II Am spes aspye / a spye quaþ he / and spure aftur a knyht
Þat toke me amaundement / a maundement / vpon þe mont of synay
To rule alle reomes þer-wiþ / in ryht and in reson
Loo here þe lettre quod he / in latyn and in ebreu
That þat y seye is soþe / seo ho-so likeþ
¶ Is hit asseled y seyde / may men seo þi lettres /
Nay he seyde y seke hym / þat haþ þe sele to kepe
Þe wuche is crist and cristindom / & croys þer-on-to honge
Wer hit þer-wiþ asseled / y wot wel þe sothe
Þat Luciferes lordschup / ligge scholde ful lowe
¶ Leet seo þi lettres quaþ y / we myhte þe lawe knowe
¶ He plyhte forþe a patent / a pece of an hard roche
Wher-on was write two wordes / in þis wyse glosed .
dilige deum & proximumC
¶ This was þe tixt trewly / y tok ful goode gome
¶ Þe glose gloriously was write / with a gyld penne
In his duobus pependit tota lex /
¶ Is here al þi lordes lettre quod y / ȝe leof me he seyde
And wo-so worcheþ aftur þis writ / y wole vndurtake
Schal neuure deuul hym dere / ne deþe in soule greue
¶ For þauh y sey hit my-self / y haue saued myd þis charme
Of menne and of wynmen / wy[m]men / mony score þousand
He seyth soþe sayde Faith / y haue founde hit trewe
Lo here in my lappe quaþ faith / þat leued vpon þat lettre
Boþe Iosue and Iudith / and Iudas machabeus
And sixe þousand mo quaþ . Faith / y can nat telle here names
¶ Ȝoure wordes aren wondurfol quaþ y / wher eny of ȝow be trewe /
And lel to by-leue on / for body or for soule
¶ Abraham seyth þat he seyh / holly þe trinite
Þre persones parcel-mele / departable from other
And al thre but o god / thus abraham bereþ witnesse
And y-saued þat by-leoued so / and sory for here synnes
He can non certayn sunne / su[mm]e telle / and some aren in his lappe
¶ What neodeþ þenne / a new law to brynge
Suthe þe furst suffysede / so by-leoue and beo saued
¶ And nowe comeþ here thes spes / and haþe aspied þe lawe
Þat of þe trinite P ne telleþ / ne takeþ mo persones
To godhede but o god / and o god almylty / almy[h]ty
Þe wuche alle men aren y-holde / ouur al þinge to honoure /
And sythe to loue and to lene / for þat lordes sake
Al manere of men / as muche as oure-selue .
¶ And for to louye and byleoue / in o lord al-myhty
Hit is lyht for lewade / and for lered boþe
¶ Ac for to by-leoue in o lorde / þat lyueþ in þre persones
And lereþ þat we louye scholde / as wel liares as lelle /
¶ Go þi gate quaþ y to spes / so me god helpe
Tho þat lerneþ þi lawe / wol litul while hit vsen .
¶ And as wente in þe waye / thus wordynge of þis matere
Þenne seih we a samaritan / cam sittynge on a mule
Rydynge ful rapely / þe riht wey þat we wente
Comynge fram a contreye / þat men calde IericoN
To iousten in Ierusalem / he iacede a-weye ful faste
Boþe abraham and spes / and he metten to-gederes
In a wylde wyldurnesse / wher theoues hadden bounde
A man as me þo þouhte / to muche care þei brouhte .
¶ For he ne myhte step ne stande / ne stere fot ne handes
Ne helpe hym-self sothly / for semyuyf he semede
And naked as a nelde / and non help a-boute hym .
