§ 33. This sinne of Ire, after the discryving of seint Augustin, is wikked
wil to been avenged by word or by dede. /535 Ire, after the philosophre, is
the fervent blood of man y-quiked in his herte, thurgh which he wole harm
to him that he hateth. / For certes the herte of man, by eschaufinge and
moevinge of his blood, wexeth so trouble, that he is out of alle Iugement
of resoun. / But ye shal understonde that Ire is in two maneres; that oon
of hem is good, and that other is wikked. / The gode Ire is by Ialousye of
goodnesse, thurgh which a man is wrooth with wikkednesse and agayns
wikkednesse; and therfore seith a wys man, that ‘Ire is bet than pley.’ /
This Ire is with debonairetee, and it is wrooth withouten bitternesse; nat
wrooth agayns the man, but wrooth with the misdede of the man; as seith the
prophete David, _Irascimini et nolite peccare_. /540 Now understondeth,
that wikked Ire is in two maneres, that is to seyn, sodeyn Ire or hastif
Ire, withouten avisement and consentinge of resoun. / The mening and the
sens of this is, that the resoun of man ne consente nat to thilke sodeyn
Ire; and thanne it is venial. / Another Ire is ful wikked, that comth of
felonye of herte avysed and cast biforn; with wikked wil to do vengeance,
and therto his resoun consenteth; and soothly this is deedly sinne. / This
Ire is so displesant to god, that it troubleth his hous and chaceth the
holy goost out of mannes soule, and wasteth and destroyeth the lyknesse of
god, that is to seyn, the vertu that is in mannes soule; / and put in him
the lyknesse of the devel, and binimeth the man fro god that is his
rightful lord. /545 This Ire is a ful greet plesaunce to the devel; for it
is the develes fourneys, that is eschaufed with the fyr of helle. / For
certes, right so as fyr is more mighty to destroyen erthely thinges than
any other element, right so Ire is mighty to destroyen alle spirituel
thinges. / Loke how that fyr of smale gledes, that been almost dede under
asshen, wollen quike agayn whan they been touched with brimstoon; right so
Ire wol everemo quiken agayn, whan it is touched by the pryde that is
covered in mannes herte. / For certes fyr ne may nat comen out of no-thing,
but-if it were first in the same thing naturelly; as fyr is drawen out of
flintes [603] with steel. / And right so as pryde is ofte tyme matere of
Ire, right so is rancour norice and keper of Ire. /550 Ther is a maner
tree, as seith seint Isidre, that whan men maken fyr of thilke tree, and
covere the coles of it with asshen, soothly the fyr of it wol lasten al a
yeer or more. / And right so fareth it of rancour; whan it is ones
conceyved in the hertes of som men, certein, it wol lasten peraventure from
oon Estre-day unto another Estre-day, and more. / But certes, thilke man is
ful fer fro the mercy of god al thilke while. /
547. E. spiritueel. 549. E. natureelly. 551. E. fire. 553. E. in
(_for_ al).
§ 34. In this forseyde develes fourneys ther forgen three shrewes: Pryde,
that ay bloweth and encreseth the fyr by chydinge and wikked wordes. /
Thanne stant Envye, and holdeth the hote iren upon the herte of man with a
peire of longe tonges of long rancour. /555 And thanne stant the sinne of
contumelie or stryf and cheeste, and batereth and forgeth by vileyns
reprevinges. / Certes, this cursed sinne anoyeth bothe to the man him-self
and eek to his neighebor. For soothly, almost al the harm that any man
dooth to his neighebore comth of wratthe. / For certes, outrageous wratthe
doth al that evere the devel him comaundeth; for he ne spareth neither
Crist, ne his swete mooder. / And in his outrageous anger and Ire, allas!
allas! ful many oon at that tyme feleth in his herte ful wikkedly, bothe of
Crist and of alle hise halwes. / Is nat this a cursed vice? Yis, certes.
