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

Ratio.

LIEUE saule, ȝif ðu wel hafst understonden, godes temple is ȝerard uppe on ^ðe, after ðat ðe apostel seið: Templum dei, quod estis uos, 'Godes temple is hali, and ðat ȝe bieð ȝeu seluen.' Ac he seið ðar after swiðe eisliche: Si quis autem uiolauerit templum dei, disperdet illum deus, 'Se ðe bifeleð godes temple mid ani full senne, godd him scal forⁱesen, baðe licame and saule.' Of ðese hali temple ðe rihte beleaue is grundwall. Herof seið ðe apostele: Fundamentum aliuð nemo potest ponere, preter idem quod positum est, quod est Iesus Christus, [iℏc ΧΡc [sic]] 'Ne mai no mann leiȝen oðer grundwall þanne ðat ðe is ileid, þat is, Iesu Crist,' þar ðe Peter sade: Tu

es Christus, [ΧΡc [sic]] filius dei uiui, and þis sculen ilieuen and seggen alle Cristene ðe on Criste belieueð. Ðe postes þat sculen beren up ðis weorc, he bien inamned hier te-foren. Cariteð arist up fram ðe grundwalle, and beclepð all ðe wouh, ^and alle ðe bieð in ðo hali huse wuniende; and hie arist up anon to ðe roue, forðan to hire bieð ifastned alle ðe raftres of ðe hali mihtes. Ðe faste hope hafð hire stedexpand_lesse up an heih, for ði hie is rof and wrikð alle ðe hire bieð beneðen [a letter erased before m.] mid ðe scincles of holie þohtes, þe sapientia [underlined, and vvisdom written at side by another hand.] hire fint. Ðies hali mihte is all wrihte of ðesen eadi temple. Hie hit belokeð wið-innen and wiðuten, þat he, ðe is alre kiningene kyng, muȝe hauen his reste wið-innen. For ði he bitt ðat pais bie aiðer on licame and on saule, and ðat þies hali mihte sibsumnesse bie rixende on ȝeu baðe; and hwaðer ȝunker hes tobrecð: justicia dei scall ðar of don riht.

NV andswere ð ðe lichame, and seið: 'Swiðe ich am ȝewundred of ðe, Ratio, þe scalt [page 60] after godes isetnesse wissin and stieren ȝe ðe saule ȝe ðe lichame, þat ðu ne undernemst þat ic and ðe saule ne bieð nauht of one ikende, ðeih wit boðe anne sceppen removetaddd hadden. Ic am heui, al so he ðe is imaked of ierðe; and hie is liht alswo ðe left, ðat is icleped spiraculum uite, þat is, 'ðe blast of liue.' Hie is gost, and ic am dust; hie is heuenlich, and ich ie^rðlich; hie is of heiȝe kenne al swo hie ðe is godes aȝen anlicnesse, ic ham ðes forȝeltes Adames anlicnesse, þurh hwam ic am on muchele aruednesses, on hungre and on ðurste^s, on wacches and on swinkes, and on maniȝe^s kennes wrecchades, sori and sorhfull, woninde and wepinde. Þat he wot ðe wot alle þing, þat unneaðe ich mihte ðis writen for ðo teares ðe comen ierninde from ðare wellriðe of rewnesse. Wepeð, wepeð forð mid me alle ðe healdeð ȝeu seluen forȝelte, and waschen ðe spottes of ure euele ðeawes! Nis ðar non swo god leiȝe se teares: hie makieð scene ansiene. Wel him ðe is clene iþrowen, and hafð ðat faire scrud of charite all besett mid ȝimstanes of gode werkes! He mai cumen, mid gode^s fultume, in to ðe bredale to-fore ðe bredgume, and mid him wuniȝen on michele merhðe and on michele ædinesse. Lieue Racio,

ðis is min froure, ðat ic þenche, þeih ȝie be gode rihte unwurð helden of me, naðeles ^{min [h]ope is aure fastliche} upe Criste, gode^s sune, þe scop him seluen after mire andlicnesse, and becam soð mann; se ðe was, and is, and æremo bieð, an soð godd. Iþanked bie he! Mine ikynde, after maniȝe unwurðscipes ðe he for me hier þolede, he brohte to muchele wurðscipe, and sette hes wel heiȝe on his fader swiðer hand, and hafð me soðliche behoten þat, al swa soðliche swa he cam hider and underfeng [page 61] mine mannischnesse and mine ȝekynde, swa soðliche ic scal cumen to him, and underfon of his goddcundnesse and of his ȝekynde, ðurh his michele mildce, ȝif ic him wile hlesten and his rad folȝin. For his luue ic ȝeu bidde þat ȝe me forberen and swa wissien and swa stieren, þat ic mote folȝin and buhsum bien ȝing bam on alle gode werke^s, þe litle hwile ðe we tegedere wunieð.