The Ellesmere ms of Chaucer's Canterbury tales / edited by Frederick J. Furnivall.

¶ Remedium contra peccatum luxurie .

[915]

NOw comth the remedie agayns leccherie. and that is generally Chastitee and Continence. that re|streyneth alle / the desordeynee moeuynges / that comen of flesshly talentes. [916] And euere / the gretter merite shal he han. that moost restreyneth the wikkede eschaw|fynges of the ordure of this synne. and this is in two [¶ Of chastitee in two maneres] maneres. that is to seyn / chastitee in mariage and chastitee of widwehode [917] NOw shaltow vnderstonde that matrimoyne / is leefful assemblynge of man And of [¶ What matri|moyne is] womman / that receyuen by vertu of the sacrement the boond. thurgh which they may nat be departed in al hir lyf that is to seyn. whil that they lyuen bothe [918] This as seith the book/ is a ful greet sacrement. god maked it. as I haue seyd in Paradys. and wolde hym self. be born in mariage. [919] and for to halwen mariage. he was at a weddynge. where as he turned water in to wyn. which was / the firste miracle that he wroghte in erthe biforn hise disciples [920] ¶ Trewe effect of [¶ Of trewe effect/ of mariage] mariage / clenseth fornicacion and replenysseth hooly chirche of good lynage. for that is the ende of mariage. and it chaungeth deedly synne in to venial synne / bitwixe hem that been ywedded. and maketh the hertes al oon / of hem that been ywedded. as wel as the bodies. [921] verray mariage. that was establissed by god. er that synne bigan. whan natureel lawe / was in his right poynt in Paradys and it was ordeyned. that o man / [¶ How o man sholde haue but o womman. And o womman but o man in mariage secun|dum Augusti|num] sholde haue but o womman. and o. womman but o man. as seith Seint Augustyn by manye resons

[922] ¶ ffirst for mariage is figured / bitwixe Crist and

[6-text p 669] holy chirche. And that oother is [folio 232b] for a man / is heued of a womman. algate / by ordinaunce it sholde be so. [923] ffor if a womman / hadde no men than oon. thanne sholde she haue / moo heuedes than oon. and that were an horrible thyng biforn god. and eek / a womman / ne myghte nat plese to many folk / at oones. / And also / ther ne sholde neuere be pees ne reste amonges hem. for euerich / wolde / axen his owene thyng [924] ¶ And forther ouer / no man ne sholde knowe / his owene en|gendrure. ne who sholde haue his heritage. and the womman sholde been the lasse biloued / fro the tyme that she were / conioynt to many men

[925] NOw comth / how that a man sholde bere hym [¶ How a man sholde bere him with his wyf/] with his wif / and namely in two thynges. that is to seyn / in suffrance and reuerence as shewed Crist. whan he made first womman. [926] ffor he ne made hire nat of the heued of Adam. for she sholde nat clayme to greet lordshipe [927] for ther as the womman hath the maistrie / she maketh to muche desray / ther neden none ensamples of this. the experience of day by day oghte suffise [928] ¶ Also certes / god ne made nat womman of the foot of Adam / for she ne sholde nat been holden to lowe. for she kan nat paciently suffre. but god made womman of the ryb of Adam. for womman sholde be felawe vn-to man [929] Man sholde bere hym to his wyf In feith / in trouthe / and in loue / as seith seint [¶ Sanctus Paulus] Paul. that a man sholde louen his wyf / as Crist loued hooly chirche /. that loued it so wel / that he deyde for it. so sholde a man for his wy[f] if it were nede

[930] ¶ Now / how that a womman / sholde be subget [¶ How a womman / sholde be subget to hir housbonde / secundum Petrum & decretum] to hire housbonde that telleth seint Peter. ffirst in Obedi|ence [931] ¶ And eek / as seith the decree. A womman that is wyf / as longe as she is a wyf / she hath noon Auctoritee to swere ne bere witnesse / with-oute leue of hir housbonde. that is hire lord / algate / he sholde be so by reson [932] ¶ She sholde eek/ seruen hym in alle

