Altenglische legenden.

30. Commemoracio fidelium defunctorum.

Þis fest es knawe n omang man-kinde [Ms. knawed.] & cald "of cristen sawles þe mynde", For mynde þis day es made sertaine For all þe sawles þat suffers paine, Þat er in way for to be saue Line 5 And myster has mans help to haue. Bokes beris witnes morn a(n)d none: Þare may no sawl þat syn has done Vnto þe blys of heuyn up wyn, Or it be klensyd clene of syn — Line 10 And þat es noght done, or þai end; Help of þaire frendes may mykel amend. For if a man do so mykel syn And schriue hym clene of more & myn, And do noght þe penance here with will: Line 15 In purgatori he sall ful-fill, Vnto his penance so fer sprede [im Ms. fehlt be?] To make amendes for his misdede. And if þe preste, þat schryues þe, Vn-timand or so rekles be Line 20 Þat he gif þe noght penance right Þat es pursuand for þi plight: Bot if þou haue repentance more And with sorow make asseth þerfore, In purgatori þou sall be pynde, Line 25 To-tyme þi saul be fully finde —

Bot penance þat þe preste gyfes þe, All-if it neuer so littill be, Fro þe fende it sall þe saue [Ms. haue st. saue.] And help þe blis in heuyn to haue. Line 30 Bot all þat þou here suffers les [l. for st. bot?] Þan þi euyll wirkyng wurthi es, Þi saul sall suffer penance wer In purgatory, or yit pas fer. [Ms. yit od. þit st. it.] No syn sall fro penance be sparde, Line 35 Ne no gude werk with-out rewarde. Bot if a saule suffer, als I say, And lifand frendes here for it pray, God settes to-geder þe paynes þore And þe prayers þat er made þarfore: Line 40 Þat he þat suld two monethes haue In a moneth he may be saue, And he þat suld haue pain a zere In mykell les he may be clere. And if men for him syng or rede Line 45 Langer þan he of help has nede, Þan sall þo prayers forther pas And help þam þat more myster has, Or to þam-self here turn ogaine: So mend þaire life and les þaire pain. Line 50 Þan es it wisdom wele to do Here, whils we haue tyme þerto, And suffer penance for oure syn, Or life and sawll in swnder tw(i)n, [folio 186] And namely, whils we er in myght. Line 55 For of saint Austine rede we right, He sais: "a child þat es baptist And dies þan graythly, I ges Þat he es sekyr of heuyn blis; And als man þat dose no mys Line 60 Bot liffes wele with all his myght, Men may wele deme he dies right; And als-so he þat has done syn And makes amendes for more & myn With penance, whils he power has, Line 65 To seker place we trow he pas, And to haue blis he may be balde. Bot he þat bides to he alde, And of his mis will noght amend To his life be at þe last end: Line 70 And if he þan repentance haue, We er noght seker he sall be saue With-out grete trist of goddes mercy And grete penance in purgatory". Þan es it wit, sen we it chese, Line 75 Þe sekyr way þat we noght lese; For better es penance here to fulfill Þan efter be greued ogains oure will. If we do penaunce, to haue blis, Þan of oure mede may we noght mis; Line 80 And if we do it all for drede, Þan lightly may we lose oure mede. And if we do it here lifand, Þan may we stabilly un(der)stand Þat we sall wend þe seker way Line 85 Vnto þe life þat lastes ay. And pain þat sawls has efter dede, No-man wate here in what stede. For purgatori, als elerkes tell, Es a place noght fer fro hell. Line 90 Bot oþer places sum sawles hald Þat purgatori may be cald, For god has ordand sawles to be In sere places and in sere degre, Whils þai þaire penaunce sall ful-fill — Line 95 And þat es done for (cer)taine skill. [Ms. fortaine.] Sum sawles er pyned in certaine place, Forto be sped in lytel space; Sum sawles to sertaine place er send, Sum lifand men for to amend; Line 100 And sum to pyne er sent ful sone In places whare þaire sin was done, For lifand men þat war þam lefe May help for to mend þaire myschefe, And sum men er warned by swilk thing [Ms. warnend.] Line 105 For to amend þaire mislifyng. Sum sawles to esy places wendes Thurgh prayers of wele-lifand frendes. Sum sawles has power for to say To lifand men what mend þam may, Line 110 So titter forto bete þaire bale. [folio 186] Als may be trowed here bi a tale: How sir Thebalde, þe bisschop gude, Sent his fisshers to þe flode

