Robert of Brunne's "Handlyng synne".

[Of the Fifth Sacrament—Holy Orders.]

NOw of þe fyfþë sacrament, Þe order of þe bysshopes presentement. þys falleþ to þese lordynges, Line 10945 As popës, emperoures, and kynges, And to alle þat clerkys auaunce To holy cherches portynaunce; [purtynaunce.] Line 10948 Swyche men, þat are of grete nobley, Yn þys sacrament þan synne þey, Þat þey graunte, for mede þat þey take, Vnwurþyly, a bysshope to make, Line 10952 Of whom þat ys þe famë ryfe Þat he ys, of febyl lyfe, Or oþer to auaunce, hyt ys folye, wyþoutyn resonable clergye. Line 10956

Clerk behoueþ [behouede.] hym for to be, Þat shulde receyue swyche dygnyte For to gouerne holy cherche; with clergy, behoueþ hym algate werche. But now ys fulfylled þe prophecye Line 10961 Þat, sorë wepyng, seyþ Isaye, "Ryȝt swych shal be þe prest [[6 syllables]]

As þe lewed man lyue, þou sest." Line 10964

lytyl kan lasse þe lewed man þan some of þesë prestës kan. who ȝyuen hem more to worldly þyng þan prestës do, for alle here prechyng?

ȝyf he be clerk, and euyl dous, [folio 73a] Line 10969 Of hym ys nat to make no rous. what vayleþ to vndyrstonde þe lettyr, And hys lyfe be neuer þe bettyr? Line 10972 Alle þat clergye, y telle it but lore, when he lyueþ neuer þe bettyr þer-fore.

But how seyþ Salamon yn hys spellyng, "wo þe land, þere chylde ys kyng!" Line 10976 And wo þe folk, þat kan nat lyue whan holy cherchë ys mys-ȝyue! And to þe husbonde, wo ys [ys H, om. O.] hys lyfe, þat haþ yn hys ['hys' omitted.] hous a fole to wyfe! Line 10980

ȝe lordes, do ȝe Goddes ordynaunce, And godë men ȝe shul auaunce; To gode men ȝyueþ ȝoure benefyces Line 10983 Þat kun hem kepe fro wykked vyces; Þan make ȝe gode presentëment To order of þys sacrament.

Also, haþ he wykkedly doun Þat letteþ gode mannes eleccyoun; Line 10988 'Eleccyoun' ys, 'weyl chesyng A gode man to kepe holy þyng.' Þese hyghë men do grete trespas, Þat chese nat ryȝt, alas! alas! Line 10992 Þát were wurþy, hem þey spare, And þe vnwurþy auaunced are; And, þat ys nat lytyl synne To hem þat hyt ȝyuen, and eke so wynne; Hyt may be tolde for symonye, Line 10997 For ȝyfte to auaunce þe vnwurþy.

By a tale, y may ȝow shewe þat hyt ys synne to chese a shrewe; Line 11000 And ȝyt ys he yn wers entent, þat letteþ gode mannes auauncëment.

Seynt Gregory telleþ þarfore a tale [A tale.] þat telþ many one, what grete and smale, he telleþ mo hymself a-lone, Line 11005 þan alle þe doctours do echone.

[The Tale of Paschasius's Punish|ment for not agreeing to the Election of the best Man for Pope.]

Yn þe cherche of Rome, he telleþ þus, [folio 73a:2] A dekene was þat hyghte Pascasyus, Line 11008 A man of almës þan was he, Þat ofte of þe porë had pyte; Þat yche tyme was elleccyone To chese here pope, as er [ere.] was wone. Line 11012

Twey men were yn choys to take, Oþer Laurence, oþer [or.] Symake; hys felaus alle, Symakus chese, So þat Laurence hys voys lese; Line 11016 Pascasyus graunted neuer þartyl, But chese Laurence at hys owne wyl; He repented hym neuer noȝt, But yn Laurencë stode hys þoȝt. Line 11020

Yn þys popes tyme, syre Symakus, Deyde þe dekene Pascasyus: Þys dekene was an holy man, As yn þe cuntre þe famë ran, Line 11024 And dyd þys myrácle, as ȝe mowe [may.] here: A wode man touched on hys bere, And a party of hys cloþyng,

And a-none he hadde botenyng. Line 11028

longë, aftyr þat þys was, Fyl of þys dekene a merueylous kas; For þere besydë, yn a paþ was a wasshyng, at an hote baþ; Line 11032 'Termes' men calle þat watyr wasshele, For many one had þerat here hele.

Þus þe holy bysshope seynt Germyne Com þedyr to be wasshe þer-ynne; Line 11036 Þere fonde he þys dekene Pascas, And at þe [þat.] watyr seruyng was: Þys bysshope merueyled yn hys þoȝt, wheþer hyt were Pascas or noȝt; Line 11040 At þe laste, seynt Germyne seyde "Art þou nat Pascas þat deyde, Þat we helde a man holy?" "Ȝys," seyd Pascas, "hyt am y; Line 11044 And at þys water, serue y þus, [folio 73b] For y graunted neuer [nat.] to Symakus, But to Laurence, with alle my myȝt, Þat was nat so gode yn Goddys syȝt; Line 11048 y ne repented yn alle my hope, [nat in al myn hope.] For y wulde haue hadde hym pope. But wuldest þou prey for me, Germyne, y shulde come sone oute of þys pyne; Line 11052 And þat [þat O, om. H.] mayst þou wete yn þys manere, Ȝyf þou fynde me no more here."