[6-text p 670] honestee. and been attempree of hire array /. I woot wel/ that they sholde setten hire entente to plesen hir hous|bondes but nat by hire queyntise of array [933] ¶ Seint [¶ Nota secun|dum sanctum Ieronimum] Ierome seith / that wyues / that been apparailled in silk/ and in precious purpre. ne mowe nat clothen hem in Ihesu Crist. / What seith seint Iohn eek / in thys matere?‖ [934] Seint Gregorie eek seith. that no wight seketh [¶ Sanctus Gregorius] precious array. but oonly for veyne glorie / to been honoured the moore / biforn the peple ‖. [935] It is a greet folye /. a womman to haue a fair array outward / and in hir self / foul inward [936] ¶ A wyf / sholde eek be [¶ How a wyf sholde be mesur|able in lookynge & in berynge &cetera] mesurable in lookynge and in berynge and in lawghynge / and discreet in alle hire wordes / and hire dedes. [937] and abouen alle worldly thyng she sholde louen hire housbonde with al hire herte. and to hym / be trewe of hir body [938] ¶ so sholde an housbonde eek be to his wyf /. ffor sith that/ al the body / is the housbondes. so sholde hire herte been. or elles / ther is bitwixe hem two. as in that no parfit mariage [939] Thanne shal men vnder|stonde. [¶ How a man & his wyf/ mowen assemblen flesshely for .iij. thynges] that for thre thynges / a man and his wyf flesshly mowen assemble ‖ ¶ The firste. is in entente of engen drure of children. to the seruice of god. ffor certes / that is the cause final of matrimoyne [940] ¶ Another cause is. to yelden euerich of hem to oother / the dette of hire bodies. ffor neither of hem / hath power ouer his owene body / ¶ The thridde is. for to eschewe leccherye and vileynye ¶ The ferthe / is for sothe deedly synne [941] As to the [folio 233a] firste / it is meritorie /. the seconde also / for as seith the decree. that she hath [merite of chastitee] þat yeldeth to [¶ In decreto] hire housbonde the dette of hir body. ye though it be agayn hir likynge and the lust of hire herte [942] ¶ The thridde manere is venyal synne. and trewely scarsly may ther any [of] thise be with-oute venial synne / for the corrupcion and for the delit / [943] ¶ The fourthe manere is for to vnderstonde. if they assemble oonly for amorous loue / and for noon of the foreseyde causes. but

[6-text p 671] for to accomplice thilke brennynge delit / they rekke neuere how ofte. soothly it is deedly synne. and yet with sorwe somme folk wol peynen hem moore to doon / than to hire appetit suffiseth

[944] The seconde manere of chastitee / is for to been [¶ Of chastitee in wydwehede] a clene wydewe and eschue the embracynges of man and desiren the embracynge of Ihesu crist. [945] thise been tho þat han been wyues and han forgoon hire hous|bondes. and eek wommen þat han doon leccherie and been releeued by Penitence [946] ¶ And certes. if þat a wyf koude kepen hire al chaast by licence of hir housbonde so þat she yeue neuere noon occasion þat he agilte. it were to hire a greet merite [947] ¶ Thise manere wommen þat obseruen chastitee . . . . . [no gap in the MS.] in clothynge and in contenance / & been abstinent in etynge. and drynkynge. in spekynge / and in dede. they been the vessel / or the boyste of the blissed Magdelene / þat fulfilleth hooly chirche of good odour [948] The thridde [¶ Of chastitee in virginitee] manere of chastitee is virginitee. and it bihoueth þat she be hooly in herte and clene of body / thanne is she spouse to Ihesu crist and she is the lyf of Angeles. [949] she is the preisynge of this world. and she is as thise martirs in egalitee. she hath in hire. that tonge may nat telle ne herte thynke ‖. [950] Virginitee baar oure lord Ihesu crist and virgine was hym selue

[951] Another remedie agayns leccherie. is specially / [¶ Of another remedie agayns leccherye] to withdrawen swiche thynges / as yeue occasion to thilke vileynye. as ese. etynge and drynkynge / for certes / whan the pot boyleth strongly /. the beste remedie is to with|drawe the fyr [952] ¶ Slepynge. longe in greet quiete. is eek a greet norice to leccherie

[953] ¶ Another remedie agayns leccherie. is / þat a [¶ Another remedie agayns leccherie] man or a womman eschue the compaignye of hem by whiche he douteth to be tempted. for al be it so þat the dede is withstonden. yet is ther greet temptacion ‖.

[6-text p 672] [954] Soothly. a whit wal. al-though it ne brenne noght fully by stikynge of a candele. yet is the wal blak of the leyt. [955] ¶ fful ofte tyme I rede. þat no man truste in [¶ Nota] his owene perfeccion but he be stronger than Sampson. & hoolier than Danyel. & wiser than Salomon

[956] ¶ Now after þat I haue declared yow as I kan the seuene deedly synnes and somme of hire braunches and hire remedies; soothly if .I. koude .I. wolde telle yow the ten comandementz. [957] but so heigh a doctrine I lete to diuines. nathelees I hope to god. they been touched in this tretice euerich of hem alle