy That comyth to the herte vnwysly Wherfore it fayles and cowarde is And waxes dredful and losys blys Wherfore somtyme he fallys smert And comyth a fantesy of the herte ¶ The CC.xv questyon ¶ Which is the perolousest lym That mannys body hath in hym OF al the lymes of the body The perylousest than hold I The eyen that shuld the body wys That it not go amys For in peryl both put they Sowle and body euery dey The eyen shew the braynes anon The thyng that they se vpon And the braynes also smert Nuncyes it forth vnto the herte The herte hath lykyng in the syght And fallyth in synne anon ryght And had the eyen se no thynge The herte had falle in no lykynge Also perylouse they ere For they are tender and lyght to dere And pryde and yre and couetys With other synnes mo than this Which thynges had be vnsought And mannys eyen sawe ryght nought And for that of euerychone Perylouser lyme is none ¶ The CC.xvj questyon ¶ Which is the sykerest arte of al And there most peryl may in falle CLerkes that to the world preches And goddys wyl to do them teches And how they shal theyr sowles gyde And the deuyl from them cause to slyde The surest arte haue they tho And the perylousest also For of the world they are the lyght As to the body is eyen syght The eyen lyght the body And ledyth it by way and sty Without hurte there it wylbe Which hurte shuld take myght it not se Also tho that lerne this arte And thech forth therof some parte The ryght way the folke they lede And theyr sowles goostly they fede And yf they do as they say Theyr selfe goyth in the ryght way And
in chyld getyng Shuld no man haue thought velany Amonge other of his company Nomore than now is velanye For to loke a man in the eye ¶ The CC.lx. questyon ¶ WhaÌ„ water hylled y e world euery dele Hyllyd it paradyse as wele THat flode in erth god sent also The most dele of the folke to fordo And for to wasshe the mekyl synne That the world that tyme was inne But in paradyse came it nought For there was no synne in wrought But one that adam the appul ate And the synne lay not in that It lay in the brekyng Of the precept of heuyn kynge And for the synne that he dyd thore Myght he therin dwele no more With al his synne was he out cast Unto this world here at the last And whan no synne was there aboute In paradyse whan he was out What wold the flode than do therin Whare was left no synne ¶ The CC.lxxj questyon ¶ Of what age made god adam Whan he in to this world came ADam god made and his fere At his licknes for they are to hiÌ„ dere And yong ryght as aungels wyse For the loue that he and his Shuld the ordres of aungels fulfyl That Lucyfer began to spyl But whan they mysded at the last And of paradyse ware out cast Theyr here began to wax and sprede And to theyr heles doune it yede And after theyr here on to se Them semed of thyrty yere to be ¶ The CC.lxij questyon ¶ Tho that at the dome shal dey And haue not serued to helle the wey Nore tyme of purgacyon so sone may be What shal come of them tel me THey that so long here lyue shal Untyl god the world deme al And them behouys on al wysse Unto the dome for to arysse And hath not seruyd here to dwele With wicked in the payne of helle Ne nought worthy so redely are In to heuyn for to fare Untyl theyr sowle clensed is Of that it here dyd amys God shal send them south to sey So sharpe a payne or they dey That shal clense them ouer all And for al the dayes stand them shal That they had be worthy to take In purgatory them clene to make Also in theyr vp takyng Shal come to them a sharpe clensyng And so shal they vp wende In to the blys with out ende ¶ The CC.lxiii questyon ¶ Whan soule come to the body also Whiche part gothe it in therto GOddys wyl may not mys What so he wyl anone it is But when god asoule shal make To a body that it shal take Of his myght he makys it al Within the body it haue shal As thou seyst vpon a tre Pere or appul whether it be Whan it to waxe shal begyn The carnel bredyth there with in And waxes in the frute holly So doth the sowle in the body ¶ The CC.lxiiij questyon ¶ Who named