§ 21. For sothe, sinne is in two maneres; outher it is venial, or deedly
sinne. Soothly, whan man loveth any creature more than Iesu Crist oure
creatour, thanne is it deedly sinne. And venial synne is it, if man love
Iesu Crist lasse than him oghte. / For sothe, the dede of this venial sinne
is ful perilous; for it amenuseth the love that men sholde han to god more
and more. / And therfore, if a man charge him-self with manye swiche venial
sinnes, certes, but-if so be that he som tyme descharge him of hem by
shrifte, they mowe ful lightly amenuse in him al the love that he hath to
Iesu Crist; /360 and in this wise skippeth venial in-to deedly sinne. For
certes, the more that a man chargeth his soule with venial sinnes, the more
is he enclyned to fallen in-to deedly sinne. / And therfore, lat us nat be
necligent to deschargen us of venial sinnes. For the proverbe seith: that
manye smale maken a greet. / And herkne this ensample. A greet wawe of the
see comth som-tyme with so greet a violence that it drencheth the ship. And
the same harm doth som-tyme the smale dropes of water, that entren thurgh a
litel crevace in-to the thurrok, and in-to the botme of the ship, if men be
so necligent that they ne descharge hem nat by tyme. / And therfore,
al-thogh ther be a difference bitwixe thise two causes of drenchinge,
algates the ship is dreynt. / Right so fareth it somtyme of deedly sinne,
and of anoyouse veniale sinnes, whan they multiplye in a man so greetly,
that thilke worldly thinges that he loveth, thurgh whiche he sinneth
venially, is as greet in his herte as the love of god, or more. /365 And
therfore, the love of every thing, that is nat biset in god ne doon
principally for goddes sake, al-though that a man love [590] it lasse than
god, yet is it venial sinne; / and deedly sinne, whan the love of any thing
weyeth in the herte of man as muchel as the love of god, or more. / ‘Deedly
sinne,’ as seith seint Augustin, ‘is, whan a man turneth his herte fro god,
which that is verray sovereyn bountee, that may nat chaunge, and yeveth his
herte to thing that may chaunge and flitte’; / and certes, that is every
thing, save god of hevene. For sooth is, that if a man yeve his love, the
which that he oweth al to god with al his herte, un-to a creature, certes,
as muche of his love as he yeveth to thilke creature, so muche he bireveth
fro god; / and therfore doth he sinne. For he, that is dettour to god, ne
yeldeth nat to god al his dette, that is to seyn, al the love of his herte.
/370
358. E. _om._ oghte. 361. sinnes] E. sinne. 363. E. Hn. Cm. in the
botme. 367. E. wexeth (_for_ weyeth). 369. E. as he yeueth of his
loue.
§ 22. Now sith man understondeth generally, which is venial sinne, thanne
is it covenable to tellen specially of sinnes whiche that many a man
per-aventure ne demeth hem nat sinnes, and ne shryveth him nat of the same
thinges; and yet nathelees they been sinnes. / Soothly, as thise clerkes
wryten, this is to seyn, that at every tyme that a man eteth or drinketh
more than suffyseth to the sustenaunce of his body, in certein he dooth
sinne. / And eek whan he speketh more than nedeth, it is sinne. Eke whan he
herkneth nat benignely the compleint of the povre. / Eke whan he is in hele
of body and wol nat faste, whan othere folk faste, withouten cause
resonable. Eke whan he slepeth more than nedeth, or whan he comth by thilke
enchesoun to late to chirche, or to othere werkes of charite. / Eke whan he
useth his wyf, withouten sovereyn desyr of engendrure, to the honour of
god, or for the entente to yelde to his wyf the dette of his body. /375 Eke
whan he wol nat visite the sike and the prisoner, if he may. Eke if he love
wyf or child, or other worldly thing, more than resoun requyreth. Eke if he
flatere or blandishe more than him oghte for any necessitee. / Eke if he
amenuse or withdrawe the almesse of the povre. Eke if he apparailleth his
mete more deliciously than nede is, or ete it to hastily by likerousnesse.
