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

Of þe seuene preyeres of þe Pater noster. Cap. xv.

Aftur þou most knowen wȝuche ben þe seuene preyeres of þe Pater noster, þat fordon alle wikkednesses and bringen alle godnesses; þat vre lord Ihesu Crist tauȝte his disciples how þei scholden preiȝe god þe fadur, & seide hem þus:

Pater noster qui es in celis: Fader vre þat art in heuene. Sanctificetur nomen tuum: Halewed be þi nome. Adueniat regnum tuum: Come þi regne. Fiat uoluntas tua, sicut in celo et in terra: Þi wille be don in eorþe as in heuene. Panem nostrum cotidianum da nobis hodie: Vre eueridayes bred ȝif vs þis day. Et dimitte nobis debita nostra, sicut et nos dimittimus debitoribus nostris: Forȝif vs vre dettes, as we forȝiuen vre dettoures. Et ne nos inducas in temptacionem: And do us not in to fondynge. Set libera nos a malo: But diliuere vs of wikkednesse. Amen: So beo hit. Þis orison sourmounteþ alle oþure orisouns, in dignite and in profyt. In Dignite: for God him-self made hit; and þerfore he doþ gret schome and gret vnreuerrence to god þat takeþ him to Rymede wordes & queynte, and leueþ þe wordes and þe preyere þat he vs tauhte, þat wot al þe wille of god þe fader, and wȝuch orison him best payeþ, and of wȝuche þinges we wrecches han most neode and mester to preyen—ffor whi? as I haue i-seyd, he wot onliche al godes wille and al vre nedfulnesse. And þerfore ben an hundred þousend men deceyuet þorw multiplicacion of orisouns; ffor whon þei wenen han deuocion, þey han a foul fleschliche wille, ffor eueri fleschliche corage delyteþ him kuyndeliche in turned langage and rymed. And þerfore beo war! ffor I seye þe forsoþe, hit is a foul lecherye to delyten in such Rymynge. On oþer halfe seynt Austin and seint Gregori and oþur seyntes preiden after her affeccion. [I] blame not heore orisons; bote I blame hem þat leuen þe preyere þat god him-self maade and tauȝte, and holden hem to þe orisoun of a symple seint, wher-so he haþ founden hit writen. For-þi, bad God in þe Ewangelie: «Whon ȝe preyen, ne preyeþ not in mony wordes, bote seiþ þus, Pater

noster». On oþer halue, þis Orisoun passeþ alle oþure orisouns in [sufficience]: ffor þer-Inne is contenet al þat we han mester [of] to þis lyf or to þat oþer; ffor we preyen God þe ffader þat he delyuere vs of alle wikkednesse, and þat he ȝeue vs alle goode, and þat he make vs suche þat we mowen neuer don vuel nor faylen of goode. And seo what manere. Al þe wikkednesse þat vs greueþ, þat is to siggen, ouþer hit is wikkednesse þat is passet, ouþer þat is to comen, or þat is present now. Of þat is passet, we preyen vr lord þat he vs delyuere whon we siggen Dimitte nobis debita nostra, sicut et nos dimittimus debitoribus nostris. Of þat is to comen: Et ne nos inducas in temptacionem. Of þat we suffre now, whon we siggen Set libera nos a malo. On oþer halue, what good so hit be, ouþer hit is Bodili goode, or gostly goode, [or good] wiþ-outen ende. Bodily goode preye we whon we siggen Panem nostrum cotidianum da nobis hodie. Gostly good, whon we seyen Fiat voluntas tua, sicut in celo & in terra. Good wiþ-outen ende, whon we seyen Adueniat regnum tuum. Confirmacion of al þis, whon we siggen Sanctificetur nomen tuum. Þeose ben þe seuene preyeres of þe Ewangelye þat Ihesu tauhte his disciples. And þou schalt wel witen þat þe foure wordes þat comen beforen, þat is to witen Pater noster qui es in celis, techen vs hou we schullen preyen, and wȝuche we schulen ben in preyere. For whi? we schul hauen foure þinges in orison, þat is to witen: Parfyt loue anentes him þat we preiȝeþ to, and certeyn hope to hauen þat we asken, and studefast be-leeue in whom þat we hopen, and soþfast mekenes, of þat we no good han of vre-self and fer ben from his heiȝnesse þat we leeuen and louen and hopen. Parfyt loue is conteynet in þis word, Pater: ffor whi? eueri Creature loueþ kuyndeliche his ffader. Certeyn hope is vnderstonden in þis word Noster: ffor whi? ȝif he beo vre, þen mowe we homeliche seyen and hopen þat he is holden to vs. Studefast bi-leeue is vnderstonden in þis word Qui es: ffor whi? whon we seyen Qui es, we leeuen þat god is, whom we neuer seȝen; and þat is riȝt beleeue, ffor feiþ is non oþer þyng but leeuyng of þing þat may not been seȝen. Soþ Mekenesse is vnderstonden in þis word In celis: ffor whi? whon we þenken þat he is heiȝ, and þat we ben lowe, þenne beo we meke. // Whonne we han þese foure þinges studefastliche in vre herte, þen mowe we hardiliche preyen and siggen wiþ gret wille: «Sanctificetur nomen tuum, Halewed beo þi nome; þat is to siggen: A-ferme þi nome, þat art fader, in vs, þat we mowen ben in such manere þi children, þat we don euere þi wille, and þat no þing beo in vs oþer þen beo al to þi paye. And for we mowe not don þis parfytli while we ben in þis wrecchede world, þerfore we preyen, Adueniat regnum tuum: Come to vs þi regne, þat þou regne in vs in þis lyf þorw grace, and [we in þe] in heuene wiþ Ioye. And þe selue we preyen for hem þat ben in purgatorie. And for we mowen neuer han þe Ioye of heuene but we don þi wille in eorþe, we seyen, Fiat voluntas tua sicut in celo et in terra; þat is to siggen, Ȝif vs grace to don al þat þou comaundest, and leuen al þat þou defendest; and þat in erþe as in heuene, þat is to siggen: As Michael, Gabriel, Raphael, Angeles and Archangeles, Prophetes, Apostles, Martires, Confessours, Virgines don þi wille in heuene, also mote don þe Ordres þat ben in eorþe, þat is to witen þe Pope, þe Cardinals, Bisschopes, Abbotes, Priores, and alle heore

