The Corpus ms (Corpus Christi coll., Oxford) of Chaucer's Canterbury tales. Ed. by Frederick J. Furnivall.

De satisfaccione.

[1028]

NOw haue I tolde of verry confession that is the secunde parte of penaunce /

[6-text p 679]

[1029] the .iij. parte of penaunce is satisfaccion / & that stant most generally in almes & in bodily peyne / [1030] Now ben ther .iij. manere of almes / Contricion of herte / that a man openeth him selff to god / Another is to have pete of the defaute of his neighbours / And the thride is in yevyng good counsaile / & comforte gostly & bodily / where men haue nede / & namely in sustenaunce of man-is foode / [1031] & to take kepe of that [MS Arch. Seld. B. 14 folio 307b] that a man hath nede of / off these thinges generally he hath nede / of foode / of clothing / & herborugh / he hath nede also of charitable counsaille / & visityng in prison / & maladie / & sepulture of his dede bodie / [1032] and if thou maist nat visite the nedeful with thi persone / visite hem bi thi massage / & thi yifftes / [1033] these ben the general almes & workes of charite / of hem that han temporal riches / or discrecion in counsaillyng / Off there workes shalt thow hyre at the day of dome /

[1034] these almesses shaltow don of thin owne propre thinges / & hastily & privily if thow maiste / [1035] but natheles if thou maiste nat don hit priuily / thou shalt nat forbere to do almes neuer a dele though men se hit / so that it be nat don for thanke of the world / but onely for to haue the thanke of oure lorde ihesu criste / [1036] ffor as wittnessith Seint Mathew. quinto capitulo / A Cite [¶ Mathei quinto Capitulo.] may nat be hidde that on a mountayne sette / ne men lighte nat a lanterne & put it vnder a busshel / but men sette hit on a candelstike / to lighten the men in the hous / [1037] Right so shal youre lighte lighten a-forne men that thei mowe seen youre goode workes / & glorifie / youre fader that is in heuen /

[1038] Now as for to speke of bodily peyne / it stonte in praieres / in wakynges / in ffastinges / & in vertuous

[6-text p 680] techinges of orisons / [1039] ye shul vnder-stonde that orisons / or praiers is for to seie / a pitous wil of herte / that redressith hit in god / & expressith it bi wordes / outwarde to renewe harmes / & to haue thinges espirituel & durable / & somtyme temporal thinges / off whiche orisons / certis in the orison of the Pater noster / [¶ Pater noster.] hath ihesu criste enclosed most thinges / [1040] Certis it is privileged of thre thinges in his dignite / ffor whiche it is more digne / than any other praiere / ffor that ihesu criste him selff maked / [1041] and it is shorte / for it sholde be couthe more lightly [MS Arch. Seld. B. 14 folio 308a] and for to withholde hit the more esily in herte / & helpen hem selff the offter / with the orison / [1042] And for a man sholde be the lasse wery to seie hit / And for a man may nat excuse him to lerne hit / for it is shorte & so esie / And for hit comprehendith in hit selff / alle good praiers / [1043] The exposicion of this holy praiere / that is so excellent & digne / I bitake these maistres of Theologie / saue thus meche wol I seyne / that whan thou praieste that god sholde foryeve the thi giltes as thou foryeuest hem that agilten the / Be ful wel war / that thou be nat out of charite / [1044] This holy orison amennsith eke venial synne / & therfore hit apperteyneth specially to penaunce /

[1045] This praiere most be trewly seide / & in verry feith // & that men praie to god / ordinatly / dis|cretly / & devoutely / And alwey a man shal putte his wil / to be subiette to the wil of god / [1046] this orison most eke be seide / with grete humblesse / & ful pure / honestly & nat to the anoysaunce of any man or woman / hit most eke be contenued with the workes of charite / [1047] hit availeth eke ayeines the vices of the soule / ffor as seith seint Ierome / bi fastynge ben saued the vices of the [¶ Ierome] flesshe / & bi praiers the vices of the soule /

[1048] Affter this thow shalt vnder-stonde / that bodily peyne stonte in waking / for ihesu criste seith / waketh and praieth / that ye ne entre in to wikked

[6-text p 681] temptacion / [1049] ye shul vnder-stonde eke that fast|ynge stonte in thre thinges / in forberynge of bodily meete / and drinke / & in forberinge of worldly iolitees / And in for|beringe of dedly synne / this is to seie / that a man shal kepe him fro dedly synne / with al his myght /

[1050] And thou shalt vnderstonde eke that god ordeyned fastinges / & to fastinges apperteynen .iiij. thinges [1051] largenesse to pore folke / gladnesse of herte espirituel / nat to be angry / ne anoyed / ne to grucche for he fasteth / & also at resonable houre for to eete bi [MS Arch. Seld. B. 14 folio 308b] mesure / that is for to seie / A man shulde nat eten in vntyme / ne sitte the lenger at his table to ete / for he fasteth /

