Companion to the English prose works of Richard Rolle : a selection / from the edition by Carl Horstman.

Of þe seuene dedes of Merci.

Affter þow most witen wȝuche ben þe dedes of Merci. Þe ffurste is: ȝiuen þe hungri mete. Þe secunde, ȝiue drynke to þe þhrustfol. Þe þridde is, cloþen þe nakede. Þe ffeorþe is, herborwe þe housles. Þe ffyfþe, visyten þe prison neode. Þe sixte is, cumforte þe seke. Þe seuenþe is, to burie þe dede. / Þeose ben þe dedes of Merci þat fallen to monnes bodi. But now maiȝt þou seiȝen þat art in Religion: «I haue no power to ȝiue mete nor drinke nor cloþinge nor herborwe, nor visyten nor cumforten þe prison nor þe seke, ffor I am al in oþures pouwer and not in myn oune. Þerfore hit weore bettre I weore at myn owne wille, and don þis dedes of Merci, þen ben in Religion.» Ne be not deceyued: hit is bettre haue compassion and pite in herte of him þat is Meseyse, þen þat þou heddest al þe world to ȝiuen for charite, ffor better is ȝiuen holliche compassion of þi-self, þen of þyn god. Ȝef þi-seluen, and þou ȝeuest more þen al þe world. But nou þou wolt seien: «Soþ hit is þat hit is bettre ȝift to ȝiuen þi-seluen þen þyn: But boþe were bettre þen on; ffor on good is lasse þen tweyne.» Hit is not so; ffor whi? Wheþere is better be called god, or ben called his seruaunt? To ben called god. And þo þat suffren Cold, hunger and defaute and oþur meseises here, he calleþ heom him-self; ffor he seiþ in þe Ewangelie: «Al þat ȝe don to þe leeste of myne, ȝe don hit to me.» On oþur halue: wheþer is beter, to Iuggen or ben I-Iugget? Certes, Iuggen. And þat schullen þe pore: þei schullen Iugge þe riche; also Ihesu seiþ in þe Ewangelie: »Ȝe þat han alle þingus forsake for þe loue of me: at þe day of dome whon i sitte in þe see of my Mageste, þenne schul ȝe sitten vppon þe xii tronos and Iuggen [þe] .xii. linages of Israel.» On oþer halue: wheþer is bettere han þe Ioye of heuene in possescion, or in be-hotyng? Certes, in possession. And þat haue þe pore of spirit, ffor, as Ihesu seiþ in þe Ewangelie, «heoren is þe Ioye of heuene». He seiþ not «here schal ben», but «here is»; þat is to vnderstonden: also siker mouwe þe pore ben of þe Ioye of heuene, as mon is of þe þing þat is in his hondes. And þerfore seiþ seint Bernard: «Þe pore han nouȝt in eorþe, ne þe riche han nouȝt in heuene»; and þerfore, ȝif þe riche wolen hit haue, þei moten hit bugge at þe pore. Now I wot wel þow disyrest muche to witen wȝuche

ben verrey pore, and wȝuche nouȝt. Now here wiþ deuocion. Summe ben þat han richesse, and louen hit: þo ben þe Couetouse of þis world; and summe ben þat hauen hem not, but þei louen hem and wolde gladliche hauen hem: þo ben þe wrecches of þe world, and þe fals religious, and [þei] ben also riche as þe oþere or ricchore, [in wil]. And þei ben [þo] of whom Ihesu seiþ in þe Ewangelie þat «hit weore lihtore to a chamaile gon þorw þe eiȝe of an nedele, þen þe riche entre in to þe ioye of heuene». Summe [han] riche[s], but þei louen hit not, al-þauȝ þei [wol wele] h[it] han: þo ben þe gode men of þis world þat dispenden þat þei han wel; and oþure þer ben þat han nouȝt of richesse, nor louen hit, nor þei sechen not to hauen hit: þo ben þe holy men of Religion; and þei ben verreiliche pore, and heoren is þe Ioye of heuene. Þat is þe blessyng of pore. Þenne bihoueþ hit þat þe riche haue þe contrarie of þe blessynge. And þerfore I mai siggen: «Blessed ben þe pore, for heoren is þe Ioye of heuene», þenne may I siggen: «Waried ben þe riche, for heoren is þe peyne of helle.» Riche ben þat han richesse and louen hit, [or þat han hit not but louen hit and coueyten hit]. Pore ben þat han pouerte and louen hit and coueyten hit, or þat han richesse and louen al-wei pouert.