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
the vnto ¶ The .xxvij. questyon ¶ How may man wete that it so is That god made man to his lykenes WE fynde of antiquite In bokes y t somtyme had Noye That whan god of heuen kyng Had made beest and all thyng Thā sayde one of y e parsons thre That are in the Trinite Nowe althynge are made more and les Make we man to our lykenes And bycause he sayd make we Is to vnderstand that there ar thre And that he sayd is no lesynge Than are we lyke hym in makynge ¶ The .xxviij. questyon Sethen we of goddes lykenes be Why maye we not do as dyd he TO goddis lykenes are we dyght And therfore hathe be geuen vs might Aboue al other creature That he made here for to dure And for that likenes so know we All thynges that in erthe be We can labour worke and wynne And we knowe almes fro synne All creatures maye we take And our seruauntis of them make And al other thynges that ar nought Unto goddis lykenes wrought Haue no conynge ne myght therto To do thyngis that we do Ne commaunde vs they ne maye As we do them euery daye But thoughe we be of his lykenes We maye not neuertheles Be al so stronge and wyse as he For hys handworke all ar we He is maker of all thynge And we are of his makynge He is lord and we subiecte as a slaue And for the lykenes that we haue Yf that we do not yll Aungels nombre we shall fulfyll For other lykenes than his Were not worthy to that blys ¶ The .xxix. question ¶ Where becometh the blode all Of man whan he dye shall GOd made blode of water ryght And the body of erthe he dyght And as water in erthe synketh And the erthe the water drynketh For to mayntayne all thynge That waxeth and in erth sprynge Also mayntayneth trewly The blode that is in the body And whan the sowle departe shall The blode he bereth with hym all And whan the harte is fro hym sent The blode is into the water went And the body that is drye And rype may not longe lye That it ne drynketh the blode also As the erthe wyll the water do ¶ The .xxx. questyon ¶ Whan the fyre quenchyd is Whether becometh it tell me this OF the sonne the fyre is ryght Therof haueth he hete and lyght And he be quenchyd he shall go To the sonne there he came fro Thou seest the sonne that lyght maketh And hete also there it on taketh On nyght whan he fro vs is went All the hete that he to vs lent And thē lyght of hym also All dothe he take it hym vnto And ledeth with hym that he brought Fro hym departe ne maye it nought Also whan fyre is slaked here He withdraweth hym on the same manere Unto the nature for to go Of the sonne there he came fro ¶ The .xxxj. question ¶ Why dyeth not the body thore Whan he leseth halfe his blode more THoughe the blode be halfe aweye The body may not yet deye For the hete of the soule I wys That the blode by mayntayned is Departeth not so lyghtly And I shall tel the for why The lytell blode that there is lefte Maketh that the sowle fro hym is not refte For it maynteyneth the sowle styffely And the sowle the blode and the body The weke that in a candel is Whan it begynneth for to mys The fyre slaketh and is a waye Euynso it is here to saye Of the blode the weke I make And by the fyre the sowle I take Whan the blode awaye is all The sowle no lenger dwell shall But the blode comforteth hym so Except some other euyll it forthe do Dyeth he not so lyghtly But holdeth hym on lyue contynually ¶ The .xxxij. questyon ¶ Of what complexyon may it be The body and of what nature is he OF the nature of erth it is tolde And his complexyon is colde And than is he makyd yare Of the fowre elamentis that are Of the erthe is the flesshe And the blode of water nesshe Of ayre the sowle maked was And of fyre the hete he has Se thyn flesshe is of erthes kynde And blode of water as we fynde Bothe are they colde of kynde to fonde But sowle that is of goddis onde That ought to be clene and fayre And is hote of kynde of ayre That sowle abydeth in the blode And heteth it and doth it good And the blode heteth trewly All the lymmes of the body ¶ The .xxxiij. questyon ¶ Were sowles made at the fyrst for aye Or are they made yet euery daye ALl thyng that god thought to make al were at ons wroght That is to say at y e begynnyng That he befor sawe all thynge And one cōmaundmēt made he All that was and that shal be But I saye not that they were In the lykenes that they now are All thynges in hym ware enclosyd verely Untyll they come to theyr beyng apertly Than he shapyd theyr fygure Euerychon after theyr nature But he cōmaunded all to be At ones as we do se So at ones made he all thynge At his worde and his byddynge ¶ The xxxiiij questyon ¶ May they haue eny excusynge That of god know nothyng SUch as god knowe not here Nor hym to lerne wyll not endeuere At the daye of dome shall he Know them for none of his meyne And tho that byleue and wyll not do The werkes that belongeth them vnto That sympely them vnderstonde As symple men that are in londe Yf they dampned be therfore Turmentyd shuld they not be sore And they that haue good vnderstondyng Of god and do not his byddyng Fro payne they may them not defende But yf that they do here amende ¶ The .xxxv. questyon ¶ Shall aman ought els do But that god commaūdeth hym to GOd hathe kyndly made man To serue hym in all that he can And his commaundmēt to do And the deuyl to hate also And as we lordshyp wyl craue Of all thynges and theyr seruyce haue Euyn