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

                                  
                                    Many men here spekes of helle,
                                  
                                    Bot of þe paynes þar fune can telle,
                                    Line 6424 
                                  
                                    Bot wha-swa here mught wit and k[n]aw wele
                                  
                                    What paynes þe synful þar sal fele,
                                  
                                    Þai suld in grete ferdlayk be broght,
                                  
                                    Ay when þai on þa paynes thoght;
                                    Line 6428 
                                  
                                    For þe mynde of þam myght men feer,
                                  
                                    Swa bitter and swa horribel þai er;
                                  
                                    Bot forþi þat many knawes noght right,
                                  
                                    Whatkyn paynes in helle er dight,
                                    Line 6432 
                                  
                                    With-outen ende for synful men,
                                  
                                    Þarfor I sal shewe yhow, als I can,
                                  
                                    Aparty of þa paynes sere,
                                  
                                    Als yhe may sone aftirward here.
                                    Line 6436 
                                  
                                    Bot first I wille shew whare es helle,
                                  
                                    Als I haf herd som grete clerkes telle,
                                  
                                    And sythen wille I shew yhow mare,
                                  
                                    And speke of þe paynes þat er þare.
                                    Line 6440 
                                  
                                    Som clerkes says, als þe buke bers witnes,
                                  
                                    Þat helle even in myddes þe erthe es;
                                  
                                    For alle erthe by skille may likend be
                                  
                                    Til a rounde appel of a tre,
                                    Line 6444 
                                  
                                    Þat even in myddes has a colke,
                                  
                                    And swa it may be tille an egge yholke;
                                  
                                    For als a dalk es even Imydward
                                  
                                    Þe yholke of þe egge, when it es hard,
                                    Line 6448 
                                  
                                    Ryght swa es helle pitte, als clerkes telles,
                                  
                                    Ymyddes þe erthe and nourwhar elles.
                                  
                                    And als þe yholk ymyddes þe egge lys,
                                  
                                    And þe white obout on þe same wys,
                                    Line 6452 
                                  
                                    Right swa es þe erthe, with-outen dout.
                                  
                                    Ymyddes þe hevens þat gas obout.
                                  
                                    Þus may men se by an egge hard dight,
                                  
                                    How heven and erthe and helle standes right.
                                    Line 6456 
                                  
                                    Ful hydus and myrke helle es kyd,
                                  
                                    For-why it es with-in þe erthe hyd,
                                  
                                    Þider þe synful sal be dryven,
                                  
                                    Als tyte als þe last dome es gyven.

                                    Line 6460

About this Item

Title: The pricke of conscience (stimulus conscientiæ): a Northumbrian poem / by Richard Rolle de Hampole ; ed. Richard Morris.
Canvas: Page 174
Publication: Berlin :: Published for the Philological Society by A. Asher,; 1863.

Technical Details

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/bau1376.0001.001/218:9

Rights and Permissions

The University of Michigan Library provides access to these materials for educational and research purposes. These materials are in the public domain. If you have questions about the collection, please contact [email protected]. If you have concerns about the inclusion of an item in this collection, please contact [email protected].

DPLA Rights Statement: No Copyright - United States

IIIF

Manifest: https://quod.lib.umich.edu/cgi/t/text/api/manifest/cme:bau1376.0001.001

Cite this Item

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 24, 2025.

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

Annotations Tools

Actions

About this Item

Technical Details

Rights and Permissions

Related Links

IIIF

Cite this Item