Twenty-six political and other poems (including 'Petty Job') from the Oxford mss. Digby 102 and Douce 322. Ed., with introduction and glossarial index, by D. J. Kail ...

VIII. A good makynge of iour delaye.

[Against the Clergy. A.D. 1408-9] [Digby 102, leaf 105, back.] [13 stanzas of 8, abab, bcbc.]

(1)

Man, haue hit in þy þouȝt Of what matere þou maked is. God made the of nouȝt; Al þat þou hast, þou wost, is his. Line 4 Wheþer hast þou serued pyne or blisse, Seche þy werkis, and assaye; Þy getyng, þy holdyng, þy spendyng mysse, ffro blisse wolde make Iour delaye. Line 8

(2)

¶ To þy bed whan þou shalt go, Þenk what þou hast don sen morn; Wheþer serued blisse or wo, Or goddis name in ydel sworn, Line 12 Or ellys fals[e] witnesse born, Letted pore men of here pray, In þy defaut here goodis lorn: Þou shalt answere here iour delay. Line 16

(3)

¶ Who takeþ cure, he bereþ charge By goddis lawe, þe folk to preche Þey make conscience large, [nota] Take tyþe, and nyl not teche. Line 20

Line 20 Crist his postles tauȝt in speche [[nota]] ffro worldis worschip to wende a-way, Gostly and bodyly þe soules to leche, And bad hem make no iour delay. Line 24

(4)

¶ Worldis good nes not holichirche; Richesse and worschep y ȝow forbede. Þe folkis cherche, in hem ȝe worche; Here noo oþer to don þy dede. Line 28 Þat doþ þe dede, is worþy mede. Þou mayst not serue two lordis to pay; Þat on he serueþ in loue and drede, Þat oþere he serueþ wiþ iour delay. Line 32

(5)

¶ Who ressayueþ benefys for richesse and ese To haue his lyuyng in sykernes Raþere þan serue god to plese, He ressayueþ hit o mys. Line 36 ffor riȝt [folio 106a] as Iudas dede kys Ihesus, and after, hym betray, So þey gyle þe soules fro blisse, Of goddis seruyce make iour delay. Line 40

(6)

¶ Many seyn, "god is so wys, Endeles ful of all mercy; God nyl not, þouȝ y be nys, Lese me þurgh myn owen foly; Line 44 So dere god mankynde dede bye; What greueþ god, þouȝ y go gay?" Þat synnen in ouerhope, in helle mon lyȝe; Þere-of mon be non iour delay. Line 48

(7)

¶ Many wole say, þat leue vneuene, "And it were soþ þat clerkis telle, ffewe folkes shulde come in heuene, So fele as shulde renne hedlyng to helle, Line 52

Line 52 Hit were hard þere to dwelle, Wiþ helle houndis stonde to bay." Synne mon be punsched, as saiþ þe gospelle; þerof mon be no iour delay. Line 56

(8)

¶ That ouere puple haue astate, Colege or eny oþer degre, Mayntene no debate ffor synguler profyt of temperalte. Line 60 Ȝoure rule is groundid in charyte, As liȝt of lanterne to lede þe way. To gouerne þe puple in vnyte, God bad hem make no iour delay. Line 64

(9)

¶ Beter is litel ryȝtwys wonne, Þere-of among þe pore to dele, Þan ouer moche geten wiþ synne, Wiþouten desert take pore mennys wele, Line 68 And helpe not þe soule to hele, But crye in pyne wey-laway. Þe soules þe curatours wole apele To answere of here iour delay. Line 72

(10)

¶ Why ressayue ȝe worschipe þat ȝe haue? ffor ȝoure vertues, or for ȝoure vys? And ȝe ful worschip saue, In word and werk ȝe mot be wys. Line 76 Þis worldly wysdom is gostly nys, Whan werk acordeþ not wiþ wordis ȝe say. Heuene blys, and þis worldis delys, Þat on wil make iour delay. Line 80

(11)

¶ Thow may not knowe a cristen man Þouȝ þou here hym say his crede. Þe ten comaundementis tan, And speke, and do not þe dede, Line 84

Line 84 Ne serue god in loue and drede, Is heretyk out of fay. After ȝoure werkis, ressayue þy mede; Þerof mon be no iour delay. Line 88

(12)

¶ Thouȝ worldis richesse on þe falle, And wolde gon bytwen god and þe, Suffre not þy soule be þralle; þenk, god bouȝt it to make þe fre. Line 92 Þouȝ þy mayster a tyraunt be, ffro goddis lawe wolde say nay, Do as [thapostle] Poule bad þe: Abyde, and suffre wiþ iour delay. Line 96

(13)

¶ Man, þou wost wel þou shalt dyȝe; What deþ, ne where, þou nost whenne. And synnes wolde þy soule nyȝe, Ay more and more rerage we renne, Line 100 And sodeyn deþ nyl no man kenne. I rede we drede domesday; Be euene wiþ world er ȝe gon henne, ffor þere schal be no iour delay. Line 104