Early English versions of the Gesta Romanorum / edited by Sidney J.H. Herrtage

MORALITEE.

DEre Frendis; this Emperour is the Fadir of hevin; the whiche made a law, that eche man̛ þat yaf iij. strokes at the yate of þe palys, or of holy chirche, þen̛ the porter, scil. þe prest, sholde

opyn̛. the iij.strokes bethe prayere, almis, and̛ fastyng; for with outen̛ dowte, who so euer dothe thes iij. he shalle entir the yate. And̛ þerefor towching prayer̛ hit is I-wretyn̛ thus, Petite, et accipiatis, vt supra. and̛ towching fastinge Ierom̛ seithe thus, Tunc Est preclara apud deum abstinencia, cum animus Ieiunat a culpa, þis is to sey, hit is feyr̛ abstinaunce and̛ fastynge to the sight of god̛, when a man̛ absteynithe fro synne; also it is I-seide, ioel. ij. Conuertimini ad me, &c. be ye conuertid̛ to me. And̛ towchyng almes hit is I-seyde, Date elimosinam, & omnia munda sunt vobis, yevithe almes, and̛ al that is clene shalle be yevid̛ to yowe. Gwido knokkithe, for that he wolde mynystr̛ to þe Emperour—how so? Eche pore man, that comithe nakyd̛ out of the wombe of his modir, comithe and̛ knokithe at the yate of baptisme, & askithe baptime, in the whiche echon̛ of vs be-hotithe to do v. maner of services to god̛. the firste is to wake in goode werkes, when oþere men̛ slepithe in synne, & for to slepe, when̛ oþere men̛ [leaf 168, col. 2] wakithe, as dothe thevis & mychers; & so ye may in the somer, scil. in þis worlde, purvey for nedis of þe soule ayenste wynter, scil. þe day of dome. Þe secounde service is to taste gode drinke. Þe drynk is noute elles but passion̛ & penaunce; & þere of seithe oure sauioure þus, Potestis bibere calicem quem Ego bibiturus sum, "May ye," seithe Criste, " drynke of the same cuppe that I shalle drynke of, scil, suffr̛ the passion̛ þat I shalle suffre. And̛ þerefor seide Gwido, It was good̛, scil. penaunce in this worlde was gode to seintis, that bethe now glorious in hevin; It is good̛, scil. it is gode that we do penaunce in this worlde for our synnes; hit shalle be gode,—how so? when̛ a man shalle be glorified̛ in body & in soule, in the day of dome. The thirde is to bidde men to mete, as Gwido bad̛ alle enmyes; after the worde of oure saveoure, ¶ Non veni vocare iustos, sed peccatores ad penitenciam, þis is to sey, I come not to calle Rightwysmen, but I come to clepe Synful men to penaunce; and̛ þerefore eche of vs is bounden̛ for to shew and̛ teche þe wey of helthe to synful men̛. The iiij. seruice is to make fyre with oute smoke. that fire is not elles but that þou love god̛ & þy neybour̛, scil. god̛ aboue al thinges,

with al þi sovle, and̛ with al thi mynde, and̛ þi neyboure as thi selve, with outen̛ smoke of envy or wreþe. The v. is to teche men̛ to the holye londe, scil. þou muste teche or take the wey to hevene by the see of this worlde, for as the see Ebbithe & Flowithe, so þe worlde is now Riche, now pore, now hole, now seke. Rochis in the see is þe body of man̛; þe nest in the Rocℏ is the herte in the bodye; the brydde in the nest is the holy goste, that dwellithe in the body of man; the vij. chekenis ben þe vij. werkes of mercy. And̛ dowtles as long as this brid̛, scil. the holy gost, dwellithe in the nest of þe herte, as longe may the man̛ passe Restfully by this worlde toward̛ hevene; but yf the holy gooste passe oute, & fle awey fro synne, þen̛ is alle the see, scil. al the worlde, is trovbelid̛, & whi? for al that is in þe worlde oþere it is pride of lyf, wrong covetise of yen̛ or wrong [leaf 168, back, col. 1] covetise of Fleshe. the brid̛ that is enemy is þe devil, the whiche euery day & in eche hour̛ is besy to enfecte the nest of the holy goste with dedly synne; & whenne hit is so, the holy gost levithe the, & then hit shaƚƚ be to the a perlewse case. And̛ therfor do as Guido did̛, spercle the blod̛ of a lombe in thi nest, scil. have mynde of the passion̛ of Crist, that he sufferit for the; & yf thow do so, the holy goste wolle holde his nest, that thow shalte wel go to the holy londe, scil. þe kyngdom̛ of hevene. Ad quod nos &c.