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

                                
                                    Cum autem morietur homo, heredita|
                                  
                                    bit vermes et serpentes.
                                  
                                  Þe buk says þus, "þat when a man
                                  Line 868 
                                
                                  Sal dighe he sal enherite þan
                                
                                  Wormes and nedders," ugly in sight,
                                
                                  Til wham falles mans flessh, thurgh right,
                                
                                  Þarfor in erthe man sal slepe,
                                  Line 872 
                                
                                  Oman[g] wormes, þat on hym sal crepe,
                                
                                  And gnaw on þat stynkand carcays,
                                
                                  Als es wryten in a bok þat says:
                                
                                    Omnes in pulvere dormient, et
                                  
                                  Line 876 
                                
                                    vermes operient eos.
                                  
                                  Þat es "in pouder sal slepe ilk man,
                                
                                  And wormes sal cover hym þan;"
                                
                                  For in þis world es nane swa witty,
                                  Line 880 
                                
                                  Swa fair, swa strang, ne swa myghty,
                                
                                  Emperour, kyng, duke, ne caysere,
                                
                                  Ne other þat bers grete state here,
                                
                                  Ne riche, ne pure, bond ne fre,
                                  Line 884 
                                
                                  Lered or lawed, what-swa he be,
                                
                                  Þat he ne sal turne at þe last oway,
                                
                                  Til poudre and erthe and vyle clay;
                                
                                  And wormes sal ryve hym in sondre;
                                  Line 888 
                                
                                  And þarfor haf I mykel wondere
                                
                                  Þat unnethes any man wille se
                                
                                  What he was, and what he sal be.
                                
                                  Bot wha-so wald in hert cast
                                  Line 892 
                                
                                  What he was, and sal be at þe last,
                                
                                  And what he es, whyles he lyves here,
                                
                                  He suld fynd ful litel matere
                                
                                  To mak ioy whilles he here duelles,
                                  Line 896 
                                
                                  Als a versifiour in metre þus telles:
                                
                                    Si quis sentiret, quo tendit, et unde veniret,
                                  
                                    Nunquam gauderet, sed in omne tempore fleret.
                                  
                                  He says, "wha-so wille fele and se,
                                  Line 900 
                                
                                  Wethen he com and whider sal he,
                                
                                  Suld never be blythe bot ioy forsake,
                                
                                  And alle tyme grete and sorow make."

About this Item

Title: The pricke of conscience (stimulus conscientiæ): a Northumbrian poem / by Richard Rolle de Hampole ; ed. Richard Morris.
Canvas: Page 25
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/bau1376.0001.001/69:4

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 23, 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