shulden worshipe Crist, bi þe lore of þis encence; and alle comunes shulden worshipe Crist, for we ben alle dedli, and in tyme of oure deþ and aftirward we haue noon helpe but him. And þis shulden we do in liȝt; for we shulden worche discretli. And, as Gregory techiþ [St. Gregory, Homil. X. 'A re|gione nostra superbiendo, inobedi|endo, visibilia sequendo, cibum vetitum gustando, discessimus: sed ad eam necesse est, ut flendo, obe|diendo, visibilia contemnendo, atque appetitum carnis refrenando, redea|mus. Per aliam ergo viam ad re|gionem nostram regredimur; quo|niam qui a paradisi gaudiis per di|lectamenta discessimus, ad haec per lamenta revocamur.'] , we shulden wenden fro þe fend al bi anoþer weie þan we camen into þis world. For bi synne we camen hidir, and contynneden here in synne; but we shal wende fro þe fend unto oure countre, þat is hevene, bi þe weie of vertuous [So in E; A has vertues.] liif, and þanne we suen þes þree kingis.
ÞE GOSPEL ON CONVERSIOUN DAI OF SEINT POUL.
[SERMON XCVIII.]
Ecce reliquimus [So in E; A has relinquimus.] omnia.—MATT. xix. [27.]
ÞIS gospel telliþ of þe meede þat Crist bihiȝte to his hie knyȝtis. Petre was of greet bileve, and hardi in axing, and axiþ þus Crist:—Lo, we hav forsaken alle þingis, and we hav sued þee; what mede shal be to us for þis suynge? Here men douten comunli, how Petre seide soþ; siþ men forsaken not but þing þat þei have hadde, and Petre was a fishere, and hadde but litil þing. Also þer ben many þingis þat Petre þouȝte nevere on; but how shulde he forsake þing þat nevere cam in his þouȝt? Also, Petre forsoke nevere þe Holi Trinite, ne þe manheede of Crist, þat ben many þingis. How approveþ Crist þes false wordis of Petre? Here it semeþ to many men þat Petre undirstood þus,—þat þei forsoken alle þingis [The words þat—þingis are om. in E.] ,—for alle þes worldli goodis; siþ þei helden þer bisynesse and þer wille fro þes goodis. And þis witt mente Crist, in his speche