fyrst al thyng And teched them theyr conyng GOd whan he had made adam Gaue him strength beute wisdoÌ„ And he gaue vnto thynges al Names as men them call And he gaue man conyng also As behoued his lyfe vnto Of goddys grace and of his wyl And than be lefte they so al styl Fro the tyme that they begon to be Unto our seconde father Noe He newed and teched al thyng As adam dyd at the begynyng Our second father we hym cal For the dyluuy drouned al But Noe and his sonnes thre And theyr wyues of them came we Neuerthelesse Noe came Of the gendure of adam But that tyme no men had lyues But they foure and theyr wyues And or he dyed came of them two xxiiij thowsand and mo ¶ The CC.lxv questyon ¶ Whereof it be and wherfore That some men are lesse some more COmenly a mannys waxyng Is after the tyme of his beryng And somwhyle man more or lesse is After the vessel he lay in I wys He that is planet of that yere Whan a chyld is borne so here If he in tyme of the byrth be Of his sygne in the entre That chyld so shal be kyndly But lytel man of his body And yf he be the sygne amyde For the more man he shal be kydde And yf it in the endyng falle Than is he more than the other al And by cause y â— planets of more myght wore In the tyme here before Wherfore men than ware Of greattare myght than now are And euer more whyle the world shal stand The more shal al thynges be lesse and ¶ The CC.lxvj questyon ¶ Whether is perylousare to haue Hete or cold thy selfe to saue HEte and colde ouer mesure Are ful hote to endure If thou haue cold and clothles be Yet may thou somwyse helpe the For to styre and go fastly Or some wayes trauayle thy body Trauayle in keelth than is good It wyl sone enchafe thy blode And whan the blode in hete is brought Al the lymes eschafe for nought But yf thou haue an outrage hete It is euyl for to bete There may thou helpe thy selfe not so As thou in the cold may do The hete wyl gather more and more And greue aman al to sore But yf he eny drynke may fele Or with some other thyng hym kele Ful drye it wyl his body make And great euyl cause hym to take Wherfore than is more payne to haue Hete than keelth and surear to saue ¶ The CC.lxvij questyon ¶ Doth the chyld folowe naturally The wycked coÌ„dycyoÌ„s of his pareÌ„t truly THoughe father and mother wicked be And the chyld may lyue and the And do as he ought to do Toward god and man also It shal hym nothyng dere That his forgoars wicked were No more than it dereth where to grow Though a thefe or wicked man it sow And be his father neuer so good Ne his mother neuer so myld of mode And hym selfe be wicked truly Defyled with dedes wickedly It fareth as where that fyrst men brynne And after the erth sowes it in That shal neuer in erth spryng Ne frute shal it none forth bryng ¶ The CC.lxvi questyon ¶ Whether is bettar and lesse to spyl Aman to speke or hold hym styl SPeke and leue is both to do As aman sees tyme therto Thou may somtyme a word sey That may cause the for to dey Aâ—d somtyme may thou hold the styl That may turne the vnto yl Wherfore yf thou shalt speke eny whore Auyse the on it before Also wel as thou can That it be scath to no man And that thy wordes may a vayle Or els losys thou thy trauayle If thou eny word say shal For to pay thy frend with al And it be a gayne two or thre Unsayd were it bettar be A man shuld haue in many poyntes A cranes hals with many ioyntes That he not speke to rath Wherof shuld turne scath But that he may his word with cal Or it passe the ioyntes al ¶ The CC.lxvij questyon ¶ Whether ought wysar to be Yong man or old as thynkes the I Thynke it ware
