§ 38. What seye we of hem that bileven in divynailes, as by flight or by
noyse of briddes, or of bestes, or by sort, by geomancie, by dremes, by
chirkinge of dores, or crakkinge of houses, by gnawynge of rattes, and
swich manere wrecchednesse? /605 Certes, al this thing is deffended by god
and by al holy chirche. For which they been acursed, til they come to
amendement, that on swich filthe setten hir bileve. / Charmes for woundes
or maladye of men, or of bestes, if they taken any effect, it may be
peraventure that god suffreth it, for folk sholden yeve the more feith and
reverence to his name. /
605. Cm. Pt. dyuynalis. Hl. crakking; Ln. crakkeynge; E. Cm. Cp. Pt.
crakynge. 607. E. Pt. _om._ may.
§ 39. Now wol I speken of lesinges, which generally is fals significacioun
of word, in entente to deceyven his evene-cristene. / Som lesinge is of
which ther comth noon avantage to no wight: and som lesinge turneth to the
ese or profit of o man, and to disese and damage of another man. / Another
lesinge is for to saven his lyf or his catel. Another lesinge comth of
delyt for to lye, in which delyt they wol forge a long tale, and peynten it
with alle circumstaunces, where al the ground of the tale is fals. /610 Som
lesinge comth, for he wole sustene his word; and som lesinge comth of
recchelesnesse, with-outen avysement; and semblable thinges. /
609. E. and (_for_ or); Pt. either. 610. Selden, Pt. lesinge is;
_rest om._ is. _All but_ Selden, Pt. Ln. _om. 2nd_ Another lesinge.
§ 40. Lat us now touche the vyce of flateringe, which ne comth nat gladly
but for drede or for coveitise. / Flaterye is generally wrongful preisinge.
Flatereres been the develes norices, that [608] norissen hise children with
milk of losengerie. / For sothe, Salomon seith, that ‘flaterie is wors than
detraccioun.’ For som-tyme detraccion maketh an hautein man be the more
humble, for he dredeth detraccion; but certes flaterye, that maketh a man
to enhauncen his herte and his contenaunce. / Flatereres been the develes
enchauntours; for they make a man to wene of him-self be lyk that he nis
nat lyk. /615 They been lyk to Iudas that bitraysed [god; and thise
flatereres bitraysen] a man to sellen him to his enemy, that is, to the
devel. / Flatereres been the develes chapelleyns, that singen evere
_Placebo_. / I rekene flaterye in the vyces of Ire; for ofte tyme, if o man
be wrooth with another, thanne wol he flatere som wight to sustene him in
his querele. /
615. E. the (_for_ they). 616. _All 7_ MSS. _om._ god ...
bitraysen. E. hise. 618. E. flarie (_for_ flaterye).
§ 41. Speke we now of swich cursinge as comth of irous herte. Malisoun
generally may be seyd every maner power or harm. Swich cursinge bireveth
man fro the regne of god, as seith seint Paul. / And ofte tyme swich
cursinge wrongfully retorneth agayn to him that curseth, as a brid that
retorneth agayn to his owene nest. /620 And over alle thing men oghten
eschewe to cursen hir children, and yeven to the devel hir engendrure, as
ferforth as in hem is; certes, it is greet peril and greet sinne. /
§ 42. Lat us thanne speken of chydinge and reproche, whiche been ful grete
woundes in mannes herte; for they unsowen the semes of frendshipe in mannes
herte. / For certes, unnethes may a man pleynly been accorded with him that
hath him openly revyled and repreved in disclaundre. This is a ful grisly
sinne, as Crist seith in the gospel. / And tak kepe now, that he that
repreveth his neighebor, outher he repreveth him by som harm of peyne that
he hath on his body, as ‘mesel,’ ‘croked harlot,’ or by som sinne that he
dooth. / Now if he repreve him by harm of peyne, thanne turneth the repreve
to Iesu Crist; for peyne is sent by the rightwys sonde of god, and by his
suffrance, be it meselrie, or maheym, or maladye. /625 And if he repreve