In heruest, when þe sun was hate. Line 115 And als þai fisshed, bifell þusgate: A grete yse toke þai þam bi-twene, Als it in winter-tyme had bene. [Ms. in st. it.] And of þat finding war þai faine, By-caus þaire lord had sertaine paine, Line 120 Of a bryning, was in his fete — Þat ise þai hopid suld slake þe hete. Vnto þe bisschop þai haf it broght, And mykell it hesid him, als him thoght, [hesid = esid.] Forto haue þe hete oway; Line 125 And so he did full many a day. [Ms. he st. hit?] Till on a tyme þat yse bigan To make noys, als a lifand man. And when þe bisschop herd þe same, [Ms. þe se same (der Schreiber wollte seme schreiben).] He coniord it in Cristes name Line 130 Þat it suld say him what it was. And sone þe ise þus answerd has: "I am a sawl, and suffers paine Þat was eniond for sin sertaine; [Ms. einond.] A sertaine tyme here sall I dwell. Line 135 Bot wolde þou do als I sall tell: Thritty messes and þou wald syng On thritty dayes with-outen sesing: By þo messes war broght till ende, Vnto welth þan suld I wende". Line 140 Þe bisschop graunted gudely þan. And on þe morn sone he bigan And for þat sawl he praied fast, To fiften dayes war fully past. Þe sextend day, als he bigan Line 145 His mes, unto him come a man Þat was sent by þe fendes qua(i)ntyse, And said unto him on þis wise: "Sir, all þis cete, for sertaine, Ilk man es resyn other ogaine; Line 150 Bot þou go rewle þam bi þi rede [Ms. þe st. þi.] And gar þam sese, sune be þai dede". [be = shall be.] Þe bisschop wightly went his way, And so he left his mes þat day; Bot sone he fand þis tale untrew. Line 155 And on þe morn bigan he new And for þat sawl his mes he sais, And so he did ful twenty dayes. And þan þe fend by his powere Sent a-nother fals messangere: Line 160 Þat he sulde ger þe cete rise, For it was vmsett with enmyse; And so þat day his mes he left. And on þe morn began he eft, For he wald sese þat sawl of pyne. Line 165 Þan sang he twenty daies & nyen. [nyen st. nyne.] Þe thrittid day to mes he zede: And right so reuyst als he stode, Þe fende his sand unto him sent, And said: þe cete suld be brent Line 170 And all his palas sone suld brin, Bot help hastily be sett þare-in. Þe bisschop said: if so wore, His mes he wold nogh(t) leue þerfore. And so he said þe mes till hende. [hende = ende.] Line 175 Vnto þe cete þan gan he wende: And saue he saw euerilk dele — And þarby wist he wonder wele Þat þe deuil had done þat gyle. And sune he went in þat same while Line 180 In to his chaumber, whore þe yse lay: He fand it molten and waste oway — And wele þe bisschop trowed by þis Þat þe sawl was went to blis. — Al-so sum sawles, als I are said, Line 185 In sertaine places has paine puraaid For to amend men þat here dwell. Als men may by ensample tell: How a skole-maister in a stede Had a scoler þat drogh to dede; Line 190 Þat scoler was of grete degre Both of cunyng and dignyte, And grete pride had he nyght & day Of cunyng and of riche array. His maister prayed and charged hym hard Line 195 Þat he suld tel him efterward All of his fare and his astate. And efterwarde bifell þusgate: Efter þis life, als he was lerd, Vnto his maister he aperd; Line 200

