by cause of thyn humylitee / makest lesynges on thy self / . thougħ thow ne
were nat in synne biforn / yet artow thanne in synne thurgħ thy lesynges /
¶ Thou most eek shewe thy synne / by thyn owene propre moutħ / but thow be
woxe dowmb / and nat by no lettre . for thow that hast doon the synne ~
thou shalt haue the shame therfore
¶ Thow shalt nat eek peynte thy
confessioū by faire subtile wordes to couere the moore thy synne . for than-
ne bigilestow thy self and nat the preest . thow most tellen it pleynly / be
it neuer so foul ne so horrible
¶ Thow shalt eek shryue thee to a preest
þt is discreet to conseille . and eek thou shalt nat shryue thee for veyne glo-
rie / ne for ypocriesye / ne for no cause / but oonly for the doute of Ihū crist &
the heele of thy soule
950
¶ Thow shalt nat eek
/ renne to the preest sodeynly
to tellen hym lightly thy synne
/ as who so telleth a Iape or a tale
/ but auy-
sely and with greet deuocio
ū .
And gen
erally shryue thee ofte
. If thou ofte
falle
/ ofte thou arise by confessio
ū .
and thougħ thou shryue thee ofter than
ones of synne / of which thou hast be shryuen . it is the moore merite ;
And as seith seint Augustyn / thow shalt haue the moore lightly re-
lessyng and gace of god / bothe of synne and of peyne / .
And certes
oones a yeere atte leeste wey / it is laweful for to been housled. for
certes oones a yeere / alle thynges renouellen
¶ Now haue I ~
toold yow of verray confessioū . that is the seconde partie of Penitence ~
¶ Explicit secunda pars Penitencie ; Et sequitur tercia pars eiusdem ~
955
The thridde partie of Penitence . is Satisfaccioū . and that stant
moost generally in Almesse . and in bodily peyne
¶ Now
been ther thre manere of Almesses ¶ Contriciou of herte ~
where a man offreth hym self to god ¶ Another is / to han pitee of
defaute of hise neighebores ¶ And the thridde is / in yeuynge of good
conseil goostly and bodily where men han nede . and namely in sus-
tenaūce of mannes foode
¶ And tak / þt a man hath nede of thise thin-
ges generally / . he hath nede of foode . he hath nede / of clothyng and her-
berwe . he hath nede of charitable conseil and visitynge in prisone and
in maladie / and sepulture of his dede body .
And if thow mayst nat
visite the nedeful with thy persone / visite hym by thy message and thy
message and by thy yiftes . /
Thise been generally Almesses or werkes /
of charitee of hem that han temporeel richesses / or discrecioū in con-
seilynge ¶ Of thise werkes / shaltow heren at the day of doome ;
960
Thise Almesses shaltow doon of thyne owene propre thynges and has-
tily and piuely if thow mayst / .
but nathelees / if thow mayst nat
doon it piuely . thow shalt nat forbere to doon Almesse though mē
seen it / so that it be nat doon for thank of the world . but oonly for
thank of Ihū crist
¶ For as witnesseth Seint Mathew capitulo.5o ¶ A
Citee may nat been hyd / that is set on a montayne . ne men
ligħte nat a Lanterne and put it vnder a bussħel but men sette
it on a candelstikke to yeue ligħt to the men in the hous . /
right /
so shal youre ligħt lighten bifore men / that they may seen ~
youre goode werkes and glorifie youre fader that is in heuene ~
¶ Now as to speken of bodily peyne . it stant in preyeres / in ~