* * * * *
=Here biginneth the Persones Tale.=
_Ier._ 6º. _State super vias et videte et interrogate de viis antiquis, que
sit via bona; et ambulate in ea, et inuenietis refrigerium animabus
vestris, &c._
§ 1. Our swete lord god of hevene, that no man wole perisse, but wole that
we comen alle to the knoweleche of him, and to the blisful lyf that is
perdurable, /75 amonesteth us by the prophete Ieremie, that seith in this
wyse: / ‘stondeth upon the weyes, and seeth and axeth of olde pathes (that
is to seyn, of olde sentences) which is the goode wey; / and walketh in
that wey, and ye shul finde refresshinge for your soules,’ &c. / Manye been
the weyes espirituels that leden folk to oure Lord Iesu Crist, and to the
regne of glorie. / Of whiche weyes, ther is a ful noble wey and a ful
covenable, which may nat faile to man ne to womman, that thurgh sinne hath
misgoon fro the righte wey of Ierusalem celestial; /80 and this wey is
cleped Penitence, of which man sholde gladly herknen and enquere with al
his herte; / to witen what is Penitence, and whennes it is cleped
Penitence, and in how manye maneres been the accions or werkinges of
Penitence, / and how manye spyces ther been of Penitence, and whiche
thinges apertenen and bihoven to Penitence, and whiche thinges destourben
Penitence. /
HEADING. _From_ E. (E. Heere; Persouns). 75. E. _om. 2nd _to. 76.
E. and seith; _rest _that seith. 78. E. Hn. Ln. shal; Pt. shul. 79.
Pt. espiritual; Ln. spirituele. 80. E. _om. 2nd _ful. E. to no man;
_rest om._ no. 82. Ln. penance (_for 2nd and 3rd _Penitence). 83.
E. speces; Hl. spieces; _rest _spices.
§ 2. Seint Ambrose seith, that ‘Penitence is the pleyninge of man for the
gilt that he hath doon, and na-more to do any thing for which him oghte to
pleyne.’ / And som doctour seith: ‘Penitence is the waymentinge of man,
that sorweth for his sinne [571] and pyneth him-self for he hath misdoon.’
/85 Penitence, with certeyne circumstances, is verray repentance of a man
that halt him-self in sorwe and other peyne for hise giltes. / And for he
shal be verray penitent, he shal first biwailen the sinnes that he hath
doon, and stidefastly purposen in his herte to have shrift of mouthe, and
to doon satisfaccioun, / and never to doon thing for which him oghte more
to biwayle or to compleyne, and to continue in goode werkes: or elles his
repentance may nat availle. / For as seith seint Isidre: ‘he is a Iaper and
a gabber, and no verray repentant, that eftsoone dooth thing, for which him
oghte repente.’ / Wepinge, and nat for to stinte to doon sinne, may nat
avaylle. /90 But nathelees, men shal hope that every tyme that man falleth,
be it never so ofte, that he may arise thurgh Penitence, if he have grace:
but certeinly it is greet doute. / For as seith Seint Gregorie: ‘unnethe
aryseth he out of sinne, that is charged with the charge of yvel usage.’ /
And therfore repentant folk, that stinte for to sinne, and forlete sinne er
that sinne forlete hem, holy chirche holdeth hem siker of hir savacioun. /
And he that sinneth, and verraily repenteth him in his laste ende, holy
chirche yet hopeth his savacioun, by the grete mercy of oure lord Iesu
Crist, for his repentaunce; but tak the siker wey. /
84. E. _om._ the _before _gilt. 85. Ln. Hl. peyneth. 86. Hl.
holt. 88. E. _om._ to _bef_. biwayle _and_ continue. 90. Hl. doon;
E. _om._; _rest_ do. 94. Hl. Ln. ende; E. Hn. Pt. _om._ E. taak
(_glossed_ tene); siker (_glossed_ certum). Cm. sikerer. _After_
wey, Cm. _adds_—& the more certeyn.
§ 3. And now, sith I have declared yow what thing is Penitence, now shul ye
understonde that ther been three accions of Penitence. /95 The firste
accion of Penitence is, that a man be baptized after that he hath sinned. /
Seint Augustin seith: ‘but he be penitent for his olde sinful lyf, he may
nat biginne the newe clene lif.’ / For certes, if he be baptized withouten
penitence of his olde gilt, he receiveth the mark of baptisme, but nat the
grace ne the remission of his sinnes, til he have repentance verray. /
Another defaute is this, that men doon deedly sinne after that they han
received baptisme. / The thridde defaute is, that men fallen in venial
sinnes after hir baptisme, fro day to day. /100 Ther-of seith Seint
Augustin, that ‘penitence of goode and humble folk is the penitence of
every day.’ /
96. _All but_ E. _om._ accion of Penitence. 97. Hl. but if. 98-100.
