Vices and Virtues : a Soul's Confession of its Sins with Reason's Description of the Virtues : a middle-english dialogue of about 1200 A.D. Part I Text and Translation / edited by F. Holthausen

Of rihte ȝeleaue.

AN hali mihte is icleped fides recta, þat is, rihte ȝeleaue. Hie is anginn of alle cristendome, hie mai michele eadinesse of-earnin at ure lauerde gode, for ðan ðe hie iliefð ðat hie næure niseih. For ði sade Crist: 'Eadi bieð ða menn ðe on me belieuen and næure me ne seiȝen!' Ðis hali mihte ðe dieð ilieuen ðat fader and sune and hali gast is an soþ almihti godd on þrie hades inammned, and an annesse ȝewurðed forð mid ðare hali ðrinnesse. Ðu scalt ilieuen þat þe fader is un-akenned, ðe sune of ðe fader akenned, al swa hiswisedom, on heuene wið-uten moder, and on ierðe wið-uten fader. Þe hali gast, he cumþ forþ of hem bam, al swa here beire luue. Ðese ðrie bieþ emliche on ielde and on wisdome, and on godnesse and on strengþe, and on alles kennes wisen after here godd- [page 15] cundnesse. Ðis ic ilieue. Ðies an soð godd, he is wiðuten anginne on him seluen, and þeih he is anginn of alle ðing ðe iscapene bieð. Swa muchel he luuede mannkynn, þat he his awene sune sænte, ðe nam ure ȝekynde on saule and on lichame wið-uten sennen, and is baðe soð godd and soð mann. Ðese manniscnesse he nam alswo he ðe was godes wisdom, swiðe selcuðliche of sainte Marie ðe hali maiden, ðurh ðe hali gaste. Ðurh his mannisnesse he þolede deað, and ðurh his goddcundnesse he aras of deaðe, and steih in to heuene, and sitt on his fader swiðre, ðanen he cumþ a domesdai al mann-kenn to demen. Qui bona egerunt ibunt in uitam eternam, qui uero mala in ignem eternum.expand_less 'Ðanne sculen hi alle ðe god habbeð idon to ðan eche liue, and þo ðe euele habbeð idon and naht ibett, he sculen in to ðan eche fiere.' Gif ðu wilt bien siker of removeeche li rihte ileaue, ðane sei ðu forð mid seinte Petre: Tu es Christus, [xΡc [sic]] filius dei uiuiexpand_less, and harke hwat he him andswarede: Beatus es, Simon Bariona, 'Eadi art þu,

