And kouthe I nevere, by Crist!
Kepen it clene an houre,

That I ne soiled it with sighte
Or som ydel speche,

Or thorugh werk, or thorugh word,
Or wille of myn herte,

That I ne flobre it foule

Fro morwe til even." [Conscience, "And I shal kenne thee," quod r 'Of contricion to make

That shal clawe thi cote

Of alle kynnes filthe.

Cordis contritio, etc.

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Do-wel shal wasshen and wryngen it

Thorugh a wis confessour.

Oris confessio, etc.

Do-bet shal beten it and bouken it

As bright as any scarlet,

And engreyven it with good wille And Goddes grace to amende the, And sithen sende thee to satisfaccion For to sowen it after.

Satisfactio Do-best,

r

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Shal nevere cheeste by-molen it, Ne mothe after biten it,

Ne fend ne fals man

Defoulen it in thi lyve.
Shal noon heraud ne harpour
Have a fairer garnement
Than Haukyn the actif man,
And thow do by my techyng;
Ne no mynstrall be moore worth
Amonges povere and riche,

Than Haukyns wif the wafrer, 8956

Ne solliciti sitis, etc. Volucres cœli Deus pascit, etc.

vincunt.

Patientes

Thanne laughed Haukyn a litel, And lightly gan swerye,

"Who so leveth yow, by oure Lord!

I leve noght he be blessed."

"No," quod Pacience paciently; And out of his poke hente

Vitailles of grete vertues

For alle manere beestes,

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And seide," Lo here liflode y-nogh!
If oure bileve be trewe.
For lent nevere was lif,
But liflode were shapen,
Wher-of or wher-fore
Or wher-by to libbe.

"First the wilde worm Under weet erthe,

Fissh to lyve in the flood,

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And in the fir the criket,

The corlew by kynde of the eyr
Moost clennest flessh of briddes,
And bestes by gras and by greyn
And by grene rootes,

In menynge that alle men
Myghte the same

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Lyve thorugh leel bileve And love, as God witnesseth." Quodcunque petieritis a patre in nomine meo, etc. Et alibi: Non in solo pane vivit homo, sed in omni verbo quod procedit de ore Dei.

But I lokede what liflode it was
That Pacience so preisede;
And thanne was it a pece of the
Fiat voluntas tua. [pater-noster,
"Have, Haukyn," quod Pacience,
"And et this whan the hungreth,
Or whan thow clomsest for-cold,
Or clyngest for-drye;

Shul nevere gyves thee greve,
Ne gret lordes wrathe,

Prison ne peyne;
For patientes vincunt.
By so that thow be sobre
Of sighte and of tonge,
In etynge and in handlynge,
And in alle thi fyve wittes,
Darstow nevere care for corn,
Ne lynnen cloth ne wollen,
Ne for drynke, ne deeth drede,
But deye as God liketh,

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Or thorugh hunger or thorugh hete,
At his wille be it.

For if thow lyve after his loore,
The shorter lif the bettre.

Si quis amat Christum,

Mundum non diliget istum.

"For thorugh his breeth beestes

And a-brood yeden.

Dixit et facta sunt, etc.

[woxen

Ergo thorugh his breeth mowen

Men and beestes lyven,

As holy writ witnesseth,

Whan men seye hir graces.

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Aperis tu manum tuam, et imples omne animal benedictione.

“It is founden that fourty wynter Folk lyvede withouten tulying; And out of the flynt sprong the flood That folk and beestes dronken; And in Elyes tyme

Hevene was y-closed,

That no reyn ne roon;

Thus rede men in bokes

That many wyntres men lyveden,

And no mete ne tulieden.

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"Sevene slepe, as seith the book, Sevene hundred wynter,

And lyveden withouten liflode,
And at the laste thei woken.
And if men lyvede as mesure wolde,
Sholde nevere moore be defaute
Amonges cristene creatures,

If Cristes wordes ben trewe.

unkyndenesse caristiam

"Ac

maketh

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Amonges cristen peple;

And over plentee maketh pryde
Amonges poore and riche.
Therfore mesure is muche worth,
It may noght be to deere;

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For the meschief and the meschaunce

Amonges men of Sodome,
Weex thorugh plentee of payn,
And of pure sleuthe.

Otiositas et abundantia panis pec

catum turpissimum nutrivit.

For thei mesured noght hemself
Of that thei ete and dronke,

Thei diden dedly synne

That the devel liked,

vengeaunce fil upon

So

For hir vile synnes;

Thei sonken into helle,

The citees echone.

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hem

"For-thi mesure we us wel, And make oure feith oure sheltrom; And thorugh feith cometh contriConscience woot wel, [cion, Which dryveth awey dedly synne, And dooth it to be venial. [speke, And though a man myghte noght Contricion myghte hym save, And brynge his soule to blisse; For so that feith bere witnesse, That whiles he lyvede, he bilevede In the loore of the holy chirche. Ergo contricion, feith, and conscience Is kyndeliche Do-wel,

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