95
Scholne þe sinful folke haue att þat time
¶ þere shal be þe steren & þõ wroþe
Iuge ; site aboue ; And vnder him þe orrible putte of heƚƚ open to destrey
him þat mot be knowe his sinnes openly be schewde be forne god & be-
for euery creature ;
And one þe left side mo deueles þan hert maie þink
for to harye . & to drawe þe sinful sowles to þe peine of heƚƚ ;
and wt
inne þe hertes of folke schal be þe byteinge conscience ; And wiþ oute forþ
schal be þe werld al berneynge
¶ wheder schal þan þe wriched sinful
soule flee to hide hime . Certes he maie nouȝt hide hī ; he most cō forþe
and schewe hī
100
¶ For certes as seiþ seint Ierom . The erþe schal cast him
oute of hī ; & þe see also & þõ eyre also þat schal be ful of þonder clappes
& lyhtnynges ;
Nowe soþely who so wil remembre of þis þinges .I.
gesse þat his sinnes schal nouht turne him into delite ; bote to grete
sorwe for drede of peyne of heƚƚ ;
And þere for seiþ Iob to god ¶ Suffur
lorde þat .I. maie a while be waile & wepe ar .I. go ; & wepe withe ou-
ten retorneinge to þe derke lande . couered wt þõ derkenesse of deþe
to þõ-
londe of Misese /./ & of derkenesse where as is schadowe of deþe ; where
as is none oþer ordinance bot grisly drede þat euer schal last
¶ Lo her
may ȝe seen þt Iob preide respite awhile to be wepe & weile his trespas .
For soþely odaie of Respite is better þan al þe tresoure of þis werlde .
105
¶ And for also muche as a man mai aquite him self beforne god be pe-
nitence in þis werlde & nouht be tresor ; þere fore scholde he paye to god to
ȝeue him respit a while to be wepen & be weilen his trespas ;
For cer-
tes al þe sorwe þt a man myht make fro þe begynynge of þe werld is
bot a luytel þinge att þe regarde of þe sorwe of heƚƚ
¶ The cause
whi þt Iob calleþ heƚƚ þe londe of derknesse ;
vnderstondeþ þt he clepeþ it
þe londe of erþe for it is stable & neuer schal faile derknesse For he þat
is in heƚƚ haþe defaute of liht material ;
For certes þe derk liht þt schal
come oute of þe fire þt euer schal berne schal torne him al to peine þat
is in heƚƚ ; For it scheweþ him to þe orrible deueles þat him tormēt .
þe derkenesse of deþe bien þe sinnes ; þat þe wrecched
man haþe do ; whiche þat distourben him to see þe face of god ; riht
a derke cloude be twex vs & þe sonne ;
londe of mysese ; because þat
þere bue þre manere of defautes aȝeynes . þre þinges ; þat folke in þs
werlde haue in þis persent lif ; þat is to seie ; Honors . delices . & Riches .
¶ Aȝeines honor haue þei in heƚƚ schame ; & cōfusione ;
115
¶ For whiche go seiþe be þe pro-
phet Ieremye . Thilke folke þat me dispisen schal bue in dispite
¶ Honour is eke cleped grete lodschipe ; Thare schal no wight seruen-
oþere bot of harme & turment ; Honor is eke cleped grete dignite
& hihenesse bot in hel schal þei be al for troden of deuels ;
As god
seiþe ; Orrible deuels schal comen & gone vpon þe heuedes of dāp-
ned folk ; And þis is for also muche ; þe hiher þat þei were in þis per-