Line 200 In a cape of parchemyn was he cled, With rolles þat myght wele be red, For þai war wretyn wele & clere On ilk a syde with sophims sere; [sophim sophisma, auch 218, 251.] His cape with-in was ful of fire. Line 205 Þe maister þan had grete desire To wit whi he was þus arraid. And þan þe sperit vnto him said: "I am þe same skoler, said he, Þat þou prayed suld come vnto þe Line 210 Forto schew þe myne asstate; And I sall tell þe alls I wate. Þis ilk cape þat þou sese me were, Es more heuy, me forto dere, Þan if it war þe grettest toure Line 215 Þat here es made for mans socoure; And all þir resons þat þou here sese War my sophims and sotiltese. Þis cape I bere for þe delyte Þat I had, slike uain werk to write; Line 220 Þis fire, þou sese on ilk a syde, Es put unto me for þat pride Þat I had of my riche clethyng, [Ms. richee.] Of pelure and of prechius thing — It brinnes me both nygh(t) & day". Line 225 And þan þe maister gun him pray Þat he suld put furth fote or hand, So þat he myght wele understand Yf it war suth þat he þare said. And þan þe sperit, als he hym praid, Line 230 Put furth his hand out of his cape: And of his finger fell doun a drope In (þe) maister hand, hate als a cole, And more smertly it made a hole Þan suld ane arrow out of a bow — Line 235 Him thoght his hand brent on a low. Þe sperit said: "slike paine I fele, And so hate am I euerilkadele. Byd þou my frendes for me pray!" When þis was said, he went oway — Line 240 Þe maister wist noght how he zede. [zode in zede corr.] Bot in his hert he had grete drede And on þe morn he talde þis tale Oma(n)g his scolers, grete & smale, How he had with his skoler bene, Line 245 And þe signe in his hand was sene. And unto þam he told þir vers Þat here er sett, þus to rehers:

Linquo choax ranis, cra coruis vanaque vanis.

Ad logicam pergo que mortis non timet ergo. et ce. et ce. et ce.

"All uain stodis I here forsake — To froskes in feld I þam bitake; Line 250 Fynd sophims, þat clerkes in affyes, [Ms. fynd. st. fyne.] I leue to crakes þat crobbes & cryes; [I. crokes?] All sutill sayinges and unsertayne I leue þam all, uoid thing and uaine. All werldly welth I will forsake, Line 255 And to goddes lawes I will me take". To religioun he gan him drawe And lifed and died in goddes lawe. — Sum sawles swilk places er pined in Whore þai had þaire delyte in syn. Line 260 Als it es red in a story Þat made es of þe gaste of Gy: He had penaunce & pyned his wife For lust þat was done in his life, And pyned he was in þat same stede Line 265 Ware he did syn bifore his dede. And ensaumple we find þar-fore By a tale of saint Gregore: Of a preste þat used ful lang Vnto þe bathes oft forto gang. Line 270 When he come þore, in ilk selown A man he fand ay redy-bown To serue him in ilk a dede, And of him walde he take no mede. And sum-dele for to zelde he thoght: Line 275 Apon a day with him he broght A lafe, þat he had blissed bifore, And to þe man he bed it þore. Þe man answerd with drery mode And said: "I use none erthly fode. Line 280 Þis, wote I wele, es haloud brede: To me it myght stand mykell in stede, Wolde þou it dele for (my) mysdede [vor mysdede fehlt my.] Vnto pure men þat has nede.