Allas! it binimeth from man his wit and his resoun, and al his debonaire
lyf espirituel that sholde kepen his soule. /560 Certes, it binimeth eek
goddes due lordshipe, and that is mannes soule, and the love of hise
neighebores. It stryveth eek alday agayn trouthe. It reveth him the quiete
of his herte, and subverteth his soule. /
554. E. encreesseth. 555. E. toonges. 558. Hl. _om._ swete. 560.
E. espiritueel.
§ 35. Of Ire comen thise stinkinge engendrures: first hate, that is old
wratthe; discord, thurgh which a man forsaketh his olde freend that he hath
loved ful longe. / And thanne cometh werre, and every manere of wrong that
man dooth to his neighebore, in body or in catel. / Of this cursed sinne of
Ire cometh eek manslaughtre. And understonde wel, that homicyde, that is
manslaughtre, is in dyverse wyse. Som manere of homicyde is spirituel, and
som is bodily. / Spirituel manslaughtre is in six [604] thinges. First, by
hate; as seint Iohn seith, ‘he that hateth his brother is homicyde.’ /565
Homicyde is eek by bakbytinge; of whiche bakbyteres seith Salomon, that
‘they han two swerdes with whiche they sleen hir neighebores.’ For soothly,
as wikke is to binime his good name as his lyf. / Homicyde is eek, in
yevinge of wikked conseil by fraude; as for to yeven conseil to areysen
wrongful custumes and taillages. / Of whiche seith Salomon, ‘Leon rorynge
and bere hongry been lyke to the cruel lordshipes,’ in withholdinge or
abregginge of the shepe (or the hyre), or of the wages of servaunts, or
elles in usure or in withdrawinge of the almesse of povre folk. / For which
the wyse man seith, ‘fedeth him that almost dyeth for honger’; for soothly,
but-if thou fede him, thou sleest him; and alle thise been deadly sinnes. /
Bodily manslaughtre is, whan thow sleest him with thy tonge in other
manere; as whan thou comandest to sleen a man, or elles yevest him conseil
to sleen a man. /570 Manslaughtre in dede is in foure maneres. That oon is
by lawe; right as a Iustice dampneth him that is coupable to the deeth. But
lat the Iustice be war that he do it rightfully, and that he do it nat for
delyt to spille blood, but for kepinge of rightwisenesse. / Another
homicyde is, that is doon for necessitee, as whan o man sleeth another in
his defendaunt, and that he ne may noon otherwise escape from his owene
deeth. / But certeinly, if he may escape withouten manslaughtre of his
adversarie, and sleeth him, he doth sinne, and he shal bere penance as for
deedly sinne. / Eek if a man, by caas or aventure, shete an arwe or caste a
stoon with which he sleeth a man, he is homicyde. / Eek if a womman by
necligence overlyeth hir child in hir sleping, it is homicyde and deedly
sinne. /575 Eek whan man destourbeth concepcion of a child, and maketh a
womman outher bareyne by drinkinge venemouse herbes, thurgh which she may
nat conceyve, or sleeth a child by drinkes wilfully, or elles putteth
certeine material thinges in hir secree places to slee the child; / or
elles doth unkindely sinne, by which man or womman shedeth hir nature in
manere or in place ther-as a child may nat be conceived; or elles, if a
womman have conceyved and hurt hir-self, [605] and sleeth the child, yet is
it homicyde. / What seye we eek of wommen that mordren hir children for
drede of worldly shame? Certes, an horrible homicyde. / Homicyde is eek if
a man approcheth to a womman by desir of lecherye, thurgh which the child
is perissed, or elles smyteth a womman witingly, thurgh which she leseth
hir child. Alle thise been homicydes and horrible deedly sinnes. / Yet
comen ther of Ire manye mo sinnes, as wel in word as in thoght and in dede;
as he that arretteth upon god, or blameth god, of thing of which he is
him-self gilty; or despyseth god and alle hise halwes, as doon thise
cursede hasardours in diverse contrees. /580 This cursed sinne doon they,
whan they felen in hir hertes ful wikkedly of god and of hise halwes. /
Also, whan they treten unreverently the sacrement of the auter, thilke
sinne is so greet, that unnethe may it been relesed, but that the mercy of
god passeth alle hise werkes; it is so greet and he so benigne. / Thanne
comth of Ire attry angre; whan a man is sharply amonested in his shrifte to
forleten his sinne, / than wole he be angry and answeren hokerly and
angrily, and deffenden or excusen his sinne by unstedefastnesse of his
flesh; or elles he dide it for to holde companye with hise felawes, or
elles, he seith, the fend entyced him; / or elles he dide it for his
youthe, or elles his complexioun is so corageous, that he may nat forbere;
or elles it is his destinee, as he seith, unto a certein age; or elles, he
