FOUNDED BY JOHN D. ROCKEFELLER A Middle English Treatise on the Ten Commandments TEXT, NOTES AND INTRODUCTION A DISSERTATION SUBMITTED TO THE FACULTY OF THE GRADUATE SCHOOL OF ARTS AND LITERATURE, IN CANDIDACY FOR THE DEGREE OF DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY DEPARTMENT OF ENGLISH BY JAMES FINCH ROYSTER CHAPEL HILL, N. C. (Sift TUnxbiVBit^ yivtss 1911 Vo M FOUNDED BY JOHN D. ROCKEFELLER A Middle English Treatise on the Ten Commandments TEXT, NOTES AND INTRODUCTION A DISSERTATION SUBMITTED TO THE FACULTY OF THE GRADUATE SCHOOL OF ARTS AND LITERATURE, IN CANDIDACY FOR THE DEGREE OF DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY DEPARTMENT OF ENGLISH BY JAMES FINCH ROYSTER CHAPEL HILL, N. C. 1911 INTRODUCTION^ 111 the deed of gift of his book to Roger Stonysdale, one of the chuntry priests of St. Nicholas' Church at Newcastle-upou-Tyne (p. 9), the scribe calls it "hoc primarium." In I. contents Lacy's "primarium" agrees with the The Prymer. service book commonly known as the Prymer. Mr. Littelhales ^ gives the following table of con- tents for the Prymer, the one met with in a large number of Mss. examined by him : 1) Hours of the Blessed Virgin, 2) Seven Penitential Psalms, 3) Fifteen Gradual Psalms, 4) Litany, 5) Office cf the Dead, 6) Commendations. This matter the Prymer invariably contains. In addition to these offices, many copies of the Prymer have various other devotions and forms of religious instruction not included in the original plan of the book. There is no absolute uniformity regulating what this matter shall be, but it is usually those things which the Church thought it incumbent upon the laity to know : the Creed, the Lord's Prayer, the Seven Deadly Sins, the Seven Sacraments, etc. to which there are often added tracts on various subjects. In the "primarium" described here the added matter, except the translation of St. Jerome's Epistle Ad Demetria- dem, is that commonly found in the Prymers. Later the Prymer came to be not so much a book of monastic devotion as a book of religious instruction for the people — "the prayer book of the educated laity." ' The compiler of this Primarium was not, however, making a service book for the use of the people. ^ For a description of the ms. see pp. 5-7. ■•' The Frymer, or Lay Folks Mass Book, Pt. II, pp. xxxix, EETS. Cf. Maskell, Mon. Put. Fed. Angl. 18iG, III; Littelhales, H., T he Frymer of the Lay Feople in the Middle Atjes. For a summary of the bibliography of the Prymer cf. Brown, C. F., Modem Fhilology, III, p. 481, note. * The Prymer was early translated into English for the benefit of those who did not understand Latin. Cf. Swete, H. , Services and Service Books, pp. 112-113; Brown, he. cit., p. 48L iii 239319 iv James Finch Royster He compiled it for his own use, (fo!. 101 b., p. 9), "and aftur to othur in exitynge hem to devocion and preyers to god," and wills it to a chantry priest of his own town to be kejDt perpetually in St. Nicholas' Church. The Primarium was begun as early as 1420 and completed, at the latest, by the year 1434. On fol. 16 b., col. 1, there is a half page miniature of one imprisoned praying to the II. The Date. Virgin ; the prisoner holds a flowing scroll contain- ing writing, the greater part of which has been erased; under this scroll is the date M.CCCCXX. On fol. 1 ("in fronte codicis") we find, "Anno domini mileshno. CCCC mo xxxiiij." The year 1434 may rightly be taken as the extreme date for the completion of the MS. The composition may well have extended over a period of fourteen years. Friar John Lacy, a member of the order of Friars Preachers, dwelling at Newcastle-upon-Tyne in the first half of the 15th century was the compiler of the Primarium. This much III. information concerning the writer the manuscript The Scribe. itself gives us : On fol. 1 he speaks of himself as ' ' lohannis lacy anachorite de ordine fratrum pre- dicatorum noui Castri super Tynam" ; on fol. 101 as "frere Ion lacy Anchor, and Reclused in }'e new castel upon tynde " ; on fol. 16 b., we find " x]>e lacy " ; at the bottom of fol. 17, " Lacy scripsit et llluniinat^' ; and on fol. 151, the name " Lacy." To these meagre items of biography I am able to add nothing of consequence.^ Mr. Welford* notes that " a John Lac}^ is mentioned ' There is no mention of John Lacy in the series of articles on the Black Friars in England in the Reliquary, 76-89 ; in the Arckeological Journal, 1880-1884 ; Quetif and Echard, Scriptores ordinis praedicatorum ; Brand's History of Newcastle ; Tanner's Bibliolhtca ; Jocher's Allgemeincs Gelehrter Lexicon ; Bale's Index ; or in any of the books of tlie kind available. Miss L. Toulmin Smith has kindly aided me in my search for any notice of this mediaeval penman — unfortunately without result. Miss Smith informs me that a certain John Lacy held an office in tlie port of London in 1423. Clearly this is another man. The name Lacy was a common one, especially in the North of England. ^ Arch. AeL, series lir, 80. Cf. also Welford, Newcastle and Gateshead, I, 292. \ A Middle English Treatise on the Ten Commandments v in a deed of January 2nd, 1432 as one of the executors of tlie will of Eichard Clederhowe " of Newcastle. The identification of this John Lacy with the John Lacy of the Prymer is not excluded by the fact that he was at the same time a Dominican Friar and the testator of a will, for the probation of wills fell within the jurisdiction of the ecclesiastical courts, and was one of the powers of the church tribunal against which the people at this time most loudly complained.' This bare piece of information does not, however, aid us in determining- how far Lacy resembled the Friar of Chaucer's Prologue, or in allowing us to judge whether he was one who deserved the strictures passed upon the Friars by the author, or authors, of Piers the Plow- man. There is no evidence to inform us whether or not he was a typical member of his order, who made his way over his circuit granting absolution for "a pair of old shoes and a dinner," who knew how to cozen the women and make himself " biloved and famulier .... with frankelyns over-al in his contree. " The indications in the MS. that John Lacy copied the Treatise on THE Ten Commandments into his Primarium rather than composed it are many.^ Every page gives evidence of errors IV. made in copying and corrections inserted in re- Authorship. vision. No other version of the same treatment of the ten commandments exists in Middle English, so far as I know, and no original from which Lacy copied has yet been printed. There can be, under the circumstances, no speculation as to the identity of the author. Any well meaning priest might have written the treatise." ^ Trevelyan, G. M., England in the Age of Wycliffe, p. 112. 2 For instance : p. 9, 11. 21, 22, 24 ; p. 11, 1. 35 ; p. 14, 1. 2 ; p. 19, 1. 10 ; p. 24, 1. 10 ; p. 25, 1. 28 ; p. 32, 11. 1, 28, etc. For a description of the MS. see pp. 5-7. 'Without being terupted into an effort to reconstruct the original or to assign different parts of the composition to the author and to the scribe, I am inclined to believe that the scribe added the story of the unforgiving slandered woman (p. 12) to his original. In the first place, the position of the narrative suggests this possibility. It comes at the end of the ''prologus" and is separated from the discussion of the first commandment by two lines of Latin, a convenient place for tlie insertion of original matter. There is no correction of or addition to the text in the column in which this narrative stands. The spirit and vividness with vi James Finch Royster Tracts on the Decalogue, contaiuiDg a systematized condemnation of all sins, with directions for righteous living,^ were an exceedingly popular form of the clerical literature of the Mid- V. die Ages. In the Sermon of Dan Jon Gaytryge "^ The Treatise we read : " pe Imv to knawe God Alm3'ghty, ON THE Ten }>at principally may be schewed in theis sexe Commandments, thynges " — the Ten Commandments, the Creed, the Seven Works of Mercy, the Seven Deadly Sins, the Seven Virtues, and the Fourteen Points of Faith. During the years when Lacy was compiling his Pryraer, " when the Wycliffite move- ment was at death grips with the Catholic church," discourses upon any other subjects but those mentioned above were forbidden by the Primat.^ The exposition in these treatises invariably takes this form. There is a prologue * — of varying length — concerning the origin of the commandments, showing why they should be kept. The command- ments follow in order. Under each commandment are mentioned the manifold ways in which this particular mandate of God is broken, — the various forms of sin especially condemned by this commandment. The discourse concludes with an exhortation, or a threat, to keep the laws of God. In all of the Middle English expositions of the com- mandments I have been able to examine, the same plan is followed. Both the subject matter and the form are the common property of mediaeval religious literature, and have their ultimate source in Holy Writ and the writings of the Fathers. The phrasing became stereo- typed and the expression formalized. which the story is told is wanting in the rest of the composition. That a copier or translator felt at perfect liberty to insert exempla of his own into his original is shown in the treatment to which Robert of Brunne subjected William of "VVadding- ton's Maimel des Pechez. Crane, Exempla of Jacques dc Vih-y, cites the examples of Bernadius of Milan in his Jlosarium i^ermonum praedicnhilum, and Gottsclialk Hollem in his Sermones super Epktolas Pciuli. ' " Bokes wliiche shcwe us tlie way of godly lyvynge, and soulys helth." — Barclay, Ship uf FooU. For a Reformation comjilaint as to the excessive number of such books cf. Gau, Kingdom of Heuine, p. 3, ST.S " Perry, Religious Pieces, p. 2, EETS. ^Treveleyan, loc. cit., p. 127, quoting Wilkins, iir, 59 and Gibson, I, 382-4. * Cf. , for instance, Hugo of St. Victor, De Sacramenlis. Migne, Pat. Lat., cxi/. A Middle English Treatise on the Ten Commandments vii In neither subject matter nor form does this treatise depart from the conventional mode of treatment. Every thought, and almost every phrase, can be paralleled by passages from other VI. Source. theological discourses. But the relation between this version and any other tract on the Ten Commandments known to me is not close enough, by a great deal, to lead to a conclusion that this treatise is a copy of any Middle English tract so far published ; nor do I know of any Latin original which can be held responsible. Rather than a slavish copy it seems to be a free rendering, in conventional form and style, of matter common to theological literature. The fashion is consistently followed throughout. The text is thoroughly supplied with reference and quotation from the Bible and the Fathers to indicate the sources of the material. A separate tract on the Seven Deadly Sins, or any detailed treat- ment of them, is lacking. These sins are, however, enumerated under a separate heading in the same way that the Ten VII. Commandments, the Five Wits, the Seven Deeds of The Seven Mercy, etc. are catalogued (fol. 126 b.). It may Deadly Sins, have been the intention of the scribe to let this list serve as an index for other tracts to follow. At the end of these lists there is a break in the MS. ; but the translation of St. Jerome's Epistle is taken up in the next section. Earlier, in the Treatise on the Ten Commandments, the Seven Deadly Sins personified are introduced in company with those who break the Sabbath by drinking, gambling, and other sins of gluttony. A merry party of gluttons and "wasters of mens susti- nance " is assembled for pleasure. The Seven Deadly Sins enter and make inerry with the company. Each sin is in his usual habit. Pride is a boaster and hypocrite ; Covetousness, full of oaths, causes each one to beguile the other ; Lechery relates ribald stories ; Gluttony, the ' ' Stuard ' ' of the household, will allow no one to go home until he is fully satisfied with food and drink ; Sloth, the " Marchel " of the hall, bringing Idleness with him, keeps the cup always full; Wrath, the "Tresureer," having Envy in his com- viii James Finch Royster pany, makes up tlie accounts and warns tliem all that no one shall speak Avell of his neighbor.' In the books of medieval theological writers the Seven Deadly Sins had been made to assume almost every conceivable allegorical shape ; they had been personified under almost every form that can be thought of.' From the days of Prudentius the battle between the Vices and the Virtues had been raging.^ A very common form which this strife-allegory assumed is that of a castle inhabited and defended by the Virtues, and attacked by the Seven Deadly Sius.