The Multitext Edition > London, British Library MS. Harley 7334
The Parson's Tale
Folio 277r
51 of 69 folios
AGayns Glotonye is þe remedie abstinence as saiþ Galien
But þat holde I nouȝt meritorie . if he do it oonly for
þe hele of his body ¶ Seint austyn wol þat abstinence be don
for vertu and wiþ pacience .
Abstinence he saith is litil worth
but if a man haue good wille þerto and but it be enforced by
pacience . and by charite . and þat men doon it for goddes sake
and in hope to haue þe blisse of heuen
¶ The felawes of abstinē-
ce ben attemperaūce þat holdith þe mene in alle þinges . eek scha-
me þat eschiewith al dishoneste . Suffisaunce þat seekeþ noone
riche metes ne drynkes ne doþ no force of to outrageous appa-
raillyng of mete
760
¶ Mesure also þat resceyueþ by resoun the
dislaue appetit of etyng . Sobernes also restreyneth
þe delicat
wille to ete and þe lasse leysir
AFter Glotonye þanne cometh leccherie . For þese two
synnes ben so neih cosyns þat ofte tyme þay wol not
departe .
vū paulë ad Ephes ¶ Nolite īebriari vino rcer . God
wot þis synne is ful displesaunt þing to god . vino in quo ē
luxuria . For he sayde himself . Do no leccherie . and þerfore he
putte gret peyne agayn þis synne / in þe olde lawe .
If a wō-
man þral were take in þis synne . sche scholde be beten with
stoones to þe deth . and if sche were a gentil wōman ; sche
schulde be slayn wiþ stoones ./ and if sche were a bisschoppis
douȝter ; sche schulde be brent by goddis comaundement .
765
¶ Forther ouer by þe synne of leccherie ; god dreinte al þe world
at þe diliuie ¶ And after þat he dreynte fyue citees with þon-
der layt and sonk hem in to helle
¶ Now let vs þanne spe-
ke of þilke stynkyng synne of leccherie þat men clepen aduou-
try of weddid folk þat is to sayn if þat oon of hem be wed-
did or elles boþe
¶ Seint Iohñ saith þat aduoutris schuln be
in helle in watir brennyng of fuyr and of brimston . In fuyr
for þe leccherie . In brimston For þe stynk or her ordure .
¶ Certis þe brekyng of þis sacrement is an horrible þing . hit
was makid of god himself in paradis Confermed of ihū cist
as witnesseth seint Mathew ¶ A man schal lete fader and
mooder and take him to his wif and þay schul ben two in
oon fleisch
¶ This sacramēt bitokeneþ þe knyttyng togider
of crist and of holy chirche
770
nat oonly þat god forbad ad-
uotrie in dede ; but eek he comaunded þat þou scholdest