seith, it cometh him of gentillesse of hise auncestres; and semblable
thinges. /585 Alle this manere of folk so wrappen hem in hir sinnes, that
they ne wol nat delivere hem-self. For soothly, no wight that excuseth him
wilfully of his sinne may nat been delivered of his sinne, til that he
mekely biknoweth his sinne. / After this, thanne cometh swering, that is
expres agayn the comandement of god; and this bifalleth ofte of anger and
of Ire. / God seith: ‘thou shalt nat take the name of thy lord god in veyn
or in ydel.’ Also oure lord Iesu Crist seith by the word of seint Mathew:
‘_Nolite iurare omnino_: / ne wol ye nat swere in alle manere; neither by
hevene, for it is goddes trone; ne by erthe, for it is the bench of his
feet; ne by Ierusalem, for it is the citee of a greet king; ne by thyn
heed, for thou mayst nat make an heer whyt ne blak. / But seyeth by youre
word, “ye, ye,” and “nay, nay”; and what [606] that is more, it is of
yvel,’ seith Crist. /590 For Cristes sake, ne swereth nat so sinfully, in
dismembringe of Crist by soule, herte, bones, and body. For certes, it
semeth that ye thinke that the cursede Iewes ne dismembred nat y-nough the
preciouse persone of Crist, but ye dismembre him more. / And if so be that
the lawe compelle yow to swere, thanne rule yow after the lawe of god in
youre swering, as seith Ieremye _quarto capitulo_, ‘_Iurabis in veritate,
in iudido et in iustida_: thou shalt kepe three condicions; thou shalt
swere in trouthe, in doom, and in rightwisnesse.’ / This is to seyn, thou
shalt swere sooth; for every lesinge is agayns Crist. For Crist is verray
trouthe. And think wel this, that every greet swerere, nat compelled
lawefully to swere, the wounde shal nat departe from his hous whyl he useth
swich unleveful swering. / Thou shalt sweren eek in doom, whan thou art
constreyned by thy domesman to witnessen the trouthe. / Eek thou shalt nat
swere for envye ne for favour, ne for mede, but for rightwisnesse; for
declaracioun of it to the worship of god and helping of thyne
evene-cristene. /595 And therfore, every man that taketh goddes name in
ydel, or falsly swereth with his mouth, or elles taketh on him the name of
Crist, to be called a Cristene man, and liveth agayns Cristes livinge and
his techinge, alle they taken goddes name in ydel. / Loke eek what seint
Peter seith, _Actuum quarto capitulo_, ‘_Non est aliud nomen sub celo_,’
&c. ‘Ther nis noon other name,’ seith seint Peter, ‘under hevene, yeven to
men, in which they mowe be saved;’ that is to seyn, but the name of Iesu
Crist. / Take kepe eek how that the precious name of Crist, as seith seint
Paul _ad Philipenses secundo_, ‘_In nomine Iesu_, &c.: that in the name of
Iesu every knee of hevenely creatures, or erthely, or of helle sholden
bowe’; for it is so heigh and so worshipful, that the cursede feend in
helle sholde tremblen to heren it y-nempned. / Thanne semeth it, that men
that sweren so horribly by his blessed name, that they despyse him more
boldely than dide the cursede Iewes, or elles the devel, that trembleth
whan he hereth his name. /
562. E. _om._ that he hath loved. 564, 565. E. spiritueel. 565. Pt.
Hl. an homicide. 566. E. the (_for 2nd_ they). 568. E. crueel.
Hl. Ln. schipe. E. vsures. 570. Hl. _om._ him _before_ conseil.
572. Hl. him (_for_ in his). 576. E. Cm. venenouse; Hl. venenous.
Hl. place. 577. -self] E. child. 577. is it] E. it is. 582. E.
releessed. 585. E. conplecciou_n_. 588. Christchurch MS.
_Nolite—omnino_; _and in margin of_ E.; _rest om._ 589. Ln.
throne. 592. E. (_in margin_) _Iurabis—iusticia_; Chr. (_in text_);
_rest om._ 593. Hl. wonder (_for_ wounde!). 595. E. and for
declaracioun; Chr. for declaracioun; Cm. Pt. Ln. Hl. for declarynge.
597. Cm. cº; Hl. caº (i.e. _capitulo_); _rest om._ 599. E.
horriblely.
§ 36. Now certes, sith that swering, but-if it be lawefully doon, [607] is
so heighly deffended, muche worse is forswering falsly, and yet nedelees.
/600
§ 37. What seye we eek of hem that delyten hem in swering, and holden it a
gentrie or a manly dede to swere grete othes? And what of hem that, of
verray usage, ne cesse nat to swere grete othes, al be the cause nat worth
a straw? Certes, this is horrible sinne. / Sweringe sodeynly with-oute
avysement is eek a sinne. / But lat us go now to thilke horrible swering of
adiuracioun and coniuracioun, as doon thise false enchauntours or
nigromanciens in bacins ful of water, or in a bright swerd, in a cercle, or
in a fyr, or in a shulder-boon of a sheep. / I can nat seye but that they
doon cursedly and damnably, agayns Crist and al the feith of holy chirche.
/