The Multitext Edition > Aberystwyth, National Library of Wales MS. Peniarth 392 D
The Parson's Tale
Folio 240r
20 of 30 folios
hem euere / as thogh men sholde dye anon / but certes they shal
nat dye /
140
for as seith Seint Gregorie / to wrecche kaityues /
shal be deeth wt oute deeth / & ende wt outen ende / & defau-
te wt oute failynge /
for hir deeth / shal alwey lyuen / &
hire ende shal euere mo bigynne / & hir defaute / shal nat
faile /
And therfore
/ seith Seint Io
ħn the Eu
angelist
they shul
-len folwe deeth
/ & they shal nat fynde hym
/ & they shul desi
-ren to dye
/ and deeth shal fle fro hem
And eek Iob seith / þt
in helle / is noon ordre of rewle /
and al be it so / þt god hath
creat alle thynges in right ordre / & no thyng wt outen ordre /
but alle thynges / bē ordeyned & nombred / yet nathelees they þt
ben dampned / ben no thyng in ordre / ne holden noon ordre /
145
for
the erthe ne shal bere hem no fruyt
for as the
prophete dauid
seith
/ god shal destroye
/ the fruyt of the erthe
/ as fro hem
/ ne
water
/ ne shal yeue hem no moysture
/ ne the Eyr no refressh
-yng
ne fyr no light
for as seith Seint Basile
the brennyn
-ge of the fyr of this world
/ shal god yeuen in helle
/ to hem
þt ben dampned
/
but the light & the cleernesse / shal he yeuen in
heuene to hise children / right as the goode man / yeueth flessħ
to hise children / & bones to hise houndes /
and for they shullen
haue noon hope to escape / seith Seint Iob / atte laste / þt ther shal
horrour .& grisly drede dwelle with outen ende / /
150
Horrour is
alwey drede of harm
/ þt is to come
/ & this drede shal euere
dwelle in the hertes
/ of hem
þt ben dampned
/ and therfore
~ han they lorn al hire hope
/ for .vij. causes
First for god / þt
is hir Iuge / shal be wt oute mercy to hem / ne they may nat
plese hym / ne noon of hise halwes / ne they ne may yeue
no thyng for hir raunsoū /
ne they haue no voys / to speke
to hym / ne they may nat fle fro peyne / ne they haue no .
goodnesse in hem that they may shewe / to delyuerxxxem fro
peyne /
And therfore seith Salomon
the wikked man die
þ & whan he is deed
/ he shal haue noon hope
/ to escape fro
peyne
¶ Who so thanne . wolde wel vnderstonde thise pey
-nes
& bithynke hym wel
/ þt he hath disserued thilke pey
-nes for hise synnes
/ c
ertes he sholde haue moore talent
to
siken
& to wepe
/ than for to syngen
& to pleye
155
for as þt
seith Salomon / who so þt hadde the science to knowe the
peynes þt ben establised & ordeyned for synne / he wolde ma-
ke sorwe /
thilke science / as seith Seint Augustyn / maketh
a man / to waymente in his herte /
¶ The .iiijõ. poynt that
oghte make a man haue conticioū / is the sorweful remembrance
of the good / þt he hath left to doon here in erthe / & eek / the good
þt he hath lorn /