And wolde nat neyhle hym / by nyne londes lengthe
Hope Cam huppynge aftur / þat hauede so y-bosted
Hou he wyth moyses maundemaunt / hadde mony men holpen
And whan he hadde syht of þis syke / a-syde he can drawe
And dredfolly wiþ-drowe hym / and durste gon non nerre
¶ Ac as sone so þe samaritan / had syht of þat syke
He a-lyhte a-non of lyard / and ladde hym in his hondes
And to þis wye he wente / his woundes to by-holde
¶ He parceyuede by his pous / he was in peril to dye
And but he had recouer þe rather / þat ryse scholde he neuure
¶ He vnbokeled his botelles / and boþe he a-tamede
Wiþ wyn and wiþ oyle / his wondes he can lyþe
Enbaumede hym a-boute his hed / and on bayard hym sette
And ladde him forthe to Lauacrum / Lex dei a graunge
Is six myle or seuene / by-syde þe newe market
And laft hym þer a-lechynge / to lyuen if he myhte
And tok two pans to hosteler / to take kepe to hym
And þat goþ more for his medicine / y make þe goode a-ȝeynward
For y may not lette quod þat lede / and lyard he by-strydeþ
And rapede hym to ryde / þe ryhte wey to Ierusalem
¶ Boþe Faith and his felowe spes / folweden faste aftur .
Ac y suwede þe samaritan / / and seyde hou þei boþeC
Weren a-ferd and flowen / fro þe man y-wonded /
¶ Haue hem excused quaþ þe / samaritan / here help may nat vaile
Ne medicine vndur molde / þe man to hele brynge
Nothur faith ne fyn hope / so festred aren his wondes
Wiþ-oute þe blod of a barne / he beoþ nat y-saued
¶ Þe wuche barn mot neodes / beo bore of a mayde
And wiþ þe bloud of þat barn / enbaumed & y-baptized
¶ And þauh he step and stande / ryht strong worþe he neuure
Til he haue eten al þat barne / and his blod dronken .
And ȝut beo plastred with pacience / when fondynge hym prykkeþ .
¶ For wente neuure man þis waye / þat he ne was here y-ryfled
Saue my-self sothly / and suche as y louede
And ȝut to by-leouy lelly / vpon þat litul baby
Þat his licame schal lechen / atte last ous alle
¶ A sire y sayde / schul nat we by-leoue
As faith and his felawe spes / enformede me boþe
In þre persones a-parcelles / departable from other
And al þre but o god / thus habraham me tauhte /
¶ And hope afturward / of god more me tolde
And lerede me for his loue / to louye al man-kynde
And hym a-bouen alle / and hem as my-selue
¶ Nother lakke ne alose / ne leoue þat þer wereC
Eny wykkeder in þis worlde / þen y were my-self
And most in-parfit of alle persones / and pacienceliche suffre
Al manere of men / and þauh y myhte me venge
I scholde þolye and þonken hem / þat me vuel wolde
¶ He sayde soth quaþ þe samaritan / and so y rede þe al-so
And as abraham þe olde / of o god þe tauhte
Loke þou louye and by-leoue / alle þy Lyf-tyme
¶ And if kyndewit carpe hereaȝeyn / or kynne þouhtes
Ore Eretykes with argumens / thyn hond þow hem scewe
¶ For god þat al by-gan / in gynnynge of þe worlde
Ferde furst as a fust / and ȝut is as y leoue
mundum pugillo continens
¶ As wyth a fust wiþ o fyngur / y-folde to-gederes
Til hym likede and lust / to vnlowse þat fyngur .
And profrede hit forthe as wiþ þe paume / to what place hit scholde
¶ Þe paume is þe pith of þe hond / and profreþ forthe þe fyngres /
To mynistre and to make / þat myhte of hond knoweþ
And by-tokeneþ trewly / telle ho-so Likeþ
¶ Þe holygost of heuene / he is as þe paumeT
Seint marie a mayde / and mankynde Lauhte
/ natus ex maria uirgineC
¶ Þe fadur is þenne as þe fust / wiþ fynger and wiþ paume
To huden and to holde / as holywrit telleþ
omnia traham ad me ipsumC
¶ Al þat þe fyngur gropuþ / graythly he grypeþ
But if that he gropeþ / greue þe paumeT
And as þe fust is a folhand / fol hand / y-folde to-gederes /
So is þe fadur a ful god / þe furst of hem alle
¶ And as my fust if furst / er y my Fyngres schewe
So is he fadur and formour / þe furst of alle þinges
tu fabricator omniumC
And al þe myht wiþ hym is / was . and worþe euere .
¶ Þe Fyngres is a fol hond / for failled thei her þombeC
Portreye ne peynte / parfitliche y leue
Scholde no wryht worche / were he a-weye .
