And netles grewe, þat byten sore;
So haddë grace made hym stedfaste,
Þat al hys cloþys of he kast,
Line 7516
And alle [alle he H, al O.] naked hym-self he wrappe
Among þe þornës þat were sharpe,
And among þe netles echone,
Tyl hys temptacyun was al gone.
Line 7520
Þe þornes prykked, þe netles dyd byte,
Of flesshly temptacyun þey made hym quyte,
So clene, þat neuer aftyrward
was he tempted more so hard
Line 7524
Of hys flessh, þat was hys fo,
he dyde hyt þere so mochë wo.
Seþþen, loued [louede O, loue H.] he Ihesu cryst wel [weyl O, wel moche H.] more
Þan he dede, euer byfore,
Line 7528
And hadde to hym more loue longyng
Þan byfore hys hard temptyng.
Þys tale y tolde for þat enchesun,
To stand aȝens temptacyun;
Line 7532
For who-so wyl hys soulë saue,
Many a fyȝt behoueþ hym haue
Aȝens þe spyces of lecchery,
Line 7535
Ar he wynne of hym þe maystry. [folio 50b]
Seynt Poule techyþ vs for þat batayle
A sykyr fyght þat wyl nat fayle;
He seyþ, "y forbede ȝow echoun,
with womman for to go alone."
Line 7540
For who-so douþ hyt, sone and lyȝtly
He consentyþ to lecchery;
Þou alone, alone with hyre,
þy þoght, by herte, cumþ sone on fyre;
Be þou neuer so chaste ne straunge,
Line 7545
Be ȝe alone, þyn herte wyl chaunge;
And God commaundeþ boþe þe and me, [me and þe.]
Oure herte to [be.] stable yn chastyte.
Line 7548
