Purity, a Middle English poem, ed. with introduction, notes, and glossary by Robert J. Menner.

XIa. EXHORTATION TO PURITY

Alle þyse ar teches and tokenes to trow upon ȝet, And wittnesse of þat wykked werk, and þe wrake after Þat oure Fader forferde for fylþe of þose ledes. Þenne uch wyȝe may wel wyt þat he þe wlonk lovies; Line 1052 And if he lovyes clene layk þat is oure Lorde ryche, [E. clenelayk.] And to be couþe in his corte þou coveytes þenne, To se þat Semly in sete and his swete face, Clerrer counseyl con I non, bot þat þou clene worþe. [MS., M. counseyl counsayl.] Line 1056 For Clopyngnel in þe compas of his clene Rose, Þer he expounez a speche, to hym þat spede wolde,

Of a lady to be loved: 'Loke to hir sone, Of wich beryng þat ho be, and wych ho best lovyes, Line 1060 And be ryȝt such, in uch a borȝe, of body and of dedes, And folȝ þe fet of þat fere þat þou fre haldes; And if þou wyrkkes on þis wyse, þaȝ ho wyk were, Hir schal lyke þat layk þat lyknes hir tylle.' Line 1064 If þou wyl dele drwrye wyth Dryȝtyn, þenne, And lelly lovy þy Lorde, and his leef worþe, Þenne conforme þe to Kryst, and þe clene make, Þat ever is polyced als playn as þe perle selven. Line 1068

For loke fro fyrst þat he lyȝt wythinne þe lel Mayden, By how comly a kest he watz clos þere, When venkkyst watz no vergynyte, ne vyolence maked, [MS. he expunged, after when.] Bot much clener watz hir corse, God kynned þerinne. Line 1072 And efte when he borne watz in Beþelen þe ryche, In wych puryte þay departed; þaȝ þay pover were, Watz never so blysful a bour as watz a bos þenne, [MS., M. abos; M. note abof(?); Sk. a bos.] Ne no schroude-hous so schene as a schepon þare, Line 1076 Ne non so glad under God as ho þat grone schulde. For þer watz seknesse al sounde þat sarrest is halden, And þer watz rose reflayr where rote hatz ben ever, And þer watz solace and songe wher sorȝ hatz ay cryed; Line 1080 For aungelles wyth instrumentes of organes and pypes, [folio 76a] And rial ryngande rotes, and þe reken fyþel, And alle hende þat honestly moȝt an hert glade, Aboutte my Lady watz lent, quen ho delyver were. Line 1084 Þenne watz her blyþe barne burnyst so clene Þat boþe þe ox and þe asse hym hered at ones: Þay knewe hym by his clannes for Kyng of nature,

For non so clene of such a clos com never er þenne. Line 1088

And ȝif clanly he þenne com, ful cortays þerafter, Þat alle þat longed to luþer ful lodly he hated; By nobleye of his norture he nolde never towche Oȝt þat watz ungoderly oþer ordure watz inne. Line 1092 Ȝet comen lodly to þat Lede, as lazares monye, Summe lepre, summe lome, and lomerande blynde, Poysened, and parlatyk, and pyned in fyres, Drye folk, and ydropike, and dede, at þe laste— Line 1096 Alle called on þat Cortayse and claymed his grace. He heled hem wyth hynde speche of þat þay ask after, For what so he towched, also tyd torned to hele, Wel clanner þen any crafte cowþe devyse. Line 1100 So clene watz his hondelyng uche ordure hit schonied, And þe gropyng so goud of God and man boþe, Þat for fetys of his fyngeres fonded he never Nauþer to cout ne to kerve wyth knyf ne wyth egge; [MS., M. cout; M. note cut(?).] Line 1104 Forþy brek he þe bred blades wythouten, For hit ferde freloker in fete in his fayre honde, Displayed more pryvyly when he hit part schulde, Þenne alle þe toles of Tolowse moȝt tyȝt hit to kerve. Line 1108

Þus is he kyryous and clene þat þou his cort askes; Hou schulde þou com to his kyth bot if þou clene were? Nou ar we sore and synful and souly uch one, [MS. sovly; M. sov[er]ly; Fi. soudly or solwy.] How schulde we se, þen may we say, þat Syre upon throne? Line 1112 Ȝis, þat Mayster is mercyable, þaȝ þou be man fenny And al tomarred in myre, whyl þou on molde lyvyes; Þou may schyne þurȝ schryfte, þaȝ þou haf schome served, And pure þe with penaunce tyl þou a perle worþe. Line 1116 Perle praysed is prys þer perre is schewed, [folio 76b]

Þaȝ hym not derrest be demed to dele for penies. Quat may þe cause be called bot for hir clene hwes, Þat wynnes worschyp abof alle whyte stones? Line 1120 For ho schynes so schyr þat is of schap rounde, Wythouten faut oþer fylþe, ȝif ho fyn were And wax ever in þe worlde in weryng so olde, [Fi. adopts M.'s suggestion (in notes) of wax ho euer.] Ȝet þe perle payres not whyle ho in pyese lasttes; [MS., M. pyese; B. pye[r]e.] Line 1124 And if hit cheve þe chaunce uncheryst ho worþe, Þat ho blyndes of ble in bour þer ho lygges, No-bot wasch hir wyth worchyp in wyn, as ho askes, Ho by kynde schal becom clerer þen are. Line 1128 So if folk be defowled by unfre chaunce, Þat he be sulped in sawle, seche to schryfte, And he may polyce hym at þe prest, by penaunce taken, Wel bryȝter þen þe beryl oþer browden perles. Line 1132

Bot war þe wel, if þou be waschen wyth water of schryfte, And polysed als playn as parchmen schaven, Sulp no more þenne in synne þy saule þerafter, For þenne þou Dryȝtyn dyspleses wyth dedes ful sore, Line 1136 And entyses hym to tene more trayþly þen ever, And wel hatter to hate þen hade þou not waschen. For when a sawele is saȝtled and sakred to Dryȝtyn, He holly haldes hit his, and have hit he wolde; Line 1140 Þenne efte lastes hit likkes, he loses hit ille, As hit were rafte wyth unryȝt, and robbed wyth þewes. [MS., M. þewes; M. note þeues(?).] War þe þenne for þe wrake; his wrath is achaufed For þat þat ones watz his schulde efte be unclene, Line 1144 Þaȝ hit be bot a bassyn, a bolle, oþer a scole, A dysche, oþer a dobler, þat Dryȝtyn onez served, To defowle hit ever upon folde fast he forbedes, So is he scoymus of scaþe þat scylful is ever. Line 1148

Line 1148 And þat watz bared in Babyloyn in Baltazar tyme, Hou harde unhap þer hym hent and hastyly sone, For he þe vesselles avyled þat vayled in þe temple In servyse of þe Soverayn sumtyme byfore. Line 1152 Ȝif ȝe wolde tyȝt me a tom, telle hit I wolde, [folio 77a] Hou charged more watz his chaunce þat hem cherych nolde Þen his fader forloyne þat feched hem wyth strenþe, [MS., M. forloyne; Fi., E. forloyn[ed].] And robbed þe relygioun of relykes alle. Line 1156