to destroye yf he may / thother ben also lyke theerys of corne that floure wel and prouffyte wel to god and to the worlde And theym the fende cryeth to destroye and to shame too his power The other been perfyte in grete estate and do moche good to god to the worlde For to bete doune theyr good loos and renoume for to mynisshe theyr good dedes / the enuyous dresseth all hys engynes For as moche gretter as the goodnes is So moche more sorow he hath This synne is soo perylous that vnneth may one that vseth it come a ryght to veray repentaunce For this synne is contrary to the holy goost / whiche is fountayne of all goodnesses And god sayth in the gospell Who that synneth ayenst the holy ghoost he shall neuer haue forgyuenes ne mercy in this worlde ne in the other For he synneth of his propre malyce And it ought holy for to be vnderstande that there is noo synne how grete it be / but that god forgyueth and pardoneth in this worlde yf a persone repenteth with good herte But vnneth it happeth that ony repente of this synne For suche one warreth with his power the grace of the holy goost / in that / that he warreth the spyrytuell good of another In lykewyse as the Iewes warred agaynst our lorde Ihesu cryste for the good that he dyde ¶ And ye ought to knowe that there be .vi. synnes specyally agaynst the holy goost That is to wete presumpcyon the whiche enlargeth ouer moche to synne / and prayseth lytell the Iustyce of our lorde / and ouer moche to truste in his mercy / therfore moche people synne in hope The .ii. synne ageynst the holy goost is dyspayre whiche benȳmeth and taketh awaye frome god his mercy Lyke as presumpcyon taketh frome hym his Iustyce The .iii. is obstynacyon This is hardenes of herte Whan one is so enharded in his synne and in his malyce / that he may not be humbled ne meked ne bowe and wyll not repent hym ne amende The fourthe synne agaynst the holy goste is dyspyte of penaunce That is whan a man purposeth in his herte / that he shall neuer repente hym of his synne The fyfth is to warre agaynst the grace of the holy goost in an other The syxth is to warre agaynst the trouthe in ernest wetyngly / and in especyall the trouthe of the Crysten faythe ¶ All these foresayd synnes ben ageynst the bounte and goodnes of the holy ghoost / and they ben soo grete that vnnethe they come too veray repentaunce And therfore ben they vnnethe forgyuen pardoned ¶ The .iii. heed of the beest of helle is Ire or wrath Ca. .xxv. THe thyrde heed of the beest is Ire But thou owest to knowe that there is an yre whiche is vertuous / that the good men haue ayenste thys synne / whiche geten the vertues ayenste the vyces There is another Ire whiche is a moche grete vyce / that is felonnye of herte / oute of whome yssueth many braūche And in especyal foure warres that the felons haue ¶ Of the fyrst warre of the synne of yre / whiche is suche Ca. .xxvi THe fyrst warre of the synne of yre / is to hym self for whan Ire surmounteth the man / she tourmenteth the soule and the body so moche that the man may not slepe ne reste Somtyme yre taketh awaye the etynge and drynkynge / and maketh one falle in a feuer or in so grete heuynesse or malancolye / or despayr that he taketh the deth This is a fyre that wasteth all the goodes of the how 's ¶ The second warre that the felon hath that is to god For yre and felonnye surmounte and fyre somtyme all the people / by aduersyte temporalle / or by maladye and sekenesse / or by dethe of frendys Or by ony manere of meschaunce that his wylle is not done that he grutcheth and murmureth ayenst god our lorde sayth maugre / and in despyte of god and of all hys Sayntes And swereth and blasphemeth ayenst god and his blyssed sayntes The thyrde warre of Ire that the felon hath that is vnto theym that ben vnder hym / that is to his wyf and to his meyne and breketh pottes and cuppes lyke as he were oute of his wytte / so is he The fourth warre is withoutforth to his neyghboure by dwellers aboute hym and of this braunche growe .vi. bowes For whan Ire ryseth bytwene two men / there is then stryfe dyscorde / wordes / vylonyes / wronges And after rancour whiche dwellyth