Þe bysshope Germyne, home he ȝede, And preyd to God for hys mysdede. Line 11056 Þe nextë tyme þat he come þore, Of Pascas, sagh he no more.

Lokë, [Lokeþ.] lordes, how ȝe mysdo, Þat eleccyoun dystroubleþ [dystourbleþ.] so; Line 11060 For a ȝyfte, or a presént,

Ȝe suffre holy cherche to [to H, om. O.] be shent; Ȝourë synnë shal be greuous, whan þys dekene Pascasyus, Line 11064 For so lytyl, to purgatorye ȝede, For whom was shewed myrácle yn dede.

Aȝens God, he ys nat quyte, Þat suffreþ for hys owne profyte, Line 11068 Holy cherche, wrongly be ȝyue To þo men þat wykkedly lyue; Þey shul be a-couped of tresoun, As traytours yn eleccyoun; Line 11072 Many shul go a deuyl wey, Or be encumbred or [ar.] þey dey.

Ȝyt shal y telle, among þese talys, A tale þat now late fyl yn Wales: Line 11076 yn þe tyme of seynt Dauy Fyl þys þyng, a grete ferly.

[A Tale of Warning against buying Bishoprics, and worshipping Bad Bishops' Bodies.]

As þe munkës shulde do werche werk þat fyl vn-to here cherche, Line 11080 As þey dalue dowun yn þe clay, Þey fonde a bysshope alle hole lay, with flesshe and blode, and hole sendal, [folio 73b:2] And, wyþ ouþer vestement alle, Line 11084 As fresshë as he were depeynt. þey wende he had be a corseynt; þey toke hym vp, euerychone, And, leyd hym vppon a stone, [a tumbe of stone.] Line 11088 And wurscheped hyt moche with-alle, For þey wende myrácles shulde falle. At hygh feste tymës of þe ȝere Þey ensensed þe body as [as H O,? for 'at.'] þe hygh autere.

A nyȝt, whan þe sekesteyn yn bede was leyd, Line 11093 Hym þoȝt one come, and to hym seyd,

"Ensense þe body no more so, Ne do no wurschep þar-vnto." Line 11096

Þe sekesteyn, for alle þat defense, Ȝyt he ȝaue þe body ensense. Anouþer nyȝt, fór þat same, Efte þe sekesteyn he gan blame, Line 11100 and seyd, "holde hyt no more yn prys, þat yche body, þat þere lys." þe munkë seyd, "telle me why þat he to wurschep [to be wrshepede.] ne ys wurþy." Line 11104 "loke to morne, and þou mayst wyte what lyþ yn hys mytyr wryte."

þe munkë ros vp on þe morne, And, fonde yn hys mytyr horne Line 11108 Þesë verse wryte on a scrowe, For þat he shulde þe bettyr trowe: Þese are þo ychë twey verse, Þat to holynes are reuers, Line 11112 Quem lapis ille tegit, sandalia viliter emit; Estuat in baratro, pessimus ille latro. "he þat þys stone hyleþ one [on.] lyche, wykkedly boȝt hys bysshopryche. Line 11116 yn helle he welleþ pynë [yn pyne.] grefe, For alþerwerst [alþerwest.] þan was he þefe."

Alþerwerst [alþerwest.] þen shal hem be, Þat for mede come to dygnyte. Line 11120 hyt ys nat to speke, ne to ['to' omitted.] preche, [folio 74a] Þe clergye werche [wercheþ.] moche aftyr wreche.

Ne þou shalt no dedë werche, Noþer to iangle, yn holy cherche; Line 11124 Namely yn tyme of holy feste, Þán shuldë men iangle leste. Þat tyme make many one, gaderyng yn holy cherche of ydul þyng; Line 11128 And of alle shalt þou ȝelde acounte, To whos godenesse hyt shuld amounte. y haue touched of þys [swych.] outrage

whan y spake of sacrylage. [[p. 292]] Line 11132

Ne þou oghtes [oghtest.] nat to be enchesun To sturble mannys deuocyoun. Ȝyf þou ne wylte Goddes seruyse here, lette none ouþer of here preyere; Line 11136 Fole ys, þat foly þat ['þat' omitted.] wyl nat drede, And more þat letteþ alle oþer gode dede. Ryȝt so [so O, om. H.] seyþ Salamon þe wyse, Vs alle of foly to [for to.] chastyse. Line 11140

Clerk to bete, or handes on ley yn vyolence, hyt ys grete eye; Hyt longeþ to þys sacrament Þurgh bysshopës commaundëment; Line 11144 yn sacrylagë þer y spake, [[p. 280]] y touched of þat ychë lak; And yn þe ten commaundëmens, [[p. 72, 77]] y wene y touched of þys defens; Line 11148 Þarforë, now hyt ys beste, Of þys sacrament to reste.

God grauntë þesë lordynges, weyl to do yn allë þynges, Line 11152 And late hem neuer here soulës lese For no wrongës [no wrons O, wronges H.] þat þey chese!