The Multitext Edition > Aberystwyth, National Library of Wales MS. Peniarth 392 D
The Parson's Tale
Folio 237r
26 of 30 folios
35
¶ Penitence destreyneth man / to accepte benygnely euery peyne / þt hym
is enioyned / with contricioū of herte / & shrift of Mowthe / wt satis-
faccioū / and in wirkynge of alle manere humylitee /
and this is
fruytful penitence agayn .iij. thynges
/ in whiche we wrathe oure
lord Ih
ū crist
this is to seyn / by delit in thynkynge / by recche-
lesnesse in spekyngx / by wikked synful wirkynge /
and agayns
thise wikkede giltes is penitence / that may be likned vn to a tree
¶ The roote of this tree
/ is contricio
ū / þt hideth hym in the herte of
hym
/ þt is verray repentant
right as the roote of a tree hideth
hym in the erthe
40
Of the roote of Contricio
ū spryngeth a stalke
þt bereth branches
/ and leues of confessio
ū / and fruyt of satis
-faccio
ū~
for which
/ crist seith in his gospel
dooth digne fruyt
of penitence
/ for by this fruyt
may men knowe this tree
/ and
nat by the roote
/ that is hyd
/ in the herte
\of/ man
/ ne by the bran-
ches
/ ne the leues of Confessio
ū
And therfore
/ oure Lord Ih
ū crist
seith thus
by the fruyt of hem
/ shul ye knowe hem
Of this
roote eek
spryngeth a Seed of g
ace
/ the which Seed
/ is moder
of Sikernesse
/ and this Seed
/ is egre and hoot
the g
ace of thys
Seed
/ spryngeth of god thurgh remembrance on the day of dome
/ & on the peynes of helle
45
Of this matere
/ seith Salomon
that
in the drede of god
/ man forleteth his synne
the hete of thys ~
seed / is the loue of god / & the desirynge of the Ioye pardurable /
this hete / draweth the herte of man to god & dooth hym hate
his synne /
for soothly
/ ther is no thyng
þt sauoureth so wel
to a child
/ as the mylk of his norice
/ ne no thyng is to hym
~ moore abhomynable
/ than thilke mylk
/ whan it is medled w
t oother mete
right so the synful man
/ þt loueth his synne
/ hym semeth
/ it is to hym moost swete of any thyng
50
but fro þt
tyme / þt he loueth sadly oure lord Ihū crist / & desireth the lyf
pardurable / ther nys to hym / no thyng moore abhomynable / ~
for soothly
/ the lawe of god
/ is the loue of god
for which
/ Dauid the
prophete seith
¶ I haue loued thy lawe
& hated wikked
-nesse
& hate
/ he
þt loueth god
/ kepeth his lawe
& his word
~
this tree saugh the prophete Daniel in Spirit vp on the auysion of
Nabugodonosor / whanne he conseiled hym / to do penitence ;
Penance / is the tree of lyf / to hem þt it receyuen / & he þt holdeth
hym in verray penitence / is blessed / after the Sentence of Salo-
mon
¶ In this penitence or Contricio
ū / man shal vnderstonde
iiij. thynges
/ that is to seyn
/ what is Contricio
ū / and whiche
ben the causes
/ þt moeuen a man to Contricio
ū / and how he
sholde be contrit
/ and what Contricio
ū auaileth to the soule