here by daye or nyght In many dyuerse stedes within in theyr ghost There that they haue synne done most But that pyne maye be brought out of drede Through prayer of frendes and almes dede To the whiche they maye ghostly appere Through great grace in dyuerse stede here That payne as I erst tolde wonder sore greueth But it is a warnynge to them that here lyueth And thus maye men here truely se where that purgatorye nedes must be ¶ Of the paynes that ben in Purgatorye IN purgatorye as the boke wytnesse beryth Ben dyuerse paynes that the soule deryth Many mo certes than I can neuen But I fynde therof wryten seuen That maye be called paynes full well And to you of them I wyll tell somedell ¶ The fyrste payne of the seuen ywys As men maye knowe that redeth this Is the great drede that the soule is in whan the body and it departeth atwyn For the soule seyth than aboute it stonde Many foule deuylles to do it shonde And that syght is a payne wonder greuous For the deuylles ben so foule and hydeous So that so hardy man was neuer none Here in erth lyuynge in flesshe and in bone But yf a man sawe that syght that he shall se Anone for drede woode shulde he be A great payne it is than to se suche a syght But more is to the soule that therwith shall fyght ¶ The seconde payne is next than afterwarde Is great drede of deth that is wonder harde That the soule shall haue with moche care Tyll the dome be gyuen howe it shall fare For many aungelles shulde all redy be there And many deuylles with horryble chere Than shall the soule betwene them stande And aungelles shall be in her ryght hande And the deuylles shall be in her lefte syde So that the soule nedes must there abyde Tyll that her contakes ben brought to ende For erst he wot not whyther to wende whyther that god wyll dampne it or saue Than shall the soule so great drede haue Ryght as a man that is amyddes the se In great peryll and wot not whyther to fle whan tempestes falleth and storme smarte Than may he thens neuer starte And as a man hath here bodely drede whan he is enpeched of any peryllous dede Before the kynges iustyce and of the countre That ben charged yf he gylty be Than wot he not yf he shall be spylte Other ben delyuered and the lawe fulfylte In great peryll of lyfe maye that man be Yet hath the soule mor drede than hath suche thre For yf it haue the dome of dampnacyon here Than goth it to hell and the deuylles fere And yf the soule be dampned in to that place Than is no maner hope of mercy and grace what wonder is than though the soule haue drede That to god after mercy dare not ones grede ¶ The thyrde payne is an exyle whan that the soules here some whyle Ben exyled from lyfe and to deth brought For the coÌ„mynge agayne they knowe nought Therfore they shulde haue moche mournynge whan they be dampned from theyr lykynge And the mournynge that they haue without lysse Shall than be to them great anguysshe ¶ And the fourth payne is dyuerse syckenes That soules haue in moche dystres For dyuerse euylles they shall haue therin For dyuerse dedes that they dyd in synne And some for pryde that they vsed ofte Shall haue the colde feuer that is not softe For that shall greue the soule more bytterly Than euer any feuer dyde the body And some shall haue there for couetyse Stronge dropsye that they shall not aryse And some shall haue in all theyr lyâ—es aboute For slouth in theyr lyfe the podagre and goute And byles and felones and postumes also That in mannes body doth moche wo And some for wrath shall haue the palsye That to the soule shall sore derye And some for glotony shall haue euermore The harde quynsy that shall greue them sore And some for lechery shall haue also A foule mesylry go whyther they go Thus shall the soule that god wyll saue For dyuerse synnes dyuerse paynes shall haue That in erth here had veray repentaunce And had not in erth done theyr penaunce Nowe thynke we what payne the body suffreth here Through dyuerse euylles that greuyth euery where Though that it last but a lytell stounde Yet it bryngeth a man full soone to the grounde And as the maladye greuyth the body sore Yet it greuyth for the tyme the soule well more So that the soule hath there more penaunce Than hath the body for any maner greuaunce But nowe a man maye speke there agayne And axe howe the soule maye fele payne That after deth is so sottel as in boke we rede That it maye occupye no maner stede And to this questyon I maye answere well As I haue clerkes herde therof tell The soule of the body the lyfe is Of euery man both more and lesse And without lyfe is nothynge lyuynge