in the herte / after cometh hate medlynge and bataylle / after desyre for tauenge hym / after other whyle homycyde manslaughter After cometh ofte mortalle warre emonge the frendes / out of whiche yssuen ofte euyll in dyuers maners / and many that may not be amended For whan there is warre bytwene two hye grete men it happeth ofte that many men be slayne whiche neuer had blamed ne trespaced / monasteryes chyrches ben broken vp / and throwen doune / and ben somtyme brente townes destroyed and brent Abbayes and grete pryoryes destroyed / men women chyldren dysheryted and put to pouerte / robberyes / women maryed / and maydens defouled and corrupt / and ouer many other euylles that ben doo for that cause And al this be they bounde to rendre and to make amendes / al they by whome so many myscheues and harmes haue be done And all they that haue be in theyr helpe in suche wycked and euyll werkes / therfore they be in grete peryll of dampnacyon / and ferre frome theyr saluacyon For they may not amende ne rendre the domages that they haue done / they behoue to restore or to be forlore ¶ Of the synne of slouthe the whiche is sayd accyde Ca. xxvii THe fourthe heed of the beest of hell is slouthe / the whiche is called of clerkes accydye This sȳne is greuous to do wel This sȳne is an ouer yll rote casteth out many euyll braunches For this synne causeth a man to come vnto euyll amendemente / and more euyll begynnynge / and ouer euyll endynge The slowe persone hath euyll begynnynge by .vi. maners synnes The fyrst vyce is fayntnes / that is whan a man loueth lytyl and fayntly our lorde / whome he oweth to loue ardauntly / and this happeth whan he is flawe latchous and slowfull to do well The seconde vyce of slouthe is tendrenesse / that is the bedde wherin the deuyll resteth hym and sayth to the man or woman Thou hast be euer tenderly nourysshed thou arte of ouer feble complexyon Thou mayst not do grete penaūces / thou arte ouer tendre thou sholdest anone be deed / and for this the caytyf suffreth to be cherysshed / and to do all the eases and the delyte of his body The thyrde vyce is ydlenesse This is a synne of whome cometh many euyls as the holy scrypture sayth For whan the deuyll fyndeth a man ydle he putteth him anone in his werkes
his herte / all thentencyon of hym that confesseth hym For the seke man ought to descoure his malady vnto the physycyen / ellys the physycyen myght not werke Ne the Surgyen ne myght not hele the sore but yf he sawe the wounde And therfore sayth the wyse man yf thou wylte that the Surgyan hele the / thou must dyscoure to hym thy wounde or sore ¶ Thenne the truaunte the lame techen the to confesse the whiche shewen theyr maladyes / and laye forth the foulest tofore to haue almesse Thus thenne ought the synnar to dyscouer his synnes to his confessour for to haue mercy / and this is the thyrde condycyon that ought to be in confessyon Also the synnar ought to confesse hym entyerly / hooly this is the fourth condycyon For he ought to saye al his synnes grete and lytell and al the cyrcumstaunces of the synnes Thenne he ought fyrste to beholde the deedly synnes / of whiche I haue spoken tofore / to confesse hȳ hooly of eueryche of them / after that he feleth hym culpable / without to hyde ony one thynge and without sayenge more / and without excusynge hym / and without to accuse ony other ¶ Rygh so confessed hym Dauyd that sayth in the Psaulter I shall confesse me and shall saye all mysȳnes ageynst me / and not ageynst other / lyke as ypocrytes whiche put alway the fayrest outwarde / and tell theyr good dedes hyde theyr euyl dedes And accusen other of that / whiche they them self be more culpable gylty of For they can espye se and apperceyue well a lytell festue or a lytell mote in the eyen of other / beholde not a grete beme or blocke that is in theyr owne eyen / that is to saye the grete synnes that ben in them Suche was the pharyse of whome the gospell sayth that he remembred his good dedes / dyspysed the publycan that humbly smote his breest in the temple / and cryed god mercy sayd Lorde god haue pyte and mercy on me poore synner Thus ought the synner