Remembre ȝow from whens þat ȝe ben falle . For biforn
þat tyme þat ȝe synned . ȝe were þe children of god
¶ But
for ȝoure synne ȝe be woxe þral and foul and membres of
þe feend . hate of aungels . sclaunder of holy chirche & foode
of þe fals serpent . perpetuel matier of þe fuyr of helle
And
ȝet more foul and abhominable For ȝe trespassen so ofte ty-
me as doþ þe hound þat torneþ to ete his spewyng .
65
¶ & ȝet
ȝe ben fouler for ȝoure longe continuyng in synne and ȝour
synful vsage . for whiche ȝe ben roten in ȝour synne as a
beest in his donge
¶ Suche maner of þoughtes make a mā
haue schame of his synne and no delit . as god saiþ by þe
prophete Izechiel
¶ Ȝe schul remembre ȝow of ȝoure weyes .&
þay schal displese ȝow soþly ¶ Synnes ben þe way þat leden
folk to helle
¶ The secounde cause þat oughte make a man
to haue desdeyn of his synne is þis . þt as seiþ seint petre
¶ Who so doth synne is þral of synne . and synne put a mā
in gret þraldom .
and þerfore saith þe propħe . Ezechiel . I wēte
sorwful in desdeyn of myself ¶ Certes wel ougħte a mā
haue desdeyn of synne and wiþdrawe him fro þt þraldom
and vilonye .
70
and lo what saiþ Seneca ī þis matiere . he
saiþ þus ¶ Though I wiste þat god nere god . man schulde
neuer knowe it ; ȝit wold I haue disdeyn for to do synne
and þe same Seneca also saith ¶ I am born to gretter
þinges þan to be þral to my body or þan for to make of
my body a þral
¶ Ne a fouler þral may no mā ne wōman
make of his body þan ȝiue his body to synne
¶ And were
it þe foulest cherl or þe foulest wōmā þt lyueth and lest
of value ; ȝet is þāne synne more foul and more ī seruitute
Euer fro þe heigher dege þat man falliþ þe more he is
þral and more to god vile and abhominable
75
¶ O goode
god wel oughte a mā haue gret disdayn o such a þīg
þat þorugh synne þer he was free now is he maked bon-
de
an þerfore saiþ seint austyn ¶ If þou hast disdayn þt
þu þiself schuldest doon synne ;
haue þu þāne desdayn þt
þou þiself schuldist do synne . tak reward of þy value .
þat þou ne nouȝt to foul in þiself
¶ Allas wel oughte
mē haue disdeyn to be seruaūtes & þralles to synne .&
sore ben aschamed of hemself