him uncharitably of sinne, as, ‘thou holour,’ ‘thou dronkelewe harlot,’ and
so forth; thanne aperteneth that to the reioysinge of the devel, that evere
hath Ioye that men doon sinne. / And certes, chydinge may nat come but out
of a vileyns herte. For after the habundance of the herte speketh the mouth
ful ofte. / And ye shul understonde [609] that loke, by any wey, whan any
man shal chastyse another, that he be war from chydinge or reprevinge. For
trewely, but he be war, he may ful lightly quiken the fyr of angre and of
wratthe, which that he sholde quenche, and per-aventure sleeth him which
that he mighte chastyse with benignitee. / For as seith Salomon, ‘the
amiable tonge is the tree of lyf,’ that is to seyn, of lyf espirituel: and
sothly, a deslavee tonge sleeth the spirites of him that repreveth, and eek
of him that is repreved. / Lo, what seith seint Augustin: ‘ther is no-thing
so lyk the develes child as he that ofte chydeth.’ Seint Paul seith eek:
‘I, servant of god, bihove nat to chyde.’ /630 And how that chydinge be a
vileyns thing bitwixe alle manere folk, yet it is certes most uncovenable
bitwixe a man and his wyf; for there is nevere reste. And therfore seith
Salomon, ‘an hous that is uncovered and droppinge, and a chydinge wyf, been
lyke.’ / A man that is in a droppinge hous in many places, though he
eschewe the droppinge in o place, it droppeth on him in another place; so
fareth it by a chydinge wyf. But she chyde him in o place, she wol chyde
him in another. / And therfore, ‘bettre is a morsel of breed with Ioye than
an hous ful of delyces, with chydinge,’ seith Salomon. / Seint Paul seith:
‘O ye wommen, be ye subgetes to youre housbondes as bihoveth in god; and ye
men, loveth youre wyves.’ _Ad Colossenses, tertio_. /
623. E. in disclaundre; _rest_ and desclaundered. 624. E. taak.
625. Ln. mayme; Cm. Pt. maym. 626. E. _om._ thou holour. 628. or]
E. and. 629. E. espiritueel. Hn. deslaue; Cm. Ln. Hl. dislaue; Pt.
disselaue. 630. Cm. Selden, behoue; _rest_ byhoueth (!). 632. E.
manye. 634. E. _om._ as ... god. E. _Colonienses_; Cm.
_Colonienes_; Hn. Pt. _Colonisenses_; Ln. _Clonicenses_; Hl.
_Colocenses_.
§ 43. Afterward speke we of scorninge, which is a wikked sinne; and namely,
whan he scorneth a man for hise gode werkes. /635 For certes, swiche
scorneres faren lyk the foule tode, that may nat endure to smelle the sote
savour of the vyne whanne it florissheth. / Thise scorneres been parting
felawes with the devel; for they han Ioye whan the devel winneth, and sorwe
whan he leseth. / They been adversaries of Iesu Crist; for they haten that
he loveth, that is to seyn, salvacion of soule. /
§ 44. Speke we now of wikked conseil; for he that wikked conseil yeveth is
a traytour. For he deceyveth him that trusteth in him, _ut Achitofel ad
Absolonem_. But natheless, yet is his wikked conseil first agayn him-self.
/ For, as seith the wyse man, [610] every fals livinge hath this propertee
in him-self, that he that wole anoye another man, he anoyeth first
him-self. /640 And men shul understonde, that man shal nat taken his
conseil of fals folk, ne of angry folk, or grevous folk, ne of folk that
loven specially to muchel hir owene profit, ne to muche worldly folk,
namely, in conseilinge of soules. /
639. E. _om. 2nd_ for. 640. _All_ lyuynge (levyng, leueyng); _after
which_ Selden (_alone_) _adds_ man. Selden, Ln. Hl. this; _rest_
his. 641. E. Hn. _om._ ne of folk.
§ 45. Now comth the sinne of hem that sowen and maken discord amonges folk,
which is a sinne that Crist hateth outrely; and no wonder is. For he deyde
for to make concord. / And more shame do they to Crist, than dide they that
him crucifyede; for god loveth bettre, that frendshipe be amonges folk,
than he dide his owene body, the which that he yaf for unitee. Therfore
been they lykned to the devel, that evere been aboute to maken discord. /