he
thridde partie of Penitence is Satisfaccioun,
and that stant moost generally in almesse and in bodily
peyne. Now been ther thre manere of almesse:
contricion of herte, where a man offreth hymself to God;
another is to han pitee of defaute of his neighebores;
and the thridde is in yevynge of good conseil and
comfort, goostly and bodily, where men han nede, and
namely in sustenaunce of mannes foode. And tak kep
that a man hath nede of thise thinges generally: he hath
nede of foode, he hath nede of clothyng and herberwe,
he hath nede of charitable conseil and visitynge in
prisone and in maladie, and sepulture of his dede body.
And if thow mayst nat visite the nedeful with thy
persone, visite hym by thy message and by thy yiftes.
Thise been general almesses or werkes of charitee of
hem that han temporeel richesses or discrecioun in
conseilynge. Of thise werkes shaltow heren at the day of
doom.
Thise almesses shaltow doon of thyne owene
propre thynges, and hastily and prively, if thow mayst.
But nathelees, if thow mayst ant doon it prively, thow
shalt nat forbere to doon almesse though men seen it, so
that it be nat doon for thank of the world, but oonly for
thank of Jhesu Crist. For, as witnesseth Seint Mathew,
capitulo quinto, "A citee may nat been hyd that is set on
a montayne, ne men lighte nat a lanterne and put it
under a busshel, but men sette it on a candle-stikke to
yeve light to the men in the hous. Right so shal youre
light lighten bifore men, that they may seen youre goode
werkes, and glorifie youre fader that is in hevene."
Now as to speken of bodily peyne, it stant in
preyeres, in wakynges, in fastynges, in vertuouse
techynges of orisouns. And ye shul understonde that
orisouns or preyeres is for to seyn a pitous wyl of herte,
that redresseth it in God and expresseth it by word
outward, to remoeven harmes and to han thynges
espiritueel and durable, and somtyme temporele
thynges; of whiche orisouns, certes, in the orison of the
Pater noster hath Jhesu Crist enclosed moost thynges.
Certes, it is privyleged of thre thynges in his dignytee,
for which it is moore digne than any oother preyere; for
that Jhesu Crist hymself maked it; and it is short, for it
sholde be koud the moore lightly, and for to withholden
it the moore esily in herte, and helpen hymself the ofter
with the orisoun, and for a man sholde be the lasse wery
to seyen it, and for a man may nat excusen hym to lerne
it, it is so short and so esy; and for it comprehendeth in
it self alle goode preyeres. The exposicioun of this hooly
preyere, that is so excellent and digne, I bitake to thise
maistres of theologie, save thus muchel wol I seyn; that
whan thow prayest that God sholde for yeve thee thy
giltes as thou foryevest hem that agilten to thee, be ful
wel war that thow ne be nat out of charitee. This hooly
orison amenuseth eek venyal synne, and therfore it
aperteneth specially to penitence.
This preyere moste be trewely seyd, and in
verray feith, and that men preye to God ordinatly and
discreetly and devoutly; and alwey a man shal putten his
wyl to be subget to the wille of God. This orisoun moste
eek been seyd with greet humblesse and ful pure;
honestly, and nat to the anoyaunce of any man or
womman. It moste eek been continued with the werkes
of charitee. It avayleth eek agayn the vices of the soule;
for, as seith Seint Jerome, "By fastynge been saved the
vices of the flessh, and by preyere the vices of the
soule."
After this, thou shalt understonde that bodily
peyne stant in wakynge; for Jhesu Crist seith, "Waketh
and preyeth, that ye ne entre in wikked temptacioun." Ye
shul understanden also that fastynge stant in thre
thynges: in forberynge of bodily mete and drynke, and
in forberynge of worldly jolitee, and in forberynge of
deedly synne; this is to seyn, that a man shal kepen hym
fro deedly synne with al his might.
And thou shalt understanden eek that God
ordeyned fastynge, and to fastynge appertenen foure
thinges: largenesse to povre folk; gladnesse of herte
espiritueel, nat to been angry ne anoyed, ne grucche for
he fasteth; and also resonable houre for to ete; ete by
mesure; that is for to seyn, a man shal nat ete in
untyme, ne sitte the lenger at his table to ete for he
fasteth.