^ A closely related form of the allegory is that found in the earlier Sowles Warde and in the Abbey of the Holy Ghosts In the Abbey a religious house is built on Conscience, erected by Obedience and Mercy, and founded upon Patience and Strength ; the Holy Ghost is the Visitor ; Wisdom and Discretion, Penance and Temperance are the officers. A tyrant of the land stormed the Abbey and put his four daughters— Envy, Pride, Grucching, and Evil-Thinking — into possession. But their rule was brief, for the Visitor soon came and expelled the usurpers. While we do not have the allegory in the Treatise on the Ten Commandments completely worked out, there is enough of it to suggest that the writer had in mind a reversed form of the " household 1 For a neatly tabulated survey of the conventional characteristics of the Seven Deadly Sins see Mile. Fowler, Um Source Francaise da Poemes de Gower, Menton, 1905, pp. 58 ff. ^Cf. Triggs, O. L., Assembly of Gods, pp. Ixix fi". To his list of the occurrences of the Seven Deadly Sins in Middle English literature may be added these examples : Townley Mysteries, 377, 306, 331 ; Digby Plays, 66 ; Englische Studien, ix, 43 ; Perry, Religious Pieces, 77 ; Cursor Mundi, v, 1524 ; Beltquice. Antiquice, 136, 280 ; William of Shoreham, 98, 28, 102, 107 ; R. of Bruime, I, 105 ; Myro, Parish Priests, 31 ; Dunbar, Dance of Seven Deadly Sins ; Lydgate, Temple of Glas, 20 ; Chester Plays, 207 ; Vernon MS., i, 243. For Latin tracts on the Seven Deadly Sins see Append, ad S. Augustinum, Migne, XL; Vitiis octo, S. Eutropius, Migne, Lxxx, 9; Vit. octo Princip., Aldhelmus, Lxxxix, 28 ; Vit. el Virlutibus, Rabanus Mauras, Migne, cxii ; Vit. et Virt., Hugo of S. Victor, Migne, clxxvi, 525 ; Petrus Cantor, I\Iigne, ccv, 44. =*Cf. Neilson, W. A., "Origins and Sources of the Court of Love," Harvard Studies and Notes, Vol. vi, p. 19. Triggs, loc. cii., pp. IxiiifT. ^Cf. the "Castle of Perseverance"; Grosseteste's " Castle of Love" ; Neil- son, loc. cit., eh. III, passim. s Perry, Relig. Pieee.^, pp. 48 ff., EETS. A Middle English Treatise on the Ten Commandments ix allegory." Taking the place of the House of God, or the Castle of Love, as the residence of the Virtues, is the Tavern, the stonghold of the Vices. Of this household the Seven Deadly Sins are the rightful officers : Gluttony, the " Stuard " ; Sloth, the "Marchel" ; Wrath, the "Tresureer." But the strife motive is lacking; there are no forces opposed to the Vices. To the mind of the devout man of religion of the time there could be no fitter castle of wickedness than the tavern. By the Church it was considered the home and breeding-place of all sin.^ Among the theological writers it is often characterized as the ''devil's school- house." Don INIichel,^ following his source,^ says : " pe tauerne ys pe scole of |'e dyeule huere his deciples studieth. and his ojene chapele J'er huer me dej' his seruese. and ]>er huer he make)' his miracles zuiche ase behoue]> to ]'e dyeule. At cherche kan god his uirtues sseawy. and do his miracles. ]'e blynde : to lijte. ]>e crokede : to rijte. yelde ]>e wyttes of ]'e wode. ])e speche : to l^e dombe. ]>e hierj'e : to ])e dyaue. Ac ]'e dyeuel de]' al ayenward ine ])e tauerne. Vor huanne }'e glotoun ge]> in to \>e tauerne ha ge)' oprijt. huanne he com]) a-yen : he ne he|> uot j'et him moje sostyeni ne here. Huawne he ]>er-in ge]' : he y-zyc]' and y-her]' and spec]^ wel and onderstant. huan ho com}) ayen : he he]) al })is uorlore as ])e ilke ])et ne he}) wyt ne scele ne ouderstondinge. Zuyche bye]) ]'e miracles ]>et ])e dyeuel make}). And huet lessouns })er he ret. AUe uelfe he tek]> ]>er. glotounye. lecherie. zuerie. uorzuerie. lyeje. miszigge. reneye god. euele telle, contacky. and to ueele o])er manyeres of zennes. ]>er arise]) })e cheastes. ])e strifs. })e raansla5])es. ])er me tek}) to stele : and to hongi. })e tauerne is a dich to ])ieues. and ])e dyeules castel uor to werri god an his hal^en. and ]>o ])et ])e tauernes sustyene}) : bye}) uelajes of alle ])e zennen ])et bye}) y-do ine hare tauernes. and uor zo])e yef me ham zede o})er dede asemoche ssame to hire uader o])er to hare moder. o])er to hare gromes. as me dep to hire uader of heuene. and to oure Iheuedy. and to })e haljen of paradis. mochel hi wolden ham wre})i. and o])er red hi wolden do ])er to })anue hi dop. ' ' 1 Chaucer's Friar, however, " knew the tavernes wel in every toun." ProL, 240. ^A-^enbiteof Inicit, pp. 56-7, EETS. Cf. Jusserand, J. J., English Wayfaring Life, pp. 130 ff. Cf. Chaucer's " develes temple," Pardoners Tale, 8. 'Fowler, loe. cit., p. 96. X James Finch Royster The anonymous author of Jacob's Well^ speaks thus of the tavern : '"pe tauerue is welle of glotonye, for it may be clepyd ]>e develys scolehous & \e devyls chapel for there liis dycyples stondyen & syngen bothe day & nyjt." Robert Crawley, writing more than a hundred and fifty year< later, continues the condemnation : ■ "And then such as lone not to hear theyr fautes tolde, By the minister that readeth the new Testament and olde do turne into the alehouse and let the church go." The sins appear in the following order : Pride, Covetousness, Lechery, Gluttony, Sloth, Wrath, and Envy. This sequence differs from that found in Chaucer, Gower, Aien. of Lnvit, Gregory, or from that in Augustine. All agree, however, in placing Pride first in the list.-' Only a limited use is made of exempla for illustrating the les.sons taught. We find but five tales. Three of these are versions of widely-scattered stories, one is related on the VIII. Exempla. authority of oral transmission, and another is said to be taken from an autlior whom I have not succeeded in identifying- The sources indicated by the writer are : Vitae Patrum, Gregory's Dialogues, and " Vincencius in Gesti^ Anglorum." * ]. (p. 12.) A young man slandered a young woman. She bore him such resentment for his evil speech that .^he would not forgive him, even when at the point of death she was strongly urged and threatened by the priest. She died without the holy sacrament. Her spirit afterwards appeared to the man who had slandered her, while he was tethering his horse, and told him that she had been damned 1 p. 1-17, EETS. ' Worhs of Robert Crawley, ed. Cowper, p. 89, "Of .\lohouses," EETS. 3 Of. Triggs, loc. ril., p. Ixxii. ' Cf. Bale's Iiidcz, p. ol-l. Tiie title there recorded, Gesla Anyiorum, I have l)ecn able to trace no furllier. A Middle Englwh Treatise on the Ten Commandments xi for his sake, but that he still had time while alive to obtain forgive- ness and mercy. There was no remedy for her. The priest was sent for to conjure her to some " dry place." The spirit disappeared. The tale is related upon the authority of an acquaintance, a man of "perfection and credens." This indication of source may, or may not, be true. We must give it consideration when we remember that it was a common custom among the exempla v/riters to add stories of local tradition and sometimes of local haj)penings to their collections.^ Furthermore, we should bear in mind the fact that the scribe acknowledges that he has read the other stories, and that search after parallels for this one has been in vain. On the other hand, it should not be forgotten that it was a convention to relate a story on the authority of oral transmission in order to make it more realistic, and to give it a readier acceptance.^ The separate parts of which the story is made up are stock motives. The moral, which is to show the virtue of the shrift and the peril of dying unabsolved, can be illustrated by innumerable exempla.'^ The appearance of the spirit of one who died unconfessed to warn others is, of course, a commonplace. The handling of the slander motive is unusual. Generally the slanderer is punished. II. (p. 15.) The second story is related in fewer than fifty words. A Jew was saved from the power of wicked spirits by making the sign of the cross. ^Cf. Jacques de Vitry, ed. C. F. Crane (Folk Lore Soc), Introduction, pp. Ixvii, Ixviii, Ixxii, xcvi. Gregory, in his Dialogues, is very careful to strengthen the authority of his anecdotes by citing the authority of those who were eye- witnesses, if he himself did not see them. Kobert of Brunne vouches for the authenticity of his stories as follows : "Meruels, some as y fonde wrytyn, And other that have be seyn & wetyn ; Non ben thare-yn, more ne lesse But that y-founde wryte, or had wytnesse." ^ In the Niederlandische Sagen (ed. Wolf, p. 54) , a comparatively late collection, the brother-in-law of the knight, the chief person in the story, is cited as authority. But the same tale had been told by Caesarius of Heisterbach. Examples of this kind can be piled up almost indefinitelj'. * To cite only one or two examples, cf. Jacob's Well, pp. 21, 183 ; Bede, Hist. Eccle., y, xiii. In a large number of instances the Virgin appears and intercedes. xii James Finch Royster The source is plainly stated to be Gregory's Dialogues. It is found in Bk. Ill, ch. 7 (Migne, Pat. Lat., lxxvii, col. 229). Gregory relates tlie incident in the following manner : A certain bishop, Andreas of Fulda, an old man full of virtue and good deeds, became tempted by a holy woman who was dwelling in his house. A Jew passing through this city was unable to find a lodging for the night, and made his bed in a temple of Apollo. Fearing the sacredness of the place, he decided to protect himself by making the sign of the cross, though, in I'eality, he held its power as little. In the middle of the night he woke and saw a strange sight. An assembly of evil spirits was being questioned by their master as to the wicked deeds they had been doing. One related that he had poisoned the mind of Bishop i^udreas for the holy woman. Suddenly the spirits were ordered by their master to seek about the temple to find one who did not belong to their oi'der. They soon came upon the Jew, but the sign of the cross was upon him. The devils retired, saying, ' ' Vae, Vae, vas vacuum et sigiiatuin.''' The Jew ran to the bishop and told him what he had seen. He became a Christian, and the bishop put away the woman. The same tale is found in .7. de Vit. (cxxxi), El Libra de las Ene.vemplos (xxi), Alph. of T. (ccxxviii) and in Hand. Synne (Rox. Club), p. 124. In El Lib. de los Enx., there are two versions of the story ; these are practically the same, except that the second one is considerably fuller in detail. The first version, following faithfully Gregory, concludes: "Ella manera desta inquisicion brevement la dice San Gregorio ; mas piiedese saber mas larganient por un enexmplo que se ley en las Yidas de los santos Padres." However, nothing new is added. The story has taken on additions in Handhjng Synne, while Jacques de Vitry has cut it to a considerable extent. It is faithfully reproduced in An Alphabet of Tales. Odo of Cheriton (no. 182) also relates this story. For further bibliography, cf J. de Yit. (ed. Crane), pp. 189-90. III. (p. 18. ) A clerk was greatly devoted to the Virgin, but he was accustomed to use vicious oaths. Our Lady, nevertheless, prayed A Middle English Treatise on the Ten Commandments Xlll to her Son that he might be saved. One clay she appeared before the clerk as he was in his devotions, with her child in her arms. His eyes were hanging on his cheeks, his arms and bones were broken, his flesh was rent, and his heart was torn out of his body. The clerk inquired of her who had thus mangled her Child. He was told that he was one of those who had thus injured him. She disappeared. The clerk mended his ways and made a good end. No source is indicated by the author. He merely says: "We reden of a miracul of oure lady." In none of the large collections described and analyzed by Mussafia (Sitzimgsberichte der Wiener Academie, 113, 115, 119, 123) or by Ward (Cat. of Rom. in Brit. Mus., ii), is this story found. It belongs, however, to a class of Mary legends very common, which may be called " Mary intervention exempla." Where this exact version comes from I do not know. AVith some variation the story is told in Handhjng S^jnne (EETS, Pt. I, pp. 25 ff.). This is an addition on the part of the English translator ; it is not in William of Waddington's Manuel des Pechez. Dr. Furnivall has not traced the borrowing. The two versions differ in these particulars. In Hand. Synne the swearer is not a clerk, but "a ryche man" ; the Virgin appears to him in the same mauner with her wounded Child in her arms, but the conversation between her and the clerk is given at greater length. Mary promises to intercede for him if he will repent and do penance. IV. (p. 19.) Sir Robert of Worcester was a good and charitable man, but he was a hard swearer ; his favorite oath was by ' ' godes spere," or by the " spere of god." After his death a good man prayed continually for his soul. An angel appeared to this man and informed him that it was not the will of God that he should pray for the soul of such a wicked man as the kuight had been, for he was damned. Then the angel led him to a "place of paynes," where there was a great pit of fire, in which the knight lay burning. A devil was smiting him with a great spear. The angel disappeared. Vicencius in Gestis Anglorum is given as the source. I have found no notice of a Vicencius who wrote a Gesta Anglorum.