so wyll god on all wyse Aske and haue of vs seruyse And that we byleue on hym stedfastly And worshyp hym with our body And loue hym aboue all thynge For we are all of his makynge ¶ The .xxxvj. questyon ¶ How many worldes are of all And how do men them call THere are gostly worldes two And two bodely worldes also That one goostly heuen is There aungels are and all the blys And there the good generacyon Of Adam shall hereafter wone That other goostly than is hell There the deuyls in paynes dwell ¶ The two bodely is in our syght As sunne and mone daye and nyght And other thynges that we se That vs geueth claryte The tother trewly we can nat want The chefe thynge that we do enhaunte As the erthe that all thynge taketh And our wombe that nought forsaketh And fro the bodely that are Unto the goostly for to fare Whether it be lowe or hye Ne is it
ware vnleel and stout The great flode scapyd Noe By the goodnesse of humilyte That hym made of nought also And at his wyl them shal for do Trustyng stedfastly that he Was euer and without end shal be And kepe wel the commaundment That his sonne whan he doune is sent Shal in erth gyue man vnto Towarde god and man also To do good and wyckydnes let be And couetys and enuy fle And take vnto hym pacyence With charyte and abstynence For who so hath thes thre I wys aleel man is he And after for his humilyte In heuyn may he crowned be With aungels before god of myght Wher euer is day with out nyght ¶ The .lxiij questyon ¶ Hardynes of man and drede Wherof come they I the rede BOldnes and drede of man Wherof they come tel I can They come of the complexcyon And I shal tel the areson Thou knouest y t mē made ware Of y e foure elementes that are Saue that god gaue hym goost And after aman hath in hym most Of wete of dryeth hete or colde Shal his complexcyon betolde And thes foure euen be Raynynge in man than shal he Be neyther coward ne hardy Lysten I shal tel the why If kelth not ouercome the hete Nor the drye ouercome the wete Equalyte than of hete kylth wete and dry The herte of man shal than lye For the euynhode of them tho And styre neyther to ne fro And yf the hete the kelthe ouer go And the hete the kylth also The body begynneth for to shake And the herte to styre and quake And for the hete is hardy anon And dredyth not that he lokyth on If the colde be mayster ouer the hete And ouer the drye be the wete The body waxeth colde at nede And the hert weke and ful of drede ¶ The .lxiiij. questyon ¶ Wherof may it be fall Man to haue meselry or scall SCall and meselry also Of the woman come they tho A woman that is hote of kynde And aman her in her floures fynde The floures are both hote and drye And the man than by her lye And gete a chylde perauenture That chylde shal be of nature Other be scalled or mesel The nature it is so fell That it in the woman takes Of a blode that it all makys Menstruum that blode we call That bredyth meselry or scall Which raygnyng in woman It is but foly to come to man But aman shal knowe his wyfe In entent to get a lyfe To worshype god that hym wrought And whan she is with chylde brought He shulde come ny her no more Untyl the chylde ware bore Nor fourty dayes shulde nought Such precept to Noe y e aungel brought ¶ The .lxv. questyon ¶ Ware althynges of goddys makynge Made at the fyrst begynnynge GOd made of his myght althynge At his worde and byddynge But al the creatures that he forth brought At one tyme made he them nought For it ware agayne kynde by my thought A thynge that of matter is wrought But yf the matter ware before Or that thynge of it made wore For longe is stone or tre Or the how 's made be Also fynde I many thynges yet As wormes comyng of mannys swet As lees and other wormes mo And some of mannys flesshe also And of mannys flesshe them fede As wormes that in handes brede Scarbode is of fylt a neet A worme that is so gret Of howndes come howndflees to And wormes of wyckyd ayre also And yf thes thynges latter be Than that that they come of thynkes me That god at the begynnynge Made not at ones al thynge And al thynges he made I wys Unto the lest worme that is ¶ The .lxvj. questyon ¶ Tel me now after thy wyt The frute in erth who norysshys yt AL the frute that in erth growes And al that man therin sowes Al noryshys god of his myght And for that hath he them dyght The foure elamentes to fynde Eche one noryssheth in his kynd The erthe sustayneth whā he to hym taketh The ayre noryssheth and it maketh The water it fedeth and grene it maketh Of fyre here and waxyng it taketh These foure make rype euery frute Wherof men suffyse theyr apetyte Ryght as who shuld sethe mete Foure thynges behoueth hym to gete Fyre and water ayre and vessele Or els is it not sodden we le ¶ The .lxvij. questyon ¶ The bestes that haue no wyte How wax they ragyous tel me it GOd made ech beste as we fynde And gaue ech wyt after his kynde And ech kynd hath knoulegynge After his wyte of some thynge And that wyte may sone away In maner as I shal the say Aman may rekyn and fynde sone The .xxvii. daye of the mone In tyme of Iune ryght esterly A sterre hym sheweth on the skye And be it nyght or be it daye Yf a beast it beholde maye Or the vmbre in water on nyght It shal waxe ragyous anone ryght And yf it man or beast than byte It shal become rageous streyte ¶ The .lxviii. questyon ¶ What beast is it that ye fynde That lengest leueth in his kynde AN