and hated wikkednesse & haten he þat loueþt god kepeþt his lawe and
his word
¶ This tree saugħ þe prophete Danyel in spirit vpon þe auysioū
of Nabugodonosor when he counseiled him to do penitence
¶ Penaunce
is þe tre of lyf to hem þat it resceyuen And he þt haldeþ him verray pe-
nitent is blessed after þe sentence of Salōn
¶ In þis penitence or contri-
cioū man schal vnderstonde .iiij. þinges ; þat is to say what is cōtricioū
And whiche ben þe causes þat meuen a man to contricioū and how he
schulde be contrite and what contricioū avayled to þe soule
55
þanne it is
þus þat contricioū is þe verray sorwe þat a man resceyueþ in his herte
for his synnes wiþ sadde purpos to schryuen him and to do penaunce
and neuer more to don synne
and þis sorwe schal ben in þis maneres
as saiþ Seint Bernard ¶ Hit schal be greuous and heuy and ful scharp
and poynaūt in herte
¶ First for a man haþ agilt his lord and his crea-
tour ¶ And more scharp and poynaūt for he haþ agult his fader celesti-
al
¶ And ȝet more scharp and poynaūt ¶ For he haþ wraþþed and agilt
him þat bought him þat with his percious blood haþ deliuered vs fro
þe bandes of synne and fro þe cruelte of þe deuel and fro þe peynes
of helle
¶ These causes þat oughten to meuen a man to contricioū ben
.vj. ¶ First a man schal remembre him of his synnes
60
but loke þat þilke
remembance be to him no delyte by no wey ; but gret schame & sorwe for
his gulte ¶ For Iob saiþ ¶ Synful men don werkes worþy of cōfessioun
¶ And þerfore saiþ Ezechie ¶ I wol remembre me aƚƚ þe ȝeres of my lyff in
bitternesse of mȳ herte
¶ And god saiþ in þapocalips ¶ Remembreþ ȝow
fro whennes þat ȝe ben falle ¶ For biforn þat tyme þat ȝe synned ȝe were
þe children of god and lymes of þe regne of god
¶ But for ȝoure synne ȝe
ben waxe þralles and foule and membres of þe feende / hate of aungeles
sclaundre of holy chirche and foode of þe false serpent perpetuel mateere
of þe fuyre of helle
¶ And þat more foul and abhominable For ȝe trespas-
sen so often tyme as doþ þe hound þat torneþ to eten his spuyng
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and
ȝet ben ȝe foulere for ȝoure longe continaunce in synne and ȝoure synful
vsage for whiche ȝe ben roten in ȝoure synne as a beeste in his dunge
Suche maner of þouȝtes maken a man haue schame for his synne and
no delite as god saiþ by þe prophete Ezechiel
¶ Ȝe schuln remembre ȝow of
ȝoure weyes and þey schuln displese ȝou soþely ¶ Synnes ben þe weyes
þat leden folk to helle
¶ The secounde cause that oughte to make a
man to haue disdeyne of synne is þis þat as saiþ seint petre who so
doþ synne is þraƚƚ of synne and synne putteþ a man in gret þraldom