dere Ony hous in erth haue here IN erth a how 's shal he haue That man afterward shal saue And that shal his spouse be For al shal be on it and he By the sacrament of his body That he shal make solempnelye Unto his apostyls at the mete And ech one shal therof ete And that sacrament that I the tel Shal in his how 's deuoutly dwelle And al of good conuersacyon Shal come vnto saluacyon Throughe the vertu and the myght Of that sacrament so dyght And al tho that are outfous And are spered out of that hous In payne of helle shal be shent But they come to amendment ¶ The CCC.xxxix questyon ¶ Shal his body euer dwellyng be In erth that men may it se HIs body shal euer be dwellyng In erth to the worldys endyng Upon a day as he shal His apostyls soupe with al He shal take the bred and blysse And say ete my body this ysse Than shal he take the cuppe in handys That with wyne before hym standys And blesse it and say them vnto Haue drynke this my blode also The selfe blode is it that I here make That shal be shed for mannys sake And throughe the vertu and the myght Of his word is there anon ryght His very body god and man As that he to say began And yf that sacrament ne wore His flesshe only and no more With out blod therto wrought His very body ware it nought Flesshe in leuyng man to be Without blode can no man se And there shal his dyscypyls take Myght that sacrament to make With word he shal them lerne thore That hym selfe sayd before And that body shal dwellyng be So that men eche day may it se ¶ The CCC.xl questyon Shal euery man haue myght therto His body for to make also NAy shal none haue therto myght But that therto are ordayned right That of his holy hous shal be Kepers and haue the dyngnyte And thoughe that keper bere hym yl And wyl not fulfyl goddes wyl Neuerthewors is that flesshe and blode Ne neuer the better thoughe he be good And who so taketh it worthely His sowle hele he taketh therby And he that vnworthely it taketh His owne dampnacyon he maketh For he taketh not goddes body But bread he taketh al onely The godhed that there was in God takes it to hym for his syn For so worthy a thyng as he In a foule vessel wyl not be And no more enpeyre ne can That same body a wicked man Than is enpeyred the sonnys lyght Of a warderobe that here is dyght ¶ The CCC.xlj questyon ¶ Tho that haue myght therto That body for to make also Shal they before the trynyte More than other worshypped be NO man shal there worshypped be For honour nor for dygnyte But with god he shal be dere After as he hath don here Thoughe goddys how 's wold hym chose Her kepar to bynd and lose His worshyp shal be neuer the more But yf he haue don wherfore And do he not aryght also As hym be comyth for to do He shal haue blame and payne withal Wel more than a nother shal For he that is made a hyrdar Of goddys how 's to be kepar His shepe must he kepe wel and know And by his owne lyfe them showe How that they theyr lyfe shal lede And them kepe from mysdede Wherfore yf he mysdo So moch more payne shal he go to ¶ The CCC.xlij questyon ¶ Why shal they euery day be wone To make the body of goddys sonne FOr thre thynges pryncypaly Shal a preest make goddys body For god and for hym selfe also And for the folke that se therto He that it sees hath mede therfore And that it takes moch more But he that receyuyth it vnworthely Hym selfe he dampneth suerly And the body ne doth it nought But hym that lewdly hath wrought In paradyse appyls many one Made god and wicked none And for an appyl that Adam dyd ete Was he out of that place bete And that was not for that That the appul was nought that he ate But for that that goddys bode brake he That hym defended had that thre So shal fare that Sacrament It shal cause no man be shent Agayne the deuyl strength shal it make Loke he be clene that it shal take ¶ The CCC.xliij questyon ¶ Tel me now what thyng is synne That many shal be lorne in SInne forsoth is ryght nought For that god neuer wrought God of heuyn made al thyng And al was good of his makyng And for his werkes good wore Synne is none of them therfore And for he made it not sothely In substance it is nought truly ¶ The CCC.xliiij questyon ¶ By what syngne shal men se Whan goddes sone shal dede be AT his dethe shal befall Syngnes many one withall For the sonne shal lese his lyght And become darke as the nyght The erthe euerydele shal quake That to folke great drede shal make Dede bodyes shal ryse hym with al The thyrd day when he ryse shal An astronomer then shal be In the boest and say shal he By the