/ Eke if he tale vanitees at chirche or at goddes service, or that he be a
talker of ydel wordes of folye or of vileinye; for he shal yelden acountes
of it at the day of dome. / Eke whan he biheteth or assureth to do [591]
thinges that he may nat perfourne. Eke whan that he, by lightnesse or
folie, misseyeth or scorneth his neighebore. / Eke whan he hath any wikked
suspecion of thing, ther he ne woot of it no soothfastnesse. /380 Thise
thinges and mo with-oute nombre been sinnes, as seith seint Augustin. /
371. E. Cp. Pt. Ln. hem (_for_ him). 374. E. hym oghte (_for_ othere
folk). 376. E. Hn. blandise. 377. Hl. body (_for_ mete). E. Cm.
_om._ it. 378. Hl. talke of (_for_ tale). 379. Hn. Hl. acounte.
Now shal men understonde, that al-be-it so that noon erthely man may eschue
alle venial sinnes, yet may he refreyne him by the brenninge love that he
hath to oure lord Iesu Crist, and by preyeres and confession and othere
gode werkes, so that it shal but litel greve. / For, as seith seint
Augustin: ‘if a man love god in swiche manere, that al that evere he doth
is in the love of god, and for the love of god verraily, for he brenneth in
the love of god: / loke, how muche that a drope of water that falleth in a
fourneys ful of fyr anoyeth or greveth, so muche anoyeth a venial sinne
un-to a man that is parfit in the love of Iesu Crist.’ / Men may also
refreyne venial sinne by receyvinge worthily of the precious body of Iesu
Crist; /385 by receyving eek of holy water; by almesdede; by general
confession of _Confiteor_ at masse and at complin; and by blessinge of
bisshopes and of preestes, and by othere gode werkes. /
382. E. restreyne (_for_ refreyne); _see_ 385. 386. E. _om._ by
_before_ othere.
=Explicit secunda pars penitentie.=
=Sequitur De Septem Peccatis Mortalibus et eorum dependenciis
circumstanciis et speciebus.=
§ 23. Now is it bihovely thing to telle whiche been the deedly sinnes, this
is to seyn, chieftaines of sinnes; alle they renne in o lees, but in
diverse maneres. Now been they cleped chieftaines for-as-muche as they been
chief, and springers of alle othere sinnes. / Of the roote of thise sevene
sinnes thanne is Pryde, the general rote of alle harmes; for of this rote
springen certein braunches, as Ire, Envye, Accidie or Slewthe, Avarice or
Coveitise (to commune understondinge), Glotonye, and Lecherye. / And
everich of thise chief sinnes hath hise braunches and hise twigges, as shal
be declared in hir chapitres folwinge. /
HEADING. _So in_ E.; _but_ E. _adds_ De Superbia, _which should come at
the head of_ § 24, _as in_ Hn. 387. Hl. springers; Hn. sprynge; E.
Pt. Ln. spryngen.
=De Superbia.=
§ 24. And thogh so be that no man can outrely telle the [592] nombre of the
twigges and of the harmes that cometh of Pryde, yet wol I shewe a partie of
hem, as ye shul understonde. /390 Ther is Inobedience, Avauntinge,
Ipocrisie, Despyt, Arrogance, Impudence, Swellinge of herte, Insolence,
Elacion, Impacience, Strif, Contumacie, Presumpcion, Irreverence,
Pertinacie, Veyne Glorie; and many another twig that I can nat declare. /
Inobedient, is he that disobeyeth for despyt to the comandements of god and
to hise sovereyns, and to his goostly fader. / Avauntour, is he that
bosteth of the harm or of the bountee that he hath doon. / Ipocrite, is he
that hydeth to shewe him swiche as he is, and sheweth him swiche as he
noght is. / Despitous, is he that hath desdeyn of his neighebore, that is
to seyn, of his evene-cristene, or hath despyt to doon that him oghte to
do. /395 Arrogant, is he that thinketh that he hath thilke bountees in him
that he hath noght, or weneth that he sholde have hem by hise desertes; or
elles he demeth that he be that he nis nat. / Impudent, is he that for his
pride hath no shame of hise sinnes. / Swellinge of herte, is whan a man
reioyseth him of harm that he hath doon. / Insolent, is he that despyseth
in his Iugement alle othere folk as to regard of his value, and of his
conning, and of his speking, and of his bering. / Elacion, is whan he ne
may neither suffre to have maister ne felawe. /400 Impacient, is he that
wol nat been y-taught ne undernome of his vyce, and by stryf werreieth
trouthe witingly, and deffendeth his folye. / _Contumax_, is he that thurgh
his indignacion is agayns everich auctoritee or power of hem that been hise
sovereyns. / Presumpcion, is whan a man undertaketh an empryse that him
oghte nat do, or elles that he may nat do; and that is called Surquidrie.
