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Onneaþe sterf / þet ylyerned ne heþ. Lyerne to sterue : þanne sselt þou conne libbe. Vor non wel libbe ne ssel conne : þet to sterue ylyerned ne heþ. And þe ilke aryȝt is ycleped wrechche : þet ne can lybbe / ne ne dar sterue.
Yef þou wylt libbe vriliche. lyerne to sterue gledliche. Yef þou me zayst / hou me hit ssel lyerny: ich hit wyle þe zigge an haste. þou sselt ywyte þet þis lyf: ne is bote dyaþ. Vor dyaþ is a wendinge. and þet
ech wot. and þeruore me zayþ of ane manne huanne he sterfþ : he went. And huanne he is dyad : he is ywent. Þis lyf alsuo ne is bote a wendynge. uor zoþe / uor zoþe: a wendinge wel ssort. Vor al þet lyf of ane manne / þaȝ he leuede a þousond year : þet ne ssolde by / bote onlepy prikke : to þe zyȝþe / of þe oþre lyue / þet eure wyþoute ende ssel yleste. oþer ine zorȝe : oþer ine blisse / wyþoute endynge.
[typographic Fol. 21. a.]Þis ous wytnesset wel þe kyng. þe erl. þe prince. þe emperour. þet þe blysse of þe wordle: hedden zomtyme. nou ine helle : wepeþ / and gredeþ. yelleþ / and zorȝeþ. 'A. allas: huet is ous worþ oure pouer. worþssipe. noblesse. richesse. blisse. and bost. al hit ys ywent / wel raþre þanne ssed : oþer uoȝel ulyinde. oþer quarel of arblaste. And þous geþ al oure lyf. Nou we were ybore: and an haste dyad. ne al oure lyf: nes naȝt bote a lyte prikke. nou we byeþ ine zorȝe wyþ-oute ende. Oure blisse / is ywent in-to wop. oure karoles: into zorȝe. gerlondes. robes. playinges. messinges. and alle guodes byeþ ous yfayled.' Zuyche byeþ þo zonges of helle. ase þe writinge ous telþ. ous uor to Ssewy: þet þis lyf / ne is bote a wendynge: wel ssort. and þis wordle: ne is bote wendynge. and libbe ne is bote [MS. boto] a wendynge. Þanne ne is libbe: bote sterue. and þet is zoþ / ase pater noster. Vor huanne þou begonne libbe : anhaste þou begonne to sterue. And al þin elde. and al þine time / þet ys yguo: þe dyaþ þe heþ ywonne: and halt þou zayst þet þou hest zixti year. þe dyaþ hise heþ. and neuremo his nele þe yelde. Þeruore is þet wyt of þe wordle folye. And þe clerk zyinde : ne yzyȝþ naȝt. Day and niȝt / makeþ o þing. and þe more þet hit makeþ: þe lesse zuo knaweþ. alneway sterueþ: and hi ne conne sterue. Vor day / and nyȝt: þou sterfst / as ich þe habbe yzed.
Yet eft ine oþre manere / ich þe teche þise clergie.
þet þou conne wel libbe : and wel sterue. Nou yhyer: and onderstand. þe dyaþ ne is bot a todelinge of þe zaule: and of þe bodye. and þet ech wel wot. Nou ous tekþ þe wyse catoun. 'Lyerne we' zayþ he 'to sterue. todele we þane gost of þe bodie ofte.' þet deden þe meste wyse of þise philosophes þet þis lif zuo moche hateden / and þe wordle: zuo moche onworþede. and zuo moche wylnede lyf naȝt dyeadlich. þet hi westen be hare wylle. ac hit nes ham naȝt worþ. Vor hi ne hedden non grace / ne þe beleaue of iesu crist. Ac þe holy men þet louieþ god / and yleueþ / þet of þri dyeaþes / habbeþ þe tuay ypased. Vor þer is dyaþ to zenne: and dyad to þe wordle. Nou abydeþ þane þridde dyeaþ. þet is þe todiȝtinge of þe zaule : and of þe bodie. Betuene ham and paradys ne is bote a lyte woȝ / þet hy agelteþ be þenchinge / and be wylnynge. and yef þet bodi is of þis half: þe herte / and þe gost: is of oþerhalf. Þer hy habbeþ hyre bleuinge / as zayþ saynte paul. hire solas. hire blisse. and hire confort. and alle hire lostes. and þeruore : hy hatyeþ þis lyf: þet ne is bote dyaþ. and wylneþ þane dyaþ bodylich. Vor þet is damezele bereblisse / þet þe dyaþ / þet alle þe halȝen corouneþ / and doþ zetteþ in to blisse.