I am a sawl, þis þou record, Line 285 Þat sumtyme of þis hows was lord; I am assigned for sertaine space To haue my penaunce in þis place. And wolde þou for me messes syng, Out of my bale þou myght me bring. Line 290 For als sone als þou sall me mys Þan wit þou wele, I am to blis". Þe preste sang for him daies seuyn And hert(l)y praid to god of heui(n) [Ms. herty.] To help þat sawl out fro his paine. Line 295 Efter aght dayes he come ogaine; And when he come, þe man he myst — Þat he was safe, þarby he wyst. — Foure thinges here may men rede [folio 187] Þat to sawles specially may spede: Line 300 Þe first, prayers of frendes lifand, Þe secund, almus gyfen with hand, Þe thrid es messes for þam to syng, Þe fe(r)th es told for trew fastyng. Now first, þat þe prayers of frendes Line 305 May help þe sawles þat hethin wendes, Þat es proued wele by saint Gregore In a tale þat es tolde last byfore. [Ms. a st. þe?] Als-so saint Gregore telles till us Of one, þat high(t) Paschasius; Line 310 A dekyn he was of grete degre And haly man als-so was he. Byfell, þat þe bisschop was dede And one suld be chosin in his stede. Parfite men þan was þare two, Line 315 And all þai wold haue one of þo. Paschasius gaf his voice in hy To him he wist was les wurthy. And for þat dede, when he was ded, He sufferd paine in sertain stede. Line 320 Vnto þe bisschop he sethin aperde And of his lifyng he him lerde: "When þou was chosen, als þou wate, I wist þat þou was les of state; Ogains my conciens I assent: Line 325 And þare(fore) am I now turment. [Ms. þare.] Yf þou will hertly pray for me, Þan sall I sone deliuerd be." Þe bisschop praid with gude entent: And Pascassius to heuyn es hent. — Line 330 Þe secund thing þat saulles may mend, Es almus gyfen with hert and hend. Þat witnes whilom, how it was, A haly man, þat hight Judas. Vnto Jerusalem he ones sent Line 335 XII M. besaundes of gude payment, To offer þare in almus-dede, [Ms. efter st. offer (so schon 27, 25).] And all for synfull sawles mede: So hopid he in hert fully Þat sawles suld be mend þare-by Line 340 And þat þai suld efter þare paine Be raised in endles life ogaine. — And þat almus es of mykil myght, Þat may men here & rede full right In a story, faire to lere, Line 345 Þat es called Pers Tollonere. In þis boke men may it find: [es ist die Homiliensammlung dess. Ms. gemeint, vgl. die Evang.-Gesch. des Ms. Vernon N. 45.] Þarfore I leue it here bihind. — Þe third thing þat ordand es For help of sawles, es haly mes. Line 350 Als may be proued in many place, Þat now to speke war litell space. [Ms. speke od. spele?] And þat it helpis to lifand men, Here by ensample may men ken: Apon a tyme how þat it fore Line 355 Bi men þat soght for siluerore. With-in þe erth so gun þai crepe, Vnto þaire werk was wonder depe. Down on þam fell a krag of stone And sone it slogh þam all — bot one, Line 360 And he was sted by-twen two stones, And nowþer brissed flessh no bones; Þe erth was so fer him obout, Þat on none wise migh(t) he win out. His wife wende he war ded for ay. Line 365 Þarfore scho ordand ilk a day For his sawl a mes to sing, And on þis maner scho made ofryng: Euerilkaday a lafe of brede And a piccher of wine or rede Line 370

