Robert of Brunne's "Handlyng synne".

The seuenþe grace þat shryfte ȝyueþ.

The seuenþe ys, and þat weyl endyþ, 'Þat oure shryfte, þe deuyl blyndeþ.' whan he made vs falle yn plyght, He refte vs allë gostely syȝt; Line 12152 Fro synne to synne he made vs falle, And oure fadres byfore vs alle. Y rede we ȝelde hym þe countre paye, And blyndë we hym fro hys praye. Line 12156

we put oute hys yȝe [ye.] gostly whan we shryue vs opunly; Certes he may nat knowe vs efte, Line 12159 For oure shryfte haþ hym þe syȝt refte. þat may weyl y-shewed [y-shewede O, shewed H.] be with [By.] a tale of an autoryte.

[A Tale of How to put the Devil's Eye out spiritually, or How by Shrift a Man made himself invisible to the Fiend who before used to lead him about chaind. [I have read many analogous stories in the religious writings of the Middle-Age, but the present one I have not found.—G. Paris, Hist. Litt. xxviii. 205.] ]

Þyr was onys an ermyte, [A tale.] Þat was euer yn Gode parfyte; [folio 81a] Line 12164 So moche he hadde of Goddys grace,

Þat he coude knowe, yn euery place, whych men were yn dedly synne, And who was godë lyfe with-ynne; Line 12168 And also, he myȝt se weyl Þyng þat was spyrytuele.

An halyday fyl, as ys þe acyse, Men to go to Goddys seruyse; Line 12172 Þys erymyte lened hym on a walle, And badde hys bedys, and loked ouer-alle, And beheld þe folke þat come yn þe gate, [O. gloss 'wey.'] whyche come erlye, and whyche late, Line 12176 whyche come with [for.] gode deuocyoun, And whyche for ouþer enchesoun: Alle sagh þys ermyte euerydeyl, Line 12179 who come wrong, and who come weyl.

As he stode, he toke gode hede, How a deuyl, a man gan lede; with hym he com alle weyl þe gate, And ledde hym to þe chyrchë ȝate, Line 12184 And yn to þe cherchëȝerde; Forþer durst he nat, for ferde. And whan he yn-to þe cherch shuld go, Þan brast þe fendës chayn yn two; Line 12188 Þe fende stode stylle, and loked a-boute, And a-bode þys man wyþ-oute; On hys clawys he helde þys cheyne, Line 12191 And loked what tyme he come aȝeyne. þe holy man ȝaue godë tent whyder þat ychë man was went. þat ychë man, þat [þat O, 'þat' struck thru in H.] was yn synne, And haddë longë leye þer-ynne; Line 12196 Þurgh grace óf þe holy spyryt, he ȝede and shrouë hym astyt, And þoȝt neuer to turne aȝeyn, Line 12199 But sorowed þat hé þer-ynne had leyn.

whan þat þys man shryuë was,

And was passed þat synful pas, [folio 81a:2] As þys man come outë þere, Þe fende loked aboute euery-where, Line 12204 And coude nat fynde hym, for no nede, Among þe ouþer, þere þey ȝede; Þe syȝtë of hym hadde he [he O, hym H.] lore, Al þogh he ȝede next hym byfore. Line 12208

Long loked þat foulë wyght, And coude nat se hym with no syȝt; He stode stylle tyl alle men were goun, But syȝtë of hym hadde he noun. Line 12212 Þys holy ermyte to hym ȝede: "Treytur," he seyd, "for what nede Stanst þou here; telle hyt me, Yn Goddys name, y cóniure þe." Line 12216

Þan answered þat glotoun, "y abyde here my prysoun, Þat long haþ be vndyr my [myn.] hande, Line 12219 And haue led hym aboute with þys bande; Langer wente he yn fro me, He come nat oute ȝyt, þat y coude [may.] se; Among many, y haue hym soȝte; Line 12223 Me þenkeþ [þynke.] wundyr, y fynde hym noȝte."

Þys ermyte hyed fast and ran, And ouertoke þys ychë man, And, preyd hym a stounde to dwelle, And of hys lyfe, sumwhat to telle: Line 12228 "Y graunte," he seyd, "to þe to seye. To þe cherche, as y wente my weye y felte me charged yn a synne,— And, long had y leye þere-ynne,— Line 12232 y þoȝte y wulde me þer-of shryue, And amende þe trespas yn my lyue. At þe cherche, y shroue me weyl, Line 12236 Plenerly of euery deyl;

Blessed be now God almyȝt, Me þynkeþ y am wundyrly lyȝt."

Þan þoȝte þe Ermyte astyte, Line 12239 þat whan men haue yn synne delyte, [folio 81b] Þan haþ þe fendë enchesoun To byndë hym as a presun; And whan he haþ wyl, hym to shryue, Hys bandys brest, and al to-ryue; Line 12244 And, whan he ys clenë shryuyn, Þe deuyl knoweþ hym no more syþen.

Þe holy man come þan to þe deuyl, And bad he shulde do no man euyl, Line 12248 But go to helle, þere he come fro, Euer to dwelle yn pyne and wo.

Þarfore, y rede þat we bygynne To shryuë vs of alle our synne. Line 12252