Dyaþ is to guodemen : ende of alle kueade. and gate / and inguoynge : of alle guode. Dyaþ is þe stream: þet todelþ / dyaþ / and lyf. Dyaþ / is of þis half. lif / of oþre half. Ac þe wyse of þise wordle þet of þis half þe streme yzyeþ zuo briȝte: of oþerhalf hi naȝt ne yzeþ. an þeruore his clepeþ þe writinge: foles / and yblent. Vor þerne dyaþ: hi clepieþ lyf. And þane dyaþ / þet is to þe guoden / beginnynge of liue: hi hit clepieþ / þan ende. And þeruore hy hatyeþ zuo moche þane dyaþ. Vor hi nyteþ huet hit is. ne of [typographic Fol. 21. b.] oþerhalf þe streame ne habbeþ naȝt ybleued. and naȝt ne wot: þet out ne geþ.
Þanne yef þou wylt ywyte huet is guod / and huet is
kuead: guo out of þi zelue. guo out of þe wordle. lierne to sterue. todel þine zaule uram þe bodye be þoȝte. zend þine herte in-to þe oþre wordle: þet is to heuene. into helle / in-to purgatorie. þer þou sselt [MS. sselelt] yzy: huet is guod and huet is kuead. Ine helle þou sselt yzi mo zorȝes: þanne me moȝe deuisy. Ine purgatorie / mo tormens þanne me moȝe þolye. Ine paradys / more blisse þanne me moȝe wylny. Helle þe ssel teche / hou god awrekþ dyadlych zenne. Purgatorie: þe ssel sseawy / hou god clenzeþ veniel zenne. Ine heuene þou sselt yzy openliche / hou uirtues / and guode dedes: byeþ heȝliche yolde. Ine þis þri þinges: is al þet is nyed wel to wytene hou me ssel conne libbe / and wel sterue.
Nou loke eftzone a lyte / and ne tyene þe naȝt / to þise þri þinges. uorþet þou lyernest to hatye zenne. Voryet þi body / ones a day. guo in-to helle ine þine libbinde: þet þou ne guo / ine þine steruinge. Þis deþ ofte þe holi man / and þe wyse. Þer þou sselt yzy: al þet herte hateþ. and bevlyȝþ. and defaute of alle guode. ynoȝ of alle kueade. ver bernynde. brenston stinkinde. tempeste brayinde. voule dyeulen. honger. and þorst: þet me ne may naȝt stonchi. dyuerse pines / and wepinges. and zorȝes: mo þanne herte moȝe þenche / ne tonge telle. and eure ssel yleste wyþ-oute ende. And þeruore is þe ilke zorȝe wel ycleped: dyaþ wyþ-oute ende. And huanne þou yzixt þet hit behoueþ zuo dyere abegge onlepy dyadlich zenne: þe woldest þe raþre lete be vlaȝe quik. þanne þou dorstest / to onelepi dyadliche zenne consenti.
Efterward guo in-to purgatoriie. þer þou sselt yzi þe pines of þe zaules / þet hyer hedden uorþenchinge / ak nere naȝt uolliche yclenzed. nou hi doþ þer / þe leuinge of hare penonce / al-huet þet hi byeþ / briȝte / and clene. ase hi weren ate poynt / and ate time / huanne hi
yeden out [MS. ouot] of þe welle of cristninge. Ac þe ilke penonce ys wel grislich and hard. Vor al þet eure þoleden þe holy martires. oþer wyfmen þet trauayleþ of childe / of zorȝe: ne ys bote a beþ ine chald weter: to þe reward of þe fornayse: huerinne berneþ þe zaules. al-huet hi byeþ yclenzed. ase gold al yclienzed [MS. ychenzed] ine þe vere / me ne vint lesse þanne yclenzed. Vor þet uer is of zuyche kende / al þet hit vint ine þe zaule of gelte of dede. of speche. of þoȝte / þet yerneþ to zenne: oþer lite / oþer moche: al uorbernþ/ and clenzeþ. and þer byeþ ypunyssed, and awreke : alle uenyal zennes. þet we clepieþ : litle zennes. þet we doþ ofte / and smale fole þoȝtes. wordes ydele. trufles. scornes. and alle oþre ydelnesses. al-huet hi by worþe: to guo in-to heuene. huer ne geþ in naȝt / bote hit by riȝt briȝt. Þet ilke uer dredeþ þo. þet by hare myȝte ham lokeþ uram dyadlich zenne: and lokeþ holyliche hare herten. and hare bodyes. and hare mouþes. [typographic Fol. 22. a.] and þe vif wyttes uram alle zenne. and zuo libbeþ / ase hi ssolden echedaye to dome come to-uore god. And þeruore þet non ne may libbe wyþ-oute zenne. Vor ase zayþ Salomon: zeueziþe a day / ualþ þe guode man. and þeruore be holy ssrifte / and be tyeares / and be benes: hi doþ hare miȝte ham zelue to arere / and to amendi. and ham zelue zuo deme: þet hi onderstonde to uolȝi þane laste dom. Vor huo hier him demþ zoþliche: him ne worþ non hede to by uorlore: ate daye of dome. And þus me lyerneþ kuead to knawe / an to beuly / and alle zennes to hatye / and grat and smal. and onderstonde þe holy drede of god / þet is beginnynge of guod lif: and of alle guode.