For in no deed thynge maye be any felynge Than is all the felynge of the lyfe hooly All in the soule and nought in the body For whan a mannes soule is passed awaye Than is the body but â—oule erth and claye And that is than as deed as any stone That no thynge feleth but hym selfe one Yet maye some men aske more therto Nowe maye the soule that is in wo Be pyned with suche maladye withoute That is in dyuerse lymmes of the body aboute Syth it hath neyther body ne hed Ne none other lymme theron byleued To this I maye answere shortly That the soule though it haue no body It shall haue payne as in lymmes there with whiche it dyd most synne here For eche to other than shall seme ywys As though it had the shape as a man is And in this maner shall a soule another se But certes none of them maye feled be Nomore than maye a mannes breth here whan it passeth from hym in no manere Ensample of Lazar and a ryche man That cordeth to this mater as I proude can The ryche man warned the lazar mete That in Abrahams bosome had his sete But the ryche man was buryed in hell And sawe lazar in heuen dwell He cryed to Abraham and bad fayre withall That a drope of water myght downe fall Upon his tonge from lazarus fyngers ende For he myght not out of that payne wende By the ryche man that spake so to that other Had no lymme ne tonge nother Ne lazar as ye maye well vnderstande Had nother fynger ne hande For they were spyrytes both onely That had nother lymme ne body But the ryche mannes soule feled pyne in hell As though it had ben a body in flesshe and fell And lazarus soule semed to hym than As though he had ben a lyues man But I haue herde some clerkes mayntayne Suche maner opynyons as I wene That a soule that is in purgatorye Other in hell hath of the ayre a body To suffre payne
in his lymmes there After that he hath in erth synned here But whyther a soule haue a body or none It shall haue payne as the body hath done ¶ And the fyfth payne though it be somwhat late Is hote brennynge fyre that northynge maye bate But almes dede masses and prayere That of frendes for them ben done here To abate that fyre tho thre ben best For they brynge soone mannes soule to rest But that fyre is hotter and more kene Than any fyre of this worlde that maye be sene For all the water that a man maye on thenche One sparcle of that fyre myght not quenche For one sparcle of that fyre is more brennynge Than all the fyre in this worlde lyghtnynge And the soule is also more tendre and nesshe Than a mannes body with blode and flesshe Than the soule that is so tender of kynde Must nedes theyr penaunce more harder fynde Than any maner body that euer alyue was Though it shulde there through make his pas But no soule maye from thens wende Tyll all theyr penaunce be brought to ende And that fyre werketh not through kynde a ryght In the same soule that to penaunce is dyght As doth the fyre that in erth brenneth here But euermore it werketh in another manere As god hath ordeyned for why it is so As it were an instrument that longeth therto Through the whiche the soule clensed maye be In the payne of purgatorye or that it god se For why all maner fyre that is therin It is a maner fyre for to waste synne For as the fyre in the worlde maye all thynge brenne And make metall melt and abrode renne And ryght so the fyre there through longe heat wasteth there both small synnes and great There be nowe fyres some more some lesse But all one maner fyre that neuer shall cesse For as the sonne maye ouer all thynge passe That men greuyth some more and some lesse Ryght so y e same fyre that in purgatorye is brought Some soules it pyneth sore and some nought For all soules must nedes dwell therin After that theyr charge is there of synne But some soules shulde delyuered be thens soone That here in erth haue theyr penaunce doone But some soule shall abyde there many a yere That lytell penaunce hath done with his body here And hath lyued longe in his synne also And therfore saynt Austyn sayth thus therto Necesse est vt tantus sit dolor pro peccatis quantus fuerit amor tanto divtius anima torquetur in penis quāto affec◠tus mundanis inherebat desiderus c. ¶ Saynt Austyn sayth that nedefull it is That as moche sorowe he haue here and no les For euery synne and eke trespas As lust and lykynge in the synne was And he sayth also as before as rad That the more lykynge that a man in synne had And euer gyueth therto his lust and wyll His flesshely lykynge all to fulfyll The longer must nedes the soule in payne be In purgatorye that he maye not fle And or the soule maye se god in