^ Bede's 1 Cf . p. X, note 4. xiv James Finch Roystcr Ecclesiastical History is usually referred to as Ge-^ta Angloruin, but Bede has not told this narrative. The possibility suggested itself that this might be a loose and careless reference to Vincent of Beauvais, for in the Speculum Historiale, Bks. xxiii to- xxx, he tells of the deeds of the English and French kings. The tale is not, however, found in this section of the book, and, apparently, nowhere else in the volume. Furthermore, William of Malmesbury's Gesta Begum is referred to by cxempla writers as Gesta Auglorum ( Cat. of Bom. in Brit. Mus. Ill, ed. J. A. Herbert, 1910, p. 511 and p. 536). But the story of Sir Robert of Worcester is not found in William of Malmesbury's history. The careless way in which "in Gestis Anglo- rum" is used seems to indicate that the term might be applied to any book or portion of a book concerned with English historv. There are no other occurrences of the legend known to me. The two motives of which the story is composed are frequently found. It is related in the Alphabet of Tales, (no. 305) that a man was virtuous in every way, except that he used "fowle language" ; his punish- ment was, however, different from that accorded to Sir Robert : his body was cut in two. The futilitj- of praying for unredeemably damned souls is also illustrated by a story in the same collection (no. 291), taken from Jacques de Vitry (736, p. 492), who had it from Caesarius of Heisterbach. The vision of hell and the sight of the punished is a commonplace in exempla. . Cf. Ward, Cat. of Bom. in Brit. Mus.; Becker, E. J., Mediaeval Visions of Heaven and Hell, Baltimore, 1899. V. lu the Tract on Confession, not j^rinted in the following text, is related the story of the two brothers and the book of three leaves. The older of the two brothers was a clerk, the younger a "lewd" man. The clerk was proud and impatient, while the lowly brother was meek and well liked by all who knew him. The clerk inquired of his brother how he had attained the virtue of patience and humility. He was told that it came through the reading of a wonderful book of three leaves ; the first leaf was written in letters of gold, the second in letters of red, the third in letters of black. On the black leaf he found his sins, on the red the poverty, suffering and meekness of A Middle English Treatise on the Ten Commandments xv Jesus, and on the gold the joys of paradise. When he had finished the reading in this order he despised himself and the world. The Vitae Patrum is named as the source ; but, apparently, it is not in the text printed by Migne, Pat. Led. vols. 73, 74. It is well known that the writers of exeinpla often confused the sources which they used, and sometimes wilfully misrepresented them in their desire for a worthy source.^ If the tale, however, is not to be found in the Vitae Patrum, it is one of the most popular and often repeated stories of the excmpla books. It is in the Geda Bomanorum (ed. Oesterly, no. 188), but the English translator has omitted it. (Cf. Gesta Romanorum, ed. Hertage, EETvS, Append, p. 531.) Wright early published the story without comment (Percy Soc, viii). For further bibliography cf. Oesterly, p. 742. Oesterly believes it to be related to the story of the three crows {Gesta Roman., no. 125), and cites here Byrom's Three Black Crows (Chalmers' Poets, xv), of which he probably read only the title. The task of arriving at any definite conclusions as to the language of the Newcastle-upon-Tyne district at the end of the first quarter of the fifteenth century through the evidence furnished IX. by the present text is made quite impossible by the Language. fact that Lacy's ms. is a copy, by the absence of opportunity for making rime tests and by the really small amount of exact information we possess in regard to the language of this district at this time. The more or less mechanical record of the writings of the more common sounds found in this text will at any rate, it is hoped, be of some value to future investigators of the language of the northmost part of England in the early years of the fifteenth century. Vowels. The forms in which OE a (WG a, WS ce), e, i, i, o, o, u, ii, eo appear in this text follow the usual ME developments and present little of interest. The following observations are to be noted : — OE a (ce) before nasals = a, a (written a, aa) : man, />an, name, etc.; before nasal combinations =^ both a and o: landes, londes ; ^ Cf. J. Crosland, Modern Language Review, i, i, 57. xvi James Finch Royster wrange, wrongesly ; honde, hoonde, handes, etc. Although early Southern ME employed generally the o in this case in contrast to the early Northern a, neither form at this late period furnishes a dialectic criterion. The London Records of this date have both a and o (Morsbach, Uber den Ursprung der Neuenglischen Schriftsprache, S, 28 ; Lekebusch, Die Londoner Urkundensprache von 14-30-1500, S. 51) ; while the same orthographic variation is common in the Townley Mysteries, Thomas of Erceldoune, Richard Rolle and in other Northern texts. Cf. Baumanu, York Urkunden, S. 16. In Jache and brannyng, OE e appears as a. Cf. Sievers, Gram- viatik, 89. Anm. 1 ; Morsbach, Schriftsprache, 50 ; Baumann, Y. Urk., 21. Anm. ON gar is found once, written gar. i (written i and y) changes with e in whet (ivithe), wethe, binemith, het, wreten, sengel, wedue. Luik ( Untersuchung zur eng. Lautlehre, 209) takes this variation for a lengthening to e. It seems to be, however, more a matter of writing than one of sound. It is an orthographic variation extremely common in mss. of this date. Cf. Englische Studien, 27, 352 ; Herrig's Archiv, 102, 43 ; Morsbach, Mittelenglische Grammatik, 65. In bedraden OE i= a (through e ?). The writing a for e << OE eo, breaking before h, r and / -[- a con- sonant is not found. For the usual e we have o in world. OE "^eong (eo through palatalization) appears as both -^eng and '^ing. According to Kolbing (Sir Tristam, p. xxxi) the last form is Northern. Cf. ten Brink, Aug Ha, 1, 520. OE y is generally written /. y, as in firste, chirche, wyrkyng, mynde, kynd, etc. In mekel, evyle it occurs as e. This original Southern writing was not unknown to Northern scribes. R. Rolle has these two words in the same forms. Cf. Kolbing, Sir Tristam, p. Ixx. It is written u in hud, putt (noun), cussynges and -schupe. This is another instance of an original Southern form that had ceased to be confined to the Southern district. The London orthography of the day as noted by Morsl)ach (Grammatik, 8; Schriftsp niche, 38), employs usually i, sometimes e and here and there u. An Alphabet of Tales (m8. Northern, fifteenth century) shows a great fondness for the forms in u : furste, hur, churche, etc. In Cursor Mundi (Adds. MS. B. M. 10,036) there are occasional occurrences of the u-writing. A Middle English Treatise on the Ten Comviandments xvii WS ea 1) breaking before I + d (Northern a. Sievers, Grammatih, 151, 3) is found as both a and o in the same word : halde, hohlen, witholdes, withaldes (old : aid : 6 :2). Chaucer has here only o (ten Brink, Sprache, 35); the London Documents generally o, beside a few forms in a. The forms in o are not, however, unknown in the North as early as the fourteenth century. 2) breaking before /i + a consonant = cm, au : laif^eu, smv^e, scm-^e. The decisive Northern a (Kaluza, Historisehe Grammatik der englischen Sjyrache, ii, 23) is not found. OE a = both a and o : halij, holy ; mare, more ; etc. Variant forms occur in the same line. The o {oo) forms predominate in almost the proportion of two to one. The word haly furnishes by far the largest number of examples of the o-form, — twenty-nine (holy, eighteen). The preservation of OE a is one of the most decisive Northern characteristics. The Southern and Midland change OE a to 0. An Alphabet of Tales and the North English Cato Version (Englische Studien, 36. ms. fifteenth century) exhibit the same variation of spelling that we find here. Professor Hempl (Journal of Germanic Philology, 1, 22) very properly doubts "to what extent Southernly Northern texts with o represent a real o or only a Southern spelling for a. ' ' The occurrence of the o-form in a far Northern text is probably always a matter of orthography rather than one of pronun- ciation. Though the scribe write the two forms, we cannot postulate two pronunciations differing so widely as o and a in the mouth of the same man at the same time. The writer who uses two forms of spell- ing for the same word, or for the same sounds in different words is copying from an original with a different spelling representing a dif- ferent pronunciation from that of his own usage — traces of which he allows to remain in his transcription ; or a standard of spelling, to a large degree arbitrary, forces an unphonetic spelling upon him ; or lastly the lack of a standard orthography allows him to represent a sound in almost any manner he chooses. WS ce (Mercian and Northern ce and c, WG a. Germ e) = eund a : reden, teches, were, weren ; and ladde, lattes. WS ce (i-umlaut of a) = e and a : redi, clene ; and clanes, clannes, gast. Dibelius (John Capgrave und die englische Schriftsprache) states xviii James Finch Royster that the a-forms are the more frequently found in the North and North-Midland, e and o also appearing in nearly all writers of the North-Midland, while o comes into the North first in the fifteenth century through the influence of the Southern poets. Cf. Kaluza, Sistorische Grammatik, ii, 27. Lac3''s writing shows no o-fornis. The weakened i-form is seen in ich and ilke. OE ea = e: cleeth, deth, deedly, gret, heed. Gratur and gratmt each occur once, — forms indicating a shortening of OE ea to ea. Cf. Biilbring, Altenglische Grammatik, § o44a ; Kaiuza, Histori-' appear side by side. A is more frequently used in pronominal forms, y is not written for initial A- Confusion with the voiced d medially is not met with. OE hw- =■ wh- and %v-. The latter writing is the predominating one (33:13). We find wy, wiche, iven, what, whiclie, xcheti, etc. The distinctive Northern qu does not occur. Intrusive w is found several times in woo7i and wolde ("old "). XX James Finch Boyster IXFLECTIONS. Nouns. There is no necessity to distinguish between the various declensions of nouns found in the older periods of the language, for Avith the exception of fewer than ten substantives all nouns in this text are inflected according to the original a-masculine declension. Nom and ace. sing, end in a consonant or in -e. OE endings, if there were any have either disappeared or have been reduced to -e. Final e is irregular and uncertain throughout, and is in no way a consistent index of length. Gen. sing, ends in -es,-is,-ys,-us, the -es predominating. The lan- guage of the North prefers the ending is. The Scottish writers of the fifteenth century employ -is throughout. R. Rolle {Prick of Con- science') uses generally es. An Alphabet of Tales has the same variety of usage that we find in Lacy's ms. A remnant of the old weak gen. in -an is seen in hyr husbonde bed. Liif dayes is a compound noun. Cf. Beowulf, 793. Chaucer has lifes dayes ; Piers Plotmian, lyf dayes. The dat. sing, is not inflected. All cases of the plural end in -.?, -es, -is, -ys, -us {-as once. Gf. ten Brink, Spraehe, 62). As in the ending of the gen. sing, -es is the most frequently employed ending es : 108 ; -us : 45 ; -is {-ys) 29. -s is used in forming the plurals of nouns of Latin or French origin, as opynioas, supersticions, extorsions, etc. There are weak plurals in childeren (once childer), i'^en, breperen. I'^en is a common Northern plural (Murray, Dialects, 158-159), but cf. Lekebusch, Urhmdensprache, 101 ; and Chaucer's frequent eyen. Umlaut plurals are me)i, ivomen, feet. Hend is not used, but handes, hoondes. OE neuter plurals without ending are folk and piiig (twice ; otherwise Ainyes). Men has formed a gen. pi. after the analogy of the gen, sing. : menus, vicnnes. Pronouns. Perso7ial pronoiins. First Per. Sing. Noin. / ; (Jen. )iiy ; Dat. and Ace. me. PI. Nom. ive ; Gen. oure, oivre ; Dat. Ace. us. A 3£iddle English Treatise on the Ten Commandments xxi Second Per. Sing. Nom. /^ou, fioxv ; Gen. (Possessive Pron. ) fil, pin, pine ; Dat. Ace. pe ; PI. Nom. je, you ; Gen. -^owre, ■goure, ■^uwe (twice) ; Dat. Ace. ■^oiv. Third Per. Masc. Nom. he ; Gen. his (is once); Dat. Ace. him. Fem. Nom, seho ; Gen. hir ; Dat. Ace. hir, hire. Neut. Nom. it, hit, het (once) ; Gen. his ; Dat. Ace. it. PI. all genders, Nom. pai ; Gen. pel' (thirteen times) ; peire, par, pare, paren, hir ; Dat. Ace. pam (forty-one times); hem (ten times). Demonstrative Pronouns. Sing, for all cases pis, pat. PI. pise, pese, poo, po. The Northern forms pa and pas do not occur. Relative Pronouns. The relative pronoun is represented by the simple pat, or by u'hich(e) in combination with the article pe. pat is often appended to this form, the result being pe tvhiche pat. In some instances the relative is omitted. At for pat is not used. Bokenam, however, has at fre- quently. Whom (Ace. Sing.) is used once. Interrogative Pron o%ins. The following forms are found : hoiv, hoo, ho, what. Adjectives. Practically all traces of declension in the adjective have disap- peared. Alle is the plural in all instances but three. A remnant of an old Gen. PI. is seen in allur. The comparative ending is -er, -ur ; the superlative -st(e'), -este, -uste. The redundant periphrastic superlative is also employed : moste sikureste, etc. For the widespread use of this form in the fifteenth century cf. Pound, The Comparison of Adjectives in the XV and XVI Centunj, p. 18. Verbs The infinitive retains the full form in -en, -yn, on in thirty-three instances, ends in -e in eighty-four and has no trace of the old declen- sion in forty-eight instances. The 3 sing. pres. indie, generally employs the ending -eth (-?7A(e), -uth). The forms in -eth appear in about the proportion often to one xxii James Finch Royster to those in -s. Some of the cases which have been counted as 3 sing, may be 3 pi. with the same ending. In the face of grammatical con- fusion in dependent clauses where the verb is removed some distance from its subject, it is difficult in all cases to determine which number the writer had in mind, since he uses the two endings for both sing, and pi. Of the thirty-five instances where the -s ending occurs twenty-one are furnished by the verb saye(n) (saith, seith occurs twenty-four times ; ^-ai^ouce). techeK, sekes, hues, hrehes, shelves, lettes, dwelles also appear. The ending is -t in happet, sendet, spillit, kejni, oppressit, and semct. The 3 pi, furnishes the only examples of plurals in -.«. Of eighteen such cases fourteen are furnished by the verb do. The plural ending is otherwise -e, -en. There are forty-seven 3 pis. in -e, -en. The imper. is sing. — , e, -eth(e); pi. -eth(e'), -tUh. There is no imper. in -(e)s. The pres. part, ends in -inge, -ynge, -yn. There is no instance of the Northern -and. The past part, of weak verbs ends in -ede, -d, -id, -ud, -de, -(e)i(e), -eth(e); of strong verbs, -en, -on. The pi'eservation of the -n in the strong verb is a characteristic of the early Northern dialect, where the past part, had dropped the prefix. In the South the -n fell off in the fourteenth century, while the prefix was preserved. Still, the retained -n was the rule in the Loudon language in the second quarter of the fourteenth century (Morsbach, Schriftsprache, 142). The prefix is employed here in a few instances ; it appears as y-, i-. Dialect. Fortunately, Ave are not compelled to depend upon the extremely precarious test of dialect to determine the home of the writer of this MS. This information is furnished by the scribe himself. At the time when this MS. was written INIiddle English dialects were confused in their writing to such an extent that very little dependence can be placed upon the tests generally set up for the determination of dialects at an earlier date. It is at once apparent, however, from the sum- mary of the phonology and grammar given above that, so far as these tests can be ap{)lied, the basis of the dialect is East Midland,' which ' Such forms as -us, -ud, -ut, frequent enough in this MS., are given by Morsbach A Middle English Treatise on the Ten Commandments xxiii had at this date practically come to be the prevailing form of writing for all dialects.' Midland characteristics of the writing are :— 1) OE d = o ; 2) WS eh (breaking) = o ; 3) OE hw- = tvh- ; 4) OE sc = sch; 5) OE c is palatalized ; 6) the verbal system exhibits a predominating number of Midland forms ; 7) the pronoun shows hem and here for Mm and />eire, Northern are :— 1) OE a = a ; 2) WS m (breaking) = a ; 3) OE SG = s- in sail; 4) OE c is unpalatalized ; 5) the verbal system employs the present indicative suffix -.s^ and the past part, -it (Cf. Morsbach, Granimatik, 7). But the following distinctive Northern characteristics are wanting : — 1) qu- for wh- ; 2) -cht for ^t ; 3) pre- sent part, in -ande ; 4) the demonstrative pron. pa, Ads ; 5) insertion of i, y to indicate the length of preceding vowel a, e, b. Furthermore, specific Northern words are sparingly found -.—(jar and ded each once, inch ("pitch") twice, and till three times ; Urk, at, barn, hende, savien are not used. There are, indeed, a few characteristic Southern writings: — 1) w- for %ch- ; 2) OE y := u in four instances ; 3) 0E/= v initially ouce. It is no easy task to draw dogmatic conclusions in regard to pecu- liarities of English dialects in the fifteenth century, a time when every- thing was linguistically unsettled and uncertain. It is difficult to say how far a Northern scribe was mfluenced by the manner of writing in the Midland district lying near him, or to judge accurately the weight that the rising standard language had with a friar of Newcastle- upon-Tyne in the second quarter of the fifteen century. In view of the preponderant Midland coloring of the writing in this text, together with the unavoidable assumption that the ms. is a copy, the conclusion naturally lies that the original from which John Lacy copied was an earlier Midland ms. In copying, the Northern scribe followed fairly faithfully the writing of the original, altering the text into the manner of his own writing in no methodical fashion, with little care, seemingly, as to which form he wrote. {Grammatik, 7) as characteristic of West Midland in contrast to the -es, -ed, -et of East Midhind. This variation of vowel in the unstressed sylable is so widespread even in the fourteenth century that no dependence can be placed upon it as a dialectic criterion. ^Emerson, History of the English Language, 79. A TREATISE ON THE TEN COMMANDMENTS The Manuscript The Tract on the Ten Commandments here printed for the first time is taken from St. John's College, Oxford, MS. 94, fol. 119-fol. 126, a vellum folio, 10| X 7 inches, of the first half of the fifteenth century,^ The manuscript contains one hundred and fifty-one folios, and is divided into fifteen chapters. Bound with a heavy dark green binding (19th. century), it is in a splendid state of preservation. The text is beautifully illuminated throughout with many fine miniatures in colors and burnished gold. A few of these miniatures are partly scratched over ; one of the figures on fol. 1 b has been cut out. The chapter headings are written in red, and the Latin in the English text is underlined with red. The manuscript was formerly in the posses- sion of John Bellingham, whose name is written on the original binding. It is not mentioned by Bernard, Catalogus Librorum Manu- scriptorum . ... in TJnum Colledi, Oxford, 1697 ; but it is fully described by Coxe (1852). Although it is evident that different parts of the manuscript were written at different times, the writing throughout is clearly that of the same scribe. It becomes gradually more uniform as he proceeds. At fol. 127 the writing changes perceptibly, growing larger in size and more angular in shape ; but about fol. 130 it regains by almost imper- ceptible degrees the form preceding fol. 127. Between the lines and in the margins there are frequent corrections of and additions to the text. These are, however, of but slight importance, merely the correc- tions of such errors as a penman will naturally make in copying, — the insertion of words carelessly omitted, or the altering of clearly mis-copied forms. There is no re-writing of seriously involved or mis- understood passages. Some of the alterations of the text are in the hand of the first copyist, both at the time of the first writing and at j^^^--' /^->*' c" 1 Two dates are found in the MS. : 1420 and 1434. ' ^ >ji^V ? 6 James Finch Royster the time of a later revision ; while others are in a second hand, —prob- ably that of Roger Stonysdale, to whom John Lacy, the first scribe, willed his book. In the foot-notes the first hand is denoted by A, the second hand by B. Coxe, Catalogm Codicum MSS qui in Collegiis Auliisque Oxoniensi- biis hodie adservantur, Pars II, p. 26, gives the following description of the contents of the manuscript : 1. Coramemorationes de Sanctis, tabulis pictis, numero xxxvii., illustratae. fi*. 16. 2. Kalendarium. fol. 10. 3. Horae B. Mariae Virginis, Litaniae, Officium defunctorum, Orationesque, hie illic tonis instructae musicalibus. fol. 17. 4. Orationes privatae ex SS. Augustino, Beda, Thoma Aquinate, et Augustino. fol. 102. 5. Orationes aliae, Psalterium S. Hieronymi, etc. fol. 108. 6. Commentarius in Decalogum ; Anglice. fol. 119. Incip. praef. ' ' Takuth heed and je mow understonde that God has gifen us ten commawndementis. " Incip. comment. "The first ^ commandement of God, Non adora- bis deos alienos, That is thou sallt not honor no fals godes, rijt as oure Lord God has saide." 7. Septem peccata mortalia, opera misericordiae, sacramenta, etc, Anglice. fol. 126b. Tit. i. ' ' The semfne deedly synnes. ' ' 8. S. Hieronymi ad Demetriadem epistola in capitula quatuorde- cim distincta, subjunctis aliis quatuor capitulis ; praevia tabula ; Anglice. fol. 127. Inscribitur, ' ' Heer begynneth the pistyll of Seint lerom the wiche he wrotte to a mayden Demetriadem ^ . . . . " Tit. cap. XV. est iste, "How that a man or a woman schal doo when that douocion ' is withdrawen, and how that thai schul stonde stabul in the loue of God." 9. Tractatus de confessione ; Anglice ; fol, 142 b. Tit. "Heer begynneth the trety that perteyneth to confessione." 1 Ms. firste. ' Ms, demetriade. ' So the MS. A Middle English Treatise on the Ten Commandments 7 Incip. , * ' Confession may nought ' been departith for to telle to oon prest and make open." 10. Sententiae ex SS. Patribus collectae. fol. 148 b. 11. Carmen de confessione ; Anglice. fol. 149. Incip. ' ' Now to the honor of God and the blessud Virgine Marie se ^ clene. ' ' iMs. Dougth. *Ms. so. Orate pro aniina fvatris Iolia?wiis lacy aiiacliorite de ordine fratrum predicatoruiu noui Castri super Tyna7?i qui hoc pri- marium dedit domino Rogero Stonysdale Capellano ecclesie sancti Nicliolai noui Castri super Tynam ad totu»i tempus vite sue. et post morte?H predicti do?)w'ni Rogeri. volo ut tradatwr ^ ° ■ ' alii presbite/'o dicfe ecclesie secunchim disposicioJiem dicti Rogeri ad terminum vite sue ; & sic de presbitero in presbiterum in eadem ecclesia remaneudu?u duTJimodo durauerit ad orandu?7i pro anima predicti lohannis lacy Anachorite. Anno domini millesimo. CCCCmo XXXiiijto. Preyeth^ for ]>e saul of frere Ion lacy Anchor, and Reclused in I'e new castel upon tynde '. ]>e wiche ]'at wrooth })is book, and lymned hit to his awne use. and aftur to othur, in exitynge hem to deuocion and preyers to god. And ferfor, for fe (fol 101b) blessinge and loue*f of god And oure lady ; And of seint (fol. 102) Michael, And of him ]>at made ]ns book, ])at neuer man ne woman lete departe l>e engeliche from ]>e latyn, for diuers causes ]>at been good & lawful to my felynge. Inoipit j)rohgus — id est prelocusio. Takuth heed & ;se mow undurstonde ]?at god has gifen us ten commawndementis. ]>at is. ]mt ille a cristen man religeus & seculer awt ' for to kepe parfitly. as ]>ai wol faf |'er saules. And ])at^ may je se be many resonnes. ffor man was principally ordayned for to be obedient to god and to drede him. and for to kepe his commaundemejitis. As saloman sais. Detail time. & mandata eitis ^ This paragraph is in large gold letters. 