forðan ðe ðis ne tahte ðe non eor^ðlic [eor^dlic [sic]] mann, þat ic am Crist, godes liuiendes sune; ac min fader on heuene hit openede in to ^þine herte. And uppe þese stane ðe ðu hier hafst ȝenamd, Crist, godes sune, ich wille araren mine cherche, ^{ðat alle} ðe aure ðis ^belieueð [be put above an underdotted i.] þat tu ȝeliefst, hie sculen bien mine lemen, and ich here heaued [u put above an underdotted f, the second e corrected from o.] . And swa we sculen bien an lichame ^and an cherche, et porte inferi non preualebunt aduersus eam, 'Ðo ȝaten of helle ne muȝen hauen none strengþe aȝean ðessere ileaue.' Ða ȝaten of helle, ðat bieð ðo heuedsennes fulliwis, ^for ðurh hem me farð in to helle. Ac ne mai non senne ne non dieuel habben strengþe aȝean ðessere gode [page 16] ileaue, þat Crist, godes sune, mai and wille alle sennes forȝiuen hem ðe on him belieueð and ðar after wercheð. On ðessere litle radinge ic ne mai al seggen þat god ware to iheren of ðessere hali mihte. Ac ðat ðe ure hali faderes teforen us writen, and tahte on ðe credo in deum and on quicunque uult, all ȝelief ðu fastliche, elles ðu ne namann ne mai bien ȝeboreȝen bute we all ðat ilieuen. Ac naðelas ic wille, a godes half, ðat tu bie ȝewarned, ðat tu ne folȝhi none dwelmenn, ðe muchel misleueð. Of al swi cheexpand_less sade ðe apostel, þe he mid muchele iswinke hadde iwant to Criste: Timeo ne frustra laborauerim, 'Ic am ofdrad,' he sæde, 'removeoaddðat ich habbe al forloren min ȝeswink on ȝeu, ðe nemeð ȝeme of daȝas, hwilch an dai bie betere ðan an oðer to anginnen sumþing, oðer newe mone betere ðan æld-mone in to newe huse te wænden oðer wif ham to leden.' Wið-uten ðe læche ðe loceð afterexpand_less [On side, a word in the text scratched out.] mannes ikynde [y written over r.] þe newe oðer elde, and ðe wrihte his timber to keruen after ðare mone, ðe is ikyndelich þing; elles hit is al ȝedwoll and of haðenesse ȝiet wiðhealden, bute hit bie eft of sade te sawen for ðas sades ȝekinde of ðare eorða. Ac do al swo ðe apostel ðe tachþ and seið: Quecunque uultis facere, in nomine domini facite, 'All ðat ȝe habbeð to donne, an godes name doþ hit, mit gode ȝeleaue, and ȝew scal wel ȝelimpen.' Eft wite ðu to soðe, and wel hit ilief, ðat na þing ne mai ðe ȝelimpen ne to-cumen, neiðer ne euel ne god, ne on

wele ne on wauȝhe, ne on hale [page 17] ne on unhale, ne ðurh fier ne ðurh water, ^{ne ðurh manne ne ðurh dieule}, ne ðurh nan ðare þinge ðe hie baðe muȝen don, bute al swo godd hit wile hem þoliȝen. Þanne ðe cumþ god, and þe wel ilimpþ, þanke ðar of ðine lauerde gode, and ilief ðat hit is for his muchele godnesse, and noht for ðin earninge. Ðanne ðe cumþ eft sum euel oðer sum unȝelimp, an hwilche^s kennes wise ðe hit æure cumþ, ne ȝelief ðu naht al swa sume, ðe naure wel ne ȝeliefden, seggeð þat hie imetten euel fot, priest oðer munec; oðer sum oðer dwel hie driueð, and seggeð þat he nafde naht gode han^dsselle ðe him þat sealde. Hwilch harm oðer hwilc unȝelimp ðe ðe to-cumþ, þench ðat ðu art wel wurðe ðes eueles, for ðan ðe ðu hit hauest wel ofearned, þat and michele more; and ðanke ðerof gode swiðe ȝierne, and swa ðu miht don ðat all ðat euel ðe mai wanden te michele gode.

Crist self seið an selcuð þing of ðessere eadi mihte: Omnia possibilia sunt credenti, 'Alle ðo þing ðe æure ðe wel beliefde mannexpand_less wile habben ȝedon, hie bieð him iteiþed of godes auȝene muðe ðurh ðessere hali mihte.' Giet he sade of hire ane forbisne, ðat hie is ȝelich ðe seneueies corne, ðe is litel an sei^htþe and michel on strengþe. Æure ðe mann ðe hit more bat and stampeþ, ðe hit strengere and betre is. Also is of ðe manne ðe ðese eadi mihte mid him haueð: ðe he more is swaint mid deules, fondinges of dieule oðer of manne, ðe he strengere and betere is on gode werkes. Eft is iwriten bie hire: Fides sine operibus mortua, 'Ileaue wið-uten werkes, hie is dead.' 'Maniȝe ilieueð mid wordes,' sæde ðe apostel, 'mid werkes he forsakeð.' Swo deð deuel, iliefð, ac he ðar after no god ne deð. And swa bieð alle^s to fele menn ðe ȝelie [page 18] -ueð, and noht ðar after ne wercheþ. Bie ȝewar se ðe wile!