his face As thre thynges they must brenne in that place That is to saye as woode and haye also And stoble that wyll awaye with the fyre go For the most venyall synnes shulde brenne longe As a tre that is great and hath rotes stronge But the small synnes soone shall brenne awaye As doth stoble in erth whan fyre cōmeth there nye But the meane synnes brenneth not so soone For they brenne slowly and haue more to doone Ryght as doth the haye that with fyre is tende That longe lyeth smoketh or it be through brende Thus shulde they ben brende and wasten sore For theyr venyall synnes both lesse and more And for deedly synne that they ben of shryue And the trespasse therof god hath forgyue And penaunce therfore nought haue done here They shall there be brende in the same manere And whan they be fyned and made bryght Than shall they come before goddes syght In to mery Paradyse that is a ioyfull place That is euermore full of mercy and grace ¶ And the fyxte payne is for to tell For the soules vnclensed shulde there dwell Styll in purgatorye and be bounde fast with bondes of synne to make them agast And as many soules as be in that prysone For no gyfte they maye ne for no raunsome From that harde payne them selfe wynne Tyll that fyre haue brent theyr bondes of synne And thus they ben bounde both handes and fete In hote brennynge fyre that is wonder greate Certes than me thynketh no payne maye be more Than the soules suffreth that greuyth them sore For nothynge thens maye them borowe Nother abrydge any thynge of theyr moche sorowe Nother to helpe them thens to be brought For theyr owne prayer ne helpeth them nought But yf in erth they any good dyde As masses done songe and almes dede Of theyr frendes in erth y e to god for them besought That made this worlde and all thynge of nought Full harde ben the paynes y e the soules suffre there Yf hope of mercy soone after ne were But some tyme they shulde so moche payne haue That they take no kepe that god wyll them saue Therfore we shulde thynke that in erth ben here what payne the soule suffreth that is there Amonge soule fendes that there haue leue Some tyme the soules to tourment and greue As longe as they haue any spotte of synne For erst from that place maye no man them wynne Tyll they ben clensed and made all clene Of all maner synnes that none be sene And whan they ben deyuered of all maner synne No more payne shall they fele therin But soone than after they shall euen wende To the blysse of heuen that hath none ende ¶ And the seuenth payne is in lykenesse There that the soules ben as in wyldernesse There that defaulte is of all good thynge That a man myght haue of his lykynge For theyr payne to them is many foide For nowe they ben in great hete and nowe in colde And that payne to them is full longe As nowe in great hete and after colde stronge And there shulde suffre both hungre and threst And many great that paynes without any rest And sore ben bette to make more theyr payne with great stormes of hayle and of rayne And that betynge is both sharpe and kene But suche stormes neuer erst were sene As the soules there shulde fele and se And with dyuerse tourmentes tourmented be For some many a yere shall abyde there for synne Tyll they the syght of god cleanly maye wynne And suche maner paynes they shall haue euermore with many other tourmentes y e shall greue them sore But amonge all other a great payne that shall be The moche coueytyse that they haue to se The swete face of god that is euer so bryght And the longe taryenge of tht fayre syght But to that same syght maye they neuer come Tyll all
his sake that byddeth it to be done That in his herte hath charyte knyt And for his sake wolde do it For god wyll nothynge do for his sake That wyll not charyte in his herte take This case falleth ofte as I vnderstande Betwene a lorde and his seruaunt bonde There that the lorde good and ryghtfull is And his seruaunt is wycked ywys And yf his seruaunt do any maner thynge That is good to the lordes byddynge Yet it maye auayle to some profyte Though he in goodnes haue no delyte And that is through reason and goodnes ywys Of hym through whom that prayer is For though it be agaynst the doers wyll Yet as agaynst the bydder it standeth styll But yf in charyte they were bothe The more were the helpe to the deth for sothe And also though a preest in any maner tyme be Synfull and out of charyte Yet he is goddes mynyster and holy churches That the sacrament vpon the aulter werches That is nought the lesse of myght All thoughe the preest lyue not aryght For though a preest that