Þan dog and bych þat men on wondre.5 [5_5 In the Harl. MS. these two lines have been inked over and scraped out by some ancient fig|leafite.]
Betydde a shame, þey gun to crye,
Line 8953
Þat wundyr fyl on here folye.
Men asked sone what was þat drede;
At þe laste, hyt shewed yn dede.
Line 8956
Sone oueral ȝedë þat fame;
Ȝow þar nat aske ȝyf þey [hem.] þoȝt shame.
Þys man dyd þe munkes to kalle,
And specyaly besoghte hem alle
Line 8960
2To praye for hem yn orysun
Þat þey myghtë be undoun.2 [2_2 The figleafite has scratched over these two lines too.]
"And largëly we wul ȝow ȝyue,
Line 8963
And wurschyp þys stede whyl þat we lyue;
Þat God almyȝty graunte hyt be so
Þat oure synne he wyl vndo."
Þese munkes besoghte for hem a bone,
And God almyȝty graunted hyt sone.
Line 8968
Þere, þurgh alle here ordynaunce,
Þey dede to [do.] wryte yn boke þys chaunce,
For to shewe hyt euer more,
Þat ouþer myȝt beware þar-fore.
Line 8972
Þys chaunce fyl nat for hem allone,
But for to warne vs euerychone,
Þat we shul euermorë drede,
Yn holy place to do þat dede.
Line 8976
For, moche more dampnacyun
wyl falle of fornycacyun,
And, ȝyt more for auowtrye
Of prestys or wyuës lecherye,
Line 8980
whan God toke wreche, þat many of spake,
For a dede þat was do yn ryȝt wedlake.
Þys yche chaunce, to ȝow y tolde, [folio 60a]
For hyt ys gode yn herte to holde,
Line 8984
Namly men of holy cherche,
Þat þey þer-ynne no swyche dede werche.
