The þrid chapiter conteyneþe the interrogacions þat schulden be asked of hem þat were in her deth-bed while þei may speke and vnderstond. Capitulum tercium.

NOw followyth the interrogacions of hem þat drawen to the deth-ward while þei hane reason with hem & her spech, for þis cause þat if ony man be not fully disposed to dye, he may better be enformed, & confortid therto. And as Ancellyne þe bisshop techith, the[se] interrogacions schuld be had vnto hem þat ben in þat plyte. Fyrst aske hym þis: Brother, art þou glad þat þou schalt dey in Page  2: 413 [þe] ferth of Crist? The seke man seiþe, ȝe. Knowest þou well þat þou hast not do so well as þou schuldist haue do? He answereth, ȝe. Repentis þou þe þerof? He answerith, ȝe. Hast þou will to amend, & þou haddist space and lyfe? He answerith, ȝe. Beleuist þou fully þat oure lord Ihesu Crist goddis son dyed for the? He answeryth, ȝe. Thankyst þou hym therof with all thy herte? He answeryth, ȝe. Beleuist þou verily that thow maist not be sauyd but be Cristis deth and his passion? He answerith, ȝe. Than þanke hym euer therof while the soule ys in þe body, and put all thi truste [in his passion and in his dethe onely, hauyng truste] in no other þingis; to this deth commyt the fully, with þis deth couer the fully, [in this deth wrap all thi-self fully]; and [if] it com vnto thy mynde or by thin enmye be put in to thy mynde that god will deme the, sey thus: Lord I put the deth of oure lord Ihesu Crist be-twene me & myn euell dedis, be-twene me and thi Iugement, other-wise I wyll not stryve with the; Iff he sey þat [thou hast] deserued dampnacion, sey thou aȝen: The deth of oure lord Ihesu Crist I put be-twene me and all myn euell meritis, and the merite of his worthi passione I offre for the merite that I shuld haue had and alas I haue it not; Sey also: Lord put the deth of oure lord Ihesu Criste be-twene me and thi ryȝtwysnes. Þan lat hym sey þis thrise: In manus tuas [domine] commendo spiritum meum, In to thin handis I commyt my soule; and lett the couent sey the same; and if he may not speke lett the couent, or þei þat stont aboute, sey thus: In manus tuas commendo spiritum eius, In thin hondis lord we commend his spirit or his soule. And thus he dyeth surely, and he schal not dye euerlastyngly. But thouȝe þese interrogacions above-seyd be competent and sufficient to religiouse [and deuoute persones, neuertheles all crysten men bothe seculers and religiouse], after the doctour the noble clerke the chaunceller of Parise, in her laste end schuld be examyned, enquered and informed more certeynly [& clerly] of the state [&] þe hele of hir soule[s]; and fyrst thus: Belevyst thowe principally an fully in the articles of the feyth, and also all holy scripture in all þingis after þe exposicion of the holy and trew doctours of holy chirche, and forsakist all heresies, errouris and oppinions dampnid by the chirch, and art glad also þat þou schalt dey in the feyth of Criste & in þe vnite & obedience of holy. chirche? The secund interrogacion shalbe this: Knowe[lege]st þou þat often-tymes and many-maner wises and greuously þou hast offendid þi lord god þat made the of nouȝt? For seynt Bernard seiþe þus vpon Cantica canticorum: I know well þat þer maye no man be saued but yf he knowe hym-selfe, of the which knowynge wexith in a man the moder of his helþe that is humilite, and also the dred of god, the which drede [as it is the begynnyng of wisdom, so it] is the begynnynge of helth of mannys soule. The thryde interrogacion schalbe this: Art þou sory in thy herte of all maner of synnes þat þou hast don ayenst the hyȝe mageste & þe loue & þe goodnes of god, & of all goodnes þat þou hast not & myȝttest haue do, & of all graces þat þou hast for-slewthed; not oonly for drede of deþe or ony other payne, but rather more for love of god & ryȝtwisnes and for þou hast displeased his grete goodnes & kyndnes, & for þe due ordre of charite by the which we be bound to loue god above all þingis; & of all þese þingis þou askyst foryevenes of god? Desirest þou in þin herte also to haue verry knowynge of all the offensis þat þou hast doo ayenst god and for[yete], to haue speciall repentaunce of hem all? The IIII^th interrogacion schalbe þis: Porposist þou verrily and art in full wyll to amende the, and þou myght leve lenger, and neuer to synne more dedly wittyngly and with þi will, and rather þan þou woldist offend god dedly eny more, to leve & lese wylfully all erþely þingis were þei neuer so lefe to the, and also the lyf of þi body therto; and forther-more þou prayest god to yeve the grace to contynue in this purpose? The Vth interrogacion schalbe þis: Foryevist þou all maner of men þat euer haþe don Page  2: 414 þe ony wronge or grevaunce vnto þis tyme or in word or in dede, for þe love of oure lord Ihesu Crist of whome þou hopyst to haue foryevenes also þi-selfe; [& askist also thi-selfe foryeuenes] of all hem þat þou hast offendyd in ony maner wise? The VI^th interrogacion schalbe þis: Wilt þou þat all maner of þingis þat þou hast in eny maner wise mysgett, be fully restored als much as þou maist and art I-bounde, after the value of þi good, & rather leve & forsake all þi goodys of the world, yf þou maist make due satisfaccion in none other wise? The seuynth interrogacion schalbe this: Belevist þou fully þat Crist dyed for the & þat þou maist neuer be saued but by the merite of Cristis passion, and þankist þerof god with þin hert as much as þou canst or maist? Who so euer may verrily of verrye good conscience and trouth with-owte eny feynynge answere þee to these forseyd sevyn interrogacions, he shalbe savyd verrily and hath an euydent argument I-nough of the helþe of his soule, þat, & he dye soo, he schalbe of the nombre of hem þat schalbe saued. Who so euer is not askyd of a nother man of thes seven interrogacions when he is in such a perell of deth, for ther be ryght fewe þat have þe kunnynge of this crafte of dyinge, he most remembre hym-selfe [in his soule & aske hym-selfe], & sotely fele & considre where he be so disposed as it is above seyde or no; for with-owte [þat] a man be disposed in such wise fynally, þere may no man douȝtles be saved euer-lastyngly. And what man þat is disposed as yt is above-seyd, let hym commend and commytt hym-selfe all in-fere fully to the passion of Crist, and contynually als much as he may and as hys syknesse will suffre hym lett hym remembre hym-selfe and þinke in the passyon of Crist: for therby all the deuellys temptacions and giles be most ouercomm and voyde[d]