syngeth the masse Be neuer so full of wyckednesse Yet that sacrament that is so holy Maye not be enpayred through his foly Than maye a masse from payne soules brynge Though a synfull preest doth it synge For he syngeth the masse in goddes name Under whiche ordre he maye do no shame But preuy prayers made with good entent That be sayde besydes the sacrament Of a good preest doth more god paye Than of a synfull preest vsed eche daye But the offrynge of goddes body so swete Bryngeth many soules from paynes greate wherfore me thynketh that masses syngynge Maye rathest a soule from payne brynge That goth out of this worlde in charyte And in purgatorye clensed shall be But to them that be dampned for aye No good dede to them auayle maye Nother almes dede prayer ne masse For they ben as the boke bereth wytnesse Departed fro chryste that of Mary was borne And the soules of them euer be forlorne And as lymmes ben deed and layde in claye And all ben from the body awaye Than maye nothynge helpe in no maner kynde The lymmes that ben dryed as it were a rynde Ryght so all the helpe that a man can tell Nothynge auayleth to them that be in hell But yet helpe of frendes that be in goddes seruyce Maye auayle to the soule in some maner wyse For suche seruyce maye to the good be wrought So that in lesse payne they shall be brought For therto auayleth almes dedes and bedes To the soules that ben in all thre stedes For it auayleth to the soule that in purgatorye is To brynge it rather thens to blys Also it auayleth them that in heuen be sette For eche daye theyr ioye encreaseth therfore the bette And the mo that coÌ„meth in to that holy place The more is theyr ioye before goddes face Also it auayleth them that be in hell For the fewer shulde come there to dwell And the fewer that coÌ„meth there for syn The lesse payne they haue that ben therin And the mo that in to that place doth wende The more is theyr payne without ende Thus maye helpe of frendes auayle by reason To the soules that ben in that stronge pryson And namely to them that be in hell And to them also that in purgatorye doth dwell But suche helpe maketh no soules fro payne wende But charyte be with them at theyr ende For in hell was neuer no charyte And in heuen therof no nede maye be And as a man maye here with his honde Make a sete for another that is vnder bonde And is not of power it to make But another maketh it all for his sake Ryght so maye a man for the deed body do For of helpe he hath moche nede therto And the soules that ben to paradyse gone Nede of helpe they haue ryght none But yf any good dede for them be wrought It maye to the nedefull in helpe be brought For all the helpe that specyally is done here Auayleth to the soules that in purgatorye ere And to some more and to some lesse After that they be tolde of worthynesse And after that charyte is in them clere ynowe Of them that lyueth in erth amonges you That euer most be busye well for to do As well for hym selfe as for them in wo For whan a man shall from this worlde flytte Than can no man tell by no maner of wytte whether that he shall than in to purgatorye wende Other in to heuen blysse that hath none ende For some men semeth good and parfyte alone That after theyr deth daye be dampned full soone For perchaunce they ben full foule within And passeth of this worlde in deedly syn And some men semeth here that they lyue amysse That soone ben saued and wendeth to blysse For perchaunce in erth before theyr dyenge They ben amended of theyr myslyuynge But of this maye no man in certayne be For it falleth hooly to goddes â—ryuyte And neuerthelesse we shulde here byleue aye That all tho that dye go in good waye That we saye in erth here good werkes werche And hath all the sacramentes of holy churche And whether so they be oure frende or fo All thynge that is in us we shulde do And praye to almyghty god both lowde and styll For all chrysten soules as it is goddes wyll Yet men maye aske why me doth masses synge For yonge chyldren after theyr dyenge That of masses ne prayer hath no maner nede For they dyd neuer no maner synfull dede To this I maye answere by good reason That for reuerence of god is the encheson That masses me doth synge and prayers make That god both to yonge and olde his mercy take And also for the custome of holy churche And for them that ben deed some good to werche Nowe ye haue herde as the boke is wytnesse Nowe almes dede and prayers penaunce and masse That ben done through frendes true and certayne Maye helpe the soules that ben in stronge payne And nowe I wyll tell to you more