Erne leueth longest as I trowe Of all the beastes that I knowe The erne euery daye wyl flye In to the ayre vp so hye Hygher than any man maye se And fresshe and newe becometh he And in longe lyfe he contynueth That so oft hym selfe renueth The adder also hath longe lyfe And vnder erth he dwellyth ryfe And vnder stonys and in brynkes The kelyth of the erth drynkys His hyde he newyth euery yere And becomyth yonge and fayre Be he not slayned with beast or man A thowsand yere wel lyue he can And whan a thowsand yere is gon Horne his hede growyth on And shortly after begynneth he A fayr dragon for to be But al they fare not so Some dye or they come therto And some are slayned here and there Or els al to fell they were ¶ The .lxix. questyon ¶ Fedyth god al thynge That is in erth of his makynge GOd made althyng good And to al he sendyth lyues fode Frute on erth and flesshe on lande And fysshe in water and on sande To mannys fode is ordenyd all And therby he lyue shall Beastes so are fed also Of that the erth comyth fro Fowles some in erth are fed And some in water theyr lyfe is led The fyssh lyueth by his mete And ech of them wyl other ete The worme in erth is fede also And thys sendyth god them vnto Unto al that he hath lyfe lent He hath mete to them sent ¶ The .lxx. questyon ¶ Fysshe fowle and beastes echone Haue they sowles or haue they none Ryghtly sowles for to sey Is such that it may neuer dey For yf the body do wel here The sowle shal be assocyat to aungel clere And that is callyd sowle of skyl That god gaue only man vntyl Wherfor euery other creature Is vnder man by ryght nature And for that shuld he Ouer al beastes mayster be Haue sowle that most
foure and thyrty dayes therto His dedes and his wyl also His regne is in Caprycorne And in Canser his myght is lorne ¶ The fourth planet is the sonne And yf you vnderstande conne It is the planet of great worshype Of kynges and of â—ordshype Kepar of erth we hym cal And by the sygnes he passyth al And in ech whan he comyth thore He dwelleth a moneth and no more That is borne in that he may euery yere Change his worke and his manere His regne so is in Aâ—yes And in Lybra he hym restes ¶ The fyfte planet venus is Planet of loue delyte and blys He that therin borne shal be Feble herte shal haue of vanyte But in foure hundreth and forthy dayes May he change al his wayes His worke and thought holly The .xii. sygnes goyth he by And in ech one of tho shal he Seuen and twenty dayes be In piscibus rayneth he stabely And doune he goyth in Gemyny ¶ The syxte planet Mercurius That arte and conyng geuyth vs By the .xii. sygnes lyeth his wayes Dwellyng in ech one seuentene dayes He that is borne in hym may Be two hundred and the fourth day Chaunge his corage and his thought And the workes that he wrought ¶ The mone the seuenth planet we say Planet of water and of waye By the .xii. sygnes she goyth also Dwellyng in ech one dayes two He that is borne in this planet In a moneth may he byete And chaunge his worke and wyl Be it good be it yl In Taurus comyth her regne vnto And abesses her in Scorpyo And al the world is not I wys So great as one planet is Saue the thre that lowest wone Uenus Mercurius and the mone ¶ The C.xlvij questyon ¶ Tel me now this ones yet ¶ How many maner of waters is it OF waters many maner there be Fyrst the water of the see That al other waters come fro Water of welles there is also That theyr hew and manere Foure tymes change in a yere Welles are spryngyng elles whore Foure dayes in the weke no more I stode theris that rennyth ay Al the weke saue saturdaye A stode is in the est see ryght Which rennyth euer on nyght And a daye it frosen is fast But on nyght may it not last Yet men may a welle fynde In the yles of the see of ynde That who so put a stafe therin As of a fyre it shuld bryn And it nothyng slekyn can But only the breyne of man Other welles are yet mo And who the water dronke of tho Of some good memory shuld he take And some forgetfulnesse shuld make Some amerous wyl make the men And some wyl bareyne make wymen Some wyl make yren and stele In the fyre to tempre we le A great wel yet is there one Standyng stylle as eny stone But who so makyth solace there by Anone it rennyth hastely Some waters are hote of kynde And some colde as men do fynde And the kynde of the ground causyth al this Where eny water rennyng is And al is at goddys wyl Both rennyng and stondyng styll ¶ The C.xlviij questyon ¶ Now wold I wyt of the see How many sees that there be SEes we fynde there are thre Wherof one hyght the see beter Al about the erth goyth she And is salt as men may se That other see the blacke see hyght And enuyrons that other ryght The thyrd is called the stynkyng see Therin may no man lyuyng be For the stynke that it cometh fro Enuyrous truly that other two And god hath made them so to be Of his wyl and his potence ¶ The C.xlix questyon ¶ Why hath god the world made al Rownde aboute as a balle THere are many skylles why But thre I fynde pryncypally For his owne lycknes is one There non ende ne is vpon For he ne had begynynge Nor neuer shal haue endynge And seke y e world neuer so w t trauayle miÌ„d No endyng shal men therin fynde Another sayl is comodyte Why it behoueth so to be For al the formes that thou knowst Rownde contaynes aldermost Now is it so at the begynyng That the world contaynes althyng Wherfore it behoued therto