The Multitext Edition > Cambridge University Library MS. Gg.4.2.7
The Parson's Tale
Folio 401v
66 of 74 folios
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to hyre \selvyn/ more abhomynabele /
for sothly the lawe
of god ; is the loue of god / For whiche Dauid the prophete
seyth / I have lowyd thȳ lawe / & hatid wekedenesse . \And/
he that louyth god ; kepith his lawe & his word /
This
tre saw the prophete danyel in spiryt vp on the auysioū
of Nabugodonosor whāne he conseyled / hȳ to do pe-
nytence
Penaūce is the tre of lyf / to hē that it rescey-
uyn / And he that holdyth hȳ in verray penytence / is
blyssid aftyr the centence of Salomon /
¶ In this peni-
tence / or contricioū / man schal vndyrstondyn .iiij. thȳgis
That is to seyne what is contricioū / & whiche been the
causis that meuȳ a man / to Contricioū / & how he schul-
de been contryte / & what Contrcioū avaylyth to the
Soule /
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¶ Thāne is it thus / that cōtricioū is the verray
sorwe that a man receyuyth in his herte for hise sȳnys
w sad purpos / to schryue hȳ & to do penaūce / & neuere
moore to do sȳne /
And this sorwe schal been in this
maneere / as seith seynt bernard / . It schal ben heuy &
greuous / & ful scharp & poygnaūt in herte .
¶ Fyrst for
man hath a gilt his lord / & his Creature / & more scharp
& poynaūt
for he hath wrathid / & agilt hȳ that bought
hȳ / that wt his precious blod / hath delyuered vs
frō the bond of synne / & frō the crewelte of the deuyl
And frō the peynys of helle
¶ The causys that oughtȳ
to meue a man to cōtrycioū ; been sexe / ¶ Fyrst a man
schal remembre hȳ of hise sȳnys /
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but loke that thilke
remēbraūce / be to hȳ no delyt / be no weye / but gret
schame & sorwe for hise sȳnys / For Iob seith synful
men don werkys worthy of Confescioū /
& therefore
seith esechie ¶ I wele remēbre me alle the ȝerys of
mȳ lyf in bittirnesse of mȳ herte /
¶ And god seith
in the apocalipse ¶ Remēbre ȝow frō whene ȝe beē
falle / for by fore that tyme that ȝe sȳned ȝe were the
childerē of god / & lemys of the regne of god /
but for
ȝore sȳne ȝe been // thral // wexen . & foul & menbris of
the deuyl / hate of aūgeƚƚ / Sclaundere of holy cherche
& ȝit moore foul & abomynable for the trespa-
syn so ofte tyme as doth an hound / that retornyth to ete
his spewynge /