And if he abide to his laste day / scarsly may he shryuen hym / or remembre
hym of hise synnes / or repenten hym / for the greuous maladie of his deeth
and for as muche as he ne hath nat in his lyf herkned Ihū crist whanne he
hath spoken . he shal crie to Ihū crist at his laste day / & scarsly wol he her-
kne hym
¶ And vnderstond / þt this condicioū moste han foure thynges ¶ Thi
shrift moste be prueyed bifore & auysed . for wikked haste dooth no profit
and þt a man konne shryue hym of hise synnes / be it of pride or of Enuye
and so forth of the speces & circūstances .
930
& þt he haue cōperhended in hys
mynde the nombre & the greetnesse of hise synnes . & how longe / þt he
hath leyn in synne .
& eek þt he be cōtrit of hise synnes . & in stidefast
prpos by the gace of god neuere eft to falle in synne . and eek þt he drede &
countrewaite hym self þt he fle the occasioūs of synne / to whiche he
is enclyned
¶ Also / thou shalt shryue thee of alle thy synnes to o man /
and nat a parcel to o man & a parcel to another . that is to vnderstonde in
entente / to departe thy confessioū / as for shame or drede . for it nys but strang-
lynge of thy soule / .
For certes / Ihū cist is entierly al good in hym nys noon
inparfeccioū . and therfore / outher he foryeueth al parfitly / or neuer a deel
¶ I.
seye nat þt if thow be assigned to the Penitaūcer for certein synne . þt
thow art bounde to shewen hym al the remenaūt of thy synnes . of
whiche thow hast be shryuen to thy curaat . but if it like to thee of
thyn humylitee / . this is no departynge of shrifte .
935
ne I seye nat
ther as I speke of diuisioū of confessioū / þt if thou haue licence for
to shryue thee to a discreet & an honeste preest / where thee liketħ &
by licence of thy curaat . that thow ne mayst wel shryue thee to hī
of alle thy synnes .
but lat no blotte be bihynde / lat no synne been
vntoold / as fer as thow hast remembraūce .
and whan thou shalt
be shryuen to thy curaat . telle hym eek alle the synnes þt thow ~
hast doon / syn thou were last yshryuen / this is no wikked entente
of diuisioū of shrifte
¶ Also the verray shrifte axeth certeine cōdicioūs /
¶ First þt thow shryue thee by thy free wil nogħt cōstreyened . ne for shame
of folk / . ne for maladie . ne swiche thynges . for it is resoū þt he þt trespa-
seth by his free wyl . that by his free wyl / he confesse his trespas .
and þt
noon oother man telle his synne but he hym self . ne he shal nat nay-
te ne denye his synne . ne wratthe hym agayn the preest for his Amo-
nestynge to leue synne
940
¶ The seconde condicioū . is þt thy shrift be
laweful . that is to seyn / that thow þt shryuest thee / and eek the preest
þt hereth thy confessioū been verraily in the feith of hooly chirche .
and þt a .
man / ne be nat despeired of the mercy of Ihū crist as Caym or Iudas
¶ And eek a man moot accusen hym self / of his owene trespas and nat
another / but he shal blame & wyten hym self / & his owene malice of
his synne / & noon oother .
but nathelees / if that another man be occa-
sioū / or enticer of his synne . or the estaat of a persone be swich / thurgħ
which his synne is agregged . or elles þt he may nat pleynly shryuen
hym / but he telle the persone / wt which he hath synned . thanne may he tel-
le .
so þt his entente / ne be nat to bakbite the persone / but oonly to declaren
his confessioū
945
¶ Thou ne shalt nat eek make no lesynges in thy ~
confessioū / for humylitee per auenture / to seyn þt thou hast doon synnes
of whiche that thow were neuere gilty
¶ For seint Augustyn seith ¶ If thou