(William Gregory's Commonplace-Book.)
Memento homo q{uod} cinis es et in cinerem reuerteris.
Whenne lyfe ys moste louyde, and dethe ys moste hatyde,
Dethe drawythe hys draught{e}, and makythe man nakyde.
1 Erthe owte of þe erthe ys wounderly wrought{e}, 4
Erthe vppon erthe hathe sette hys thought{e}
Howe erthe a-pon erthe may be hy brought{e}[1].
2 Erthe vppon erthe wolde be a kynge;
Howe erthe shalle vnto erthe thynkythe he noo thynge. 8
Whenne erthe byddys erthe hys rentys home brynge,
Thenne shalle erthe of the erthe haue a pytyus partynge.
3 Erthe a-pon erthe wynnys castellis and towrys;
Thenne erthe saythe vnto[2] erthe: 'Thys ys alle owrys'. 12
Whenne erthe a-pon erthe hathe bylde vppe hys bourys,
Thenne shalle erthe for the erthe suffer sharpe schowrys.
4 Erthe goythe a-pon erthe as molde a-pon molde;
Erthe gothe a-pon erthe alle gleterynge in golde, 16
Lyke as erthe vnto erthe neuyr [go][3] scholde,
And yet shalle erthe vnto erthe rathyr thenne he wolde.
5 Why erthe louythe erthe woundyr I thynke,
Or why erthe for the erthe swete wylle or swynke, 20
Ffor whenne erthe a-pon erthe ys brought{e} w{i}t{h}yn brynke,
Thenne shalle erthe of erthe haue a foule stynke.
6 Loo erthe a-pon erthe consyder þ{o}u may
Howe erthe comythe to erthe nakyd alle day. 24
Why scholde erthe a-pon erthe goo stowte and gay,
Syn erthe vnto erthe shalle pas in pore a-ray?
7 I consylle erthe a-pon erthe þ{a}t wyckydly hathe wrought{e},
Whyle erthe ys a-pon erthe to turne vppe hys thought{e}, 28
And pray to God a-pon erthe that alle the erthe
hathe wrought{e}, [fol. 55, v^o.]
That erthe owte of the erthe to blys may be brought.
Amen. Caue si vis.
[Footnote 1: The second line in omitted here and in No. 5, where a
new line has been added.]
[Footnote 2: MS. _vnt_.]
[Footnote 3: Omitted in MS., but required by metre.]
5.