'The t is above the line by B. ' Above the line by A. 10 James Finch Eoyster observa. ^ Anofer roson is. ]>at god has gifyn his malison to alle fat doos agaynes his biddynge. Psalm. Maledicti qui declinant a mandatis tuis. In deutronoj/iio. xxviij. wher )'at oure lord god (fol. 119 g^jg^ ^^£ j^^^ Yyj^f my commau?idementis in despite. and settist ))am at litul. j'ou sallt haf my malison in towne. and withouten towne. ^ ffor waryed salle be ]mt comith of J)e. ^ That is to say. Thi childere?i. if ]'ot ' ]>ai followen ]n wayes. ])ai salle be waryed. ^e and ]nne howse. & ]>i bestes, ]>i corne. and alle fat pertey?methe to ]>e. ^ And ferto I'i self ^ salle haf my meleson wef er ])at ]>o\x ^ gast in. or fou gast out. & wydur ]>at ener f ou gaste. euyl day salle fe betyde. and ]>e payne of helle to fi rewarde. ^ffor to hem salle god say. Ite maledicti in ignem eterimm. qui parahis est diabolo. & angelis eius. That is! God schal say at ]'e day of iugement. Go ^e fro me. je waryed in to ]>e fire of helle. fat is dijth to fe deuil. and alle his angelis. & to alle ]'am fat hathe ray maleson. ifor fat be foo fat han my co?nmau?) dementis in despite, ffor seint gr eg or. says. ^ ffor prouinge of hif. is casting e forth of M iverJce. •jJEot to fam saith god. fat obediently & mekely kepithe my cowi- mandementis. he schal haf my blessinge go he in. go he out. and joure childur. & jowre bestes. & jowre come. & hous. & alle fat tille 20we langesf & widur so je turne. je salle be blessud. & good day salle je haf & ioy=f witAouten ende. fibr to fam God ('^^^^ ^) salle say at fe day of iugement Mathei. xxv. Venite benedicti patris mei. jjnTcipjite regmim quod iiobis paratum est ah origine mundi. % That is, salt god. comithe je f e blessed chirderen of my fadwr. & take je in possession f e kyndoom fat is maad redi to 50W fro f e makynge of f e worlde. ^j ^e schul undurstonde fat f eer been sum men & wemen. & fai say fai may not kepe fe ten co??i- mandementis of god. and fai say fat fai been so hefy and straith to fam fat fai may not kepe fam. ^ Alle fese been undiscret & unre- sonabul. & not wys in gouernayle. fat say so wilfully. ^| fibr heer fai putte agret defauthe to god. f er as may noon been. ^ flfor if fat he co7)imau?idethe his preceptis for to be kepid up payne of deedly syn ' In the margin by A. '' The I in adf is written over an erasure. ^/>at /iou is repeated and struck out with red ink. A Middle English Treatise on the Ten Commandments 11 to alle degrees, both to religiws & to seculer. to weddethe. & sengelle noon accepte. but it were so bot pat ))ai mi^th kepe J^am if fat j^ai wolde. it were agret defaute in god. fer as may noon been. ^ ffor he gaf neiier precepte. ne commaundeme??t to noon of his resonabul cretures bot )iat fai mowen kepe ]'am so rosonabullj if pat pai wol. })«t ]'am needeth no^t to synge deedly. if pat pai wol trauelle gostly. for by pis trauelle gostly. we ouercome pe deuel. pe world & pe flesche. & for to haf rewarde in pe blisse of heue/me. for pis pouer hath pe saule gifen of god be grace to ilke acristen me?i & wemen. ^fFor we reden iu pe gospel. Mathei. xix. luce. xviij. per cam aman to criste & sayde to him. good maystwr, what good pinge salle. I. doo pat. I. haf euerlastinge lijf. ^ & criste answarde him & saide. kepe pou pe commaujidemextis. if pat pou wolt entre iu to euerlastinge lijf. "HSo je mowe undiwstonde pat god con- fermed it in pe olde lawe sikte wel }iat ]>e7- been, a ))ousant men & weme??- of religius. & also of seculeres ]'ot been fairer, scliap- lokwr. and mijtliior m alle. )'e wilke ]'at been ful clene & chaste in lijfinge. and al per lijf dayes be bounde per to. ]'e wiche ]'ai kepe^ ]>am ful clene for godes sake & rewarde of blisse. Ysidorus cle summo bono. Qin del precepta contempnit audire. deum non diligit. Nor\ potest a domino vierere quod })€tit. qui non xmlt audire quod iusait. ^ Thre ])e firste coHauaundementis of god teches us. how ]>at we salle loue. & beren us queemfully to oure god. ^j And pe semenith o]->er com- mau;idementis. telleth us how l'«t we salle loue oure euyncriston. & be truje to oure neijbio-. for he ]mt is an hund«r myle from ]>e. is as wel ))i neiihur as he ]mi dwelles allwr nexith )>e. % These ten commaundeme^i- tis wrot god w/t/t is fyngien saide pe preste. nay ' pe above the line by A. 'Ill the margin by A. A Middle English Treatise on the Ten Commandments 13 doujtwr it may not be )>is. j'ou moste forgif to alle. it wold not be. so ]>e preste tok ]>e holy sacrament & went hoom. so it fel pis woma?i died. Soone aftwr. ]>\s same man ]Mt sclaundrtred ]>is woma?i wente up apoon aday to remewe his hors. ]>at stood y-tedu?'ed in gras. or pastur. and as he was abowte for to tak up ]'e stake, him Jwu^th ]mt scho stood be sydes him. And he saide art# fou silke a woman. And scho answarde & saide. I. am ]'e spirit of silke a woman. & woo worthe J)e saide scho for. I. am dampned for ])i sake. Bot anoon saide scho. tak ]nne hors & fache hidnr )'e preste. So ]'e preste cam. & coniured hir. & scho saide scho was dampned for scho died out of charite. for scho wolde not forgif jnlke ma?i ]>at sclau?idi(red hir untruly, neuerles. scho saide. he may haf mercy be contricion & penans wil ]>at he is heer. bot ])er is no remedy to me. )'er for seide scho to J)e preste. cojiiure me to su?/i drije place out of ]>e way. fat. I. may haf. vij. foote of drines & so he ded. & sodenly scho was agon. lacobi. ij. Qni offendit in uno i /actus est omnium reus, id est. circa caritatem facit. in qua pendent omnia, silicet. quantum ad vitam eternam. The jirste commaundement of god. Non adorabis decs alienos. That is. }50U sallt not honor no fals godes. Eijt as oure lord god had saide. I. bidde 50W fat je haf studfaste by leue. And studfaste hope. And parfith loue to god & to joure nei^bitr. "fj ffor his co»imaundement. biddeth )>e to loue him ouer alle J'inge. witA alle fin hert. & saule & mynde. and fin nei^bwr as fi self in alle uertues. And so fe childe. to fad-ur. & modttr. In Mis duobas mandatis. tota lex pendet & prophete. 3Iathe\. xxii. ysidori soliloquiorum. Quod tibi fieri vis. fac alteri. Quod visfiere tibi alteri non inferas. ^ Agaynes fis precepte. & C07n- mandeme?it of god. doos thre maner of men. ^ f ai fat trowen & truste in wyche craftes. ^ or be fe deuilles crafte sekes helpe of seke- nes. ^ or elles helpe*? of defens agaynes far enmyes. (col. 2) ^ ^^^g^ ^ Qj, gjjgg f^j, ^p arayse fe deuille for to with ho fat staal f e good. ^ Or elles for good fat is hud. or stolon. ^ Or gar charme fer childwren.^ or bestes. And also of alle coiurisons ]>at * The I in childuren is in the margin by B. 4 James Finch Eoyster been euyll. ^ And also expermentis. And of turnynge of loues. & of keyes. & of sorcere in rynges. ^ And alle o]'cr sorcereus & charmus. & writtes. ^ Alle ]>ese mester men. & Avemen. fai been out of ]'e feith of haly chirche. And do agaynes ]>e co?nmaundement of god. ^ ffor ^ nofmge of |>ese ^ usud vfith outen ]>e consel of uertues lijfers. & ri^th good clerkes. & ]>er to uertues in lijfinge. ^ And also fer been many & ^ ban been by fore tyme. ]mt ban balde many euyl opynions. botb men & wemen agaynes ]'e feith of haly chirch & agaynes studfast fietb of haly chirche wilfully. ^ Lo wat seint Aus- tin seis to alle silke men. & wemen by forsaid. ^ pese maner ^ of men ban* lost ]>e byleue* he sais of cristondam ^ And fai beem felaus to paynimits & to hethenmen and for to haf paynne endeles. bot it be so ]rat ]>ai haf repentans her. & do penans ))er fore. Eawmudiis dint ^ Regulariter. Omnis dunnaneia quocumque pTedietorum modorum. uel alio simili fiat prohibita est. & maledicta a deo. et sanda ecclesia tamquam ydolatviam. & mfidelitas. % Now je wemen takethe je heed, for ))er been many of jow J'at errith be mys byleue. & obstinat of wyt of jowre childeren ]mt been new boren or fai been cristu?ined. & aftwr maken supersticions. fe wiche been not lauful. and ]>ai been reproua- bul. As for to lay it \n a syf bifore any o]>er I'inge. because of wicked wijthes. & \er to bred & chese. or^ elles of fe (fol. 120b) ^^^^^^ ^^ j^g childe sum preuy clooth. ^ or elles \n tyinge to stool, of forme, and so of o)>er J'inges })at is not lauful. ^ Bot 56 schul undwrstonde ]mL 1. writte ]'is \ai je schul haf con- sciens \er of. and for to amende it m tyme to comynge. ffor. I. do jow to withe, it is not lauful. for be silke supersticions ]'e wicked spirit oftetymes hath puwer of ]'e childe. alle his lijf dayes aftwr in sum mater aftwr |)e child haath disposicion to. & mekel of jowre defaute. ^[ Bot je weme?i. je mow undi/rstond ]iat fis is lauful & moste sikwreste to jowre childiwen boj'e for body and saule. and moste sikwreste to jowre cojisciens ^ Whan \>ai ]>q childe is boron, wrap it in fayre ly?uien clooth & warme. and lay it as je see beste for to doo. Wi't/i outen ony supersticion be forsaide. and fan make ]'e signe of pe cros })er up on I and as sone as ^e mowen & in hast lett make it acristen man. or woman. ^ Seint gegor rehersith in his^ dyalogus. ' Written in blacker ink by B over an erasure. « Above the line by A. ' The r is above the line by A. * han lost />e byleue is repeated and struck out. * Above the line by B. A Middle English Treatise on the Ten Commandments 15 of aiew. ]>at was an uncristen man. was saued from ]>e pouer of wicked spiritus be signe of )'e cros )>at he merked up ^ on him. & ]>er power was adraw be cause he made ]>e signe of ]'e cros up on him pal mijth do him no durans. ^ And alsso we reden of an o)'er iew on ]>e same wise, of ])e feste inuencio sancti crucis. % ffor 50 schullen fynde fis for ]>e beste & moste siktireste. to J^am j^at been cathecumintts. with outen ony supersticion before said, saue oonly ])e signe of ]>e cros. ^ Also agaynes ]>is cornmaundement men doos ]>at for hope of ma?tnes help ]'at leues ]>e serues of god. or ]>at brekes I'e co?n- (col. 2) maunderaentis^ for hope of lordschup. or for hope of wyninge forje crafte of trauel leues his preers. or lettes for to go to chirche on ]>e sonday to serue god. ^ffor god sayde be leremi \e prophete. wereid been Jnlke men. ]mt for any ]>hige leues godes serues ]>at he schuld do. Or for jernynge of ony godes.' doos wilfully synne. leremie. xlviij. Maledictus qui opus dei facit fraudulenter. uel secundum aliam literam necligenter. ^ The ])rydde maner of men is, when ]iat aman wol for loue of his fleschei or delite. or for drede of bodely payne. or for drede of deeth. or for iamir of man. wol do agaynes ]>e biddinge of god. & of his co?umau?ideraentis. he what euer he be. he has in his wille forsaken him. and has maad ]mi his god. fat was ]ie cause of brekynge of his comman dementis. Mathei. vj. uhi. enim est thesaurus tuusi ibi est & cor tuum. gvegorins. Probacio ergo^ dileccionis. est exhibicio operis. J.t(gfustinus. homo ab homine colitur qaod pre ceteris diligit\ir. The undwrstondinge of ]'ese textis is. pat f inge ]>at Jwu loueste meeste. and ]>at ])0u erte moste bisy to Wynne. or to plese. & la])uste to lose '. pan ])i wille & ]n deede schewes welle pat. pat is pi god. ^ ffor it is pe commaundement of god pat pou sallt loue him ouer alle pinge. & pi neijbttr as pi self in alle goodnes & lauful- nes. Bot bi pis it semetwel. alle pinges pa^ men louen agaynes godes wille pai make it per god. % ffor gret syn it is to man. or woman, for to loue pe creature more pen pe maker of pe creature Mathei. x. Qui aviat patrem. aut matrevi. aut filios. aut agros. etcetera.. ^ Oure# saueour criste ihesu rehersith in pe gospelle of seint Mathen & saith. pat what man. pat loueth fadnr. or modwr. wijf or childe. broper or susti/r. lond. or rente more pan me. he is not worthi 1 In the margin by A. * Altered by B to goodes. * Above the line by B. 16 James Finch Roysier to me. ^ Now )'ou man or woman wefer eue?- ]>o\x be. I^enke J^ou salt diee. & icb salle be rewardetb aftu?' bis wirkynge aiiur be salle passe hennes. & sett not fin bert on ]>at salle sone passe, ^j ffor seint gregor saitbe. Presencia gaudia seqnuntur perpetua lamenia ! nemo potest hie regnare & gaiulere cum seculo. & illic regnare cum deo. non merehir post mortem habere gaudium. qui ante viortem^. non cognouit se vioritu- rum. ^ Tberfore. wen ])at god visitbit ]>e. with los of godes. or elles be taketb to bim wijf or cbilde be pestile?is. or bi ony o]>er sekenes. fen be not grucbing ne grow?ini/2ge agaynes ]>i maker god. & fen putt fi wille in to bis Aville. tfor be taketb aman or awoman wen fat it is beste for fam. and plesinge to bim. ferfor crye f ou not ne gret not agaynes god. Ne fle not f ou fe sande of god. fro oo place to anof er. fou ne fi ebilderon for no pestylens. ne for no silke maner finge. ^ffor fou salle unduj^stonde. ]'at it is laufulle. if yat fou be seeke for to use medicinns to lentbe ]'i lijf in goodues for to serue god fi maker. Bot for to flee, or avoyde fe visitacion of god. I. konnot fynde. fat. fat it is lauful i^i serten. not plesinge to god. Seint. Bernard sais. Tber is no s'lkur lijf wit A outen a clene consciens^ wer f«t aman abiditb deetb witb sikttrnes. & resaiuetb bim vfith swetnes The secunde commaundemejit of god. Secundum mandatum.. Non assumes nomen dei in uaimm. Tbat is. je salle not take fe name'f of god in vayne. ^ Agaynes fis comandement trespas men & wemen in tbre man of wyse. fat is' be fat sweritb needles, wber fat men wolde troue ^ ■ ' ]'am witA outen ootb. •jj And anoj'er is to fam fat sweritb fals in comyn specbe. or in byi»ge & sellynge. Quia scriptum ^j. ^ gaynes cojisciens. vi fat fai knowe wel |)at fai ^ .,. swere fals. or swereitb fat be can a finge or knowith a TnenlUuT occidit . ' .r » i i an imam. & l""g6 l'"t be knowitb nojtb. ^j Also, be fat sweres perdes omnes custu?rtnabully. & baatb in custo?