by pride þat is couered in mannes herte
475
¶ For certes fuyr
may nouȝt come out of no þing naturelly as fuyr is drawe
out of flintes with steel
¶ Right so as pride is often tyme
mater of Ire ; Right so is Rancour norice and keper of Ire
¶ Ther is a maner tree as saiþ seint Isydr . þt whan men ma-
ken fuyr of þilke tree and couer þe colis wiþ asshen ; soþly
þe fuyr of it wol lasten al a ȝer or more .
And right so fa-
reþ it . of rancour whan it oones is conceyued in þe hertis
of som men ; certein it wol lasten fro oon estren day vntil
anoþer ester day and more .
but certis þilke mā is ful fer
fro þe mercy of god al þilke while
480
¶ In þis forsaide deueles
fornays þer forgen þre schrewes . pride þat ay blowith &
encresith þe fuyr by chidyng and wickid wordis
¶ þāne
stont enuye and blowith þe hoote Iren vpon þe hert of mā
wiþ a paire of longe tonges of rancour .
and þanne þe sinne
of contumelie or strif and cheste and baterith and forgeth
by vileyns repreuynges
¶ Certes þis cursed synne ānoyeth
boþe to þe man himsilf and eek to his neighebor ¶ For soþe-
ly almost al þe harm þat eny mā doth to his neighebour
comeþ þurgh wraþþe .
¶ For certis outrageous wraþþe doþ
al þt euer þe deuyl him comaūdeth . For he ne spareþ neyþer
crist ne his moodir .
485
and in his outrage anger and Ire . allas
ful many oon at þat tyme felith in his herte ful wikkedly
boþe of crist and eek of aƚƚ his halwes .
Is nat þis a cur-
sed vice ; yis certis . it bynymeth fro man his witte and
his resoun and al his deboneire lyf spirituel þat scholde
kepen his soule
¶ Certes it bynymeþ eek goddis dewe
lordschipe and þat is mānes soule . and þe loue of his neigh-
hebor . hit stryueþ eek alday agayns trouþe ¶ It reueth
him eek þe quiete of his herte and subuertith his herte
and his soule
¶ Of ire comeþ þese stynkynge engendrures
¶ First hate þat is old wraþþe discord þurgh which a mā
forsakiþ his olde frend þat he haþ loued ful longe .
and
þanne comeþ werre and euery maner of wronge þat man
doth to his neighebor in body or catel
490
¶ Of þis cursed
synne of Ire comeþ eek manslaughter . And vnderstonde
wel þat homicidie þat is man slaughter is in diuers wise .
¶ Som maner of homicidie is spirituel and som is bodily .