therto what profyte pardon the soule maye do That is pourchased in erth in a good manere And also in clene lyfe whyle he lyueth here ¶ what pardon auayleth to mannes soule PArdon helpeth them by many wayes That haue purchased it â— theyr lyfe dayes For pardon of popes of bysshoppes hys That in erth is graunted or a man dye Maye auayle to the soule that in purgatorye is Yf it be purchased worthely ywys And yf they haue for theyr synnes contrycyon And ben shryuen before that same pardon ThaÌ„ may pardoÌ„ after theyr deth through godes soÌ„de In purgatorye to them great profyte â—â—nde For pardon that is ryght full and certayne Maye a man release both of dette and payne As farre as the pardon maye it areche For thus haue I lerned through clerke speche Pardon is nothynge elles to vs in lykenesse But of payne that is dette forgyuenesse Pardon maye no
theyr synnes from them be nome And here I haue tolde somedell to you Of the paynes of purgatorye that be harde ynowe ¶ Of the soules that wendeth in to purgatorye and abydeth there tyll they ben pourged of synne and whiche soules abyde not there THe soules that to purgatorye shulde wende whan that deth of them hath made an ende Nedes they must in purgatorye dwell And suffre paynes that ben smart and fell For eueryche syn̄e there shal be punysshed after kynde Through bytter paynes that there they shulde fynde After that theyr dedes ben more or lasse And theyr penaunce haue done or they hens passe But all soules abydeth not in that place For some after theyr deth anone haue grace And sykerly shulde wende to blysse As holy Innocentes that neuer dyd mysse And other soules of good men and parfyte That neuer in erthly thynge had any delyte But onely on god that them dere bought And here in erth great penaunce wrought But some men that deth sodaynly doth take And in deedly synne theyr ende make Euen in to hell they shulde wende And there dwell in payne euer without ende And that is no wonder me thynketh in my mynde For eche deedly synne so heuy is of kynde That it maye than within a lytell stounde Brynge a mannes soule in to hell grounde But a soule that is of deedly synne shryue And his trespase in erth is clenely forgyue And also the penaunce that is hym enioyned Ben not done here at dayes apoynted wherfore the soule is not clensed clene Of other small synnes that ofte cōmeth betwene Than these soules shulde ben saue But yet in purgatorye them behoueth to haue Harde payne and bytter and there abyde longe Tyll the soules haue theyr clensynge a fonge As they fyrste were whan they toke flesshe and bone And the holy baptysme at the font stone Yet telleth these clerkes also in this manere That so clene out of synne lyueth no man here Nother none so parfyte is in chrysten lawe Nor a chylde that is from his mother drawe That after his deth to heuen wendeth on hye Tyll he haue passed through that strayte waye And tyll he haue seen there the paynes euerychone But the yonge chyldren therof shall fele none For they coulde neuer no maner synne werche But went in the true waye of holy churche Therfore they shulde through purgatorye fle As doth the foule in the erth as euery man maye se without any pyne that myght them dere And from all wyckednes me shall them were But vnneth maye any man quyte there through go That ne shall of purgatorye fele some wo For that fyre wyll fonde hym to brenne Yf it maye on hym any venyall synne kenne For ye shulde vnderstande as I tell can That there is lyuynge none so parfyte a man That he some tyme ne thynketh an ydell thought And lyghtly letteth it passe and chargeth it nought Of the whiche he shall clenled be Or that he maye the face of god se For as golde that shyneth clere and bryght Semeth well pured vnto a mannes syght And yf it were put in to the fyre eft soone It shulde be the clerer by hym selfe alone Ryght so the soules in the same manere Of the parfyte men that semeth most clere Of all synnes and maketh them to god y are Yet they shall in purgatorye somedell fele of care For all they must nedes there through passe Both yonge and olde more and lasse For that same fyre that is there within Shall fynde on them some spotte of synne As lyght thought the whiche ben in vayne And for them they shulde there suffre payne For so pure golde fyned neuer in erth was As they ben through that fyre or they thens passe ¶ For whiche synnes a soule goth to hell MAny maner synnes y e the soules greuyth Reygneth amōges men y e in erth lyueth And some ben deedly ī thought in dede And some ben venyall as I in boke rede But synnes that men deedly doth call