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 scrifte.

ÐA ðe Crist gann ^arst to spellen, ðat was, ðo ðe he ȝiede fram flumen Iordan, ða sade he: Penitenciam agite, appropinquabit enim regnum celorum, 'Nimeð scrifte of ȝewer sennes, hit neiheð heuene riche.' Fullȝewis is clene saule Cristes riche. For ði us meneȝeð allre þinge arst ure lauerde of ðesre eadi mihte, þat we scolden beon rewremovehaddsende ure sennen, and swa hus l^okin mid his fultume, þat we eft ne befallen on senne. Ðat seið sanctus Ieronimus: Est autem penitere peccata ante acta deflere, et flenda non repetere, 'Swa scal,' he seið, 'mann his senne berewsen, ðat he eft ne do ðat he eft ðurue be-riwsin.' Ðis seið s̄anctus Augustinus:Penitere est penam tenere, 'Ðat his,' he seið, 'soðe berewsinge, ðat mann him healde eure on sumere pine.' Eft we findeð on ða hali writt ðat ðe cniht ðe weapne berð unlawliche, ne chapmann ðe beið and selð mid unri[h]twisnesse, ne muȝen neure soðe scrifte don, ðare [h]wile ðe hie ðese wike befeleð; ne he ^ðe ðurhwuneð on wraðþe, ne he ðe wuneliche lið on hordome, ne glewmen, ne gau^eleres, ne wi^cchen, ne unriht domesmann, ne non ðare manne ðe on heaued-senne lið and ða luuieð. Mann ðe wel wile bien riwsinde, ne rewe him nauht ane hise sennes, ac ȝet ðat ^he for [h]is ȝemelaste ne hafð god ȝedon on ða time ðe he naure mo eft nacoureð, and is forð ȝegan. Ða ðe bieð on religiun, hie bieð aure under scrifte, swa bihoueð us alswa.

Notes

• Here begins a new hand which goes on to end.
• Some letters erased behind ð.
• o corrected above i.
• a half g before ȝ underdotted.