Irreverence, is whan men do nat honour thereas hem oghte to doon, and
waiten to be reverenced. / Pertinacie, is whan man deffendeth his folye,
and trusteth to muchel in his owene wit. / Veyne glorie, is for to have
pompe and delyt in his temporel hynesse, and glorifie him in this worldly
estaat. /405 Ianglinge, is whan men speken to muche biforn folk, and
clappen as a mille, and taken no kepe what they seye. /
390. E. Hn. _om. 2nd_ the. 391. Pt. Hl. Imprudence; E. Hn. Inpudence.
E. Hn. Pt. Inpatience; _rest imperfect here._ 395. E. _om. 2nd_
his. 401. Ln. Hl. Impacient; _rest_ Inpatient (_or imperfect_). Pt.
Hl. vices. 403. E. and this is. E. Hn. surquidie. 404. E. hise
folies. 405. E. temporeel.
§ 25. And yet is ther a privee spece of Pryde, that waiteth first to be
salewed er he wole salewe, al be he lasse worth than that [593] other is,
per-aventure; and eek he waiteth or desyreth to sitte, or elles to goon
above him in the wey, or kisse pax, or been encensed, or goon to offring
biforn his neighebore, / and swiche semblable thinges; agayns his duetee,
per-aventure, but that he hath his herte and his entente in swich a proud
desyr to be magnifyed and honoured biforn the peple. /
§ 26. Now been ther two maneres of Pryde; that oon of hem is with-inne the
herte of man, and that other is with-oute. / Of whiche soothly thise
forseyde thinges, and mo than I have seyd, apertenen to pryde that is in
the herte of man; and that othere speces of pryde been with-oute. /410 But
natheles that oon of thise speces of pryde is signe of that other, right as
the gaye leefsel atte taverne is signe of the wyn that is in the celer. /
And this is in manye thinges: as in speche and contenaunce, and in
outrageous array of clothing; / for certes, if ther ne hadde be no sinne in
clothing, Crist wolde nat have noted and spoken of the clothing of thilke
riche man in the gospel. / And, as seith Seint Gregorie, that precious
clothing is coupable for the derthe of it, and for his softenesse, and for
his strangenesse and degysinesse, and for the superfluitee, or for the
inordinat scantnesse of it. / Allas! may men nat seen, as in oure dayes,
the sinful costlewe array of clothinge, and namely in to muche
superfluitee, or elles in to desordinat scantnesse? /415
410. _So_ E. Hn. Hl.; _perhaps read_ and that other spece of pryde is;
Pt. Ln. and ther-to other spices of pride bene. 411. Pt. Ln. Hl.
spices. Hn. leuesel; Hl. leuesselle; Pt. leeuesell; Ln. leuesal.
