[6-text p 674] harneys / [975] The .vij. circunstaunce is / in what [¶ Septima.] manere he hath don his synne / & how that she hath suffred folke to don to hir / [976] & the same shal the man telle pleynly / al circunstaunces / & whether he hath synned with comune bordel women or non / [977] or don his synne in holy tymes or non / In fast|ynge tymes or non / or biforn his shriffte or after his latter shriffte / [978] & hath perauenture / broken [MS Arch. Seld. B. 14 folio 305a] ther-fore his penaunce enioyned / bi whos helpe / & whos consaille / bi sorcerie & craffte / al moot be tolde / [979] al these thinges after that thei ben grete & smale engregen the conscience of man / And eke the preste that is thi Iugge may the better ben avised in his iugement / & in yevinge of thi penaunce / & that is after thi contricion / [980] ffor vnderstondeth wel / that after the tyme that a man hathe defouled his baptyme bi synne / if he wil come to saluacion / ther is noon other wey but bi penaunce & shrifft / & bi satisfaccion / [981] And namely bi tho two / if ther be a confessour to whiche he may shrive him / & the thridde if he may haue liff to performe hit /
[982] than shal a man loke & considre / if he wol make a trewe & profitable confession / ther moste be .iiij. condiciones therinne / [983] ffirst hit most be in sorowful bitternes of herte / As seith the kyng Ezechiel To [¶ Ezechiel] god I wol remembre me alle the dayes & yeres of my liff in bitternesse of myn herte / [984] This condicion of bitter|nesse hath .v. signes / The first is that confession mote be shamefaste / nat for to couere ne to hide his sinne / but for he hath agilt his god / & defouled his soule / [985] & here-of seith seint Austyne / the herte [¶ Austyne] travaileth for shame of his synne / & for he hath grete shamefastnes / he is digne to haue grete mercye of god [986] Suche was the confession of the Puplicane that wolde nat heve vp his eighen to heuen / for he had offended god of heuen ffor whiche shamefastnes he had anoon the mercy of god / [987] And therfore seith
