The repressor of over much blaming of the clergy.

xix. CHAPITER.

NEUERTHELES, thouȝ bi these vj. reulis these preiers, whiche mowen be seid as mad to the cros, mowen be saued fro inconuenience [in conuenience, MS., and so just below, where in (at the end of the line) has no hyphen.] and vnaccordaunce, (and that for the dew vnderstonding which mai be ȝouun to hem bi these vj. reulis,) ȝit also sureli and vndoutabili tho preiers mowen be excusid fro inconuenience, and mowen be mad ful alloweable, fair, and honeste bi the vij^e. and viij^e. reulis or supposiciouns whiche now schulen be put forth.

The vij^e. reule or supposicioun myche lijk to the ij^e. reule is this: Whanne a man doith or suffrith a deede bi eny thing which is a meene prouoking or stiring notabili the doer or suffrer for to it do or suffre, or which is in eny other wise a notable meene therto, it is woned be seid that thilk meene dooth the deede; in this vnderstonding, that thilk meene helpith and fortherith in meenyng that the deede be don of his veri doer: as, if Iohun be a prouoking meene that the King ȝeue [ȝeueth, MS. (first hand).] to me xx^ti. pound of ȝeerli fee, whilis Iohun preieth the King that he so do, it mai be seid and is woned be seid that Iohun dooth and ȝeueth to me thilk fee, and his preier doith and ȝeueth to me the same fee; in this vndirstonding, that Iohun meeneth or helpith, and fortherith in meenyng that the ȝeuyng be doon, and his preier doith in meenyng

that the same ȝeuyng be doon. This reule is open bi experience. Also in Holi Writt the colour of this present vij^e. reule is ensaumplid and vsid. Forwhi, Iames the v^e. chapiter, it is seid thus: If eny of ȝou is sijk, lede he in preestis of the chirche, and preie thei for him, and anointe thei in the name of the Lord: and the preier of feith schal saue the sijk man. Lo how Holi Writt seith that the preier schal saue the sijk man, not withstonding that in very trouthe of propre speche neither the preier neither he that preieth dooth thilk deede of sauyng, but God aloone doith [doith is interlineated in a later (?) hand.] thilk deede of sauyng; and the preier wirchith oonli as a meene in prouoking ther to, and the man preiying wirchith also oonli as a meene pro|uoking in to the saaf sauyng. Thus it is open that the vij^e. reule is witnessid bi Holi Scripture to be trewe.

And if this reule be trewe, certis thanne folewith ther of that the viij^e. reule or supposicioun is trewe, which is this: It is allowable that y seie thus: "I preie Iohun forto ȝeue to me the seid fee;" and it is allowable that y seie thus: "I preie the seid preier of Iohun to be maad to the King, that thilk preier ȝeue to me the same fee of xx^ti. pound." For whi, if this speche is alloweable: "Iohun ȝeuyth [ȝeuyth and ȝeuith (as well as prouid below) are not forms used in the body of the MS.: they occur in the midst of words written on erasures, which are very extensive throughout this paragraph, two|thirds of which have been re-written in a very similar style, but not by the same hand as the rest. The y, which the original scribe dots, is here undotted.] "to me the seid fee of xx^ti. pound;" and if this speche be alloweable: "The seid preier of Iohun ȝeuith [ȝeuyth and ȝeuith (as well as prouid below) are not forms used in the body of the MS.: they occur in the midst of words written on erasures, which are very extensive throughout this paragraph, two|thirds of which have been re-written in a very similar style, but not by the same hand as the rest. The y, which the original scribe dots, is here undotted.] to me the seid xx^ti, pound;" certis thanne it is alloweable that I seie thus: "I preie bothe to