414. Pt. disgisenesse; Ln. Hl. disgisinesse. or] E. and.
§ 27. As to the firste sinne, that is in superfluitee of clothinge, which
that maketh it so dere, to harm of the peple; / nat only the cost of
embroudinge, the degyse endentinge or barringe, oundinge, palinge,
windinge, or bendinge, and semblable wast of clooth in vanitee; / but ther
is also costlewe furringe in hir gounes, so muche pounsoninge of chisels to
maken holes, so muche dagginge of sheres; / forth-with the superfluitee in
lengthe of the forseide gounes, trailinge in the dong and in the myre, on
horse and eek on fote, as wel of man as of womman, that al thilke trailing
is verraily as in effect wasted, consumed, thredbare, and roten with donge,
rather than it is yeven to the povre; to greet [594] damage of the forseyde
povre folk. / And that in sondry wyse: this is to seyn, that the more that
clooth is wasted, the more it costeth to the peple for the scantnesse; /420
and forther-over, if so be that they wolde yeven swich pounsoned and dagged
clothing to the povre folk, it is nat convenient to were for hir estaat, ne
suffisant to bete hir necessitee, to kepe hem fro the distemperance of the
firmament. / Upon that other syde, to speken of the horrible disordinat
scantnesse of clothing, as been thise cutted sloppes or hainselins, that
thurgh hir shortnesse ne covere nat the shameful membres of man, to wikked
entente. / Allas! somme of hem shewen the boce of hir shap, and the
horrible swollen membres, that semeth lyk the maladie of hirnia, in the
wrappinge of hir hoses; / and eek the buttokes of hem faren as it were the
hindre part of a she-ape in the fulle of the mone. / And more-over, the
wrecched swollen membres that they shewe thurgh the degysinge, in
departinge of hir hoses in whyt and reed, semeth that half hir shameful
privee membres weren flayn. /425 And if so be that they departen hire hoses
in othere colours, as is whyt and blak, or whyt and blew, or blak and reed,
and so forth; / thanne semeth it, as by variance of colour, that half the
partie of hir privee membres were corrupt by the fyr of seint Antony, or by
cancre, or by other swich meschaunce. / Of the hindre part of hir buttokes,
it is ful horrible for to see. For certes, in that partie of hir body
ther-as they purgen hir stinkinge ordure, / that foule partie shewe they to
the peple proudly in despyt of honestetee, the which honestetee that Iesu
Crist and hise freendes observede to shewen in hir lyve. / Now as of the
outrageous array of wommen, god woot, that though the visages of somme of
hem seme ful chaast and debonaire, yet notifie they in hir array of atyr
likerousnesse and pryde. /430 I sey nat that honestetee in clothinge of man
or womman is uncovenable, but certes the superfluitee or disordinat
scantitee of clothinge is reprevable. / Also the sinne of aornement or of
apparaille is in thinges that apertenen to rydinge, as in to manye delicat
horses that been holden for delyt, that been so faire, fatte, and costlewe;
/ and also to many a vicious knave that is sustened [595] by cause of hem;
in to curious harneys, as in sadeles, in crouperes, peytrels, and brydles
covered with precious clothing and riche, barres and plates of gold and of
silver. / For which god seith by Zakarie the prophete, ‘I wol confounde the
ryderes of swiche horses.’ / This folk taken litel reward of the rydinge of
goddes sone of hevene, and of his harneys whan he rood up-on the asse, and
ne hadde noon other harneys but the povre clothes of hise disciples; ne we
ne rede nat that evere he rood on other beest. /435 I speke this for the
sinne of superfluitee, and nat for reasonable honestetee, whan reson it
requyreth. / And forther, certes pryde is greetly notified in holdinge of
greet meinee, whan they be of litel profit or of right no profit. / And
namely, whan that meinee is felonous and damageous to the peple, by
hardinesse of heigh lordshipe or by wey of offices. / For certes, swiche
lordes sellen thanne hir lordshipe to the devel of helle, whanne they
sustenen the wikkednesse of hir meinee. / Or elles whan this folk of lowe
degree, as thilke that holden hostelries, sustenen the thefte of hir
hostilers, and that is in many manere of deceites. /440 Thilke manere of
folk been the flyes that folwen the hony, or elles the houndes that folwen
