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,
