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

How þat Mon schal spenden his tyme. Capitulum quintum.

Furst, whon þou risest of þi bed in Morwe-tyde and at Mid-niht, þenk hou mony þousend Men han ben perisch þat niht in bodi and soule, summe in fuir and summe in water, [summe] in [oþer] diuerse manere as in séé and in lond; summe Robbede and summe I-woundede, summe slayn, summe dede sodeynliche wiþ-outen schrift, wherfore þei be fallen in to peyne wiþ-outen ende. Þenk also how mony þousend men ben fallen þat niht in to peril of soule, þat is to siggen in to dedly synne, as in Lecherie, Couetyse, and in oþur mony-maner folyes. Of alle þeose wikkednesses þe haþ dilyuered vre swete lord, wiþ-outen þi diseruyng. For whi? what seruise hastou do to him wherfore he haþ so loked þe, & mony oþure forsaken & laft? Ȝif þou take good hede hou gret good god haþ don to þe on alle halue, þou schalt fynden him ocupyed abouten þe as þei he dude non oþur þing but were tendynge onliche to þe and to þin hele; and þou schalt seon him, for to loken þe, al so tentyf and bisi as he hedde forȝeten al þe world for to taken kepe onliche in þe. And whonne þou hast þouht þus, tak vp þin hond and þonke þi lord of þis and of alle oþur goodnesse, in þis manere: Gracias tibi ago, domine Ihesu Christe, qui me miserum þeccatorem in hac nocte custodi[sti], þrotexisti, visitasti, sanum, saluum, et [incolumem] ad hanc horam þeruenire fecisti, et þro vniuersis alijs beneficijs tuis, que michi tua sola bonitate contulisti. Qui cum þatre & s. s. u. & regnas deus:

«ÞOnkynge I make to þe, my lord Ihesu Crist, þat me synful wrecche euer to þis tyme lokedest, defendest, visytest, hol, saue and vnbroken to þis tyme madest comen, and for alle þine oþure gode dedes þat to me þorw þin onliche godnesse hast wrouȝt; þat wiþ þe ffader and þe holy gost liuest and regnest god euermore wiþ-outen ende. A.M.E.N. Amen.»

In þe selue manere schaltou seyen whon þou risest in Morwe-tyde, and whon þou gost to bedde a-niht. At Mid-niht þou schal seyen ad hanc horam «to þis houre», but in Morwe-tyde þou schalt seyen ad principium huius diei «to þe begynnynge of þis dai», and at niht ad finem huius diei «to þe endynge of þis dai». / And whon þou hast don þus, þou schalt þenken inwardliche hou þou hast dispendet þe tyme from morwe-tyde þat þou ros til þou go to bedde a-niht; and also from þi liggynge to þi rysynge; and preye god Merci of þe wikkednesses þat þou hast don, and of þe godes þat þou hast leued þat dai, or þat niht; and do no þing to þis lyf, til þou haue bitaken þi-self and þi frendes, quike and dede, in to þe hondes of vre swete lord Ihesu Crist, & sei þus:

In manus tuas, domine, et sanctorum angelorum tuorum comendo in hac die animam meam & corpus meum, parentes, fratres sorores, cognatos, amicos, familiares, benefactores meos, et omnem populum chatholicum. custodi nos in hac die, per Merita & intercessionem beate Marie & omnium sanctorum, a vicijs & concupiscencijs prauis, temptacionibus diaboli, a subitanea & inprouisa morte, & a penis inferni. illumina cor meum de spiritu sancto et de tua sancta gracia, fac me tuis semper obedire mandatis, et a te nunquam separari permittas. Qui viuis & regnas deus per omnia s[ecula] seculorum. Amen.

«IN to þin hond, lord, and of þyn holy Angeles I beo-take in þis dai my soule and my bodi, ffader and Moder, Breþeren Sustren, Sibbe and frende, and alle myne gode-doeres, and alle cristene folk. Loke vs to-day, þorw þe meede and þe preyeres of blessed Marie and of alle halewes, from vices and wikkede couetises, fondynges of þe deuel, and from sodeyn and vn-war deþ, and from þe peynes of helle. Lihte myn herte of þe holigost and of þin holi grace, make me euer-more Boxum to þi comaundemens, and neuere suffre me be parted from þe; þat liuest and regnest god wiþ-outen ende. Amen.»

And whon þou gost to bedde at niht, þer as þou seist in þe Morwetide In hac die «in þis day», sei þenne In hac nocte «in þis niȝt». / Ȝif þou do in þis manere, þenne schaltou hauen trewe knowyng of þi-self. For whi? þus seiþ þe holi [writ]: «ȝif þou affye þe o þi-self, þou schalt be delyuered to þi-self; ȝif þou affye þe in god, þou schalt be taken to god». Þis Manere of consideracion of þi-self, and in þis þenkyng schalt þow come to þe knowyng of God.