Shulde not in purgatorye be clensed all But tho ben punysshed euermore in hell And whiche these ben I wyll you tell These ben the heuy synnes that I wyll descrye Fyrste pryde than wrath and afterwarde enuye Glotonye and slouthe in goddes seruyce The foule synne of lechery and eke coueytyce Manslaughter also and false othes swerynge And sacrylege also and false wytnesse berynge Robbrye and to poore men to done rauayne These ben the synnes that bryngeth men to payne For eueryche of all these is a deedly synne And letteth mannes soule heuen to wynne And hatred also is deedly synne amonge Yf it be holde in mannes herte longe And dronkennes is deedly synne also Yf a man vse it and ofte wyll it do And therfore euery man that gylty be of this And thynke his soule to brynge to blys But he hym amende or he hens wende He shall not though he wolde after his lyues ende And in to purgatorye shall he neuer come But without ende in to hell be nome And yf he be repentaunt and shryfe Of all suche synne here by his lyfe Fro hell pyne than he maye hym saue But penaunce in his body yet must he haue Than must the soule gone after as I wene In to purgatorye tyll of synnes it be clene For penaunce done for synne as I tolde ere Nedes must be fulfylled here or there And whan thou att hole in body and thy myght last And ofte thou etest whan thou shuldest fast And whan the lyst slepe and wylt not aryse And euer cōmest to late to goddes seruyce And makest for thy synnes no maner sorowynge whan thou arte in good state and in lykynge Or whan thou prayest and makest thyne orayson And hast in thy prayer but lytell deuocyon Or whan thou hast lykynge through lust and lyfe In thy bed flesshely to medle with thy wyfe Onely thy lykynge more there to fulfyll Than to begette a chylde through goddes wyll And also whan thou vysytest men to late That haue great syckenes and ben in feble state Or men that lyeth here in stronge pryson Or haue in theyr bodyes any trybulacyon Or men that ben synfull and sory For theyr frendes soules that ben in purgatorye Them to vysyte it were great mede Through good prayers and almes dede And also yf thou do not after thyne estate To make them frendes that ben in debate And yf thou speke to any man but yf thou wyt why Bytterly with noyse and with lowde cry Or whan thou praysest any man more For encheson of glosynge than for his lore Or whan in churche makest any iangelynge Or thy waye is in any ydle thynge Be it out of churche or elles within It is accompted for a venyall synne And also whan thou arte ouer lyghtly wrothe And swerest and myght not holde thyne othe Or whan thou cursest any maner man And haste no cause hym for to ban Or whan thou supposest any wyckednesse Through euyll suspycyon or euyll
¶ Here begynneth a lytell boke that speketh of Purgatorye what Purgatorye is in what place and of the paynes that be therin and whiche soules do abyde therin tyll they be pourged of synne and whiche abyde not there And for what synÌ„es a soule goth to hell of the helpe that soules iÌ„ purgatorye may haue of theyr frendê that be on fyue what pardon aueyfeth to maÌ„nes soule ¶ The Prologue MAny men speke as they in the boke rede Of the paynes of purgatorye but fewe it drede For many a man wotteth not what thynge it is Therfore they drede it the lesse ywys And for some men haue therof no knowynge Of the place of purgatorye not vnderstandynge Therfore I wyll tell what it is in lykenes And in what place as the boke is wytnes And whiche soules goth thyther and for what syn And what maner of paynes ben therin And also what thynge is most in certayne That myght a mannes soule brynge out of payne ¶ Fyrste here it telleth what is Purgatorye PUrgatorye is nothynge elles to tell But a clensynge place soules in to dwell That haue done synÌ„e and haue coÌ„trycyon And ben in the waye of saluacyon And there they shulde suffre both sorowe and wo Tyll all theyr synnes ben awaye ydo And clensed of all synnes that euer they wrought Both in worde and wyll in dede and eke in thought For so pured golde neuer none there was As the soules shall ben or they thens passe wherfore the payne that the soule there shall hent Is more bytter than all the tourment That all martyres suffred both yonge and olde Syth that god was borne and to the Iewes solde For the leste payne of the paynes there Is more bytter than the most payne that is here As wytnesseth a great clerke and sayth shortly In a boke that speketh of Purgatorye Minima pena Purgatorii maior est maxima pena mundi ¶ He sayth the leste payne is well more In Purgatorye that greueth