derkenes that he shal fynd That than dyes god of kynd ¶ The CCC.xlv questyon ¶ When goddes sone in erth shal dwel Of what vertue shal men hym tel OF moche vertu shal he be By his workes that men shal se Of his vertue he shal with ryght Ouercome the deuyl and his might His Glotony couetyse and pryde That the deuyl had spred wyde And al his myght dystroy he shal That he Adam begyled withal Fro feuere and other euyls fele Many men than shal he hele With fyue loues and fysshes two Fyue thowsand shal h◠fede and mo And .xij. lepys men shal fylle Of the relefe there that shal be stylle The prynce of his apostyls shal he Saue goyng vpon the see He shal cōmaund the wynd to lyth And it shal be styl also swyth To blynd shal he geue syght The croked ofte to go ryght Awoman that shal with heer grete And with her teres waysshe his fete And with her heer them wype and drye He shal forgeue her her folye A deed man that in graue hath leyn Foure dayes he shal areyse ageyne One of his dyscypyls shal bere A swerd and reue amannys ere The ere in his hand shal he take And agayne it hole make◠Al the prynces in helle that are Shal he cause to quake and eke care Whan he theyr gates shal come vnto And cōmaund them that they vndo That his are shal he take thore And sende them to blys for euer more ¶ The CCC.xlvj questyon ¶ Shal his dyscypyls ought also Do myracles as he shal do HIs dyscypyls throughe his grace Shal to many sycke do solace For he shal euer by them be They shal speke and worke shal he Many one with theyr techyng To goddys lawe shal they bryng A wicked man that tyme shal be And say that goddys sonne is he And begyn to ascend a hye
Shal his mynystres with hym be In the dome to here and se HIs mynysters shal be thore Tho that with hym walked before And al that lyued after hys â—ore And ke pars of his hous wore And al that lyue in chastyte Or that ded for his loue shal be Al shal they be of his wylte Synful wreches for to spylle For that shal they be there present To here and se the iugement The CCC.lvij questyon ¶ How shal he the dome do And what shal he say them to GOod departed shal he se Fro the wicked that there shal be Than shal he to the good say Ye in erth stode by me ay I houngred sore and ye me fedde I thursted and ye me drynke bede I was nakyd and ye me clad In sycknesse I helpe of you had I lay in pryson and myght not se Thether ye came to vyset me And by cause ye dyd this gladly Come to my fathers ioy heuynly And ye that of me not rought But al that ye lyked wrought With the deuyl and his ye go Unto payne for euer and od For ye nothyng dyd me fore Whan ye in your lykyng wore This shal euery man here and se Why he shal saued or dampnyd be ¶ The CCC.lviij questyon ¶ Sal euery man than know wele That he hath don here euery adele AL that euer aman hath wrought Good and yl in dede or thought Al shal on hym wryten be That al the world may it se But yf eny ware of repentaunce That toke his shryft here and penaunce Of his mysded with harte contryte That synne for geuen is al tyte The good than thanke god shal thore That they of such lyfe wore Wherfore that they shulde than wende To the blys with out ende And the wicked shal se eft What goodnesse they haue left And what wickednesse they toke Whan that they the good forsoke Ful â–ª sory be they than in thought But al shal avayle them nought For they shal anon be shent With the deuyl in tourment ¶ The CCC.lix questyon ¶ Whan al is don that dome so harde What shal be don afterwarde AFterwarde the deuyl shal Take tho that shal with hym al And wend to helle for euer more The wicked men to payne thore Goddys sonne shal his take That here dyd wel for his sake And lede them to his fathers blys Where euer I lyke ioy is And al shal theyr blys be That they euer god shal se And neuer more shal deye For yf they shuld chose one of tweye They shuld leuer in helle be God euery day in blys to se Than be in heuyn and se hym nought For that ware nought worth them thought ¶ The CCC.lx questyon ¶ What shal than betyde and who Of this world where we are now AS water it fyrst