That it shuld rownde be also The thyrde cause is for the sky And I shal tel the how and why Late with war here fyll a canne And whan it is ful breke it than The wax shal be of that shapnes As was the canne more ne les Now is the saye rounde and fayre And conteyneth fyre and ayre Water and erth ferrest therfro And al behoueth rounde to be tho The round saye the fyre round maketh And ayre of fyre roundhed taketh Water within ayre also And erthe within all tho And bycause the skye as thou hast hard Is round and al are in hym sperd All behoueth them round tobe As thou ere on the waxe myght se ¶ The C.l. questyon ¶ Why is the mone colde of kynd And the sonne hote as we fynde The sonne is welle of hete And the mone of waters wete Now is that one drye and hote And that other moyst and wote The hete of the sonne doth spryng That in erthe is al thynge But with that hete may they not dure But yf they haue withal moysture And that the sonne heteth on daye lyght The mone keleth vpon nyght And geueth it moysture there vnto Therfore al thynges spryngeth so Shuld the sonne geue vs for aye His here bothe nyght and daye Man nor beast shuld lyue no throwe Ne nothyng shuld in erth growe And yf the keelth of the mone Shuld euer amonge vs wone And of the hete haue rygâ—t nought Shuld no leuyng thyng forthe be brought Therfore hath god ordayned so As the world hathe myster to ¶ The C.lj. questyon ¶ Now I praye the tel me this Whiche is the most thyng that is OF al thynge that thou most Goddes marcy is the most For no mouthe may speke I wys No harte thynke how great it is Unto tho that wyl it craue And desyreth it to haue It is greater than al erth may be Or al the water in the see It passyth al leues that sprynge Or herbes or eny other thynge Ye an hundreth thowsand folde It passys al that I haue tolde ¶ The C.lij. questyon ¶ Whether may grauel of erth mo be Or droppes of water of the see GRauel of the erth is wel more ThaÌ„ al water dropes y t euer wore For al that were or yet shal be Al they come of the see And for an handfuf of grauel Behouyth of droppes a gooddele For wel smaller is one hope Of grauel than a water drope And water may be no where But yf erth be vnder there And many myles may men gon Drye where no water is on And the see was neuer so depe a flete That deper ne is vnder erth grete And yf water vpon roche stande Under roche is erth molde or sande Now is the erth apperyng smal And wyde
But euer the more he may wyn The more care is he in Wherfore it is good in trauayl stronge Thoughe a man wyn to rest among ¶ The C.vij questyon ¶ On what maner may it ryse That men wax soles and vnwyse ON many maners cometh it to That men foles wax also Some are symple as foles borne Some by euyl theyr wyttes haue lorne And some by lesyng of theyr blode Some for theyr braynes wax al wode Some of wickyd humours begyn And some for the hete that they haue be in Some by cause theyr hert is of feble myght And some for euyl syght on nyght And some that wake ouer fast That dryeth the braynes at the last And many maners are there mo That workes vnto man great wo ¶ The C.viij questyon ¶ Is the sowle or the body wo Whan one shal depart another fro FOr soth it greuyth them fulsore And ful mornyng are therefore Felyng great angâ—ysshe and wo Whan that one partyth the other fro And yf it at theyr wyl wore They depart wold neuer more If a yong man toke awyfe That he louyd as his lyfe And she hym more than althynge Who so betwyx them made departynge Departyng them agayne theyr wyl That shuld plese them both ful yll So is it betwyx the sowle and the body They are spoused to gether inwardly And so great loue together holde That they neuer depart wolde And yf they febely haue wrought Sythen they together ware brought Than chely is the sorow al Whan that they depart shal For the body rottyh awaye The sowle goyth to payne for aye Than it is no wonder that they be wroth And dredyng of thyr departyng both ¶ The C.ix. questyon ¶ Whether shal men hold the more A old man or a yong man that wore UNto neyther shal men holde There both are for fooles tolde For yf the yong a foole is And he be instructed amys The hote nature wyl in hym glowe And humours as a lowe Which hetyth his hert and his blode And makyth hym iolyfe and wode And whyle that hete lasteth so A short rede shuld he assent to But an old fool yf there be one That hath lytel hete or none And he be tangeled with iolyte A ryght kynde fool is he For his tyme he had before And now wold haue one more And that iolynesse men in hym fynde Is of force and of no kynde And so is he ioylyfe amys For he sheweth more than in hym is As he that flesshe wold sethe kyndly With the claryte of the sonne verely But to such fooles olde Shal no wyseman hym holde ¶ The C.x. questyon ¶ Why raynys it in one yere more Than in a nother and wherfore SOmtyme that it raynyth so In one yere more than in a nother do Fyrst of goddys wyl I it fet And than of gouernal that he hath set As of mouyng a the planetys And of the sygnes that them metys After as they meue lowe or hye Make they the yeres were or drye And al comyth of goddys wyl Rayne it snewe it or be it styl ¶ The C.xi. questyon ¶ Why hath not god maÌ„ so wrought That he ne had synned nought IF god had man fyrst so dyght That he after ne synned myght Of meryt ware no man worthy For no goodnes of his body Al the meryt agayne shuld go Unto god there