/i to swere & dis- qui locuntar membitr. & drawes ly?nme from lyme of oure lorde mendacium. i^esu criste fat is.' be fat sweres by bis berte. & be . ''. ■ bis ixen. and als be bis armus. sydes. & wo«des. & sapiencie. ^ , , . so of ofer disraembringe of bim. ^fTbese maner of ' In the margin by A. A Middle English Treatise on the Ten Commandments 17 me upbraydeth him. ]>ai he be cam man for us. And ])ai syn deedly. ^ ffor rijth as fleschely sekenes sleeth J'e body. Rijth so dooth gostyly sekenes pe saule. ^ Ezechielis. xviij. Auima que jJeccauerit i ipsa morietuY. glossa. Et non erunt in memoria iusticie qua,s fecit, into ]>e tyme he be raysed ironi deeth to lijf. be grace of contricion & penaus doi?*ge. ^cclesiastici. xxiij. Uir multum. iurans replehiiwr iniquitate. et non discedet a domo eius plaga. *[yAlso. )'00 ]mt swerith by heuenn. or be erthe. or be oujth J^at is in hem. j^an ]>ai swere by ]'e maker of J^am. and j'at ^ is as mekel to say. I. take god to wittnes \at maad heuen tfe erth. \iai my word is truth & sooth. And if ])at het be fals. he wolde pat god bar him fals wittnes. and so for to do agaynes his awne techinge. & his coruraauudemetis. Acordinge heerto saithe seiut austyn. Quid est per deum. nisi " ' testis est deiis. and quid est testis est deus. nisi per deum. Quia per lapidem iurat falsum. periurus est. quia non lapidem qui non audit, set^ eius creatorem adhibem testem^ (fol. 121b) \r ,j • A- • • / Mathei. v. ison lurare omuino. neque per ceium neque per terrain. Sit sermo uesier. est. est. non. non. Quod glossa. id est. auteni hijs habundancius est a malo est. ^Quare ergo cum affectu. uel t •, i • • i- -± i , • " .,.-" diGit dommus m euanqeho. sit sermo uester est. est. non. assidiutata. . ^ . y. . , 7ion. i?esponsio. Quia affirmacio uel negacio. que est in corde debet esse in ore. lacobi. 5. Ante omnia nolite .id est. ex infini- /• , • • j , fratres mei turare nenue per celum. nenne per terram. tate eius cu?.iis '' . , i . . iuratur neque per aliud quodcumque iuranientum. Sit auteni sermo vester. est. est. non. non. ut non sub iudicio decidatis. Ensamplul to alle cristen men & weraen. we reden in pe, gospelle pat oure sauyor criste ihesu swar neuer. Bot it were forsothe. Or truly. Or in serten. Or so be it. ^ Neuerpeles. in aiuste & in anopon cause be constrayi?ige of holy chirche lawe. or londes lawe in a ^ gret cause, so pat pe ^ cause be iusteful and rijtful in a ^ true con- scieus to pi witynge. heringe. and knowinge. it is lawfull for to swere ^' be god. ^ bot in no comyn speche. ne in Idulnes. ^ ffor to schew asooth in amater pat needes. pat is lauf ull. pat pou knawest well it ^ is true consciens. it is lauful for to swere ^ be god & be noon oper. '■' but neuer fals ^ ffor haly writte sais. The mowjth pat lyeth sleeth pe . ^ Above the line by B. ' In the margin by B. 18 James Finch Koyster saule. ^ Now taketh heed, and je * mowe lerne wat lougeth to aiuste & a rijtful oothe. % fFor and it be o]>er wise usud. it is fals. & lesynge. & penuri.^ hi ]>e si^th of god ^ ^ leremy fee prophet. leremie. iiij. saith. ])at to a iiiste ootli. laugeth thre pinges, ^ The firste is truthe. ^ The secunde is good profit. ^[ And ]'e thridde is resonabul doom. And if ony of jjese thre finges faylen from ]nn ooth ]>an is pi ooth ydul. & gret syn displesinge to god. ou]'er for fauer of man. or if fat it be agaynes truthe. & good consciens, ^ Also per hen ^ ° ■ " sum J)at*f han in coTisuetude in byinge and sellinge. and also in comyn speche consuetudely sweringe. & in dismembri??ge of oure lorde ihesu criste in custom. & in consuetudo & in Idul wordes. I. sai it is deedly synne. ffor ]>e euyl custom encresith ]>e syn. And also he ]mt swerith fals with avisement. & hath it in custom. ^ Also ]>e eomyu pepul bothe men & wemen ofFendith. bothe jeuge & oolde hi sweringe in comyn speche gretly. & because }'ai han it in custom iche one to oper. & is not undurnemed ^ & ])erfor ^ fai haf no consciens per of. bot J^e syn is greues and agaynes ]>e commau?ideme?it. fFor he telles us. as it is sayde be fore and genes us ensampul. & teches us how ]mt we schulde usen us to sweren. fforsope. truly. & sertely etcetera.'^ ^ Bot now ]'e comyn sweringe of comyn pei^ul. is be good, be oure lady, be seint ion. be heuenn. by my saule. & so of many o]>er. I. say it is syn. & an euyl custom & lesinge of g?'ace & displesing to god. ^ Causa instihicionis est duplex, una. propter infirmitatem. hominum de facili dubitancium. Alia causa est. propter intandam ydolatriam. ]>er fore in aiuste & con stray nni7?ge ooth helpinge of pi neijbur in truthe. it is lauful for to swe be god. Deu^ronomie. vj. Domhinm deum tuum timebis. & illi soli seruies. ac per nomen illius iurabis. ^j Thre maner of lesinges pe been. Perniciosiim. quod est ex auaricia. & nulli jjrodest. set obest. Officiosum est. quod non ex maliciai & alicui prodest. & alij obest. locosum. quod est ex leuitate fit. J.M^ustinus in libro contra, mendaciuvix. Mendacium est* ut ait aitgrustinus. ffalsa significacio vocis cum intendone fallendi. Omne ergo genus meudacij suxnino^ opere fuge. quia omne mendaciiim "' non est a deo. ^ We rede/i of amiracul of oure lady. ' Above the line by A. - In the margin by B. * In the margin by A. A Middle English Treatise on the Ten Commandments 19 Ther was a ^ clerke ]>at liad gret deuocio?t to oure lady, and dayly he wolde worschuppen hire, neuerj^eles he was vicius in swerynge of grette oothus in so mekell ]'at god was wrooth with him. And ])en oure lady preid to hir sone ]>at he mijht been woon of hem ])at schulde be saued. And up on aday as jns clerk was in his deuocions to oure lady, sodenly him poujth ]>at ]>er stood awoman before him wit^ achilde in, hir armus. & )>en ]>e clerke spak to hir & seid. woman vfhat is pat ]'ou beriste in ]>ine armus. & ]'en scho answarde & seid my childe it is sayde scho wol you seen it. and j'erwith sodenly he haad asijth of J>e childe. & he beholdinge ]>e childe saujth ]>e ijen of ]>e ' childe hangyn on his chekus. pe armus weren ybroken. ]>e nayles ran alle on blood, his flesch was alto rente, his bomts weren alto broken, his herte was taken out of ]>e body. And pen pe clerke said. Alias woma?i ^ saide he ° hoo hath arayed ]n childe pus. And ]>a7i scho answarde & saide. what is he worthy saide scho pat pus hath arayd my childe pus.^ fforsothe saide pe clerke he were worthy payne euer. fforsope saide scho. pou art oon of hem pat pus haath arayed him pus. bot. I. haf prayed ' for pe to my sone * for grace. & sode?ily scho was agoon. And pe»i pis clerk was sory and ame?idith * hi?n. & mad a good ende. Uincencius rehersith in gestis anglorum. Of a knyjt pat was named sire robart of wirsetur aful almusful man. & to hem specially pat wolde forsake pe lustes of pe worlde. Neuerpeles he had cus- tuwabully an ooth in sweri??ge witA outen eonsciens & amendement & pis was his ooth wen pot he ^ swere by godes spere. or be pe spere of god. So*^ it befell pat pis kneijth died, and per was oon ^ ■ good man pat preid enterely to god for pis kneijth. And so up on atyme per aperid woon to pis good man & saide. it is not pe wille of god pat pou pray for silke asaule. seide he. for he is dampned. Then saide pis holy man nay saide he. it .1. petri. 4. Si jjjg^y QQ^ gQ ]^Q jjg |,gjj. ^g^g gQ good aman. Then saide iustus vix salu- , , . , .. , £• i i i i i • • ^ i , ., . p pe angel cometh wttA me. erwith lie maade. agret cry. & perw/tA comen out flammus of fyre. and ]>er with j'is good nmu was sodenly per he com fro. & ]>e angel was sodenly agoo. Then it ' is good pat we do aft-itr ])e consel of holy writte. for he saith it is to walke wil we han lijth. and to amendew us. for gif pe li^th fayle it is to late. The yridde commaundement of god TErcium mandatum. Memento quod diem sahhati sanctifices. That is I co?/imau?ide 50W. pat je penken up on. to halu pe sonday. And oper feste dayes ordeyned of holy chirche. Bot agayues pis commau?idement & precepte trespas men on thre manei'es. pat is. wan pat pou loueste more erthely wy?my?ige. pan ]'e worschup of pe feste of sonday. and oper halydayes ordeynede be holy chirche. And per to )>ou trauelluste ))er on for couetise. and pou haste not so gret neede. bot pat pow mijthest ' put of to pe werkeday. ^ ffor pat is brekynge of pe halyday. pat may be reiorned. or put of to pe w^erke- dayS of serueabul werkes. ^ ffor it is lauful men for to worken on pe werke day for per sustinans. ^ And on pe halyday to worschuppen god in heringe deuine serues. hope byfore noon. & aftwr, ^ And rijth as a man is bysi on pe werkeday for his sustinans for bodely foode. je & su??ime for worldly riches hope bifore noon and aftwr. rijth so schulde agood criste?i man be bisi. hope bifore noon and aftiw. m godes serues \n heringe of matines. masse, prechinge of pe word of god. & euynsonge. & complyn. ^J And so to spende pe for noon in pe serues of god. & in denote preers. as Ai pater noster. a^ie maria. & crede. & so of oper aft«r pi ko?ini?ige. & in haly poujthws. And pat pou hast trespast ' agaynes god in pilke woke before?i. ^[ And so aUur noon, for to spende pe halyday co/itinually in serues of god. ^ Than if pat pou wolt desire for to wethe & knowen how pat pou schalt kepen pine halyday ahur noon in pe serues of god. A gret clerke kylwarby rehersith and tellith. That a good * * It has been crossed out with red ink. * Altered from mi^the by B. ' Altered from frepast by A. ■• Altered from 2'ha good by A. A Middle English Treatise on the Ten Commandments 21 man scliulde visite porere men & wemen and for to loken & enqueren. & visite/i afturnoones pore bedrade/i men & weme?(. ]'e wilke been godes preisiuers. & lyen hi ]>e booudes of god in sore sekeness. And ]>erto haue no refressynge. bot of good men & me>-cyful. And of he?u be to ve^ve. ^ Bot )'e consel of holy writte is. ]mt j'ou be oon of hem fat been merciful. & euer haf ]>ou mynde of ]>e pore & Betitimisericor- ^^^^,^^,_ -r g.^^. ^^ ^j|g ^^j.^ g^^ grauntith mercy. , ■ -J Psalm. JBeatus qui mtelligit super egenum & paiiperem. est. misericor- etcetera ffor to alle silke god grauntith mercy, ^j bo dia. upon ]'e haly day aftu/'noones to sitte be fam & com- forde J'am i now oon halyday to woon. & anof er haly- day to auo]'er. & so alle abowten. & so for to sitte be hem & talke with he?n. & comfort J'am be good wordes. &^ for to suffur ]>er sekeues mekely and ]'e chastesinge of god lowely. ffor god .Naum 2. ],encchith not* dowbul. heer & hennes. ^ ffor gif ]xit we take?i oure sekenes mekely. and gruche not agayne god. we schul be with him partyner of his passio?i. & rewarde in ]>e blisse of heuejme. ^ ffor it is agret token of loue of god to us. wen he sendet us sekenes. or loos of good, or katel. etcetera, ^^joca^ypsis. S. Ego quos amo. arguo & castigo. JE;cclesiastici. 31. Infirmitas grauis. sobriam facit ani- mam. ^ Than if we gruchen wilfully agaynes god. )'en lese we rewarde of god. for oure unpacie7?s. ^ The best remedy is ]>e passion of oure lorde ihesu criste. & l^enke if we suffur mekely. we schulle?i be partyner with him of his passion in his gorie. ^ And in )ns maner for to ' sitte be hem and eo??iforde ]>am in god. alle l^is is gostly alra«sdedes. ^ And if fou may gif J'am bodely almns as mete, or drinke : or bofe in com- forde of )'am. or clopinge aftwr ]>i pouer. & so in ]ns 00 visitacion of charite. ]'0U fulfilleste. iij. dedes of mercy bedely ' & gostly. ^ And fen hoom to fin euynsonge. & so hoom till fin awne hows, and fen is fis commaundement keped. & fe halyday wel. I. spendeth. And fen for to encrese loue & charite. it is lauful ynowe. for to take in aueijbur. or two. or iij. or as many as fou wolte. fai to come to fine, howse. or fou to faren. and disporte 50W in alle honeste & laufulnes. & sitte & talken of goodnes. an howre. or silke atyme. & so ich oon take his leue & goo to his awne ^ Bot je salle undttrstonde. %e wyn & ale 1 Above the line by B. * Above the line by A. 3 So the MS. 22 James Finch Royster sitteris. & ^e dijspleers. & hasardwrtts. ]>at spenden fe halyday in gloteny & in waaste. & woon of jow destrith ]>at wolde susteyne mony mesurabul men in ]>e luste of glotene. & alleso wastith ^owre good. & o])er mennes to '. and maketh jowre baly ' ^owre good. And ^owre chirche ]'e taueme, ^ )'e prophet ysai saith. in ]>e name of god. ysai. 5. ve qni consurgitis mane ad hebrietatem seccandam. & potandxim usque ad uesperam. Ve qui potentes ad bibendum. vinuva. '. & visi fortes ad mis- sendicm ebrietatem. ^lo je glotonws & wastwres of majines sustina?is. heer je* mowe here j^at good warieth jow. & jowre ^ ° ■ ^ maystwr ]>e wicked spirit gladeth jow. & biddith 50W alle be mery & glad, for fis wol make jow men he saith. &. I. wol rewarde jow in tyme to comynge for jowre ocupacion. ■| -pri e. ^ Therwith cometh in pride. & settith him in ]>e middel of alle. and fan he beginneth to boste & ruso7i him self of many ]nnges ]>at he hath not. ne kowde. & alle saien it is sooth. \.couetise. ^ Then couetise herith J^at. &]?an cometh he in boldely. & he cherith ]>am alle. and anoon he bi ginneth for to bargen. and ]>en lacketh not gret oj'us & sweri??ges and J'an is ich of ]?am ]\ . echere. abowte to begyle o]?er. ^ Then cometh in lechere. and he lokuth al abowthe ]>e hows. & ]>en he settith him downe on \>e benche. and ]>e7i beginneth he to speke. & bringe in oolde storius of weraen & of lustus. & ribaldy. & faste he rusith himself of olde synnes. and alle lau^en. & been glad to here his prechinge. ^ Than cometh in glotone )'e stuard of )'at howsolde. & he cherith pam ^.gloteny. ^^^^ ^ bidith ))am sitte stille & be mery and glad, so ]>at noon of jow go hoom bot it be so he be sad. or a staf in his hooude for fallyn^e. ^Than slowthe herith JjIs maundement. 