Iuge hymselfe fofore god / not aledge his synne but to agreue / poyse / and recounte clerely withoue lyenge Also confessyon ought to be hole and not departed to dyuers cōfessoures For it ought to be sayd al to one confessoure / not one parte to one / and an other parte to an other / god loueth not suche departȳge Also a man ought not to say onely the synnes / but all the cyrcumstaunces whiche agreueth moche the synnes For the synnes ben paraduenture more grete in one persone than in an other / as in a relygyous man more than in a seculer In a prelate than in a symple man ¶ Also this is a more grete synne in one place than in an other / as in a monastery or in an other holy place more than in an other vnhalowed place / also in one tyme more than in another / as in lent or in feestful dayes Also whan one synneth wytyngly and in ernest / he synneth more than whan one synneth ygnourauntly Also one ought for to say the condycyon of the synne For it is greter synne with a wedded woman than with a syngle / or in a man or woman of relygyon / or in a persone ordeyned a preest / or a deken / after that the ordre and the estate is more grete / so moche is the synne more grete ¶ Aso yf that the synne be ageynst nature / and how longe tyme that he hath abyden and dwelled in the sayd synnes Also he ought for to saye yf that he haue lytell or nought resysted and withstonde temptacyon / or yf he haue sought temptacyon / or yf he haue be beten in temptacyon Also he ought to saye the cause and the entencyon that moued hym to do the synne / and all the other occasyons of the synne ¶ Also a man ought for to thynke consydere by al his membres how he hath synned Fyrst he ought to go to his herte / and saye all his synnes what someuer they be carnall or spyrytuell Spyrytuell as ageynst the fayth or of vayne glorye / or of enuye / of auaryce / of rancour / or of other maners / of whome there be many The synnes carnall or bodely / apperteynen to the delytes of the flesshe of the body or yf he haue not kept hym well in all thoughtes / that therin hath ben consentynge / or longe abydynge Or delyte / whiche somtyme is as moche as the consentynge and of all these thoughtes he ought to confesse Also one ought to take hede yf he haue synned by the membres of his body / for a man synneth in them in many maners Fyrst in the hede / whan one setteth ouer grete cure grete cestes to dresse it / as done these ladyes and wymmen whiche so curyously araye theyr hede with precyous adournementes for pure vanyte for to playse drawe men to synne In whiche they synne ofte greuously / specyally they that make thē hye hornes of theyr heer / or of other thynge / whiche resemblen comyn wymmen Ther be vanytees ynough aboute the heed / in wasshynge / in kembynge in dyenge in poorynge in a myrrour / of whiche thynges god is ofte dysplesed / of this vanyte folye the men be not all quyte / for they arraye theyr heer lyke women / force it to be yelowe / yf they be blacke / they by crafte make thē bloūde abourne / late thē growe longe more like to a woman thā to a man / whiche is a sygne of grete euyl moche pryde / of al this suche thynges a man ought for to confesse hym / and of all other vanytees and kepe hym that he do them noo more ¶ Also a man ought to remembre and well consyder to the fyue wyttes of his body / wherin he hath oft synned in many maners By the eyen in folyly seynge and beholdynge Or by the ere 's in herynge gladly the myssayers / losengers / lyers / and other folyes Or by the mouthe in foly spekynge / in ouermoche drynkynge and etynge Or by the nose in ouermoche delytynge hymself in swete odoures or wycked odoures Or by folyly touchynge in hym selfe / or in his wyf / or in other that is wors / be it man or woman ¶ Also a persone ought too confesse hym of the outragyous araye of his robes and of his garmentes in hosynge and shoynge / of all other defautes / of whiche he hath mynde / and thus the confessyon is good and hole / whan one sayth all his synnes grete lytell / this is the fourth condycyon that ought for to be in confessyon ¶ The fyfth condycyon is that one ought for to confesse hym humbly For the synner speketh to god whiche seeth all his herte Thenne the confessour is but the ere of god that whiche he hereth / ne knoweth not as a man / but as god
