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 ...

XVIII. The declaryng of religioun. [[A.D. 1421]]

[Digby 102, leaf 117, back.] [24 stanzas of 8, abab, abab.]

(1)

Who þat wole knowe condicion Of parfyt lyf in alle degre: God is foundour of religion, Obedyent to charyte. Line 4 Swete þouȝt in deuocion, Is weddid [folio 118a] to chastite, In brennyng contemplacion, Þe hiȝest lyf of spiritualte. Line 8

(2)

¶ The goode lyueres in spiritualte, Þe worldly lyueres hem doþ hate, Wiþ occupacioun of temperalte Dryueþ relegeon out at þe ȝate Line 12 For besynesse of vanyte, Vaynglory, and hyȝe astate. Þat þus chaungen here degre, Þey come to heuene, neuere or late. Line 16

Line 16

(3)

¶ What is religion in mynde? In clene herte is soule o prys; Out of þraldom doþ vnbynde; A louer of vertues, a hatere of vys. Line 20 Eche soule is parfyt clerk of kynde In hyȝe discrecion, and wys. Of soules, men may no fooles fynde But assente to þe flesch, and make hym nys. Line 24

(4)

¶ Religeon is champion in batayle, Discomfites hys enemy; Ȝif temptacions hym assayle, Þere he hath þe victory. Line 28 Religeon is trewe trauayle, In goddis seruyce neuere werye. Haue mede wiþ martyres, he may not fayle, Þat euere is redy for to dyȝe. Line 32

(5)

¶ Werkys wiþ-oute discrecion, Vaynglory in staat is brouȝt; And shrift wiþ-oute contricion, In skorne þe sacrament þey souȝt; Line 36 And preyere wiþ-oute deuocion, Þouȝ þey preye, god hereþ hem nouȝt: Þe lippes turne preyers vp so doun, Þat spekeþ oþer þan herte þouȝt. Line 40

(6)

¶ Cherische no vices in ȝoure warde To serue god in good atent, And non wiþ other be to harde, Þat ben professed in ȝoure couent; Line 44 Þey myȝte for-þenke it afterward Þey tok þe abyte, and wolde repente; Þey lese of god a gret reward Whan wille fro religeon is wente. Line 48

Line 48

(7)

¶ A questyon of ȝow y craue,— Resoun assoyleþ it by skille,— Who may here soules saue, To were an abyte, wole or nelle? Line 52 Þenk on þy berþe, þenk on þy graue, Þy fleschely lustes not fulfille; For, helle ne heuene shal no man haue, Mawgre his teeþ, aȝeyns his wille. Line 56

(8)

¶ Thouȝ þou be of gentyl blod, Þenk all com of Adam and Eue. Gadre not in propre, worldis good; Þat nes no religeous, but worldis reue. Line 60 Þe herre degre, þe mekere of mood. Tak no vengeance, þouȝ folk þe a-reue. Lat comon lawe stonde as hit stood, Loke no proude herte þy charyte meue. Line 64

(9)

¶ Haue non enuye, [folio 118b] day ne nyȝt, To goode lyuers bet þan ȝe, But auyȝe faste wiþ all þy myȝt To lyue beter þan doþ he: Line 68 Þan countrefetest þou goddis knyȝt; Þat is enuye in charite. Alle þouȝtes in goddis doom are diȝt, And dedes, after þat þey be. Line 72

(10)

¶ Tho þat lyuen in fleschly delys, Fro þat companye remewe; Loue here bodyes, but not here vys, And cherische hem to good vertue; Line 76 And þo þat wil al-gate be nys, Loke þou noȝt here maneres sewe. Go to company þat is wys, Lete fooles drynke þat þey dede brewe. Line 80

Line 80

(11)

¶ Religeous, be war, wiþ whom ȝe stonde, Wiþ gentyles or folk þat worldly is, Þat ȝe grype not hand in honde. When ȝe take leue, loke not ȝe kys. Line 84 Man to man hem thar not wonde, Ne woman to woman no peryle ne is; But man to woman myȝte breke þe bonde; In towche is susspescioun of mys. Line 88

(12)

¶ Suche towches not ȝe byde, Wolde buffete þe soule, and wounde wiþ-ynne, Ȝeue oþere cause, þat stonde bysyde, To wene it were a bargayn of synne. Line 92 Towches, in custom, þouȝtis hide; Þan sclaundre and shame nyll not twynne. With conscience, sclaundre and shame doþ chide; To shewe opert he wol be-gynne. [Nota de religione, &c.] Line 96

