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

[Temperantia]

TEMPERANTIA is an oðer hali mihte, ðe cann swiðe michel scile and mæðe of alle kennes þinge. Hie ne wile ðoliȝen non ouerdon þing; an oðer halue, ne to litel ne to michel. Se ðe hire ræd hlesten wile, ne scal he noðer eten to michel, ne drinken to michel, ne to litel; ne he ne scall resten ne slapen to michel, ne to litel; ne he ne scal to michel bien spekende, ne to michel swi^gende; ne he ne scal to prudeliche bien isc^redd, ne to unorneliche; ne he ne scal bien to glad, ne to sori. Al so me tempreð an baþ, ðat hit ne bie to hot ne to cold, also deð ðis haliȝe mihte alle ðes mannes ðeawes ðe hes luuiȝeð and healden cann. He is isali ðe hes halt! Alle ðese eadi mihtes ðes one atempreð and ðo ðe hire ne wyle [over erasure, w = w, not þ. Also an erasure on the margin.] ilesten, hie becumeð to unmihte [a letter erased after e.] , and eure hit hem scal rewen. Alle ðe fondinges and alle ðe unluste^sand alexpand_lessle unwilles ðe cumeð of ðe manne, ðies hes atempreð, and wiðhalt te misdon.