Line 370 And a candel of wax, to brin, Þat god him out of wo suld win. And on þis wise scho wroght alway. To-tyme þe deuill apon a day — At hir doyng he had dedeyne, Line 375 And als a frende he gun him feyne: Þe gude wife apon a day he mett; Hir almus-dede for he wald lett, He said þe mes was done for lang, And hame ogaine he gert hir gang. Line 380 On swilk maner he tyd hir thwise. [Ms. he tyd st. betyd? thwise st. twise.] And s(i)þen bifell on þis wise: Oþer mynours þeder fore, For to seke þam syluer-ure, Whore þis chaunce was fallen bifore. Line 385 And als on of þam grubbed þore, He herd a uoice under him eri And bad he suld smyte more softly. He was aferd & held him still And cald his felaws him untill. Line 390 Eft-sones þore in þe erth he groue: And all þai herd, þat war oboue, How one bineth bad him lat be, "With herd stones þou-hurtes me". Þai grofe on syde, als sais þe boke: Line 395 And hale and fere furth þai him toke. Here-of had þai meruail strang. Þai askyd hym how he lifed so lang. He said: "als god him-self vouched safe, Ilk day of brede I had a lafe [Ms. ham. st. had (hauid?).] Line 400 And a vessell with wine þarin And a wax-candell, for to brin — Out-taken thre dais, þus I ferd." And when his wife þir wordes herd, Þan wist scho wele, & to þam said, Line 405 How þat þe fende had hir bitraid Þo thre daies, for to leue hir dede. Þus to þe life dose messes mede. — Clerkes þus in þaire bokes declares: All folk þat fro þis folde here fares, Line 410 Outher er þai right gude for sertaine, Or els right euyll & wurthy paine; [Ms. wurtly.] Þe tone has welth, þe toþer has wo, Or els in mene bi-twix þir two. Þe first, þat er right gude, may be Line 415 Ful wele declared in kyndes thre: Þe first: baptist þat dies als-tyte, Þe secund: merters, þe third: men parfite Þat of þis werld here rekkes noght Bot vnto heuyn has þaire thoght — Line 420 Whilk, yf þai do here veniall syn, It takes no rote þaire sawl with-in More þan a drope of water here Dose in fyre þat brinnes clere. For any swilk what man so prays, Line 425 It turnes to him-self þat it sais — Als haly bokes beres witnes On þis wise, als here writen es: Oracio mea in sinu meo conuertetur. To ilkone of þir thre degrese Opins heuin, als clerkes se, [Ms. se st. sese.] Line 430 And þeder wende þai, when þai dy, And feles no pain in purgatory. Þat heuyn opins to new baptist, Witnes þus saint Luke of Crist:

Jhesu baptizato & orante apertum est celum.

Baptime dose al syns downe Line 435 By vertu of Cristes passiowne, Wheþer þai be orriginall [Ms. wheþei.] Or dedly syns or veniall. Þat heuyn opins to marters gude, Said saint Steuyn þus, als he stode: Line 440 Ecce uide(o) celos apertos et ce. He said: "lo, I se Jhesu stand In heuyn opon his fader right hand" — And þat may suthly signify Þat marters wendes to heuin in hy. Þat heuyn opins to parfite men, Line 445 Þus sais saint Johne, als clerkes ken: Vidi et ecce hostium apertum est in celo — "I saw a dore in heuyn on hight Opin to men þat lifes right". Þus right gude men has all þaire will. — And þarogayn þai þat er right ill Line 450 And er dampned withouten end,

It helpes nowþer to say ne send, Out of þat grofe to ger þam rise; For saint Austin sais on þis wise: Si scirem patrem meum esse in inferno, non plus orarem pro eo quam pro diabolo: He sais þus: "if I saw my syre Line 455 Brinand depe in hell-fire, I wald noght pray his pain to sese For in hell may be no relese." — Þe third: þat has done synnes sere, And noght fulfild þaire penance here, Line 460 Of mes and prayers haue þai nede And als of oþer almus-dede. Bot it es to reward all-way [reward = regard.] Þat þai be gude men þat sall pray, And als-so þat þaire almus be Line 465 Done in parfite charite. And for þe ded men suld do sone Thing þat þai lifand bid be done, And in grete haste, to make þam hale. Als men may here by a tale: Line 470 Þat bifell by a knyghtes wife, To wham he cummand in his life: A hors of his þat scho suld sell And gyf almus pure men omell. When he was ded, scho had no will Line 475 To fell þat hors, bot held him still. Efter aght daies, als I am lerd, Þe knyght untill his wife aperd: "Þou has gert me haue pain, he sais, In purgatori þir aght dayis Line 480 For þe hors þat I bad þe sell. Þarfore þi sawl sall wende to hell, [folio 188] When þou es dede, on þis same day, And I sall wun in welth al-way Þat lastes euer with-outen ende" — Line 485 God wis us to þat welth at wende.