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

                                
                                  For þe right way þat lyggus til blys,
                                
                                  And þat ledys a man theder, es þys;
                                  Line 140 
                                
                                  Þe way of mekenes principaly,
                                
                                  And of drede, and luf of God almyghty,
                                
                                  Þat may be cald þe way of wysdom;
                                
                                  In-tyl whilk way na man may com
                                  Line 144 
                                
                                  Wyth-outen knawyng of God here,
                                
                                  And of his myght, and his werkes sere,
                                
                                  Bot here he may til þat knawyng wynne.
                                
                                  Hym byhoves knaw him-self with-inne,
                                  Line 148 
                                
                                  Elles may he haf na knawing to come
                                
                                  In-til þe forsayde way of wysdome.
                                
                                  Bot som men has wytte to understand,
                                
                                  And yhit þai er ful unkunand,
                                  Line 152 
                                
                                  And of som thyng has na knawing
                                
                                  Þat myght styrre þam to gude lyfyng;
                                
                                  Swylk men had nede to lere ilk day
                                
                                  Of other men, þat can mare þan þay;
                                  Line 156 
                                
                                  To knaw þat, myght þam stir and lede
                                
                                  Til mekenes, and til lufe, and drede;
                                
                                  Þe whilk es way, als befor sayde es,
                                
                                  Til þe blis of heven þat es endeles.
                                  Line 160 
                                
                                  In grete perille of saul es þat man
                                
                                  Þat has witt and mynde and na gude can,
                                
                                  And wil noght lere for to knaw
                                
                                  Þe werkes of God and gode law,
                                  Line 164 
                                
                                  Ne what hym-self es þat es lest;
                                
                                  Bot lyves als an unskylwys best,
                                
                                  Þat nother has skil, witt, ne mynde;
                                
                                  Þat man lyfes agayn his kynde.
                                  Line 168 
                                
                                  For a man excuses noght his unkunnyng,
                                
                                  Þat his wittes uses noght in leryng,
                                
                                  Namly, of þat at hym fel to knaw
                                
                                  Þat myght meke his hert and make it law,
                                  Line 172 
                                
                                  Bot he þat can noght, suld haf wille
                                
                                  To lere to knaw bathe gude and ille;
                                
                                  And he þat can oght, suld lere mare
                                
                                  To knaw alle þat hym nedeful ware;

                                  Line 176

About this Item

Title: The pricke of conscience (stimulus conscientiæ): a Northumbrian poem / by Richard Rolle de Hampole ; ed. Richard Morris.
Canvas: Page 5
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/bau1376.0001.001/49

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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 25, 2025.

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

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