Ryht so faillede þe sone / þe syre beo ne myhte
Ne holde ne helpe / ne hent þat he louede /.
dextere dei tu digitusC
¶ Þe paume is purliche þe hand / and hath power by hym-selue
Oþur-wyse þan þe wryþen fust / or werkmanschupe of fyngres .
¶ For þe paume hath pouer / to putten out þe ioyntes /
And to vnfolde þe fust / for him hit by-longeþ
And receyuen þat þe fyngres rechen / and refuse if hym likeþ
Al þe fyngres and þe fust / felon and touchen
Beo he greued wiþ heore / þe holy gost let falle .
Thus is þe holygost god /. noþur grettour ne lasse
Þen is þe sire oþur sone / and of þe same myhte
And al thre nys but o god / as my hand and my fyngres
Vnfolde or y-folde / a fust wyse or elles .
Al is hit but an hond / hou-so y turne hit /
¶ Ac ho-so is y-hurt in þe hand / euene in þe myddes
He may receyue ryht nauȝt / reson hit scheweþ .
¶ For þe fyngres þat folde scholden / and þe fust make
For peyne of þe paume / power hym failleþ
to cluche or to clawe / to cluppe or to holde
¶ Were þe myddul of myn hand / wiþ-oute mal-ese
In mony kynne manere / y myhte my-self helpe
Boþe meoue and amende / þauh alle my fyngres oken .
¶ By this simile he seyde / y seo an euydence
Þat ho-so synygeþ in þe seint espurit assoilled worþe he neuure /
noþur her ne elles-wer / as y herde telle /
qui peccat in spiritum sanctumC
¶ He prekeþ god as in þe paume / þat peccat in spiritum sanctum
For þe fadur is as þe fust / þe sone is as þe fyngur
Þe holy gost of heuene / he is as þe paume
¶ So ho-so synnegeþ a-ȝeins þe seint espirit he semeþ þat he greueþ /
God þer he grypeþ / and wolde his grace quenche
For to a torche or to a tapre / þe Trinite is likned
As wex and a wyke / were twyned to-gederes .
And flammede fuyr / forthe of hem boþe .
And as wex and wyke / and warm fuyr to-gederes
Fostren forþe a flamme / and a fair lyeght
Þat serueþ þeos swynkeres to seo by a nyhtes /
¶ So doþe þe syre and þe sone / and seint espurit to-gederes
Fostren forth amonge folc / fyn loue and by-leoue
Þat al kynne crystine /clanseþ of synne
¶ And as þou suxt som-tyme / sodeynliche of a torche
Þe blase beo blowen ouȝt / ȝut brenneþ þe wyke
Wiþ-outen lye and lyht / lyþ fuyr in þe macche /
¶ So is þe holygost god / and grace wiþ-oute mercy
To alle vnkynde creatours / þat coueyten to destruye
Lel licame and lyf / þat oure lord schupte
¶ And as glowyng gledes / gladeþ nat theos werkmen
Þat worchen and waken / in wynteres nyhtes
As dothe a kyx or a candel / þat cauht haþ fuyr and blaseþ
¶ No more doþ þe syre ne þe sone / ne seint espurit to-gederes
Graunten enyT grace / ne for-gyuenesse of synnes
Tyl þe holy gost by-gonne / to glowen and balse /
¶ So þat þe holygost / gloweþ but a glede /
Tyl þat loue and by-leoue / lelliche to hym blowe
¶ Þenne flammeþ he as fuyr / on fadur and on filius
And melteþ myht in-to mercy / as we may seo a wyntur /
Isykles in Euesynges / throw hete of þe sonne
Melty in a mynt-wyle / to myst and to watur
¶ So grace of þe holygost / melteþ al to mercy
Þe grete myht of þe trinite / to merciable & to non othere
¶ And as wex wiþ-oute more / vpon a warm glede
Wol brennen and blasen / beo þei to-gederes
And solacen hem þat mowe nat seon / syttynge in derkenesse
So wol þe fadur for-ȝeuen / folk of mylde hertes
Þat reufeliche repenten / and restitucioun makenN
In as muche as þei mowen / amendoun and payen
¶ And if hit sufficeþ nat for aseþ / þat in suche wil dyen /
Mercy for his meoknesse / wol make goode þe reminaunt
And as þe wyke and warm fuyr / wol make a faire flamme
For to murþen men with / þat in merk sytten /
So wol crist of his cortasie / and men crie hym mercy
Boþe for-ȝeuen and for-ȝeten / and ȝut bydde for vs
To þe fadur of heuene / forȝeuenesse to haue .
