The workes of Geffray Chaucer newlye printed, wyth dyuers workes whych were neuer in print before: as in the table more playnly doth appere. Cum priuilegio ad imprimendum solum.

¶De Accidia.

AFter the synnes of Enuy and yre, nowe woll I speke of the synne of Accidie: for enuy blin¦deth the herte of a mā, and yre troubleth a man & accidie ma∣keth hym heuy, thoughtfull & pensyfe. Enuye and yre maken bytternesse in herte▪ whych bytternesse is mother of accidie & taketh fro hym the loue of al goodnesse, thē is accidie the anguyshe of trouble of herte. And saynt Augustyne sayeth: It is anoye of goodnesse and anoye of harme. Certes thys is a dampnable synne, for it doth wronge to Iesu Christ, in as moche as it benōmeth the seruyce that men ought do to Christe, as say∣eth Salomon: but accidie doth no suche dili∣gence. He doth all thynge wyth anoye & with wrawnesse, slacknesse, and excusation: wyth ydelnesse and vnlust.

For whych the boke sayeth: Acursed be he that doth the seruice of god negligently. Thē is accidie enemye to euery estate of man. For certes the state of man is in thre maners.

Eyther it is in the estate of Innocency, as was the estate of Adam before that he fyll in to synne, in whych estate he was hold to wor¦ke, as in praysynge and laudynge God. And ther estate is y^e estate of synfull mē: in which estate men bene holden to laboure in pray∣enge to God for amendement of her synnes, and that he woll graunte hem to ryse out of her synnes.

Another estate is the state of grace, in whi¦che state he is holden to workes of penitence: and certes to all these thynges is accidie con∣trary, for he loueth no busynesse at all. Nowe certes, thys foule synne accidie is also a full great enemye to the lyfelode of the body, for it ne hath no purueyaunce ayenst tēporel ne∣cessite, for it forswoleth, forslogeth, & destroy∣eth al goodes temporel by rechelesnesse. The iiij. thynge is, that accidie is lyke hem y^e bene in the payne of hel, bycause of her slouth and heuynesse: for they that be dampned bene so bounde, that they maye neyther well do ne thynke. Of accidie cometh fyrst that a man is anoyed and encombred to do any goodnesse, & maketh y^e God hath abhominacion of such accidie, as sayeth saynt Iohn. Nowe cometh slouth that wol nat suffre no hardnesse ne pe∣naunce: for sothly slouth is so teder and so de¦lycate, as sayeth Salomon, that he woll suf∣fre no hardnesse ne penaunce, and therfore he marreth all that he doth. Ayenst thys rotten synne of accidie & slouth, shulde men exercise hem selfe & vse hem to do good workes: and māly and vertuously catch corage to do, thyn kynge that our Lorde Iesu Christe quyteth euery good dede, be it neuer so lyte. Vsage of labour is a great thyng. For it maketh as say¦eth saynt Bernard, y^e labourer to haue strōge armes and harde senewes: & slouth maketh heuye, feble, and tender. Then cometh drede to begynne to worke any good workes. For certes he that enclyneth to synne, hym thyn∣keth it is so great an empryse for to vndertak the workes of goodnesse, and casteth in hys herte, that the circumstaunces of goodnesse bene so greuouse and weyghtye for to suffre, that he dare not vndertake to do workes of goodnesse, as sayeth saynt Gregorye.

Nowe cometh wanhope, that is dyspayre of the mercye of God, that cometh somtyme of to moch outragious sorow, and somtyme of to moch drede, ymaginynge that he hath do so moch synne, that it wol not auayle him tho he wolde repent hym and forsake synne: thorough whych dyspayre or drede, he aban∣doneth al hys herte to euery maner synne, as sayeth saynt Augustyne. Whych dampnable synne, yf it continue vnto hys ende, it is cal∣led synnynge in the holy goost.

Thys horrible synne is so peryllous, that he that is dyspayred there nys no felony ne no synne that he douteth for to do, as she∣wed well by Iudas. Certes aboue al synnes then is thys synne moost dyspleasaunt to Christ and moste aduersary. Sothly he that

