Come yn wymmens handëlyng;
Ne womman, [Ne womman noþer.] þat godë couþe,
Shuld kyssë any prestys mouþe;
Line 7692
For þere may nat but synne aryse; [ryse.]
hys mouþ ys halewed to Goddys seruyse.
Ne prest oghte no woman touche,
For, of foule touchyng, synne men souche.
Seynt Ierom seyþ 'he shuld noȝt
Line 7697
haue any woman yn hys þoght;'
For swych þoght, shal neuer weyl werche,
with man þat ys of holy cherche.
Line 7700
lestene now what Ierom seyde
To hys suster þat hym preyde;
She besoghte hym on alle maners
Þat he wulde haue here yn hys preyers;
Seynt Ierom spake aȝen to hyre,
Line 7705
Haluyndele as hyt were yn Ire,
"Y prey God, þat mynde of þe,
Yn my þoghtë, neuer be."
Line 7708
wenest þou nat he dred hym nede,
whan he to hys suster [syster.] þus seyde?
he dredde hym of sum wykked wrenche
whan he ne durstë on here þenche.
Line 7712
For soþe þan shulde þey mochë drede
Þat are alday with hem yn dede.
[Compare French, lines 6107-10.] Þe fende whan he may any tyce—
Þat ys, yn handlyng of sum vyce—
Line 7716
Þat ychë cumþ hym wel to pay,
Þan þynkeþ he, he haþ wonne a pray;
And namely of þese holy men,
Þat were hym leuer þan ouþer ten,
Line 7720
5And a holy5 [5_5 An holy.] man were hym leuer tylle
To flesshly lust or wykked wylle
Þan an hundred ouþer mo
Þat rekkë neuer whedyr [where.] þey go.
Line 7724