[1052] Than shalt thou vnderstonde that bodily peyne stante in disciplyne or teching / bi worde / or bi writynge / or bi ensample / also in weryng of heires or of stamyne / or of haberions on here naked flesshe / for cristes sake / & suche manere penaunces / [1053] but war the wel that suche penaunces on thi flessh / ne make nought thin herte bitter / or angery / or anoyed / of thi selff / ffor better it is to caste awaie thin heire / than for to caste a-wey the swettnesse of oure lorde ihesu criste / [1054] And therfore seit[h] seint Poule / [¶ Poule.] Clotheth yow as thei that ben chosen of god / in herte of misericorde / debonairte / suffraunce / & suche manere of clothinge / of whiche ihesu criste is more apaiede / than of heire / or of haberioun /

[1055] Than is his disciplyne / in knokkynge of thi breste / in schourginge with yerdes / in knelynges / in tribulacions / [1056] in sufferinge paciently wronges / that ben don to him / And eke vnpacient sufferaunce of maladies / or lesinge of worldly catel / or of wiff / or childe / or other frendes /

[1057] Than shalt thou vnderstonde / whiche thinges distourben penaunce / and that is in .iij. maners / And that is drede / shame / & wanhope / that is desperacion / [1058] And for to speken first of drede / ffor whiche he

[6-text p 682] weneth that he may suffre no penaunce / [1059] there ayeines is remedie / for to thenke that bodily penaunce is but shorte / litel / at the regarde of the peyne of helle / that is cruel & so longe / that it lasteth withouten ende /

[1060] Now a-yeines the shame that a man hath to shriven him / and namely these ypocrites / that wolden be holde so perfite / that thei haue noon nede to shriven hem / [1061] Ayeines that shame / shal a man thenke / that bi wey of reson / that he / that hath nat ben a-shamed / to do foule thinges / Certis him oughte nat to ben a-shamed to don faire thinges / & goode thinges / & that is confessiouns / [1062] A man shulde eke thenke / that god seeth & woot wel thi thoughtes / [thoughtes repeated] [MS Arch. Seld. B. 14 folio 309a] & al thi workes / to him may nothing be hidde ne couered / [1063] men shulde eke remembre hem of the shame that is to come at the day of dome to them that ben nat penitente / ne shriven in this present liff / [1064] ffor alle the creatures in heuen erthe & in helle / shulle se appertely al that they hiden in this worlde /

[1065] Now for to speke of the hope of hem that ben so necligent & slowe to shrive hem / hit stante in two maners / [1066] that on is that he hopeth to live longe / & for to purchase meche riches for his delite / & than he wol shrive him / & as seith he may as him semeth tymely I-nough come to shriffte / [1067] Another is of the surquidrie that he hath in the hope of cristes mercy / [1068] And ayeines the first vice he shal thenke / that oure liff is in no sekernesse / & eke that al the riches in the worlde is in auenture & passinge as a shadowe on a wal // [1069] And as seith seint Gregorie / [¶ Gregorius] that hit apperteyneth to the grete rightwisnesse of god / that neuere shal the peyne stinte of hem / that neuere wolde withdrawe hem fro synne here thankes but euer contenue in synne / for that perpetual wil to do synne / shullen thei haue perpetual peine //

[1070] Wanhope is in two maners / The first wan|hope is in the merci of criste / That other is that thei

[6-text p 683] thenke / that thei myghte nat longe perseuere in good|nesse / [1071] The first wanhope cometh of that he demeth that he hath synned so gretly / so offte / & so longe lien in synne / that he shal nought be sauede / [1072] Certis ayeines that cursed wanhope he shulde thenke / that the passion of ihesu criste is more stronge for to vnbynde / than synne is for to bynde / [1073] Ayeines the seconde wanhope. . . . .[1074] . . [no gap in the MS.] that he demeth that he shulde nat longe perseuere in goodnes / he shal thenke that the febelnesse of the Deuel may nothing don but if men wil suffre him / [1075] & eke he shal have strengthe of the helpe of god / & of al holy chirche & of the proteccions of Aungels / if hem luste //

[1076] Than shul men vnderstonde what is the fruyte of penaunce [MS Arch. Seld. B. 14 folio 309b] [and last] as after the worde of ihesu criste / hit is the endeles blisse of heuen / [1077] there ioye hath no contrariouste of woo / ne greuaunce / there al harmes ben passed of this present liff / there as is the sekernesse from the peyne of helle / there as is the blisful companye that reioysen hem euermore / eueryche of otheris Ioye / [1078] there as the body of man that whilom was foule & derke is more clere than the sonne / there as whilom the bodi was sike freyle feble & mortal / is immortal / & so stronge & so hole / that there may nothinge empeire it / [1079] there as neither is hungre / thrust / ne colde / but euery soule replenesshed with the sight of the perfite knowynge of god / [1080] this blisful regne may man purchace bi pouerte espirituel / & the glorie bi lowe|nesse / the plente of ioye bi hungre & thruste / & the reste bi travaile / & the liff bi deth / & mortificacion of synne /

[6-text p 684]

To thilke liff he vs bringe that bought vs with his pre|cious bloode. Amen /