Iohun and to his preier, that thei ȝeue to me the seid fee of xx^ti. pound." But so it is, that euer|either of the ij. former seid spechis is alloweable. Wherfore euereither of the [these, MS. (first corrector).] ij. spechis of preiers ben also allowable. The first premisse is open ynouȝ, as is prouid bifore bi the vj^e. reule and his proof. And that the ij^e. premisse is trewe, it may be prouid thus: To this speche, "Iohun ȝeueth to me this seid fee "of xx^ti. pound," and to this speche, "His preier ȝeueth to me the same xx^ti. pound," the dewe vn|dirstondingis ben these: "Iohun is meene that the seied fee be ȝouun to me, and his preier is also meene that the same seid fee is ȝouun to me," as schewith the vij^e. reule. And open it is bi the v^e. rewle that this vndirstonding is allowable and con|venient ynouȝ. Wherfore the ij^e. premysse is trewe. And so nedis the conclusioun of the bothe premyssis is trewe, namelich sithen in lijk maner lijk verrili the dewe vndirstonding of this speche: "Y preie Iohun that he ȝeue to me the seid fee, and y preie his preier forto ȝeue to me the same fee," is this: "I preie Iohun that he be meene into the ȝeuyng of the seid fee, and y preie Iohun that he make the preier of him to be also meene into the same ȝeuing of the same fee," as it is open bi the vj^e. and bi the vij^e. reulis. And this vndirstonding is allowable and conuenient ynouȝ. Wherfore nedis folewith that the seid conclusioun is trewe.

And thus these vij^e. and viij^e. rewlis schewen openli ynouȝ and sureli ynouȝ, that ech of the preiers whiche semen to be mad to the crosse (and rehercid bifore in the xiij^e. argument) is alloweable and con|uenient ynouȝ. Forwhi the vij^e. and viij^e. reulis schewen that the dewe vndirstonding of the firste

preier there rehercid in the ympne, Vexilla Regis prodeunt, is this: "O thou God, bi whom [The erasures on both sides of the leaf have produced holes in the MS.: between whom and the are traces of another letter, in the hand of the corrector, either p or possibly the Saxon th, having a trace of some contraction above, or perhaps a mark intended to cancel it. Pos|sibly we should read this the cros, but more probably the text, as edited, is correct. Much of this paragraph is re-written on an era|sure.] the cros is the prouocative meene of oure oon hope in tyme of this passioun, encrese riȝtwisnes to men hauyng pite, and [make] that God ȝeue forȝeuenes to gilti men;" and sotheli so the cros is therto prouocatijf meene. Forwhi God bi biholding to the cros is stirid and prouokid forto do alle maners of good to us, sithen a cros was the instrument wher yn Crist, in sum maner of deseruyng, deserued to us al oure good. And for as miche as if we desire and preie that the cros be such a prouocatijf meene into the seid ȝeuyng, thanne oure desijr therto schal encrece and be the gretter; and aftir that oure desijr schal therto be the grettir, God schal make that the crosse schal the more pro|uoke him or schal make him silf so that he the more be prouokid bi the cros into the seid forȝeuyng,—therfore it is not veyn but it is ful profitable that we desire and preie to God, that he ȝeue to us oure goodis in this now spokun vnderstonding, that the cros be meene into the ȝeuyng to be doon to vs fro God him silf as the verry doer and ȝeuer therof. Neuertheles, thouȝ this preier be mad as in voice or in inward speche to the cros, ȝit in the trewe vnder|stonding therof it is maad to God, as is now next bifore expowned.

And euen as it is now answerid bi the vij^e. and viij^e. rewlis for iustifiyng of the first there rehercid preier maad (as in voice thouȝ not in the vnder|stonding)

to the cros, so in lijk wijse it mai be an|swerid bi the same vij^e. and viij^e. reulis into the iustifiyng of alle othere preiers there maad (as in voice thouȝ not in the vnderstonding) to the cros, whiche ben rehercid bi fore in the xiij^e. argument. And for that this is open ynouȝ, therfore more speche therof y ouer passe. In other wise into iustifiyng of the seid preiers mad to the cros, I haue answerid in The book of worschiping, the ij^e. parti, the iiij^e. chapiter. Chese the seers which of tho answers to hem lijkith; for these answers here mad and the answer ther mad ben vndoutabli and at fulle [the fulle, MS. (first corrector). The whole of this paragraph is re-written on an erasure.] euydently trewe.