fordyd also Shal it fyre than fordo Al to gether shal it brynne Shal nothyng beleft therin The elementes shal than slake Of theyr fygure and a newe take Sonne and mone shal bryghter be Seuen tymes than men now them se Erth water fyre and ayre They shal be than thre tymes so fayre Than they euer ware before And so shal be left euer more Al trauayls in erth shal blynne Shal no payne after be therin ¶ The CCC.lxj questyon Shal the good haue leue ther tyl For to do al that they wyl THe good shal than be of that wyl To do but good and nothyng yl For than shal they ech thyng do That theyr wyl standyth vnto And in what stede they wold they wore Anon as thought they shal be thore And other worke shal they haue none But goddys vysage to se vpon And thanke hym that of al lord is That they are come to that hlys ¶ The CCC.lxij questyon ¶ Shal they than remember ought Of wickednesse y t they here wrought REmember them they shal euery dele Of that they wrought here yl and wel And great ioy haue they shal That they the wickednesse ouer came al As a knyght is blyth and glad That a stronge batayle hath had And hath bore the prayse away From al his enymyes that day Great ioy it is his frendes vnto That he that day bare hym so And al so sory are they tho That for theyr synne go than to wo ¶ Here ende the questyons ¶ The ende of the hystory Sydracke god yeld it the The techyng y t thou hast teched me From darknesse thou hast me brought Unto lyght that fayleth nought Now than wot I moch thyng That after Iesus haue great longyng And now wot I what god may do To lyfe and vnto soule also Wherfore it is good now Upon what maner and how That we shal our toure fulfyl Wherto we fyrst had great wyl For that was the cause why we Came fyrst vnto this countre FOr thy the kyng Boccus anon Toke hors and worthed there vpon And his mayster Sydracke before And al his folke be gan to raye thore They came in to the in comyng Of Garabys lande the kyng There they began the toure to dyght That sanke from them euery nyght The kyng caused to be brought lyme stone And caused masons to come anon And Sydracke the kynge present Deuysed them the foundament In the name of the Trynyte One god and persons thre Boldly ther vpon they wrought And y t shuld hurt them found they nought And in dayes syxe and twenty Was the toure made vp fully And al thyng that therto shuld After the kyng it ordayne wold ¶ Whan that Garaab it herde Of the toune how it farede How it was to ende brought He was ful sory in his thought And foule abasshed he was also For he perseuyd it shuld hym vndo In harte myght haue no rest He counselyd hym what was best A messynger anon he sent That vnto kyng Boccus went And prayed hym purcharyte Of hym to haue mercy and pyte Kynge Boccus answered and spake By the counsel of Sydracke That yf Garaab wyl a good man be And beleue in the Trynyte That may both dampne and saue That he shal of hym mercy haue And Garaab sent to hym agayne That what he wyl I shal do fayne Kyng Garaab caused to be broken anon His false ydols euerychone And trusted in god of heuyn lyght Seruyng hym with al his myght And many landes there mo Causyd Boccus to serue god tho But whan kynge Boccus was deed And Sydracke than was there no rede But anon they god forsoke And to theyr false ydols they toke Throughe entysement of the wicked goost Now he that is of myght most Saue vs fro his wycked wyles For many one that shrew begyles And bryng vs into that blys Wherof that none ende is AMEN PRay we now with al our myght Unto god of heuen lyght That he geue vs grace so to do That we heuen may come vnto That we shal al to I wâ—â—â— And that Hughe of caumpedenâ— That this boke hath throughe sought And vnto Englysshe tyme brought Lyue in ioye without synne And that he god is loue here wynne So that he at his lyues ende Unto the blesse of heuen wende FINIS ¶ Thus endeth the hystory and questyoÌ„s of kynge Boccus and Sydracke Prynted at London by Thomas Godfray At the coste and charge of dan Robert Saltwode moÌ„ke of faynt Austens at Cantorbury ¶ Cum priuilegio regali