The pricke of conscience (stimulus conscientiæ): a Northumbrian poem / by Richard Rolle de Hampole ; ed. Richard Morris.

                                
                                    Non potest male mori qui bene vixit,
                                  
                                  Line 2160 
                                
                                    Et vix bene moritur qui male vixit.
                                  
                                  He says: "he may noght ille dede fele
                                
                                  Þat in Goddes laghe has lyfed wele;
                                
                                  And unnethes may men se by skille,
                                  Line 2164 
                                
                                  Þat he dyghes wele þat hafes lyfed ille."
                                
                                  Bot he þat hates þis lyfes lykyng
                                
                                  Thar noght drede þe dedes commyng;
                                
                                  For aftir his dede na payn hym ders,
                                  Line 2168 
                                
                                  Þarfor says Caton þus in a vers:
                                
                                    Non metuit mortem,
                                  
                                    qui sit contempnere vitam.
                                  
                                  He says: "he þat þis lif despyse
                                  Line 2172 
                                
                                  Thar dred þe dede here on na wyse;"
                                
                                  Swa did martirs þat þe dede soght, [The MS. reads soghot.] 
                                
                                  For by þis lyf sette þai right noght;
                                
                                  And other halymen yherned to dyghe
                                  Line 2176 
                                
                                  For to be with God in heven hyghe,
                                
                                  Als þe boke of þair lyfes shewes us,
                                
                                  And swa did Saynt Paul þat says þus:
                                
                                    Cupio dissolvi
                                  
                                  Line 2180 
                                
                                    et esse cum Cristo.
                                  
                                  "I yhern", he says. "be loused away
                                
                                  Fra þis life and be with Crist ay."
                                
                                  Haly men thogh[t] þis lyf bot wast,
                                  Line 2184 
                                
                                  Þarfor þair yhernyng til God was mast;
                                
                                  And for-þi þat þam thoght alle þis lyfe
                                
                                  Noght bot travail, angre, and strife,
                                
                                  Þai yherned þe ende of þair lyf days,
                                  Line 2188 
                                
                                  And þarfor þe haly man þos says:
                                
                                    Melius est dies mortis
                                  
                                    quam dies nativitatis.
                                  
                                  He says: "better es þe day of dede
                                  Line 2192 
                                
                                  Þan þe day of burthe", and mare standes in stede.
                                
                                  For-why a gude man dighes to wend to rest,
                                
                                  Whare his lyf sal be alther-best

About this Item

Title: The pricke of conscience (stimulus conscientiæ): a Northumbrian poem / by Richard Rolle de Hampole ; ed. Richard Morris.
Canvas: Page 60
Publication: Berlin :: Published for the Philological Society by A. Asher,; 1863.

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Collection: Corpus of Middle English Prose and Verse
Link to this Item: https://name.umdl.umich.edu/bau1376.0001.001
Link to this scan: https://quod.lib.umich.edu/c/cme/bau1376.0001.001/104:6

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Full citation: "The pricke of conscience (stimulus conscientiæ): a Northumbrian poem / by Richard Rolle de Hampole ; ed. Richard Morris." In the digital collection Corpus of Middle English Prose and Verse. https://name.umdl.umich.edu/bau1376.0001.001. University of Michigan Library Digital Collections. Accessed June 20, 2025.

The pricke of conscience (stimulus conscientiæ): a Northumbrian poem / by Richard Rolle de Hampole ; ed. Richard Morris.

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