¶ Ac hewe fuyr of a flynt / foure hondred wyntur
But þow haue tach to take hit wiþ / tundur and broches
Al þi labour is lost / and al þy longe trauail
For may no fuyr flamme make / faille hit his kynde
¶ So is þe holygost god / and grace with-oute mercy
To alle vnkynde creatours / as crist hym-self witnesseþ
Amen dico vobis nescio vos
Beo vnkynde to þy emcristone / & al þat þow canst bydde
Dele and do penaunce day and nyht euure
And purchace al þe pardoun / of paumpelon and of Rome
And Indulgences y-nowe / and beo ingrat to þi kynde /
Þe holy gost hureþ þe hat / ne helpeþ þe beo þou certayn
For vnkyndenesse quencheþ hym / þat he can nat schyne
Ne brenne ne blase clere / for blowyng of vnkyndenesse
Seint paul þe apostle / preoueþ wher y lye
si linquis hoominum loquar & ceteraC
For-þi be war ȝe wysemen / wyse men / þat wiþ þe worlde deleþ
Þat riche beon and reson knowen / rewleþ wel ȝoure soule
Beoþ not vnkynde y consail ȝow / to ȝoure emcristene
¶ For mony of ȝow riche men / by my soule y lie nat
Ȝe brenneþ ac ȝe blaseþ nat / and þat is a blynd bekne
Non omnis qui dicit domine domine intrabit in regnum celorum
¶ Mynne ȝe nat ȝe riche men / to wuche a myschaunce
Þat diues deyde and dampned / for his vnkyndenesse
Of his mete and of his moneye / to men þat hit neoded
Ȝut wan he hit nat wiþ wronge / ne wiþ queynte scleyþes
But rithfulliche as men rat / al his richesse cam hym
And on hym-selue seiþ þe bok / souteliche hou he myhte
Most lordliche lyuen / and ȝut his licame werye
Cloþes of most cost / as clerkes bereþ witnesse
Epulabatur splendide et induebatur bysso /
¶ And for he was a nygard / to þe neodful poure
For godes tretour he is told / for al his trew catel
And dampned is . and dwelleþ / wiþ þe deuul in helle .
¶ Syþe he wiþ-oute wiles wan / and wel myhte a-temye
Lordliche for to lyuen / and likyngliche beo cloþed /
And is in helle for al that / hou wol riche nouthe
Excuse hem þat beoþ vnkynde / and ȝut here catel wonne
With wiles and with luþur wittes / and ȝut wol nat atymye
To gon semeliche ne sitte / sith holy writ techeþ
Þat þat wykkedliche is wonne / to wasten hit and maken frendes
Facite vobis amicos de mammona iniquitatis /
Eche a ryche man y rede / reward here-of take
And gyueþ ȝoure good to that god / þat grace of a-ryseþ
For þat ȝe beon vnhende to hise / hope ȝe non other
But to dwelle ther diues is dayes with-outen ende
¶ Thus is vnkyndenesse / and quencheþ as hit were
Þe grace of þe holy gost / godes owne kynde
¶ For þat þat kynde doþe / vnkynde for-doþe
A-cordsede theues vnkynde crystonmen / for couetyse and enuye
Slethe a man for his meobles / with mouthe or wiþ handes
¶ For that þe holy gost hathe to kepe / suche harlotes destruen
Þe wuche is lyf and loue / þe lye of mannes body
¶ For euery maner good man / may beo lykned to a torche
Or elles to a taper / to reuerence with þe trinite
¶ And ho-so morþereþ a good man / me þynkiþ by my Inwit
He for-doþe þe liht þat oure lord / lokeþ to haue worschipe of
¶ And ȝut in mo maners / men offendeþ þe holygost
Ac þis is þe worst wyse / þat eny whit myhte
Synegen a-ȝeinst þe seint espurit / assenten to destruye
For couetyse of eny kynne þynge / þat crist dere bouhte
Hou myhte he aske mercy / or eny mercy hym defende
Þat wikkeliche and wilfolliche / wolde mercy anyente
Innocence is next god / and nyht and day hit crieþ
¶ Veniaunce veniaunce / for-ȝeue beo hit neuure
Þat schende ous and schedde oure blod / for schupte vs as hit semeþ
