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

                                
                                  Reves a man sight, skylle and mynde,
                                
                                  To knaw hym-self, what he es of kynde."
                                  Line 252 
                                
                                  Þus þer four lettes his insight
                                
                                  Þat he knaws noght him-selfe right,
                                
                                  And mas his hert ful hawtayne
                                
                                  And ful fraward til his soverayne.
                                  Line 256 
                                
                                  Þir four norisches ofte pompe and pride,
                                
                                  And other vices þat men can noght hyde.
                                
                                  For in him, in wham ane of þer four es,
                                
                                  Es selden sen any mekenes;
                                  Line 260 
                                
                                  Alswa þai lette a man þat he noght sese
                                
                                  Þe perils of þe werld, ne vanitese,
                                
                                  Ne of þe tyme of þe dede þat es to come;
                                
                                  Thynkes noght ne of þe day of dom,
                                  Line 264 
                                
                                  Ne he can noght undirstand ne se
                                
                                  Þe paynes, þat after þis lyfe sal be
                                
                                  To synful men þat here lofes foly,
                                
                                  Ne þe blise þat gude men er worthy;
                                  Line 268 
                                
                                  Bot in his delytis settes his hert fast,
                                
                                  And fares als þis lyfe suld ay last,
                                
                                  And gyffes him noght bot to vanité,
                                
                                  And to al þat lykyng to hym myght be.
                                  Line 272 
                                
                                  Swylk men er noght led with skylle,
                                
                                  Bot þai folow, ay, þair awen wille
                                
                                  And of noght elles thynkes, ne tas hede.
                                
                                  What wonder es yf þai haf na drede;
                                  Line 276 
                                
                                  For what þai suld drede, þai knaw noght,
                                
                                  Þarfor þai can haf na drede in thoght,
                                
                                  Of þat þat myght þam to drede bryng,
                                
                                  And þat es thurgh defaut of knawyng.
                                  Line 280 
                                
                                  Yhit som men wille noght understande
                                
                                  Þat þat mught mak þam dredande,
                                
                                  For þai wald noght here, bot þat þam pays,
                                
                                  Þarfor þe prophet in psauter says:
                                  Line 284 
                                
                                    Noluit intelligere
                                  
                                    ut bene ageret.
                                  
                                  He says "he has no wille to fele,
                                
                                  Ne to understand for to do wele".

                                  Line 288

About this Item

Title: The pricke of conscience (stimulus conscientiæ): a Northumbrian poem / by Richard Rolle de Hampole ; ed. Richard Morris.
Canvas: Page 8
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/bau1376.0001.001/52

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 16, 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