The Multitext Edition > Cambridge University Library MS. Gg.4.2.7
The Parson's Tale
Folio 441v
72 of 74 folios
950
as ho so tellit a iape or a tale / but auysely & wt gret deuocioū
And generally schryue the ofte if thow ofte falle & a ryse
by confescioū /
And thow thow schryue the oftere thā onys
of sȳne of whiche thow hast be schryuen it is the moore
meryt / And as seyth seynt augustȳ / thow schalt haiue more
lyghtely relesȳge & grace of god / bothe of sȳne & of peyne
And certis onys a ȝeer at the leste weye it is laueful for
to been houseled / for certys onys a ȝer alle thȳge reno-
uelyn
Tercia pars penitencie elt Satisfaccio
955
THe thredde partye of penytēce is Satisfacci-
oūn & that stant most generally in al-
messe & in bodyly peyne
¶ Now be there
thre manere of alle manere of almesse / contricioū of herte
wheere a man offeryth hȳ self / to god / a nothir is to
haue pete / of defaute of hise neigheboris / And the thred-
de is / in ȝeuȳge of good conseyl gostely & bodily where
men haue nede & namely sustenaūce of mānys fode .
And
take that a man haue nede of these thȳgis generally .
he hath nede of fode / he hath nede of clothȳge . and
herberwe he hath nede of charitable conseyl . & visitȳ-
ge in pisoū / & in maladie / & sepulture of his dede bodi
And if thow mayst not visite the nedeful wt thy perso-
ne visite hȳ bi thȳ message & thȳne ȝiftys
these beē
general almessis or werkis of charyte of hē that hath
tēperel richessis or discrecioū in conseylȳge ¶ Of these
werkis schalt thow here at the day of dome /
960
These al-
messis schalt thow don of thȳne owene propere thyngis and
hastyly & piuyly
if thow mayst nat don it pryuyly thow
schat not forbere it to don allmesse thow men seen it
so that it be nat don for thank of the world / but for
the thank only of ihū Crist .
For as witnessith seynt
Mathev . co .9o . A cete may not been hid that is set on
a greet mounteyn / ne men lyghte not a lanterne &
putte it vndir a buschel / but men sette it vp on a candel-
stikke to ȝeuyn lyght to the men in the hous /