80
the deeth / with his herte blood / that they so vnkyndely / agayns his gen-
tilesse / quiten hym so vileynsly / to slaughtre of hir owene soules
¶ O
goode god / ye wōmen / that been of so greet beautee / remembreth yow / of
the prouerbe of Salomon ¶ He seitħ /.
likneth a fair wōman / that is a fool
of hir body / lyk to a ryng of gold / that were in the groyn of a Sougħe
For rigħt as a sougħe / wroteth in euericħ ordure / so wroteth hir beautee
in the stynkynge ordure of synne
¶ The thridde cause / that ogħte moe-
ue a man to Contricioū / is drede of the day of doome / and of the ~
horrible peynes of helle
85
¶ For as seint Ierome seit
ħ . at eu
ery tyme
/ þt me remembreth of the day of doome
/ .I. quake
/.
for whan I ete or drynke
or what so that I do / euere semeth me / þt the trompe sowneth in myn ere
Riseth vp ye that been dede / and cometh to the Iuggement
¶ O goode
god / muchel ogħte a man / to drede swicħ a Iuggement. ther as we shul-
len been alle / as seint Poul seith / biforn the Seete of oure lord Ihū
Crist.
wher as he shal make / a general congregacioū / wher as no man
may been absent.
90
for certes / there auailleth noon Essoyne / ne excusacioū
And nat oonly / that oure defautes shullen be Iugged /. but eek that
alle oure werkes / shullen openly be knowe
¶ And as seith Seint Ber-
nard ./ ther ne shal / no pledynge auaille ne sleigħte /. We shullen ~
yeuen rekenynge of euericħ ydel word /
ther shul we han a Iuge /
that may nat been deceyued ne corrupt.
And why ; for certes alle ~
oure thoghtes / been discouered as to hym /. ne for preyere / ne for meede /
he shal nat been corrupt ¶ And therfore seith Salomon ¶ The wratthe of
god / ne wol nat spare no wigħt /. for preyere ne for yifte /. and therfore
at the day of doom / ther nys noon hope to escape
95
¶ Wherfore / as seith
Seint Anselm ./ Ful greet angwyssħ / shul the synful folk haue at that
tyme /.
ther shal / the stierne and wrothe Iuge sitte aboue /. and vnder ~
hym / the horrible put of helle open to destroyen hym that noot bikno-
wen hise synnes / whiche synnes / openly been shewed biforn god ~
and biforn euery creature
¶ And in the left syde / mo deueles / than ħte
may bithynke /. for to harye and drawe / the synful soules to the pey-
ne of helle
¶ And with Inne the hertes of folk shal be the bitynge ~
Conscience / and with oute forth / shal be the world al brennynge /.
whi-
der shal thanne the wrecched synful man flee / to hiden hym ¶ certes
he may nat hyden hym / he moste come forth and shewen hym
100
¶ For
certes / as seith seint Ierome /. the Erthe shal casten hym / out of hym /
and the See also / and the Eyr also / that shal be ful / of thonder clappes
and ligħtnynges
¶ Now soothly / who so wel remembreth hym
of thise thynges / I gesse / þt his synne / shal nat turne hym in delit
but to greet sorwe / for drede of the peyne of helle /.
and therfore seith
Iob to god ¶ Suffre lord / that .I. may a while biwaille / and wepe / er I
go with oute returnyng. to the derke lond / couered with the derknesse of
deeth /
to the lond of mysese and of derknesse / where as is the shadwe
of deeth /. where as ther is / noon ordre / or ordinaūce / but grisly drede
that euere shal laste
¶ Loo / heere may ye seen / þt Iob preyde respit
a while / to biwepe and waille his trespas / for soothly / a day of
respit. is bettre than al the tresor of the world
105
¶ And for as muche
as a man / may acquiten hym self / biforn god by Penitence in ~