sore Than the most payne that maye be In all this worlde to fele or se For the payne there is more ferse and fell Than herte maye thynke or tonge maye tell Betwene the payne of hell certaynly And betwene the payne of Purgatorye Is no dyfference but certes that one Shall haue an ende and that other none For the paynes of hell shulde neuer cease Ne the soules therin haue neuer release But in purgatorye the soules dwelleth styll Tyll they ben clensyd of all maner yll And as moche ben there .xl. dayes tolde As here .xl. yere be a man neuer so olde So that a payne there one daye to se Is as moche as a yere tolde here maye be But euery daye of penaunce that is done here Shall stande there in stede of an hole yere As Chryste sayth openly and wytnesseth well By his holy prophete Ezechiell Diem pro anno deditibi ¶ That is so moche to vnderstande nowe For an hole yere I gaue one daye to you Than serueth that payne as the boke telleth To clense the soules that therin dwelleth But penaunce here done with good wyll Serueth for two thynges goddes lawe to fulfyll One cause is to clense the soules well Of all deedly synnes and eke venyell Another is to haue in heuen more mede To these two thynges penaunce maye vs lede For euery penaunce that a man doth here Shall haue a specyall ioye in heuen clere That euer without ende shall than last Yf they done penaunce with herte stedfast ¶ In what place Purgatorye is THe place there that purgatorye is holde Is vnder erth as clerkes men tolde Aboue the same place as clerkes men telleth There that deed chyldren vnchrystened dwelleth That from the fayre syght of goddes face Ben put for euer without any grace And that place is euen aboue hell pyt Betwene purgatorye and hell is it And so is the place of purgatorye sette Aboue them both thyther soules be fette That must nedes theyr payne there haue And after that payne Ihesus wyll them saue Yet aboue that stede is that fayre place That god after his deth vysyted through his grace And all that were there with hym he toke And lefte none therin as telleth the boke Nor from that tyme as clerkes can tell Come neuer no soule there for to dwell Ne neuer none hereafter therin shall fall For that place is Lymbo as clerkes it call That is a fayre pryson as telleth the boke where oure forne fathers were in yloke And of all these foure men maye one hell make And eueryche of them for hell maye be take And therfore holy churche that for soules prayth Calleth purgatorye hell and thus therof sayth Domine Ihesu christe libera animas omnium fidelium defunctorum de manu inferni et de profundis aquaram c. ¶ Lorde Ihesu chryste delyuer out of hell honde All chrysten soules that ben there vnder bonde That is from that place in to heuen blysse For moche pyne haue soules there ywysse But from the lowest hell without any doute Maye no soule thens be delyuered oute Of mercy to haue is no hope ne truste As holy Iob telleth that the soth wyste Quia in inferno nulla est redemptio ¶ He sayth that in hell that is so farre adowne Is neuer delyueraunce for no raunsowne And therfore masses prayers helpeth them nought To the same soules that thyther be brought For masse ne prayer abateth not theyr pyne As wytnesseth the holy man saynt Austyne Si sarem patrem aut matrem in inferno non pro eis orarem ¶ He sayth yf my father and my mother were In the pytte of hell and I wyst them there I wolde neuer by daye ne by nyght Praye for them to god that is full of myght But purgatorye so longe last not maye For it lasteth no lenger than tyll domes daye For after domes daye as clerkes can se The place of purgatorye shall no where be Than shall hell be full of fendes within That euermore shall last to auenge synne But some men haue wonder and asketh why That purgatorye is ordeyned with mercy And hell without mercy that is so lowe The cause why men must well knowe For the same synne that in erth is wrought From the erth vpwarde ne passeth nought Than nedes punysshed must be that synne Here vpon erth or elles within That is here in erth there that we dwell Other elles in purgatorye or elles in hell For the soule synne is so heuy and harde That it draweth the soule euer downewarde And tyll the synne with penaunce be awaye nome Erst maye the soule neuer to heuen come ¶ Of two Purgatoryes that god hath ordeyned YEt telleth these clerkes more openly That two purgatoryes there be namely One is coÌ„mon for to tell That is within erth aboue hell And the other is specyally through grace That is here in erth in dyuerse place For some ben not in coÌ„mon stede pyght But they ben punysshed