the careyne. Swiche forseyde folk stranglen spiritually hir lordshipes; /
for which thus seith David the prophete, ‘wikked deeth mote come up-on
thilke lordshipes, and god yeve that they mote descenden in-to helle al
doun; for in hir houses been iniquitees and shrewednesses,’ and nat god of
hevene. / And certes, but-if they doon amendement, right as god yaf his
benison to Laban by the service of Iacob, and to Pharao by the service of
Ioseph, right so god wol yeve his malison to swiche lordshipes as sustenen
the wikkednesse of hir servaunts, but-if they come to amendement. / Pryde
of the table appereth eek ful ofte; for certes, riche men been cleped to
festes, and povre folk been put awey and rebuked. / Also in excesse of
diverse metes and drinkes; and namely, swiche manere bake metes and
dish-metes, brenninge of wilde fyr, and peynted and castelled with papir,
and semblable wast; so that it is abusion for to thinke. /445 And eek in to
greet preciousnesse of vessel and curiositee of minstralcie, by whiche a
man is stired the more to delyces of luxurie, / [596] if so be that he
sette his herte the lasse up-on oure lord Iesu Crist, certein it is a
sinne; and certeinly the delyces mighte been so grete in this caas, that
man mighte lightly falle by hem in-to deedly sinne. / The especes that
sourden of pryde, soothly whan they sourden of malice ymagined, avysed, and
forncast, or elles of usage, been deedly synnes, it is no doute. / And whan
they sourden by freletee unavysed sodeinly, and sodeinly withdrawen ayein,
al been they grevouse sinnes, I gesse that they ne been nat deedly. / Now
mighte men axe wher-of that Pryde sourdeth and springeth, and I seye:
somtyme it springeth of the goodes of nature, and som-tyme of the goodes of
fortune, and som-tyme of the goodes of grace. /450 Certes, the goodes of
nature stonden outher in goodes of body or in goodes of soule. / Certes,
goodes of body been hele of body, as strengthe, delivernesse, beautee,
gentrye, franchise. / Goodes of nature of the soule been good wit, sharp
understondynge, subtil engin, vertu naturel, good memorie. / Goodes of
fortune been richesses, highe degrees of lordshipes, preisinges of the
peple. / Goodes of grace been science, power to suffre spirituel travaille,
benignitee, vertuous contemplacion, withstondinge of temptacion, and
semblable thinges. /455 Of whiche forseyde goodes, certes it is a ful greet
folye a man to pryden him in any of hem alle. / Now as for to speken of
goodes of nature, god woot that som-tyme we han hem in nature as muche to
oure damage as to oure profit. / As, for to speken of hele of body; certes
it passeth ful lightly, and eek it is ful ofte encheson of the siknesse of
oure soule; for god woot, the flesh is a ful greet enemy to the soule: and
therfore, the more that the body is hool, the more be we in peril to falle.
/ Eke for to pryde him in his strengthe of body, it is an heigh folye; for
certes, the flesh coveiteth agayn the spirit, and ay the more strong that
the flesh is, the sorier may the soule be: / and, over al this, strengthe
of body and worldly hardinesse causeth ful ofte many a man to peril and
meschaunce. /460 Eek for to pryde him of his gentrye is ful greet folye;
for ofte tyme the gentrye of the body binimeth the gentrye of the soule;
and eek we ben alle of o fader and of o moder; and alle we been of o nature
roten and corrupt, both riche and povre. / [597] For sothe, o manere
gentrye is for to preise, that apparailleth mannes corage with vertues and
moralitees, and maketh him Cristes child. / For truste wel, that over what
man sinne hath maistrie, he is a verray cherl to sinne. /
416. E. _om._ that is. 417. Hn. Pt. enbrawdynge. E. _om._ or _bef._
barringe. E. owndynge. 418. E. powsonynge; Hn. pownsonynge; Ln.
pounseinge; Hl. pounsyng. Pt. chisels; E. Hn. chisel; _rest_
chiseles (cheseles). 419. E. men; wo_m_men. 421. E. powsoned; Hn.
pownsonyd; Pt. pounsoned; Ln. Hl. pounsed. 422. E. haynselyns; Hn.
hanselyns; Ln. hanslynes; Pt. hanselynes; Hl. anslets; Harl. 1758,
haunseleynys. 425. _All but_ E. _om._ the _bef._ degysinge. E.
flayne. 429. E. honestitee (_twice_); Hn. honestetee; _rest_ honeste;
_so in_ 431, 436. 430. E. _om._ as. 432. Pt. anornement; Hl. here
ornament. 440. E. sustenynge; Hn. sustenen; Cm. Hl. susteyne. 442.