1j .sloweih. ^^^ .g ^^ marchel of fat halle. & fen he ouerloketh fam alle. And peii he chargeth Idulnes to cheren fam alle. & to sitte stille. and fat f e cuppe. be not empte ne tume. ^ Than Tl .wrath. e synne of glotone. & je euer i?i nede.# (col. 2) ^ nedy. ]jer and je were in god gouernel. je luistli haf plente. And ])e cause of alle pis. is lac of drede of god. & settinge nojt be his co??imandementis. & lustus of flesch. & Idulnes of spiritus in goodnes, ^ Also )'er been sum o]>er. ]>at on ]>e halidai. wol bigynne ]>er gurnay f . I. sai. J'ai breke ]>e cojnmandeme/it aftur ]>e doctrine of holy writte. he. & his werke beste. & alle pat perteneth to his how- solde. beoth ^ bouvide to reste on l>e halyda ' bot gret neede constrane it. & jet wolde }>is haf prouidencia. Avit/i reson. ^j Haue pou mynde how pat god biddith pe do. In exodo. 20. wher ]>at he saith. ^ Thou schalt do no serueabul werkes. naiper pou. neper pi wif. ne pi childere ne pi seruantws. neper pi strangitr in pi hows, pat is he pat sugwrneth in pin hows, neiper pi werke beeste. for pe beste may not labttr wit/t- oute?t pe constrayni/ige of man. ^ Therfore holy writt sais. Li exodo. xxxj. Omnis qui fecerit opus in hac die viorieiur. ^ Bot Glossa. id est. ^^^^ ^^ desauied because of wilfulnes. & because of couetise. & be temptacion. ysidox\\%. Multi decipiuntur a diabolo. & ignorant se esse deceptos. Many been deseyued of pe deuil. & it is unknawen to hem. cause wy. for pai wol not knawe it. ^ ffor god charguth pe be his co«!mau?i-demewtis. pat pou sallt reste. & pi werke beste. ^ Also summe been bisi on pe werkeday heerly up & late downe. for to gete wordely good & riches. Bot wen pe halyday comes pat pai schulde be heerly up for to go to matines & gete gras & pe loue of god. pat tyme pai spene i/i sluje & luste of per fleche. & in ^ lechere. & so pai schul be puniche as abeste. for pe ^ loue of god & reson lacketh. ^ ffor pe gratis brekynge of pe halydai is '. aman or awoman for to ^ goon a bowte # syn. or for to gif ony (fol. l-3b) occasion of syn to ony oper. ^.ti^/ustinus. Melius est in diebus festiuus arare. uel fodere. quum choreas ducere. Mard. 2. Sabatum propter hominem factum esti et non homo propter sabatum. 1 In the margin by A. * Above the line by A. * Above the line by B. 24 James Finch Royster TJie fourfhe commaundement of god. OUartum mandatum. Exod. 2. honora patrem tuum & matrem tuam. id sis longeuus super terram. guam dominus deu$ tuus dabit tihi. 3fathe\. 15. Honora patrem tuum. & matrem. & qui maledixerit patri uel matri morte moriatur. This is to meue. I. commau7ide 50W seith god. ]>at je worsclmp ^owre fadte had not )'ai be. )>ou had not ben. And greuith f am noujth neiper i;i word ne in deed, ffor in alle }nnge Vat is lauful ]>ou sehalt been obedient to I'am. and no firre. ^fFor ]>o\i sehalt not bre noon of ])e commandemeJitis of god ue)>er for faditr ne modwr, ]>o\\i )'ai wold kurse fe ])erfore. ne for noon o\er man. ffor ]'ou sehalt loue god & drede hi?n ouer alle jnnge. In actibus apostolorum. 5. Obedire ojjortet deo magis qusun hominibus. dedit deus spiritwn sanctuHi omnibus obedientibus sibi. ^ Moreouer aftMr J^ai be deede fast for fam. preith for l^am. & gar lett massus be songon for j^am. and o]^er deedes of mercy and almus aftwr ]n power. And pen ^ be hijtus god "' )'e his blessiuge. and ]>e blessinge of pi fadtir & modwr. & ioye of pi childeren. & forgifines of pi synes. ^ Bot gif pou do agaynes pis co??imau/! de- ment, pou getyste pe schert lijf & soru of pi childeren. and warienge of god. & fadwr. & modnr. & many oper angwres in pi lijf je & jeuel dayes & pe payne of helle. gregonns. ^nime defundorum qnatuor viodis absoluuntur. Aut obladoiiibns sacerdotum. Aut precibus sanc- torum. And carorum elemosinis. Ant leiuniorum cogiiatorum. ^ This haly werke seint gregor saith. That pe*^ saules of pam ^^° ■ " pat ar deed arne lowsud out of payne of p((rgatori on foure maneres of wyse. woon is be masse synginge. The secunde is be preers of saintes. And pe j'ridde is. of per frendes almus deedes doinge. And pe fourthe is. of fastinge of per kosy?!nes. ^ Also pou sehalt worschup pi modwr holy chirche. & hir seruantes. for pai been oure gostly fadurus. Lo haly writte sais. Deum time. & sacerdotes eius sanctifica in tola anima tua. This is. in alle pi saule dredeth god. & halde his prestes haly. and dispise not his seruantes. And also seint ^ Above the line by B. A Middle English Treatise on the Ten Commandments 25 paule sais. Ad Galathas. vj. Comunicet auteva is qui catherizatwx uerbo f ei qni se catherizat in omn!"6us bonis. This is. ]>at ilke a man salle gyf parti of his goodes tille him ]Hit techis him godes wordes And also seint paule sais. Ad corinthios. ix. Nesdiis qnomam qui in sacrario operantur de sacrario edunt. et qui altario deseruiunt. de altar io jmrticipantur. id est. Ad thimothem. v. Dignus est operarius mercede sua. 3Iathe\. x. Dig)ius est enim operanus cibo suo. id est. corinthiorum. ix. Ita & dens ordinauit hijs qui eunngelium anuuciant. de euangelio uiuere. luce. x. In quacumque domum i7dTSiuertis pTimum diciie. piax huie domui. In eadem domo axdem manetei edentes & bibentes que apud illos sunt. Dignus est enim operarius mercede sua. Et in qua.cumque ciuitatem intraueritis '. et susceperint vos manducate que apponuwiur vobis. ^ And also l^ou sallte worsup ]n gastely modur haly chirche in word. ]mt is. speke not in chirche. hot preiers and louynges to god. & to his modur & to alle saintes. And auoyde iangelinges. scornes. & demynges. & laujinges. ftbr fou comeste to^ ])i modwr holy chirche for to serue god. & for to do no serues to ]>e ■wicked spirite. luce. xix. Domus mea. domus oracionis vocabitus. Myn bowse seith god. is an howse of pj-eiers. And also J'ou salt worsup ]'e vij sacj-amentis. of holy chirche. Now her sufficith (fol. 124) Inowjt to telle ]'e for to worschup ])i fad»/- & modur.< The fyfthe commaundement of god Ouintum mandatum % Non oecides. ^That is. I. conimaunde ]>e ]Kit pou slee not. •^ Bot agaynes ]ns commaundement doos he l^at slees wit^ hond. or wi't/i worde. or wille. or Jmt )'0u witAhaldes. or a draweste fro aman his liifinge. or his sustinans. Deuironomii. xxiiii. Non negabis mercedem indigentis. & pauperis, set eadem die reddes ei j^recutm laboris sui ante solus occasum quia pauper est. & eo sustentat auimam suam. ne'^ clamet contra te ad dominum. & reputetur tibi in j^eccatum. lusticia est reddere unicuique quod sxmm est. luce. vj. Et prout ^^ultis ut faciant vobis homines. & vos facite illis similiter. er is aman sleer. And he fat loueth not his broker, dwellith in deth. Jo Aannis. iiij. Siqnis dixerit ^uoniam diligo deum. & fra,irem suum oderit. viendax est. 7d est. Qui enim. ?ion diligU /ratrewi suum quern videt. deum. queni ??on uidet. ^uomodo potest diligere. ^ Agaynes man slawjtur in word. Li Micha jnopheta,. God saide to ]>e folk of amon. for ]>o\i maad ioy with fin honde & dauwsed yvith fi f eeth in f e slautt;r ^ of my ^ folke of israel '. I. shal slee ]>e. Ecde- siastici. viij. Noli de viortuo tuo ^ inimico gaudere. sciens ^uoniam omnes morientwY. ^ And alle so aseruant. or aminister. if fat he do wilfully wit^ good wille. putteth to deed him. ]'at is dampned be iustes. And also him fat fou lattes dye for hugtir. if fat fou mijthes fede him. *^ And so him ])at fou eggest to synne. ^ And seint lerom sais. Also if ]'at fou hide fe bred of techinge & good lijfinge. fou sallte be punichid for fi silens. &** for trespas fat fou (col. 2) mijtheste amende. ^ Therfore he is called an euel seruant in fe gospell. fat hideth f e besant of his lorte. and f erfore he was putte in preson. ^ And alle so euil prelatus fat geuith wra??ge ensampul to f er suggetis in worde or deede. ^ Or ^vith haldeth f er gostly fode. or bodely. if j'ai neede. grre^orius in moralium. Omnis qui male uiuit in conspectu eorum in quibus prepositus est. ^uam m ijyso est occidit eos. Id. est. Clamor subditornm venit ad deum pro ignorancia & dejedu prelatomm. ^ Sei^it Austin rehersith to alle bacbiteres & detractures. and to alle fam fat geuith ]^er eris to heringe of f er euille speche. ^ ffor he saith. it is mare syne to him ^ fat hereth^ fe bacbiter! fan it is to him fat bacbiteth. ffor he* fat speketh illee & bacbituth. & it were so J)at he haad not an herer, he mijth not bacbite. And he saith. bofe ])e bacbiter. & fe herer eif er togedwr. it is ri^tful ])at ])ai been bo))e punichid. ^] And also fe bacbiter & fe feyner. & he fat makuth similacion. fat by foren aman ^ofmy repeated, and struck out with red ink. ^ gaudere struck out with red ink between tuo and inimico. ^ f)at hereth repeated, and struck out with red ink. * Above the line by A. A Middle English Treatise on the Ten Commandments 27 spekuth fru/idely. & behynde his backe preuely. he bacbith & speketh illee. And with his frende he spekith peesybul. and undwr ]>ai preuyly he settith spies for to do him malys. Thou schalt undwrstonde. )>at pe bacbiter sleeth himself. & his heerer. and anulluth him fat he bacbituth. ludicare fraXxem est. (^ua/ido nee loquitur, uqc comedit cum eo. ymmo alios, a cousorcio eius subtrahit. The sixte commaundement of god. Sextum mandatum Non mechaberis. That is. I. cowmaunde 50 w je dele wt't/i no wemen. bot \n truje matrimoni. "fl ffor now. undwr j'is co?Hraau?idement is conteyned alle maner of lechere. bothe kyndely. and agaynes kynde. ' And also gostly lechere. ^ ^ Bot ]50U * maiste undwrstonde. fat aman & his wiif ' may syn ful greuesly togedwr so fai may do. je & deedly. & fat is. if fai doon of envise fan reson- nabul kynde askes. or ony pynte agaynes kynde. Or oonly for luste withoute?* ony rosonnabul causus ^ fFor# I. fynde (fol. l-4b) wreten. ffor. iiij. cause aman may uson* his wijf laufully. & f ai sufficen to a good cristen man & resonabul. ^ The firste is. fat it be euer kyndely Idoo. and cause of getinge of chidereji. ^ The secuwde is. eldinge of dette m dewe tymes eyf er to of er. ^ The f ridde is cause of uncontinens And f e fourthe is. for to eschue fornich- acion ef er of of er. ^ And halsynge of f e wijf schal he ^ not refuse ® in holy tyme so fat scho haf no cause '' of noon of er. Neuerles f e asker is f e trespasstw. if f er be ony defaute. % ffor of er wiles it is lauful aman for to uson his wijf. & ofer wiles not. aftur fe wordes of seint Austin. ^ ^wgrustinus. Christia?io cum uxore sua aliquando licet conuenire. aliqusindo non. propter processionis dies. & ieiunorum aliquando non licet conuenire. etcetera.. Item quociens dies natalis. uel reliquie festiuitates sanctorum aduenerit. a proprijis uxoribus est abstinendum. Whet ^e wel fat lechere is agret syn fer as it is ^ In the margin by A. ^ Above the line by A. ' In the margin by B. * Altered from son by B, the u being above the line. 5 Above the line by A. ^ Altered by B to refused. '' Altered from can by B. 28 James Finch Royster mysusud. ^ ffor bytwyne ^ a sengel ^ luau. & sengul woman is deedly syn. je&pe ful cowsente to )>e deede wit/touteu )'e dede doi/ige is deedly syn in sengul ma^i & woman, ffor seint lerom sais. euer aperfit wille is euer take for l^e dede i)i. ]'e sijt of god. be it to good, or be it to illee. Mathei. v. Non mechabevis. Quia omuls qui viderit vndierem ad concupiscendum^ earn, etcetera. ^ Avotre is grat?<}' J. iacobi. ^ Pec- gynne ]'e?i sengul. And incestus is more synne ]>en catumwrocum ^^^^^^^^^ Incestus is. he ]mt delith viith nonne. witA consummatum . . , , • i • ? n i i n • , . kosyn. or Vfith. amaydon. )'e wicn is called detloracio. mortem. Bot ]:ie grast is & ]'e hieste synne of alle is sodomite and synne agayues kynde. ^ Incestus. a. quasi incastus. qui cum. monyali. uel cum sanguinea. uel idrgine concumbit. Bot ouer alle sodomite is ]>e worste. ffor sainte austin sais. ^j .