MORALITE.
Good men, this emperoure may be callid̛ euery good Cristene man, or els aƚƚ mankynd; the whiche hadde a feire doughter, scil. the soule y-made to þe liknesse of god. The erle is the deviƚƚ, that by etyng of the appiƚƚ ravisshed̛ þe soule, & deflourid̛ her; And so aƚƚ mankynde was in his seruitute vnto þat þere come a strong knygℏt, scil. oure lord̛ Ihesu Crist, þat fougℏt bytwene þe deviƚƚ and mankynd̛, when he heng on the crosse; for if̘ þat had not ben̛, we had be loste, and perpetuelly dampned̛; and he brougℏt ayene the doughter, scil. þe soule, for the which he suffred̛ smert woundis. but then the knygℏt havith a cause to spede, scil. oure lord̛ Ihesu Crist wold̛ fynde in vs a perfite lyf, and þerfore he knokkith on vs eche day, that we be redy to him; for he seitℏ, ¶ Ecce sto ad ostium, & pulso; siquis apperuerit, introibo ad eum, & cenabo cum illo, & ille mecum, This is to sey, lo! I stond atte the dore, and knok; who þat openyth to me, I shal go in to him, and I shal sowpe with him, and he with me. But many don̛ as did the emperoure, þei settith anoþer man̛; scil. if̘ thei shuld̛ do penaunce, þei settith anoþer to fulfiƚƚ her fawtis. ¶ Non sic impii, non sic, This is to sey, Not so wikked man̛, not so. Do hit thi self̘, for god set not anoþer for þe, but he suffred his owne bodye be woundid̛ for þe; And þerfore in confusion̛ of vnkynd men̛ he hongith opynly on þe Cros naked̛, to shew hem his woundis. And þerfore, seres, let vs be kynd ayen̛ & suffre for him som penaunce or peyne, þat we be not founden̛ in þe daye of dome withoute som good thing or dede; for he þat suffrith for the loue of god any peyne in this world̛, he shal haue þerfore an hundrid̛ folde mede, and euerlastyng lif̘. Ad quam, &c.