one body loue and supporte eche other yf one membre hurte that other by aduenture / the other aduengeth hym not And therfore we that ben all one body in Ihesu Cryst lyke as thappostles sayth we ouÈt to loue and supporte eche other / not to hate ne to greue / and who that dooth otherwyse he is an homycyde of hym self / this sayth the scrypture Suche there be that can saye theyr pater noster / that it were better for them and more auayllable that they coude say it a ryght For who that pardoneth not / nor forgyueth with herte / and with mouthe / he moeueth his Iuge ayenste hym And in this prayer that we make to god / we requyre of hym the yefte of scyence whiche maketh a man wyse and also cunnynge This spyryte sheweth vnto hym what he is and in lyke wyse from whens he cometh / whether he goeth / and what he hath done and what he hath trespaced how moche he hath lente / and how moche he oweth and whan he seeth that he hath not wherof to paye / thenne this spyryte maketh hym to repente / to wepe and also to â—yghe / and crye god mercy and say O good lorde forgyue and pardone to me my dettes / that be my syÌ„nes For I am moche endetted to the / for the euylles synnes that I haue commysed and done / for the good dedes that I haue forgoten and left to do / whiche that I ought myght haue done and for the godes benefayres that thou hast done to me / the grete bountees whiche I haue all day receyued and euyll vsed theym / haue euyll serued the. And bycause lorde that I moche drede doubte to make my payment I requyre the to pardone me that / whiche I owe vnto the. Whan this spyryte of scyence hath thus enlumyned hym that he knoweth his defautes and synnes Thenne he casteth out of his herte all hate and rancoure and pardoneth all his euyll wyll anger yf he haue ony And yf he haue none / and is in wyll in purpose to pardone forgyue with good herte yf ony haue trespaced to hym Than may he well saye Fayre fader forgyue vs our trespaces / lyke as we do to them that haue trespaced vs. The .vi. petycyon request of the pater nrÌ„ Ca. lxxxiiii ET ne nos inducas in temptacionem Brente chylde fyre dredeth / he that somtyme is falin to synne / whan his synne is pardoned hym he is more doutous and more a ferde / hathe more drede of the temptacyon of synne than he hadde tofore / and therfore he prayeth vnto all myghty god vnto whome he hathe soo moche trespaced / and also that he hathe forgyuen and pardoned hym / that he wyll kepe hym frome fallynge in to it agayne / and sayth thus Et ne nos inducas in temptationem That is for to saye Fayre swete fader / suffre not thou that we entre in to temptacyon / and that we consent not to ony syÌ„ne The deuyll is the temptoure of synne / for it is his crafte / of the whiche he serueth in the hous of god to preue the newe knightes of god And yf the temptacyon were not good and prouffytable to good people God the whiche dooth all thynge for our prouffyte / wolde neuer suffre that temptacyon sholde come But as saynt Bernarde sayth whan our temptoure smyteth vs on the backe He forgeth vnto vs our crownes of glorye / lyke as he that smyteth on the backe of a good knyght / forgeth to hym his praysynge and his glorye / The deuyll tempteth a man proprely to th ende that he take hym aweye and departe hym holly frome the loue of our lorde Ihesu Cryste ¶ Therfore prayed and prayeth to vs saynt Poule the appostle / and vnto his dyssyples / that they be founded and ferme as a toure / and roted as a tre / in charyte / and in the loue of god so that no temptacyon may moeue theym ne make them for to staker ne quaure ¶ And therfore in this petycyon and requeste we requyre and demaunde the ayde and helpe of god in our bataylle ayenst the fende / that he wyl gyue to vs the yefte of pyte That is a grace that arouseth and bedeweth the herte / and maketh hym swete and pyetous / and maketh hym al to rendre and were grene / and to bere fruyt ynough of good werkes without forth / and withinforth And within to make stedfast