it came fro And of goddys blys no man worthy wore But he deseruyd it had before And ware man made on such manere That he myght no synne do here His goodnes of hym lefe ware nought But his that hym so hath wrought For of that that the behouyth nede Arte thou worthy to haue no mede But the man that of his wyl May do both good and yl And doth the good worthy he is For to come vnto that blys That god hath ordayned hym vnto And that the deuyl shuld also Shame hym that god had man ordayned To haue the blys that he of myscaryed By the werkes of his owne wyl The good to take and fle the yl ¶ The C.xii. questyon ¶ Is it good to haue entormetyng Agayne euery man of althyng AMan shal clyme on a tre That he thynketh esyest be The frute for to come vnto If he wyl his profyt do And he that on the sonne beme wyl clyme He may breke his necke some tyme For he that clymeth ouer hye May happe somtyme to wrye Euyn so it faryth with mannys demenar That entermetyth a boue his powar Late them that are rych and fers Entyrmet them with theyr pers And the pouer whare they fare With such other as they are But sometyme the pouer is pert perde To stryue with the rych in his pouerte But with the rych to entyrmet He may lose and nothyng gete And yf that it so befall That arych hym to cownsel call Entyrmete hym of no more Than that he is called fore Late rych with the rych man Do the best that they can And worke they good worke they yl Euer the pouer hold hym styl With his lyke about he go And entyrmete hym as with the Whare he shal haue drede none To hurte his hede agayne astone ¶ The C.xiii. questyon ¶ Tel me now for what sake That god wold y t world make GOd made y e world as was his wyl The palays of heuyn to fulfyl Of the which aungels fel out before For the pryde they in wore And for that the trynyte Was not worshypped as it shuld be Than made he man that blysse to wyn That aungel had lost by synne But al tho that here are wrought Shal not to that blys be brought None but tho that are worthy For the good dedes of theyr body ¶ The C.xiiii questyon ¶ How was the world made as it is And how holdys it tel me this WHan aungel had don amys And was fal out of blys God coÌ„maunded there vnto Be made the world it was so Fyre ayre theÌ„ hyest drew truly For they ware lyghtest sykerly Erth and water doune them drest And the water vpon the erth doth rest And al foure by and by Ware hangyng in the mydel of the sky And fastenyng haue they none But of goddys myght a lone God made the world of the lykenesse Of an egge more ny lesse Be the shelle take I shal The fyrmament that closyth al Be the whyte the water take I That is betwene the erth and the sky Be the yolke that is innermest Take I the erth that is lowest And whan the yolke is sodde harde Awhyt is in the mydwarde Wherby I take hel For it is fortherest from the shel And so is hel heuyn fro Ferrest put in sorow and wo And echone is as thou mayst se There god them ordayned fyrst to be ¶ The C.xv. questyon ¶ Is eny other folke than we That of the sonne hath the claryte Dyuers other the world are in And fer from vs they byn Under vs they are loo That theyr fete agayne
owrs go And who so al the world myght se In one sonne both be we But somtyme whan here is nyght Than haue they the day lyght And here somtyme shynyth the sonne Whan that they none se cone For whan the sonne to rest goyth thore Halfe pryme is it to vs and more And the roundnesse I wys Of the world makyth this Our somer and our wynter also Is both on vs and them vnto But after the sonne drawyth to endyng Whan here is erly than there is mornyng And in other placys mo Of the word it faryth so That some haue somer very hot There other haue wynter cold and wot And god hath of the sonne I wys Made the way that makyth al this ¶ The C.xvj. questyon ¶ How longe may the world be And how brode and thyke is he HE that the world beholdyth all It is rownd as a ball And for his roundnes it behoue thanede That al one lyke be long and brede Bud the thycknes also Is euyn wyth them two And in caas it ware al playne lande As the palme of my hande Aman shuld euery daye Go certayne myles by the waye And shuld haue no lettyng Of water ne no nother thyng The world for to thorow fare He shuld not come there His purpose throughe to go By a thowsand dayes without mo And that same shal he fynd that doth yede The thycknes as wel as the brede ¶ The C.xvij questyon ¶ Why shal god clene also The folke of this world vndo GOd shal thys world destroye I wys For a better than it is For ware it now that here stode A rych palays and a good And the man that it longyd to Another how 's had also Wel sympler and lesse worthy And it fortuned than chaunceably That of the palays fel awalle And lose therof the stones and al And that walle myght he not make But he wold the stones take Of the lytel how 's besyde I trow there shuld no nother betyde But he wold his paleys dyght As shortly as he myght And of his how 's haue lytel care But that his palays fulfylled ware He ware a fole that wold chese The better for the wors to lese So faryth god I warne the wele For of his palays fel agreat dele And of this world no nother careth he But that his palays fulfylled be ¶ The C.xviij. questyon ¶ The fowles that in the ayre flye How are they borne on loft a hye THe thycknesse of the ayre ahye Is the chefe cause truly That the fowles a lofte are borne Els ware