sogettes, Erchedeknes, Officials, Denes, Parsouns, Vikers, Prestes, and alle Ordres; þe Kynges, þe Princes, Duykes, Erles, Barouns, Riche Pore, Lettrede and Vnlettrede, and [al] þei þat þou hast bouht in eueriche [regne], in eueriche Ordre, and in eueriche Lynage, and Age. And for we mowe not don þi wille nor liuen in þis Bodi, but ȝif ȝe vs susteyne, we seyen, Panem nostrum cotidianum da nobis hodie; þat is to seyen, Ȝif vs strengþe of bodi and of soule, and hele of boþe; þat is to witen, þreo maner of bred: bodiliche, as mete and cloþ, gostliche as holy writ, and þe bred of Eukarist, to cumforten þe ton and þe toþur kynde. And for we be worþi no good while we beoþ in synne, we seyen, Et dimitte nobis debita nostra, sicut et nos dimittimus debitoribus nostris; þat is to siggen, For-ȝif vs (vre misdedes, as we forȝiuen vren(!); þat is to siggen,) al þat we han synget wiþ word, wiþ dede, wiþ þouȝt; as we forȝiuen to hem þat han mistaken aȝeynes vs. And for hit is luitel worþh for to han forȝiuenesse, but ȝif we mowen aftur loken vs from synne, we sigen, Et ne nos inducas in temptacionem; þat is to siggen, Ne soffre not þat we ben ouer-comen wiþ fondynge of þe feend, of þe fflesch, ne of þe world. (Ac þou schalt not preyen þat þou be not tempted, but þat þou beo not ouurcomen in temptacion.) Set libera nos a malo: And not only of temptacion, bote delyuere vs of vuel, of bodi and of soule, of seknesse of synne and of pyne, þat nou is or þat is to come. Amen.» And for god seiþ in þe Ewangelie: «Al þat ȝe preyen my ffader in my nome, þat he schal don»; þerfore we seyen at þe ende of eueri orison in holi chirche, Per dominum nostrum Iesum Cristum, filium tuum, Qui tecum uiuit et regnat deus, per omnia secula seculorum amen, þat is to siggen: «Þorw vre lord Ihesu Crist, þi sone, þat wiþ þe liueþ & regneþ god, world wiþouten ende, be hit so». / Vnderstonde þat þou schalt not seyen wiþ mouþe al þat I haue heer writen: but sey onliche þe bare lettre [wiþ mouþe], and þenk in þin herte of þat I haue put here vppon eueri word bi him-self. And make no fors ffor to multeplyen mony Pater noster; ffor whi? on is more worþ wiþ deuocion and entendement, þen a þousend wiþouten entendement; and seint Poul seiþ: «[I] hedde leuere siggen fyue wordes wiþ deuocion in myn herte wiþ entendement, þen fyue þousend wiþouten entendement». IN þe selue manere þow schalt don þin offys in Qweor; ffor whi? þus seiþ þe prophete: Psallite sapienter, «Singe and versele Godes seruise wysliche». Wysliche syngen and reden, is forte [þinken] wiþ herte þat mon seiþ wiþ mouþe. For whi? ȝif þi bodi is in qweor of chirche and þi lippes in þe sauter, and þyn herte in þe chepyng, þow art wrecchedliche departed. And [for] God seiþ: «Seecheþ furst Godes Reyne, and þat ȝe han mester of þe world schal be send ȝow»: þerfore þou schalt witen what þou schalt han in þe Ioie of heuen.