and ferme his rootes in the londe of lyuynge people / that is lyke as the good cyment of whiche ben made these walles sarazynoys / whiche may not be broken ne defeated with pykeys ne with hamer whan we say thenne Et ne nos in ducas in temptacyonem That is to saye swete fader make thou our hertes ferme and in lyke wyse stable / that they moeue not ne quauer for no temptacyon that come to them by the grace of the gyft of pyte / we praye not that we be in no wyse tempted For that were a folysshe prayer and shamefull / lyke as the sone of a lorde / or of another noble man / that sholde be adoubed a newe knyght / he sholde say to his fader Fayre fader I pray you that ye me deporte or forbere kepe that I neuer se batayle ne tournoy We ought well wyll to be tempted / for it is our grete prouffyte in many maners For we be the more humble and the more doutous the more wyse in many cases / the better proued and the more hardy For as Salomon sayth ye. Who that hath not be teÌ„pted / he may knowe nothynge a ryght / but lyke as one knoweth of the batayle of Troye by here saynge for he may not knowe hym selfe ne his Infyrmyte / ne the strength of his ennemyes / ne theyr subtylte / ne how god is true redy at nede to ayde his frende / ne how many tymes he hathe kepte vs from many perylles synnes / and by all these reasons he shal not conne loue god aryght / ne thanke hyÌ„ of his yeftes yf he be not tempted / but pray we hym that he kepe to vs our hertes that they entre not in to temptacyon / that is to say that the herte consent not therto / as touchynge our selfe we be so poore / that we may not an houre of the daye sustayne thassautes the dyuers temptacyons of the fende wtout the helpe of our lorde And whan he faylleth for to ayde and helpe vs we entre in to temptacyon And whan he helpeth vs we resyste we fyght and vaynquysshe the fende our enemy whan that we coÌ„sent not to synne ¶ The .vii. petycyon of the pater noster Ca. lxxxv SEd libera nos a malo amen / saynt austyn sayth that all the other temptacyons ben to vs eyther for to doo well or for to leue to do well But all
/ that is to saye with veray teerys whiche comen of the grace of god and of ryght felynge of the herte For hym semeth that he is lyke a chylde that is all naked tofore his maystre that can not his lesson / or that he is lyke to the poore man endetted / whiche is fallen in the hondes of his credytour / hath not whereof he may fyne ne paye his debte Or that he be lyke a theef proued that is taken with an hondred trespaces / and that hath the corde aboute his necke / or that he be lyke the lame man that lyeth at chirche dore / whiche hath no shame to shewe his maladye and his soores to them that passe by / for cause that eche body sholde haue pyte on hym Yf the wylte thenne lerne to praye god / praye and adoure hym aryght / these .iiii. thynges aforsayd shall enseygne and teche the that is to wete / the chylde / the man endetted / the theef / and the lame man ¶ Of hym that is veray humble and meke Ca. C.i. THe custome is of a veray meke humble man to prayse another gyue hȳ loos / to hȳ afore alowe hym with his mouthe / by werkes to bere hym honour he is lyke the lytell bee that maketh the hony / whiche escheweth stynkes / and secheth floures of the felde souketh the dewe and the substaunce of them / and maketh hony for to garnysshe with his hous Thus dooth the veray humble / whiche taketh none hede of the stenches / the synnes / and defautes of other But all the godes that other do / he holdeth theym loueth and prayseth and souketh the swetenes of deuocyon of his herte with whiche his conscience is replenysshed The veray humble seeth none so ylle a thynge / ne so harde / ne so synfull / but that he can drawe mater to alowe and prayse god In his herte he preyseth other in thre maners For he beleueth more the wyt of an other man / than the wytte of hymselfe / he wyll that the wyll of other men be do soner than his owne All the contrarye dooth the proude man lyke as we haue shewed tofore After also the veray meke and humble man alloweth prayseth other men by worde The good dedes the other haue done he enhaunceth