theyr flyght forlorne The ayre is thycke and moyst also And wyl dysclose and close agayne to And whan the fowle is a lofte His wynges styreth he ofte With the warpyng of his wynge He doth the ayre a sondre mynge Which waxeth thycke and he is lyght And that hym holdyth in his flyght And that the ayre is thycke aboue Aman may wel proue Who so in his hande wyl take A yarde and it smertly shake It shal bowe in the shakyng And that doth no nother thyng But thycknes of the ayre withstandys The yard in shakyng of thy handys And so it withstandyth the fowles al In theyr fleyng that they ne fall ¶ The C.xix questyon ¶ Among al other tel me yet The rayne y t fallyth whens comith it BAyne is water of the see And with blast of wynde mountys he And whan the wynde is on hye The sonne that is hote kyndly Draweth the water fast hym to The wynde puttyth fast after also As that men may se somtyme A dew lyeng tyl halfe the pryme But whan the sonne his hete yeldys That dew in towne and in feldys He takyth vp and draweth fast And cometh to the ayre at the last And is there thyckened in cloude Than comyth wynde and blowyth lowde And beryth it in the ayre euerywhore Tyl it be waxen thycke and more Than begynneth it to be heuy sone Aod may not longe a boue wone But fallyth in rayne hastely And whan the rayne is doune clenly The cloude becomyth whyte and fayre Which is a the keelth of the ayre And that wastyth the sonne there nere And so becomyth the sky clere ¶ The C.xx questyon ¶ Hayle stones that fal also From whence and wherof come the OF water gathered vnder y e sky And of kylth of the ayre on hy As whan a cloude is but thyn Lytel poure hauyng hym in And aboue in the ayre flye Wyndes that are colde and drye And whan that cloud shuld in droppes fall With coldnesse are they frosen all And that y t shuld haue fall rayne to ground They fall than in stones round ¶ The C.xxj. questyon ¶ Wherof are the tempestes al That somtyme among vs fall IN that yere that somer is cold And the moysture manyfold That is in the ayre holdyth styl And may not clensyd be at wyl But gatheryth fast and holdyth thore And in wynter encresyth to more Than be fallyth in some partye That the erth cleueth for drye The spered wyndes than come out And spred them al about In to the ayre theyr waye they take And therof great tempest make ¶ The C.xxii. questyon ¶ Tel me now for it is wonder Wherof cometh the thounder ' RIse out of the erth arecke truly As a smoke men may se perfitely And exalacyons they hyght Which ascende in to the ayre ryght Hote and drye are some of tho And some hote and moyst also Whan they al the hyest are Of the ayre the wynd that is thare He that that is hote and drye May the hastlyar vp a hye And whan the wete cometh thore For moysture gatheryth wynd sore And waxyth colde therby And thyckeneth also wonderly And than is it in sondre cast And cloudes made with wyndes blast And the exalacyon that is drye Is cast a mong the cloudes hye From one to another as a balle But at the last out it shal And whan he brekyth it asonder Anoyse it makyth that we call the thonder For drye among the wete wyl nought Dwel whan the wete pressys hym ought And by ensample thou mayst se On what maner it may be Let a man his handful holde Of whet or syluer which he wolde The more he the hande togethtr prest The more wyl it out threst And so it is to vnderstande Of the tother before hande ¶ The C.xiij. questyon ¶ The wynde y t blowyth by lād see Wherof euer may it be I Haue tolde here before Evalacyons what they wore And he that is hote and drye As I sayd wyl vp a hye Now whan it comyth clowdes amonge If the clowdes be thycke and stronge They cast that exalacyon To and fro vp and doune And be cause it is drye at the last It turneth in to wyndes blast And ware that exalacyon hote It turneth in to rayne wote ¶ The C.xxiiij questyon ¶ How yssueth water of hylles hye That semed rather to be drye ALso as the veynes lye In mannys
herte he cast That man may do whan he is wroth That al his lyue may be hym loth And be hym alone so flyte and fyght As it ware in that others syght And with his breth that he lettes go Shal his great hete wend hym fro So guyeted shal he be And become al in a tempre ¶ The CC. lxxxxviij questyon ¶ Why haue wymen al the wo Of this world and the ioy also LIghtly wo and lyghtly we le Haue thes wymen euery dele Ful lyghtly take they ioy them to And ful lyghtly wo also Lyghtnes of y e brayne mas this There no sadnesse in is Lesse they are than men of wyt Wherfore theyr thought lyghtly wyl flyt They fare as a lefe on the tre That turnes whare the wynd wylbe Ware theyr wyt sad as of man Men shuld of them for that they can Domesmen and iustyce take But no lawe wyl it them now make Lyghtly they trust that men them say And also quycly it is a way And for that they now trust now let go Haue they so sone wel and wo ¶ The CC. lxxxxix questyon ¶ Why are chyldreÌ„ whan they borne are So vnconyng as beastes ware A chyld y t tender is and a yonglyng May of this woâ—â—d know nothyng For he is both tendar and grene And of this world hath nothiÌ„g sene Unto he come to greatter age That he may hym selfe page Than may he se and vnderstand Of al thynges that be comyng and Unconnyng is a chyld also Unto the deuyl shame to do That he that so lytel borne shal be And that a beaste can more than he That he shal haue the herytage That the deuyl for