yn any óf þese ychë seuene
Þat þou hast me herdë [hast here herde me.] neuene,
Hyt ys to here dampnacyun,
And þarfore veniaunce shal be doun.
Line 10156
And, here y shal telle a tale, [A tale]
How hyt ys to þo men bale.
[The Tale of the Priest who was enabled to see Folk's sins in their Faces.]
A parysshe prest was yn a tounne,
A man of ful grete dyscrecyounne;—
Dyscrecyun, a ryȝt wyt ys,
Line 10161
On boþe partys ryȝtly to ges;—
Of hys parysshenes he vndyrstode,
whyche were yl, and whych were ['were' omitted.] gode;
Tweyn he haddë for to gete,
Line 10165
Þat neuer wuldë synnë lete.
And fyl hyt at an esterne,
Þat a prest shul [shulde.] none ouþer [housel.] werne
But ȝyf hyt be þe gretter synne,
Line 10169
As yn cursyng, or yn vnbuxyme.
Þys prest was yn gretë þoȝt [folio 67b:2]
wheþer he shulde housel hem or noȝt;
he preyd God, of heuene kyng,
Line 10173
Þat he wulde sende hym sum tokenyng
wheþer hé shulde hem forbede;
To housel hem, he [hym.] þoȝt grete drede.
Line 10176
Fro God he had þys answere:
'Þat echone shuld hys owne charge bere,
And þat he shulde warne hyt none,
But ȝyue hyt furþe to euerychone;'
Line 10180
"Do þou as Ihesu dyd [dede.] yn dede,
And þou shalt no man hyt forbede,
Ne morë þan he ded Iudas,
Þat haddë do ful grete trespas."
Line 10184
he ȝaue hyt to alle with myldë mode
whan brede was turned to flessh & blode.