dyspayreth hym is lyke to the cowarde cham¦pion recreaunt, that flyeth wythout nede. A∣las alas, nedeles is he recreaūt, and nedelesse dyspayreth. Certes the mercy of God is euer redy to the penitent person, & is aboue al hys werkes. Alas can not a mā bethynke hym on the gospel of saint Luke. xv. where as Christ sayeth, that as well shall there be ioye in hea¦uen vpon a synfull man that doth penitence, as vpon foure score & nynetene ryghtful mē that nede no penitence. Loke ferther in the same gospell the ioye and y^e feest of the good man that had loste hys sonne, whē hys sonne wyth repentaunce was retourned to hys fa∣ther. Can they not remembre hem also, that (as sayeth saynt Luke) capi. xxx. Howe that the thefe that was hāged besyde Iesu Christ sayd: Lorde remembre me, when thou com∣mest in to thy reygne. Forsoth sayd Christ, I saye to the: To daye shalte thou be with me in paradyse. Certes, there is none so horrible synne of man, that ne maye in hys lyfe be dys¦troyed by penitence, thorough vertue of pas∣syon and of the death of Christe. Alas what nede men then to be dyspayred, syth that hys mercy is so ready and large? Aske and haue. Then commeth sompnolence, that is slug∣gye slombrynge, whyche maketh a man he∣uy and dull in body and in soule, & this sinne cometh of slouth: And certes the time that by waye of reason man shulde not slepe, is by y^e morowe, but yf there were cause reasonable. For sothely the morowe tyde is most couena¦ble a man to saye hys prayers, & for to thāke God, and to honoure God, & to yeue almesse to the poore, that cometh fyrst in the name of Iesu Christ. Lo, what sayth Salomō? who so woll by the morowe awake to seke me, he shall fynde me. Then cometh neglygence or retchelesnesse, that recketh of nothynge. And though that ignoraunce be mother of al har∣mes, certes neglygence is the noryce. Negli∣gence ne dothe no force when he shall do a thynge, whether he do it well or euell. The remedye of these two synnes is, as sayeth the wyse man: That he that dredeth God spa∣reth not to do that he ought to do, and he that loueth god he woll do dylygēce to please god by hys werkes, and abādone hym selfe wyth al hys myght wel for to do. Thē cometh ydel¦nesse, that is the yate of all harmes. An ydell man is lyke to a place that hath no walles, y^e dyuell maye entre on euerye syde, or shote at hym that is dyscouert, by temptation on eue¦ry syde. Thys ydelnesse is the thorruke of all wycked and vylayne thoughtes, and of al or∣dure. Certes the heauen is yeue to hem that wyll laboure, and not to ydell folke. Also Da¦uid sayeth, that they ne be not in the laboure of men, ne they shall not be whypped wyth men. Certes then semeth it they shall be tur∣mented wyth the dyuels in hell, but yf they do penaunce.

Then cometh the synne that mē cal Tardi∣tas, as when a man is so latered, or tarienge or he woll tourne to god: and certes that is a great foly. He is lyke hym that falleth in the dyche, and woll not aryse. And thys vyce co∣meth of false hope, that he thynketh he shall lyue longe, but that hope fayleth full ofte.

Then cometh lachesse, that is he that whē he begynneth any good worke, anone he wol leaue and stynte it, as done they that haue a∣ny persone to gouerne, and ne take of him no more hede, anone as they fynde any contrary or any anoye. These ben the newe sheperdes that let theyr shepe wyttyngly go renue to y^e wolfe that is in the breres, or do not force of her owne gouernaunce. Of thys cometh po∣uerte and destruction bothe of spirituall and temporell thynges. Then cometh a maner coldnesse that freseth the herte of man. Then cometh vndeuotion, through whyche a man is so blont, and as sayeth saynte Bernarde, hath suche langour in hys soule, that he may neyther rede ne synge in holy church, ne here ne thynke of no deuotion, ne trauayle wyth hys handes in no good worke, that it nys to hym vnsauery and al apalled. Then wareth he slowe and slombry and sone wol be wroth and sone is enclyned to hate and enuy. Then cometh the synne of worldly sorowe, such as is called Tristitia, that sleeth a man, as say∣eth saynt Poule. For certes suche sorow wor¦keth the death of the soule and body also, for therof cometh that a man is anoyed of hys owne lyfe. wherfore suche sorowe shorteth full ofte the lyfe of man, er that hys tyme is come by waye of kynde.

¶Remedium contra pec∣catum Accidie.

AYenst thys horryble synne of Accidie, and the braunches of the same, ther is a vertue that is called Fortitudo or strēgth, that is an affection, throughe whiche a man dispyseth anoy∣cus thynges: This vertue is so mighty and so rygorous, that it dare withstonde mighti∣ly, and wisely kepe hym self fro perylles that ben wycked, and wrastel ayenst thassautes of the dyuel, for it enhaunceth and enforceth the soule, right as accidie abateth & maketh it fe∣ble: for thys fortitude may endure by longe suffraunce the trauayles that ben couenable. This vertue hath manye speces, the fyrste is called Magnanimite, that is to say, great co∣rage. For certes there behoueth great corage ayenst accidie, lest that it ne swalowe y^e soule by the synne of sorowe, or distroye it by wan∣hope. Certes this vertue maketh folke vnder take harde and greuous thynges by her own wyl wisely and resonably. And for as moch as the deuyll fyghteth ayenst a man more by subtylte and sleyght than by strength, ther∣fore shall a man wythstonde hym by wytte, reason, and discretion. Thā are there the ver∣tues of faythe and hope in God and in hys sayntes, to eschue and accomplisshe the good workes, in the whyche he purposeth fermely to contynue. Than cometh suretie or syker∣nesse, and that is whan a man ne douteth no traueyle in tyme commyng, of the good wor∣kes that he hathe begonne. Than cometh Magnifycence, that is to saye, whan a man dothe and parformeth great workes of good¦nesse that he hath begon, and that is thende why that men shuld do good workes. For in the accomplishyng of good workes, lyeth the great guerdon. Thā is there Constance, that is stablenesse of corage, and thys shulde be in hert by stedfast faythe, and in mouthe, in be∣••ynge, in chere, and in dede. Also there ben mo specyall remedyes ayenst accidie, in dy∣uers workes: as in cōsyderatyō of y^e paynes of hell, the ioyes of heuen, and in truste of the grace of the holy ghoost, that wyll yeue hym myght to performe his good entent.