E. vp; Hn. vp on; Hl. vpon; Pt. Ln. on. E. al doun (_twice_); Hn.
adown (_twice_); Cm. al doun (_once_). 443. _All_ MSS. _transpose_
Laban _and_ Pharao. E. seruauntz. 448. Pt. Ln. Hl. espices. 449.
E. _om. 1st_ sodeinly. 452. E. gentries; Hl. Pt. gentrie; _rest_
genterye; _see_ 461. 453. E. natureel. 454. E. Ln. richesse. 455.
E. spiritueel. 460. _So in all_.
§ 28. Now been ther generale signes of gentilesse; as eschewinge of vyce
and ribaudye and servage of sinne, in word, in werk, and contenance; / and
usinge vertu, curteisye, and clennesse, and to be liberal, that is to seyn,
large by mesure; for thilke that passeth mesure is folye and sinne. /465
Another is, to remembre him of bountee that he of other folk hath receyved.
/ Another is, to be benigne to hise goode subgetis; wherfore, as seith
Senek, ‘ther is no-thing more covenable to a man of heigh estaat than
debonairetee and pitee. / And therfore thise flyes that men clepeth bees,
whan they maken hir king, they chesen oon that hath no prikke wherwith he
may stinge.’ / Another is, a man to have a noble herte and a diligent, to
attayne to heighe vertuouse thinges. / Now certes, a man to pryde him in
the goodes of grace is eek an outrageous folye; for thilke yiftes of grace
that sholde have turned him to goodnesse and to medicine, turneth him to
venim and to confusion, as seith seint Gregorie. /470 Certes also, who-so
prydeth him in the goodes of fortune, he is a ful greet fool; for som-tyme
is a man a greet lord by the morwe, that is a caitif and a wrecche er it be
night: / and somtyme the richesse of a man is cause of his deeth; somtyme
the delyces of a man is cause of the grevous maladye thurgh which he dyeth.
/ Certes, the commendacion of the peple is somtyme ful fals and ful brotel
for to triste; this day they preyse, tomorwe they blame. / God woot, desyr
to have commendacion of the peple hath caused deeth to many a bisy man. /
467. E. Cm. _om._ as. 469. E. man; _rest_ a man. 470. E. yifte;
_rest_ yiftes. N.B. Section 470 _follows_ 474 _in_ Hn. Pt.; _see
note_.
=Remedium contra peccatum Superbie.=
§ 29. Now sith that so is, that ye han understonde what is pryde, and
whiche been the speces of it, and whennes pride sourdeth and springeth;
/475 now shul ye understonde which is the remedie agayns the sinne of
pryde, and that is, humilitee or mekenesse. / That is a vertu, thurgh which
a man hath verray knoweleche of him-self, and holdeth of him-self no prys
ne deyntee as in regard of hise desertes, consideringe evere his freletee.
/ Now [598] been ther three maneres of humilitee; as humilitee in herte,
and another humilitee in his mouth; the thridde in hise werkes. / The
humilitee in herte is in foure maneres: that oon is, whan a man holdeth
him-self as noght worth biforn god of hevene. Another is, whan he ne
despyseth noon other man. / The thridde is, whan he rekketh nat thogh men
holde him noght worth. The ferthe is, whan he nis nat sory of his
humiliacion. /480 Also, the humilitee of mouth is in foure thinges: in
attempree speche, and in humblesse of speche, and whan he biknoweth with
his owene mouth that he is swich as him thinketh that he is in his herte.
Another is, whan he preiseth the bountee of another man, and nothing
ther-of amenuseth. / Humilitee eek in werkes is in foure maneres: the
firste is, whan he putteth othere men biforn him. The seconde is, to chese
the loweste place over-al. The thridde is, gladly to assente to good
conseil. / The ferthe is, to stonde gladly to the award of hise sovereyns,
or of him that is in hyer degree; certein, this is a greet werk of
humilitee. /