Thanne shaltow understonde that bodily peyne
stant in disciplyne or techynge, by word, or by writynge,
or in ensample; also in werynge of heyres, or of stamyn,
or of haubergeons on hire naked flessh, for Cristes sake,
and swiche manere penances. But war thee wel that
swiche manere penaunces on thy flessh ne make nat
thyn herte bitter or angry or anoyed of thyself; for bettre
is to caste awey thyn heyre, that for to caste awey the
swetenesse of Jhesu Crist. And therfore seith Seint Paul,
"Clothe yow, as they that been chosen of God, in herte of
misericorde, debonairetee, suffraunce, and swich manere
of clothynge"; of whiche Jhesu Crist is moore apayed
than of heyres, or haubergeouns, or hauberkes.
Thanne is discipline eek in knokkynge of thy
brest, in scourgynge with yerdes, in knelynges, in
tribulaciouns, in suffrynge paciently wronges that been
doon to thee, and eek in pacient suffraunce of maladies,
or lesynge of worldly catel, or of wyf, or of child, or
othere freendes.
Thanne shaltow understonde whiche
thynges destourben penaunce; and this is in foure
maneres, that is, drede, shame, hope, and wanhope, that
is, desperacion. And for to speke first of drede; for
which he weneth that he may suffre no penaunce;
ther-agayns is remedie for to thynke that bodily
penaunce is but short and litel at regard of the peyne of
helle, that is so crueel and so long that it lasteth
withouten ende.
Now again the shame that a man hath to
shryven hym, and namely thise ypocrites that wolden
been holden so parfite that they han no nede to shryven
hem; agayns that shame sholde a man thynke that, by
wey of resoun, that he that hath nat been shamed to
doon foule thinges, certes hym oghte nat been ashamed
to do faire thynges, and that is confessiouns. A man
sholde eek thynke that God seeth and woot alle his
thoghtes and alle his werkes; to hym may no thyng been
hyd ne covered. Men sholden eek remembren hem of the
shame that is to come at the day of doom to hem that
been nat penitent and shryven in this present lyf. For alle
the creatures in hevene, in erthe, and in helle shullen
seen apertly al that they hyden in this world.
Now for to speken of the hope of hem that
been necligent and slowe to shryven hem, that stant in
two maneres. That oon is that he hopeth for to lyve
longe and for to purchacen muche richesse for his delit,
and thanne he wol shryven hym; and as he seith, hym
semeth thanne tymely ynough to come to shrifte.
Another is of surquidrie that he hath in Cristes mercy.
Agayns the firste vice, he shal thynke that oure life is in
no sikernesse, and eek that alle the richesses in this
world ben in aventure, and passen as a shadwe on the
wal; and, as seith Seint Gregorie, that it aperteneth to
the grete righwisnesse of God that nevere shal the peyne
stynte of hem that nevere wolde withdrawen hem fro
synne, hir thankes, but ay continue in synne; for thilke
perpetueel wil to do synne shul they han perpetueel
peyne.
Wanhope is in two maneres; the firste
wanhope is in the mercy of Crist; that oother is that they
thynken that they ne myghte that longe persevere in
goodnesse. The firste wanhope comth of that he demeth
that he hath synned so greetly and so ofte, and so longe
leyn in synne, that he shal nat be saved. Certes, agayns
that cursed wanhope sholde he thynke that the passion
of Jhesu Crist is moore strong for to bynde than synne is
strong for to bynde. Agayns the seconde wanhope he
shal thynke that as ofte as he falleth he may arise agayn
by penitence. And though he never so longe have leyn in
synne, the mercy of Crist is alwey redy to receiven hym
to mercy. Agayns the wanhope that he demeth that he
sholde nat longe persevere in goodnesse, he shal thynke
that the feblesse of the devel may nothyng doon, but if
men wol suffren hym; and eek he shal han strengthe of
the help of God, and of al hooly chirche, and of the
proteccioun of aungels, if hym list.
Thanne shal men
understonde what is the fruyt of penaunce; and, after
the word of Jhesu Crist, it is the endelees blisse of
hevene, ther joye hath no contrarioustee of wo ne
grevaunce; ther alle harmes been passed of this present
lyf; ther as is the sikernesse fro the peyne of helle; ther
as is the blisful compaignye that rejoysen hem everemo,
everich of otheres joye; ther as the body of man, that
whilom was foul and derk, is moore cleer than the
sonne; ther as the body, that whilom was syk, freele,
and fieble, and mortal, is inmortal, and so strong and so
hool that ther may no thyng apeyren it; ther as ne is
neither hunger, thurst, ne coold, but every soule
replenyssed with the sighte of the parfit knowynge of
God. This blisful regne may men purchace by poverte
espiritueel, and the glorie by lowenesse, the plentee of
joye by hunger and thurst, and the reste by travaille, and
the lyf by deeth and mortificacion of synne.
arson's