(13)

¶ With mekenesse ȝe may heuene gete. Dispyse non in low degre. Resceyue no worschip, ne hyȝe sete, Þat pryde go bytwen god and þe, Line 100 Wolde make to hem self forȝete, For worldis ryches and vanyte. War for dronkenesse of drynkes grete, Fro glotry of metes of gret daynte. Line 104

(14)

¶ To religeon mekely bende, To serue god in loue and drede. To herkene tydynges, not ȝe wende, Ne bokes of vanyte, not ȝe rede. Line 108 Resceyue no lettere, ne non out sende, But hit be for ȝoure hous nede, Oþer to kyn or certeyn frende, In goodnes ȝoure erande for to spede. Line 112

Line 112

(15)

¶ Kepe ȝoure wacche and seruyce dewe, And rule of habyte clenely ȝeme; And fille ȝoure hertes wiþ good vertue, And wikked vyces fro ȝow ȝe fleme; Line 116 But loke deuocion growe ay newe. Be suche wiþ-ynne, as ȝe outward seme. Good aungel and wikked boþe ȝow sewe, And wryten ȝoure dedes, þat shal ȝow deme. Line 120

(16)

¶ Wacche not outrage in wast despence, Fro hard to nyce, þy fflesch to fede. Wiþ bischop or shryfte ȝe mowe despence, Fro hard to hardere ȝoure lyf to lede. Line 124 Withstonde temptacions, make defence; Þe moo ȝe withstonde, þe more mede. And ȝe wiþ seyntes will haue reuerence, Þan moste ȝe countrefete here dede. Line 128

(17)

¶ Kepe [folio 119a] sylence, whyder ȝe byde or go, Fro wordis of vanyte, ȝoure lippes steke. Speke faire to frend and fo, For fayre speche doþ wraþþe breke. Line 132 Þat doþ wrong, deme so. Lete not vengeance, þy wraþþe wreke. Vengeance is goddis, he demeþ þo In werk and word, all þat men speke. Line 136

(18)

¶ In rule of religeon is ordeyned ȝore: Byȝe no thyng to selle and wynne. Marchaunt and religeous, on mot be forbore; Þey may not wone, on herte wiþynne. Line 140 Ne kepe no iewels ne propre in store; Þat nes no religeous, but dedly synne In fleschly delices, and loue it more To parte þy loue and god atwynne. Line 144

Line 144

(19)

¶ That þenkeþ good þouȝt in sylence, Þey speken to god in specyale. How mow ȝe lette hem, for conscience, Calle hem to werkis generall? Line 148 Summe bidden, in vertue of obedience, Contemplatyf in spirituale; To religeon they don a gret defence, Þat bryngen hem to werkis temperale. Line 152

(20)

¶ Hyȝe astate, ne gentyl blod, Bryngeþ no man to heuene blisse. Gret hors ne iewel, ne browded hood, Nes no cause of holynesse, Line 156 But pore of spirit and meke of mood. Ȝeue god þy soule, and eche man hisse. Gret lordschipe, ne myche good, Nes no cause of sykernesse. Line 160

(21)

¶ Tonsure, abyte, ne no wede, Nes no cause of religeon, Ne wakyng, ne fastyng, ne almesdede, Ne preyere ne oreson, Line 164 But þe herte þerto take hede, Wiþ werkys of discrecion. Deuocion makeþ soules to spede Wiþ werkis of contemplacion. Line 168

(22)

¶ Religeon is most meke In abyte, of alle vertues floures. Richesse, ne worldis worschipe, seke, But offre to god alle honoures. Line 172 Richesse and worschipe make soules syke In vaynglory and sharp[e] shoures. Make vertues þe wax, deuocioun þe wyke, To brenne briȝt in heuene boures. Line 176

Line 176

(23)

¶ Iustice is religeon in sete, Þat demeþ riȝt in all degre. And queste is religeon, trouþe to trete; Ȝeueþ eche man, þat his shulde be. Line 180 A child may wiþ his fader plete, And ȝut kepe his charyte, And of his kyng blameles gete Lawe is so gentyll and so fre. Line 184

(24)

¶ Þouȝ summe of thy breþeren don a trespas, He wole amende and do no moo. Parauenture þou art in þe same cas, Or after, myȝt ben in suche two. Line 188 Loke not þat þou hym chace, Ne sclaundre hym not to haue shame and wo. Pray god forȝeue hym of his grace, And kepe þe wel þou do not so. Line 192