E. Hn. baptesme. 100. Hl. in-to venial synne.
[572] § 4. The spyces of Penitence been three. That oon of hem is solempne,
another is commune, and the thridde is privee. / Thilke penance that is
solempne, is in two maneres; as to be put out of holy chirche in lente, for
slaughtre of children, and swich maner thing. / Another is, whan a man hath
sinned openly, of which sinne the fame is openly spoken in the contree; and
thanne holy chirche by Iugement destreineth him for to do open penaunce. /
Commune penaunce is that preestes enioinen men comunly in certeyn caas; as
for to goon, peraventure, naked in pilgrimages, or bare-foot. /105 Privee
penaunce is thilke that men doon alday for privee sinnes, of whiche we
shryve us prively and receyve privee penaunce. /
102. E. Hn. speces (_glossed_ species); _rest_ spices. 103. E. Hn. As
to; _rest_ as is to. 104. E. Another thyng is; _rest om._ thyng.
Hl. streyneth. 105. E. Cm. _om._ comunly. 106. E. they shryue hem.
§ 5. Now shaltow understande what is bihovely and necessarie to verray
parfit Penitence. And this stant on three thinges; / Contricioun of herte,
Confessioun of Mouth, and Satisfaccioun. / For which seith Seint Iohn
Crisostom: ‘Penitence destreyneth a man to accepte benignely every peyne
that him is enioyned, with contricion of herte, and shrift of mouth, with
satisfaccion; and in werkinge of alle maner humilitee.’ / And this is
fruitful Penitence agayn three thinges in whiche we wratthe oure lord Iesu
Crist: /110 this is to seyn, by delyt in thinkinge, by recchelesnesse in
spekinge, and by wikked sinful werkinge. / And agayns thise wikkede giltes
is Penitence, that may be lykned un-to a tree. /
107. E. is bihouely; Cm. is behofly; _rest_ bihoueth (behoueth). Hl.
stondith. 109. Hl. humblete. 112. Hl. these thre wickid.
§ 6. The rote of this tree is Contricion, that hydeth him in the herte of
him that is verray repentant, right as the rote of a tree hydeth him in the
erthe. / Of the rote of Contricion springeth a stalke, that bereth
braunches and leves of Confession, and fruit of Satisfaccion. / For which
Crist seith in his gospel: ‘dooth digne fruit of Penitence’; for by this
fruit may men knowe this tree, and nat by the rote that is hid in the herte
of man, ne by the braunches ne by the leves of Confession. /115 And
therefore oure Lord Iesu Crist seith thus: ‘by the fruit of hem ye shul
knowen hem.’ / Of this rote eek springeth a seed of grace, the which seed
is moder of sikernesse, and this seed is egre and [573] hoot. / The grace
of this seed springeth of god, thurgh remembrance of the day of dome and on
the peynes of helle. / Of this matere seith Salomon, that ‘in the drede of
god man forleteth his sinne.’ / The hete of this seed is the love of god,
and the desiring of the Ioye perdurable. /120 This hete draweth the herte
of a man to god, and dooth him haten his sinne. / For soothly, ther is
no-thing that savoureth so wel to a child as the milk of his norice, ne
no-thing is to him more abhominable than thilke milk whan it is medled with
other mete. / Right so the sinful man that loveth his sinne, him semeth
that it is to him most swete of any-thing; / but fro that tyme that he
loveth sadly our lord Iesu Crist, and desireth the lif perdurable, ther nis
to him no-thing more abhominable. / For soothly, the lawe of god is the
love of god; for which David the prophete seith: ‘I have loved thy lawe and
hated wikkednesse and hate’; he that loveth god kepeth his lawe and his
word. /125 This tree saugh the prophete Daniel in spirit, up-on the avision
of the king Nabugodonosor, whan he conseiled him to do penitence. /
Penaunce is the tree of lyf to hem that it receiven, and he that holdeth
him in verray penitence is blessed; after the sentence of Salomon. /
117. E. a grace (_for_ of grace). 122. E. _om._ is to him. 125. E.
loued god; _rest_ loueth god. 126. E. _om._ in spirit. up-on] E.
in.
§ 7. In this Penitence or Contricion man shal understonde foure thinges,
that is to seyn, what is Contricion: and whiche been the causes that moeven
a man to Contricion: and how he sholde be contrit: and what Contricion
availleth to the soule. / Thanne is it thus: that Contricion is the verray
sorwe that a man receiveth in his herte for his sinnes, with sad purpos to
shryve him, and to do penaunce, and nevermore to do sinne. / And this sorwe
shal been in this manere, as seith seint Bernard: ‘it shal been hevy and
grevous, and ful sharpe and poinant in herte.’ /130 First, for man hath
agilt his lord and his creatour; and more sharpe and poinant, for he hath
agilt his fader celestial; / and yet more sharpe and poinant, for he hath
wrathed and agilt him that boghte him; which with his precious blood hath
delivered us fro the bondes of sinne, and fro the crueltee of the devel and
fro the peynes of helle. /