his outrage Fyrst lost and for his pryde This is his sorow in euery tyde For feblenesse of nature is it Why chyldren yong haue no wyt Whan adam was made and his wyfe And god had gyuen hym goost of lyfe Redely knew they al thyng For they ware of goddys makyng But that father and mother hath here For feblenesse of the matere Whan it is borne it can no good Lesse than a beast lepyng in the wode ¶ The CCC questyon ¶ Tel me now yf that thou can Wherof comys natural wyt in man OF pure braynes it comyth vnto Pure blod pure herte also And be y e two pure of thes thre And the thyrd nought be Right clere wyt may ne be there As that al thre to gether were For with one eye sees no man so As that he with two myght do Be herte and braynes neuer so good And darke be in hym the blode Herte and braynes it drynkes tyl And the wyt truly doth spyl Be the herte good and the blod bryght And the braynes myrke and lyght Greatly wyl lyght braynes greue Al that that other to wold gyue And the planets in theyr goyng Workes in man al this thyng ¶ The CCC.j. questyon ¶ Wherof may it come to The nesyng that men nese so NEsyng falles soth to sey Unto man of thynges twey Fyrst of humours that are ascended In to the braynes of the hed The braynes refuse them gladly And castys them out hastely And in the doune fallyng of tho Unto the nostrels they go For tho are redy open ey Wherby go they so a wey Another is to loke vp on hy Unto the sonne on the sky And the hete of the sonne anon Fylles the veynes of the hed echone Dryuyng out the keelth thore That in the braynes was before And yf thou wylt with hold nesyng Spere thy mouth at the begynyng And draw thy breth fast to and fro And nesyng shal the ouer go For the nose stoppys there with al And at the mouth it out go shal ¶ The CCC.ij questyon ¶ Wynd blowyng with mayne Why deyes it for a shoure of rayne WAter and wynd to gether are As it mother doughter ware Doughter of mother has feding And wynd of water begynyng whaÌ„ y e cloud y t it has wrought Is hym selfe doune brought ¶ The wynd is stylle anon ryght For his mattar hath lorne syght For knyfe shal no man make wele If he haue nother yren ne stele ¶ The CCCiii questyon ¶ Whic is the strongar of thes twey Wynd or water this me sey GRound of al thyng with ryght Is strongar and of more myght Than the croppe aboue it cast Elles myght it no whyle last And strongar is that thyng I wys That sterys than that steryd is Now is wynd at the begynyng Stered ayre and no nother thyng And cours of water maketh it al That the ayre so sterre shal And yf wynd with water stered be Than is water strongar than he ¶ The CCC.iiii questyon ¶ Tel me now on what manere Aman shal lyue in this world here AMan shal lyue in that manere So that whan he deyes here Afterwarde may ryse Boldly to go be fore iustyse That is to say y t al his thought Be on hym that hym hath wrought And worshyp hym al that he can And after in god loue euery man And of that truly he may wynne Of his trauayle with out synne Than shal he lyue with out pryde Enuye and couetys also let glyde This may he bothe lyue wel and deye And ryse and go to the blys the weye ¶ The CCC.v. questyon Shal aman that in good stede be To seke a bettar raunge the countre IF thou in a good place be Wher with thou mayst wel agre There thou good lyfe may lede The to cloth and to fede Hold the styl renne nought Ne for the bettar haue no thought To seke a bettar thou may be in mynd But thou wottyst not where it to fynde And there thou comyst percaas Shal be wors than that other was Such wenys to fynde hym before Baken brede whan he comes thore He shal perauenture fynde the corne Standyng yet in the feld vnshorne Wherfore yf thou in good stede be Hold the therin by rede of me ¶ The CCC.vi. questyon ¶ Which are more worthy of y e twey Rych or pouer thou me sey THere are worthynesse two Goostly and bodely also The bodely worthynesse That is nother more ne lesse But after as a man hath here So is he hold among men dere Therfore by so moch as thou hast now So moch worthy art thou Haue thou but a peny in al No more worthy men hold the shal Goostly worthynesse is not so But who toward god best may do And serue hym here al the best He with god is worthyest Moch worthy here to be Is truly but a vanyte But that worthy is to god to wende That worthynesse hath no ende ¶ The CCC.vij questyon ¶ Whether is to man more semely Fayre vysage or fayre body A Fayre body to man I wys A ful semely thyng it is But what the nakyd body be No man may it wel se Be it shapenyl or wele The clothes couers it euery dele But that that is in syght And may not be hyd with ryght The vysage
