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

                                
                                  Þarfor an haly man, als yhe may here,
                                  Line 1200 
                                
                                  Spekes to þe world on þis manere:
                                
                                    O munde immmunde, utinam esses ita immundus, ut me
                                  
                                    non tangeres, aut ita mundus, ut
                                  
                                    me non coinquinares!
                                  
                                  Line 1204 
                                
                                  Þis es on Inglishe þus to bymene:
                                
                                  "O þou world", he says, "unclene,
                                
                                  Whyn mught þou swa unclen be, ['Whyne moght þou swa unclene be.' MS. Harl. 4196.] 
                                
                                  Þat suld never mare neghe me,
                                  Line 1208 
                                
                                  Or be swa clene and noght vile,
                                
                                  Þat þou suld never mare me file."
                                
                                  Þe world here who-so wille
                                
                                  Un-to four thinges may liken by skille. ['Unto four thinges may lykend be, bi skyll.' MS. Harl. 4196.] 
                                  Line 1212 
                                
                                  First þe world may lykend be,
                                
                                  Mast properly, unto þe se;
                                
                                  For þe se, aftir þe tydes certayn,
                                
                                  Ebbes and flowes, and falles agayn,
                                  Line 1216 
                                
                                  And waxes ful ken, thurgh stormes þat blawes,
                                
                                  And castes up and doun many gret wawes;
                                
                                  Swa castes þe world, thurgh favour,
                                
                                  A man to riches and honour.
                                  Line 1220 
                                
                                  And fra þat agayn he castes hym doun
                                
                                  Til povert and to tribulacioun.
                                
                                  And þa er þe grete stormes kene
                                
                                  And þe wawes, þat in þe world er sene.
                                  Line 1224 
                                
                                  Yhit may þe world here þat wyde es,
                                
                                  Be likend to a wildernes,
                                
                                  Þat ful of wild bestes es sene, ['The whilk is ful of bestes unmylde,The whilke wol a man strangly and destrye.' MS. Addit 11305.
] 
                                
                                  Als lyons, libardes and wolwes kene,
                                  Line 1228 
                                
                                  Þat wald worow men bylyve,
                                
                                  And rogg þam in sonder and ryve;
                                
                                  Swa þe world es ful of mysdoers
                                
                                  And of tyrauntes þat men ofte ders,

                                  Line 1232

About this Item

Title: The pricke of conscience (stimulus conscientiæ): a Northumbrian poem / by Richard Rolle de Hampole ; ed. Richard Morris.
Canvas: Page 34
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/bau1376.0001.001/78:5

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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 15, 2025.

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

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