Vindica sanguinem iustorum
Thus veniaunce veniaunce / verrei charite askeþ
And sithe charite þat holichurche is / chargeþ þis so sore /
Leue y neuure þat oure lord at þe laste ende
Wol louye þat lyf / þat loue and lel charite destruyen
¶ I pose y had syneget so quaþ y / and scholde nouthe dye
And now am sory þat y so þe seint espurit a-gulte
Confesse me and crie his grace / god þat al made
And myldeliche his mercy aske / myht y not beo saued /
¶ Ȝus seyde þe Samaritan / so þou myhtest repente
Þat ryhtwissnesse þrow repentaunce / to reuthe myht turne
¶ Ac hit is but selde y-seyn / þer sothnesse bereþ witnesse
Eny creature beo compable / by-fore a gynges / [k]ynges iustice
Beo y raumsoned for repetaunce / repe[n]taunce / ther al reson hym dampneþ
Ther þat partie pursueþ / þe apel is so huge /
May non kynge mercy graunte / tyl boþe men a-corden
Þat ayþur partie haue equite / as holy writ witnesseþ
Numquam dimititur peccatum nisi restituatur oblatum
Thus hit fareþ by suche folc / þat folwen here owne wil .
Þat vuel lyuen and leten nat / tyl hem for-sake synne
¶ Drede of desparacioun / þen dryueþ a-way grace
Þat mercy in here munde / may nat þenne falle .
¶ For goode hope þat hem helpe scholde / to wanhope turneþ
And not for þe non-power of god / þat he nis fol of myhte
To amenden al þat mis is / and his merci grettour
Þan alle oure wykkede werkes / as holy writ telleþ
Misericordia eius super omnia opera eius /
¶ Ac er his rithwisnesse to reuthe turne / restitucioun hit makeþ
As sorow of herte is satisfaccion / for suche as may not paie
¶ Ac þre þinges þer beoþ / þat doþe a man to sterte
Out of his owne house / as holywrit scheweþ
¶ Þat on is a wykked wyf / þat wol not beo chasted
Heore fere fleoþ fro here / for fere of here tonge
¶ And ȝif his house beo vnheled / and reyne on his bedde
He sekeþ and sekeþ til he slepe drye .
¶ Ac when smoke and smorþre / smyt in his eyen
Hit doþe hym worse þan his wyf / or wete to sclepe
¶ For throw smoke and smorþre / smerteþ his syhte
Tyl he bler yed or blynd / and þe borre in his throte
Koweþ and corseþ / þat crist ȝiue him sorowe
Þat scholde brynge in betur wode / or blow tyl hit brente
¶ These þre þat y tel of / thus beoþ to vndurstande
¶ Þe wyf is oure wykkede fleisch / wol not beo chasted
For kynde cleueþ on hym euure / to contrarie þe soule
And þauh he falle he fynt skiles / þat frelete hit made
And þat is lithliche for-ȝuie / and for-ȝute boþe
To man þat mercy askeþ / and amende þenkeþ
¶ Ac þe reyn þat reyneþ / ther we reste scholde
Beoþ sekenesses and other sorowes / þat we suffren ofte
As seint paul þe apostle / in his pistles techesT
¶ And þauh men maken / muche deol in her angre
And beo inpacient in here penauncez / pure reson hit knoweþ
Þat þei han cause to contrarien / by kynde of here seknesse
And lithliche oure lord / at here lyues ende
Hath mercy on suche men / þat vuele may suffre
¶ Ac þe smoke and þe smorþre / þat smyt in oure eyen
Þat is couetyse and vnkyndenesse / wuche quencheþ godes mercy .
For vnkyndenesse is contrarie of alle kynne resoun
¶ For þer ne is sik ne sory / ne non so muche wreche
Þan he ne may louye and hym like / and lene of his herte
Good wil / good worde / boþe wuschen and wilnen
Alle manere of men/ mercy and forȝeuenesse
And louye hem y-liche hym-selue / þat his lyf amende
I may no longur lette quaþ he / and lyard y-prykede
And wend a-way as þe wynd / and þer-wiþ {a}y {w}a-wakede
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