Whon Deþ comeþ þat is so derk,
þer May no Mon him wiþ-stonde—
I take witnesse on a noble Clerk
þat wrot þeos vers wiþ his honde: [ 20]
Mors necat athletas,
Ego mortis nescio metas,
I(n)ter Res letas,
Caueat sibi quelibet etas—
Deþ he sleth þis kempes kene, [ 25]
And kynges in heore worþly won,
Riche & pore alle bi-dene,
ȝong ne Old spareþ he non.
þer is on of þis Messagers
þat of no mon wol take mede; [ 30]
he is so hardi and so fers
þat alle Men of him haue drede:
ÞE Messager hette Auentours,
Aȝeynes him may beo no strif;
whon he comeþ to a Monnes hous, [ 35]
he takeþ boþe hosebonde & þe wyf.
he takeþ þe child In his Cradel,
þeih he beo bot o niht old;
þe kniht and horse in his sadel
I-a(r)med, beo he neuer so bold. [ 40]
Of him beo vche Mon I-war
And mak him clene, ar he beo hent;
ffor þer nis no ȝeyn-char,
whon Auentures comeþ to turnement.
Mony mon lihþ in dedly synne [ 45]
And weneþ þat he beo not veyȝe,
And Auentures comeþ wiþ his ginne
And hontuþ til he haue his preye.
In dedly sunne ho is I-founde
wiþ-outen schrift and repentaunce, [ 50]
he geþ in to helle-grounde,
þer to suffre his penaunce.
Seint Poul bit we schulden awake—
þis Clerkes witen as wel as I—
þat we schulden vs clene make [ 55]
And of vr sinnes ben sori;
And bote we ben, we schulen abugge;
þer schal no pledur plede þat;
þer God vs fynt, he wol vs Jugge—
Nou vche Mon be war bi þat. [ 60]
ffor Auentures wol come as a þef
Be nihte, whon men ben aslepe,
And taken awey þat him is leef—
Nou awakeþ, þat ȝe mowe him kepe.
A Noþer Messager þer is [ 65]
Of Deþ, whon crist wol him sende:
Seknesse, Ichaue I-herd ar þis,
þe Messager is swiþe hende.
Whon Seeknesse comeþ to amon,
he may be war ȝif he is sleih, [ 70]
And greiþen his In, ȝif þat he con,
And þenken þat deþ is swiþe neih.
ffor seknesse comeþ apertely,
he ne dareþ not in his den;
hit is vre lordes Cortesy [ 75]
wiþ Seknesse for to warne men.
Mony Men, whon þat heo beoþ seke,
To Jhesu Crist a clepen and criȝe
And to his Mylde Mooder eke
And sigge: "now þou help, Marie! [ 80]
ȝif þat we mowe be sound and saue
And keuere, þat we mowen habben vr hele,
Al þe good þat we haue
ffor Godes loue we wolen hit dele."
We loue wel God in al vr þouȝt, [ 85]
while we beo seeke & sore smerte;
whon we beoþ hol, we louen him nouȝt,
he nis no lengor in vre herte—
Cum fero langorem,
ffero Religionis amorem; [ 90]
Expers langoris
non sum memor huius amoris.
Of crist ne takeþ he non hede,
he naþ no more wiþ him to donne;
To þonken him for his goode dede, [ 95]
he þenkeþ no more þer-vpponne.
Suche men ben ofte al-one I-let
To pleye as þe foul in þe lift,
Til Auentures haue wiþ hem met,
Be-Reueþ hem boþe hosel and schrift. [ 100]
Men ouȝten holden vp boþe heore honden
To God, while heo ben hol and feere,
To sende, whon he wol hem fonden,
Seeknesse to ben heore Messagere.
Seint poul seiþ, vre lordes kniht, [ 105]
In a pistel þat he wrot,
þat he was strengest & most of miht
whon god him wiþ seknesse smot.
NOw ichulle siggen ou of Elde,
Of Messagers he is þe þridde. [ 110]
whon Monnes hed biginneþ to elde,
he may not do but beodes bidde.
And he leoneþ vppon his Crucche,
whon deþ him bekneþ, comen he mot;
hit helpeþ nouȝt þauh he grucche, [ 115]
he schal wiþ-stonde neuer a fot.
Also fareþ Elde as doþ a sweyn
þat stondeþ at his lordes ȝate
And mot not wenden in aȝeyn,
ffor þe po(r)ter þat is þer-ate; [ 120]