Ac hit ne is naȝt ynoȝ to lete þe kueades: bote me lyerny þet guod to done. and bote yef me zeche þe uirtues / uor wyþ-oute ham: non ariȝt wel ne leueþ. Þanne yef þou wylt lyerny wel to libbe be uirtue: lyerne zuo ase ich þe habbe yzed / to sterue. Todel þine gost uram þine bodye / be þoȝte / and be wylninge. guo out of
þise wordle Steruinde. guo in-to þe londe of þe libbynde / þer non ne sterfþ / ne yealdeþ. þet is ine paradys. Þer me lyerneþ wel to libbe / and wyt / an corteysye. uor þer ne may guo in: no uyleynye. Þer is blisfolle uelaȝrede of god. and of angles. and of halȝen. þer opwexeþ alle guodes. uayrhede. richesse. worþssipe. blisse. uirtue. loue. wyt. ioye wyþoute ende. Þer ne is non ypocrisye. ne barat. ne blondinge. ne discord. ne enuye. ne honger. ne þorst. ne hete. ne chele. ne kuead. ne zorȝe. ne drede of vyendes. ac alneway festes and kinges bredales. zonges. and blisse wyþoute ende. Þe ilke blisse is zuo grat : þet huo þet hedde ytake þer of ennelepi drope / of þe leste þinge þet þer ys : he ssolde by of þe loue of god zuo dronke: þet al þe blisse of þise wordle / him ssolde by / drede : and wo. Rychesses: dong. worþssipes: uoulhede. and þe ilke to greate loue þet he ssolde habbe to come þer: him ssolde by an hondred þouzen ziþe þe more hardiliche hatye zenne. and louie uirtues. þet is al þe drede of helle. huer-of ich habbe beuore ispeke. Vor loue is more stranger: þanne drede. And þanne is þet lyf uayr / and oneste : þanne me beulyȝt / þet kuead / and me deþ þet guod. naȝt uor drede / uor to by yspild: ac uor þe wylnynge of heuene. and uor þe loue of god. and uor þe greate clennesse : þet uirtue heþ. and guod lyf. And þe ilke þet loue ledeþ : he zekþ raþre / and lesse him costneþ / þanne him þet serueþ god: be drede. Þe hare yernþ. þe gryhond hym uolȝeþ. þe on be drede: þe oþer be wylnynge. þe on vlyȝþ: þe oþer hyne dryfþ. þe holy man yernþ ase grihond. þet habbeþ alday hare eȝe / to heuene : huer hi yzyeþ þe praye : þet hi driueþ. And þeruore hy uoryeteþ alle oþre guodes. ase deþ þe gentyl hond : huanne ha zyþ his praye / touore his eȝen.
Þis is þet lyf / of þe wel louiynde. of gentil herte / and affayted. þet zuo moche louyeþ uirtue: and hatyeþ zenne. þet yef hi weren zykere / þet me ne ssolde his
conne / ne god ne ssolde his awreke : ham ne daynede [typographic Fol. 22. b.] naȝt / to do zenne. Ac al hare þenchinges / and al hare wyllis: hire herten clenliche loki / and agrayþi / þet hi by worþi: to habbe þe blisse of paradys. huer no cherl ne ssel come in / ne uals. ne þyef. ne proud. uor þe worse ssolde by þe uelaȝrede.