and prayseth them / and the euyll dedes he excuseth and maketh them lesse The veraye meke man tourneth to the meane thynge in to good / and vnderstandeth them alway to the best / this is ayenst the euyll tatches of the myssayers / whiche enhaunce the euyll dedes mynysshe the good / the meane preuerteth torne to the werst The veray meke and humble prayseth by werke / honoureth in dede euerych as he ought to do as he may doo without mysdoynge Thus dooth not the proude man / but all the contrary lyke as we haue sayd tofore in the treatyse of the synne of pryde ¶ Of hym that is humble of hert Ca. C.ii. THe custome is of hȳ that hath an humble hert that all his good dedes he hath behynde hym at his backe / and all his euyll / his sinnes all his defautes he hath alwaye in mynde tofore his eyen / the good dedes of other he hath alwaye tofore his eyen / and the euyll defautes and sȳnes of all other he setteth them behynde hym at his backe as in oblyaunce or forgetinge And herof happeth oftymes that the veray meke and humble man the more he prayseth other and honoureth / so moche more he dysprayseth hymselfe The veray humble and meke persone of herte is lyke the auarycyous and coueytous man that hath alway his eyen on the goodes that other haue / and that they do And alway hym semeth that he hath noo spyrytuall good in hym For lyke as there is an euyll proude man / so is there veray meke and humble He that is veray hūble of herte is lyke a lytell chylde whiche is sone of a kynge and heyre of the realme / whiche wepeth cryeth / and knoweth nothynge of his hyenes ne of his ryches He is also lyke vnto the symple shepe / in whome all is good prouffytable / the wolle / the felle / the flesshe / the mylke / and his donge / and the shepe knoweth nothinge of it / ne he thynketh on it / and in this maner sayth the grete Patryarke Abraham of hym selfe / that he was nothynge but asshes and poudre And holy Iob that was soo grete ryche in the worlde sayd in lyke wyse And saynt Andrew that sayd also of hym selfe / what am I but asshes / duste fylthe / rotynnes / a worme / wynde / shadowe / leues that the wynde bereth away / drye stupple which is nought but for the fyre And lyke as the veraye humble persone of herte prayseth honoureth other with his hert mouth also in dede as we haue sayd Ryght so dyspyseth he hȳ self in these .iii. maners It semeth to hym lyke as saynt Iherome sayth of hym selfe / whan that I ete or drynke or that I wake or slepe / alwaye me thynketh that the fereful trompe of the daye of Iugement bloweth in mynerys sayenge / come to thy Iugement / come to thy Iugement / and by cause that he wyll not be Iuged of his synnes / he seeseth not but euery daye purgeth hymself / kepeth and clenseth hym from all synnes and Iugeth / condempneth / and repreueth al his werkes and his wordes / he cryeth nombreth / poyseth counterpoyseth and repreueth / for he fyndeth more chaffe than grayne / that is to vnderstonde more of synnes than of good dedes And by cause that he wyll not be Iuged at the dethe of Iustyce / wyll he not leue but that lytell and grete be examyned and sayd / and also Iuged in the court of mercy that is in holy confessyon In that court who counteth well aryght / is all quyte of his synnes But in the courte of Iustyce whiche shal be at the daye of Iugement / whome someuer he oweth he must paye Ne neuer shall he mowe be aquyted / and therfore he shall be perdurably dampned For he must rendre or pendre / that is hanged Alas caytyf what shal he paye that hath no thynge / but the body whiche is charged and all full of deedly synnes who that well vnderstode felte these thynges / he sholde holde kepe hym fro all synnes / shold withdrawe hym fro mockeryes and lesynges / whiche they contryue ayenst the veray meke humble persones whiche drede god and loue hym / by cause they fere drede hym / they wyll kepe them clene without ordure of synne and cōfesse them gladly and ofte / but lytell auaylleth confessyon without repentaunce / and without penaunce / with-good Iugement / and that Iustyce be not done truly / therfore all in lyke wyse as the veraye meke and humble persone maketh