Corpus of Middle English Prose and Verse

The Ellesmere ms of Chaucer's Canterbury tales / edited by Frederick J. Furnivall.

[6-text p 636] in diuerse contrees ‖. [581] This cursed / synne doon they / whan they feelen in hir hertes / ful wikkedly of god / and of hise halwes [582] ¶ also / whan they treten vnreuerently [¶ Of hem þat vnreuerently treten / the sacrement of the Auter] the sacrement/ of the Auter / thilke synne is so greet. that vnnethe may it been releessed but that the mercy of god / passeth alle hise werkes / it is so greet and he so benigne [583] Thanne comth of Ire attry Angre /. [¶ Of attry Angre] whan a man / is sharpely amonested in his shrifte to for|leten his synne /. [584] thanne wole he be angry and answeren hokerly and angrily / and deffenden / or excusen his synne / by vnstedefastnesse of his flessh /. or elles he dide it for to holde compaignye with hise felawes /. or elles he seith the fend enticed hym / [585] or elles / he dide it for his youthe /. or elles / his conpleccion is so corageous / that he may nat forbere /. or elles it is his destinee / as he seith / vnto a certein age /. or elles he seith / it cometh hym of gentillesse of hise Auncestres and semblable thynges [586] ¶ Alle this manere of folk / so wrappen hem in hir synnes /. that they ne wol nat deliuere hem self /. ffor soothly / no wight / that excuseth hym wilfully of his synne / may nat been deliuered of his synne / til that he mekely biknoweth his synne? [587] After this / thanne cometh sweryng. that is expres / [¶ Of sweryng/] agayn the comandement of god. and this bifalleth ofte / of anger and of Ire ‖. [588] God seith; thow shalt nat take / the name of thy lord god in veyn / or in ydel / Also oure lord Ihesu crist seith by the word of seint Mathew /. [¶ Math. 6o. nolite iurare omnino] . . . . . [no gap in the MS.] [589] Ne wol ye nat swere in alle manere. neither by heuene. for it is goddes trone. / ne by erthe /. for it is the bench of his feet. ne by Ierusalem /. for it is the Citee of a greet kyng. ne by thyn heed / for thou mayst nat make. an heer whit ne blak /. [590] but seyeth by youre word / ye / ye / and nay / nay And what that is moore / it is of yuel seith crist. [591] ffor cristes sake ne swereth nat so synfully / in dismembrynge of Crist. by soule.
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Title
The Ellesmere ms of Chaucer's Canterbury tales / edited by Frederick J. Furnivall.
Author
Chaucer, Geoffrey, d. 1400.
Canvas
Page 632
Publication
London :: Published for the Chaucer Society by N. Trübner,
1868-1879.

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https://name.umdl.umich.edu/agz8232.0001.001
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"The Ellesmere ms of Chaucer's Canterbury tales / edited by Frederick J. Furnivall." In the digital collection Corpus of Middle English Prose and Verse. https://name.umdl.umich.edu/agz8232.0001.001. University of Michigan Library Digital Collections. Accessed May 19, 2025.
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