The Multitext Edition > London, British Library MS. Harley 7334
The Parson's Tale
Folio 277v
52 of 69 folios
770
not coueyte þty neyhebors wif
¶ In þis heste seiþ seint austyn
is forboden al maner coueytise to do leccherie ¶ lo what seiþ
seint mathew in þe gospel . that who so seth a wōman to co-
ueytise of his lust ; he haþ doon lecchery wiþ hir in his herte .
¶ here may ȝe se þat nouȝt oonly þe dede of þis synne is for-
boden ; but eek þe desir to do þat synne
¶ This cursed syn-
ne annoyeth greuosly hē þat it haunten and first to here
soule . for he obligith it to synne and to pyne of þe deþ þt is
pardurable
¶ vnto þe body annoyeþ it greuously . also for it
dreyeþ him and wastith hī & schent him . and of his blood he
makith sacrifice to þe deuel of helle ¶ It wastith eek his catel
and his substaunce .
775
and certes if þat it be a foul þing a man
to waste his catel on wōmen ; ȝit is it a fouler þing whan þat
for such ordure wōmen dispende vpon men here catel and
here substaūce
¶ This synne as saith þe prophete byreueþ man
and wōman her good fame and al here honour and it is
ful plesaūt to þe deuel . For þer by wynneth he þe moste pray
of þis world
¶ And rigħt as a marchaunt deliteþ hī most
in chaffare þt he haþ most auauntage of ; Rigħt so delitith
þe feend in þis ordure
¶ This is þe oþer hond of þe deuel
with fyue fyngres to cacche þe poeple to his viloynye
¶ þe
firste fynger is þe foule lokyng of þe foule wōman and
of þe foule man þat sleth right as a basiliskoc sleþ folk
by þe venym of his sigħt . For þe coueytise of eyen folwiþ
þe coueytise of þe herte
780
¶ The secounde fynger is the
vileynes touchinge in wikkid manere . and þerfore saith sa-
lamon þt who so touchith and handelith a wōman ; he farith
lik him þat handelith þe scorpioū þat styngith and sodeinly
sleeth þurgh his enuenemynge as who so touchith warm
picche . it schent his fyngres
¶ The þridde is foule wordes þt
farith lik fuyr þat right anoon brenneþ þe herte
¶ The ferþe
is þe kissyng . and trewely he were a greet fool þat wolde
kisse þe mouth of a brennyng ouen or of a forneys ;
and
more fooles ben þay þat kyssen in vilonye . For þat mouth
is þe mouth of helle . and namely þise olde dotard fooles
holours . ȝit wol þay kisse þough þay may nougħt do & sma-
ter hem
¶ Certis þay ben like to houndes . For an hound whā
he comeþ to a roser or by oþer beautes . þough he may nouȝt