great eyen falleth wele Than is he shapen wel euery a dele ¶ The CCC xxjx questyon ¶ Whiche are y e beastes so god y e saue That most vnderstandyng haue BEastes y t of vnderstandyng be Most of al other are thre Ape bere and hounde also Thes wylbe buxum man vnto Mannys techyng wyl they lere And vnderstand that they stere Whan Noe in the arch was in the flode Thes thre beastes nexte hym stode And of al the last went hym fro For none vnderstode so moch as tho ¶ The CCC.xxx questyon ¶ Whan goddys sonne shal borne be By what tokyn shal men it se TOkyns many shal be falle Whan goddys sonne lorde of all Shal be borne of her that hethes Ouer al the world shal than be pees Agreat sterâ—e shal shewe that day That al the worlde wel se may Asercle of gold purpred with al About the sonne shewe hym shal A welle of oyle in great tokenyng Out of the erth than shal spryng And a descrypcyon shal taken be Ouer al the world in euery countre A dombe beast as that we fynd That day shal speke agayne kynd Beast foule and fysshe also That day shal be in rest and ro And the deuyls in helle dwellyng Shal be ful sory and mornyng The eyghtene day after he is borne He shal be circumcised and shorne And that in tokenyng be shal That he is god and man with al ¶ The CCC.xxx questoon ¶ Tel me now as shal be falle What sygnyfye tho tokyns al PEas shal be ouer al For he is peas that man come shal The sterre that shal shew frelye His godhed shal sygnyfye About the sonne the golden thyng Shal betoken that he is kyng The purpre shal be token also Of the passyon that he shal to The welle of oyle showyth byturly That he shal be welle of mercy The descrypcyon that shal taken be Tokenes that ouer al lorde is he The doume be ast spekyng tokenes al 's That they that in the law were fals And were but as beastes told Shal turne to hym and of hym hold Beast and foule shal be in blys And they wot goddys sonne he is And the deuyls shal be sory For they drede hym wonderly That he is that shal breke helle And take away that with hym dwelle ¶ The CCC.xxxj questyon ¶ Whan he is borne achyid shal he Be conyng more thaÌ„ another shal be SOne as he borne is he can More than eny other man For thoughe he be thaÌ„ a yonglyng The godhed in hym wot althyng The sonne of the trynyte The fathers wysdome truly So is sperd in hym only Wherfore shal he know wel more Than eny after or before Neuerthelesse for al that he can He wyl fulfyl the kynd of man In al thynges that falles hym to Saue synne that shal he neuer do ¶ The CCC.xxxij questyon ¶ Whan he is borne as that we tel Wher shal he in hoost dwelle WIth his mother whyle he is yong So shal be his dwellyng In to Egype she lede hym shall And ther a whyle dwele hym with al After agayne shal he go Unto the lande that he came fro And begynne the folke to tech And openly for to prech And al his lyfe shal be so As he teches there vnto To many synne he shal forgeue Such as vpon hym wyl beleue And cold water them crysten in In forgeuenesse of theyr synne For water as that men wel wot Sâ—eckenes the fyre that is hot It clenses fylth and makyth clene And that is drye it makyth grene And it sleckeneth also thyrste Unto man that drynke lyst Wherfore in water baptyse shal he For vertu of thes myghtes thre Fyrst it sleckenes hete of synne And clenses fylthe that man is in And drye sowles grene shal he make Throughe the baptyme that they shal take And in this lyfe shal he dwelle Ey to he dey and breke helle ¶ The CCC.xxxiiij questyon ¶ Yet wold I wyt more of the Shal goddys sonne afayre man be A Shal with ryght of nature Be the fayrest creature That euer was and euer shal be Shal none be so fayre as he And it is ryght that he be fayre That of heuyn is sonne and heyre And he shal vpon an hylle His dyscyples shewe hym tyl And he shal seme to theyr syght As it were the sonne lyght And his clothes whyte of hewe As it were newe fallen snewe Therfore is no man alyue That his fayrhed may descryue ¶ The CCC.xxxv questyon ¶ Tel yet yf that thou can me sey Why it was that he wold dey FOr obedyence and for loue Heuyn to dyght to our behoue For obedyent shal he be Unto the deeth vpon the tre So that that was forlorne Throughe the tre ther beforne Shuld be wonne agayne also Throughe the tre that he shal to And for loue of man kynde That his seruyse wyl haue in mynde He had leuer deeth take Than he wold man kynde forsake His deeth shal aman agayne bye To reue the deuyl of his maystery The father shal to the sonne geue Poure for his seruaunts y t he wil here leue ¶ The CCC.xxxvj questyon ¶ Who shal him slo and by what rede And how long shal he be dede A Maner of folke shal hym slo That hyght Iewes and none but tho Afalse counsele take they shal And afalse wyttnesse with al To brynge hym to the deeth also And knyghtes shal to deeth hym do In graue shal he be nyghtes two The whyls shal the godhed go To helle to fete al hyse And the thyrde day shal he aryse To paradyse than wend shal he Fourty dayes there to be In which tyme he shal bodely Ten tymes shew hym openly Fyrst he shal hym shew I sey To hym that hym in graue shal ley After to his mother dere For to glade her mornyng chere After he shal hym shew also The Mary Magdalene vnto And her synnes forgyue shal he The fourth tyme to maryes thre The fyfte to peter south to seye The syxte tyme to pylgryms twey That to a castel shal with hym wende And thore shal he with them send And the seuenth tyme in a halle Among his dyscypyls al There shal he byd them grope and se Wyturly that he it be The eyghtene day to one that shal Grope his woundes and handes with al And to aful worthy hylle The nynth day shal he shew them tyl The tenth among the people openly Whan he ascendyth to heuyn on hye ¶ The CCC.xxxvij questyon ¶ Shal he ascende to heuyn so hye Alone with out companye AL tho that with hym ryse shal To heuyn shal ascend hym with al And in that lyknesse shal he fare That he was in before his care But whan he is vp on hye Aboue the cloudes by the sky In that lyknesse he shal be thore That he dyd in hym shew before Unto his dyscypyls two Oo an hylle whare they shal go ¶ The CCC.xxxviij questyon Shal goddys sonne that hym is