^w^ustinus. Quod longer maius crimen est. quam cognoscere mutrem. %Item ^tt^ustinus. Adultevium j/iaZtanS vincit Jornicacionem. ^ ' vincitur aufem ab incestu. j^eiiis est cum viatre guam cum aliena uxore conciawbere. set omnium Aorum est pessimum. quod contra, naturam Jit. ^ Isti omnes vocantur sodomite. Masculus cum Masculo. uel ffemina cumfemina. uel Masculus cum Jemina. A^igusXi- nus. Quocumque autem modo tale factum exercet preterquam inter hominem et feminam ordinate. & in vase debito. vicixim contra natiiram. & sodomiticium iudicatur. ^ Also J'is commandement forbedith alle unlauful cussynges. & clippinges. & ragynges. & unclene touchinge. ffor he I'at towchith picke. is defouled of \>e picke. ^ A good ma?i of religion wol euer be tille ilke man & woman, as J'ouj his prior sat besydes j^am & sawe & herde. ^ A good weddeth man wol be to ilke aAvoman. as |'ouj ^ai his wijf herde & sau^e. & ]>e wijf also to hir husboonde. & a jinge man. or woman, as }>er fadwr. or modi(r herde. ^ or sauje. ^[ A seruajit man or woma?i. as fer maysttw & maystwras herde or knew. In alle ))inges \ai perteyneth to syn. or to untruthe. ^ ffor euer homlynes. & towchinges. & halkus and hemes. & cussinges & sittynges * & ofte used, bringeth men &n. for deuocion to holynes. ysidoYWs. Non enim. per/ecte viciuva. vincitur nisi sollicite causa & oportnnitas viciij caueatur. ^ Seiut paule saith. it is good j'iiige to aman .1. coiinthio- ^^^ f^j, ^q towchen a woraaw. And seint austin seith. if rum. vij. au- ^^^^ j^ -^^ ^^^^ jiinge not for to towchen awoma?i. J^en he saith. it is euil Jnnge for to towchen hir. ^ So it semith bi lioly writte & be doctt(?-es. \ai howjeuer aman toche awoman. or ]?e woman ]'e man for histe. it defilith pe saule saue wit/i i?i (fol. l-o) ^^^ sacrament oi^ wedlock. ^ Also ]'ou man or woman jiat suffreste lechere \n \\\\ howse usnd. knawyuge. Or pat pou co?;- senteste to ony oj'er. Or suffreste it wytiugely. per pat hit perteyneth to pe to ame7i.de it. Or if pat pou mijthe amende it. I. say pat pou schalt be pinisched be pe doome of god as he pat dooth J'e deede, Miur pe wordes of seint paule. And aftwr pe wordes of holy writt & doctures. £'cc/esiastici. xxi'j. Precurre prior in dovium tuam pecca.ta abieiendo. ne tecum veniant m morte. % Ad romanos. i. Non solum qui faciunt digni sunt morte ! set qui consenciunt. facientibus. ^ Isidoms. Non solum f adores ! set & consocios peccsiti tenere obnoxios. The scmfth commaundement of god. Septimum viandatum est. Non furturn fades, beer is forbodon. Sacrilege. And rauen. And ocur. And symony. Alle untrue ' Mesures. And fals wijthes. & mettes. for to bye be woon. & ^ sella bi anopur. ^[ Sacrilege is. wen haly pinge. or nnhalued is taken out of haly place wttAoute?i lauful leue. And also it is sacrilege to spende haly chirche goodes in mys use. Or to witt draw truje tythus. Offringes. or rentes, j'at perteyneth truly to haly chirche. % Ocur is on diuerse maneres. As if pou take outh for pe lone. Or sellest derre for pe lone & for pe respite of pe lone, or delay of tyme. Or if pou lene a weed to a day be enprise. & he breke pe day pou takest alle. And on pe same wise of fermus & of londes. Seint gregor sais. abouen 1 xvipes struck out with red ink before mesures. * Above the line by B. 30 James Finch Royster alle merchaundise. of byinge. or sellynge. or lenynge. I. kursede be fe ocurer. gxtgoxixxs. Unde super omrxes merchatores ! phis maledicttis est usarius. Also gif aman gif to alord. or leueth tresur. for ]>at ]'e lorde schulde gif his sone a benefice. ^ Also agaynes ]ns commande- meiit dooth be ]>at usuth any rauen. )'at is be pat taketb anoj^er mannes good wrongely. on see. or londe agaynes biswille. to bis ^^^ ' ^ knawinge. or^^ to bisunknoui/ige. ^[ Rape is. of nonnes. or maydenes. & wedues. efeetera. ^| Also a gaynes fis commaunde- ment doos alle fese werkemen of crafte. And ]'ese labirrers. pat maketb euel werke. & selletb it for good J'inge & good werke. kuoinge wel jjat be dooth defraude & begylynge to bis euyncristen. & so be selletb wit/i ootbes bis good falsly. and be gilitb bis broiler untruly. ^ Also j'ese labttreres. J'at maken couenant be )'e day. or be ]?e woke for to do truly per lahur. for aserten of hire, and j^ai fayneu. or loytr^m. or putte?i of pat pat }'ai mijtb do in oon day. put it of in to two dales, or aday and anbalf. for couedse. I. say bit is pette. fFor pe same couenant pat be maketb for to be truly payed for bis ]a.hur. on })e same wise ]'e same couenant byndeth him in pe sijtb of god for to do ^ truly bis labwr in alle ]>inges j^at is i7i laufulnes. ne}'er ^ i?i longe sit- tinges ne in puttynges ^ of i ffor )'e wille of god is. pat aman scbal do to bis neijbitr. as be wolde pat bis neijb?*?- dede to bim. ^ And also fis co7Mmau?idement forbeditb alle maner w/tA drawinge wrongesly of an oper mannes god. And ]'at is. we)'er J>at it be take priuily. or oponly. be stenpe. or be sotilte. or be fals wordes. or fals mesurus. mettis. or wi^tbes. or fals opus & feyned. % Also )'o pat do not per dwteus to ^ boly cbircb i & as poo pat payetb not bir dettus & per tytbes truly. And pat makutb not per ofFri?^ges. & oblacions dewly. Or pat dootb ony wronge priuyly. or apertely to boly cbircbe. Al pet* doos agaynes pe commawndement. ^Also po pat witA boldeth werkemen per bire. Or per awne mennes wages, for per tmuel. or for per wages & bire. silke men kepit not pis C07nma»ndement. ^[ Also poo pat oppresit bis tenantes. or pat meynteineth fals querellis. or pat dootb ony extorsions. or wronges for couetise. or for batradon. or for ' Above the line by A. * Altered from ne by B. ^ Altered from puUynge by B. * Altered from />c by B. A Middle English Treatise on the Ten Commandmenis 31 malis to \er sugettus. or to any oj'er. Jjai kepe not )ns comma?mde- me?it. ^[ And also J'ai ]>at binemith amarinus good name, or profit, be pnue detraccion. In alle f ese beforesaid and m many o]'er is brekynge of ]>Q cojumawndementes of god. ^j In c?euteronomio. 2^.^ Non negabis mercedem indigentis & paupevis & cetera, ^j lAice. xv. Qni fidelis est in viinimo '. & in maior fidelis est. Et qui in modico iniquus est. & in maior iniquus est. Item nota. Quod ita committitur furtum. In reparua '. sicut in magna. Item ieronimns. ffurtum non solum in maioribns. set eciavi in minoribus itidicatur. jS'oii enim qnod fftirto ablatum est', set mens furantis attendituv. '^Conmpicencia. is he Mt gedureth. *^ And Auaricia. is he Mt kepith. The ei-^the commaundment of god is Pis. Odauum ma^idatum. Non loquaris falsum testimonium, contra pvoximum tuum. ^ That is. I'ou schalt nojth bere no fals wittnes agaynes J)i nei^bitr. neij>er for loue. ne for no fauttr. ne for no drede. ne for no luk»r of wynnynge of worldly good, ffor an pou do. ]>ou brekest )'is co?/ima?(ndement. Acordinge hirto. Ill leuitico. xix. Non consideres personam pauperis i nee uultum potentis. set iuste iudica proximo tuo. Mathei. x. Et noliie timere eos qui occidunt corpus! animam autem non possxmt ocddere. Set pocius eum timere. qui potest & animam & corpus perdere in gehen- nam. i. iimothei. v. Nichil faciens in aliam partem declinando. ^ Agaynes ]ns commandeme/ite doos ]'ai. ]'at wilfully putteth J>am to book ooj'e. or \n Jnnge pat is dowtabul. or in plesinge to ony man for fau ur. bot it ^ were in aful iuste cause & se\.ur. ne for noon euil wille. or for to hindur woon. & \n fo)>eringe of anofer. I. sai ]'0 ]mt doon so synnen deedly. & slen gostly. •[[ Also ' agaynes )ns co??unau?tdement doos al fals recordurs. gylur us. glosers. flatwrers Bacbiteres. ^ detracturus. wriers. & scorners. & lyers. defamurs. & euyll co?iselurs & lesynmu/i- gers. & bosters. And ]'0 ]mt sayin agaynes co/jsciens. & fals bre])eren. > Above the line by B. ^ Altered from Al by B. ' Altered from bocbiteres by B. 32 James Finch Royster and flas feyued frendes & euil tisers. & fals expositures of holy writte. Prophet. Beati qui custodiunt iudicium & faciunt iusticiam in omni tempore. fFor ])e mowje ]'at lieth. sleeth ]^e saule ^ Araan schulde not maken alesynge for noon or]'eliche maunes profit '. for aman sal not harme his awne*? saule. for to help an no]>er manes body, (col. 2) -g^^ Tii\)eY ]>an aman schulde maken alesynge it were betur to halden his pees, if j'at he darnot. or wolnot say J^e soj'e. for hinderinge of him j'at he dredith or loueth. ^ Neuerles perfeccion wolde in alle causus aman schulde sai ]>e so]>e. And also j'ai ]>at haldeth ]^ev pees. & saith not ]'e sothe ]>ou5 fai konne. wen ]>a\ been askud. ^ Also m ]ns commatmdement is for boden specially in for- sweringe oponly to fore aiuges man beringe fals wittnes. And alle oj'er p/-iuy for sweringes in alle causus. And alle fals excusacions. And alle fals wittnes for drede. loue. or fauwr. or for wratthe. or for enuye. And alle glosinges. & flatei-inges. ^ So by \ns cowimaunde- mente. aman schulde not halde wit/i his awne fad?er freend in ]ns world in afals querel. ne in noon fals opynion. ne in^ conselle. for if ]>at he do so witynly. J^an doos he agaynes his consciens. And in j'at aman sueth j'e wille of j'e flesch & noi^th of J>e saule. romanorum. viij. Si enim secnudum carnem vi.reritis. moriemini. And if j'at we lijfen aftur j'e wille of j'e flesch. we schulen be deed, flfor geef aman folueth j'e wille of j'e flesch. in as miche he berith fals wittnes agaynes j'e saule In deutronomio. xxiiij. Non occidentur patres pro filijs nee filij pro frsLtribvs. set vnusquisque pro peccato morietur. •fj Agay j'is co?»ma;mdement do j'ai. j'at asoyleth j'ani ]mt j'ai may not asoyle. Or byudeth j'am j'at j'ai schulde not bynde with kursinges. And j'ai J'at prechen fals agaynes holy chirche. And J'ai J'at auant- theth "^ Jjan of kwmynge & crafte j'at j'ai konne noi?the. ^ In deut- ronomio. XX. vij. Maledictus homo qui peruertit iudicinm aduene. & pupilli. & vidue. > Above the line by A. ' Altered from ananthtih by B. A Middle English Treatise on the Ten Commandments "3 The neythe commaundement of god. Nonum mandatmn. Non concupisces uxorem proximi tui. That is. I. co7nma?ide jow. ]>at je^ desire, ne couet noist jowre nei^b^tres wiif. ne his dou^twr. ne bis seruant man ne woman, neijnw be ^ way of syn '. ne be way of wro7ige ^ ^ ■ ^ ^ In )>e sijste cowimawndement is forboden ]'e dede of lechere. & ]'e wilful co7isent ]>erto. saf wit/tin ])e hooly sao'ament of wedlack. ^ And in ]ns cojumandement ]>e ^ wille of ]'e syn is forbo- den. And not oonly J)e wille of ]>at deede of ]mt syn. bot also ]'e wille & J^e desire to haf ony occasions to do lechere. & flesly steringes. or delectacions in ]>e fleche. ffor luste euer maketh pe syn. So ]?at god commattndeth clannes of body from alle maner fleschely dedes of lechery out of trewe wedlacke. ^ And alle so al ^ clanes of herte. fro?n unlauful couetinge. & desiringe of j'e dede of lechere. and also alle lechures delectacions. ^ The woman ]?at taketh ano]>er man few hir howsboonde. scho defilijth hir howsboonde bed. witA a titul of forsakynge. And }'e man on }'e same ^ maner to ]'e wijf. Seint paule ' seis it is agret sacrament, and ho is defectif. hit wol not been unpynisched greuesly. ^ ffornichaturKS and avoutrerus god salle deme ]>am That is in a special doom be here self, he is •g ossa. aglotunws lechur. ]>at hath of his awne Inowje. & stelith oper menus. And ]>er fore he sail be py niched, for lechere. for gloto7me. & J'efthe. ^ Ad hebreos. xiij. ffornicatores. et adulteros iudicabit deus. id est. in speciali iudicio. honorabile connibium in omnibus, et thorns in maculatus. Ad ephesios. 6. Sacremientum. hoc magnum est. ^ Above the line by B. ^ Altered from pern by B. '^ la the margin by A. 34 James Finch Boyster The tenthe commaundement of god. NOn concupisces rem proximi tui. % That is. J>ou schalt not desire J'ine nei5b^o\i schalt not couette }'i neibM?-es hows, ne his seruant. ne man ne woman fat perteyneth to him hot in good consciens. ne his ox. ne his hors. ne his asse. ne no good of his is Avrongely. neper for labwr neper in byinge ne in sellynge ne bargenige. ne in takynge. nei]'er )?i self, ne noon oper bi pe. prouerbioTum. xxviij. Princeps qui libenter audit ^ mendaci om- nes ministros habet impios Qnia scriptum est. Os quod mentitur occidit animam. & pevdes omnes qui locuntur^ mendacium. ^*^° ■ ^ ^ Also pon schalt not haf ]n neibwres good^ be byinge of plee or bargenige for )n profit & to ^ his harme. so pat jjou schalt not for couetise of his good be gyle him wilfully be no maner sotilte in bargenijige to byen of him knowings wel. pat he schulde harmed perhi. ^ And also, if fat ]>i nei^bwr haue afinge pat he haath. & is not wille for to leue it & lijtly it wol stonden him in stede anoj'er tyme. & f ou desireste it fro him 1 )>an fou kepiste not f is comman de- ment. % And als so if pat fou plede wrongesly Vfith ony man for his good, and fou^e fat f ou gete it noijth witA f i plee fat is wronge '. owfer his howse. or his londe. be maistri. as f i desire. & wille were, jet doos fou agaynes fe commaundement. And also, if fat fou desir- este ony mawnm deeth. for his heritage, or for ony of er good, fan fou doost agaynes f is co^nmaundement. ^ Also f is co7nmau7idement for- bedith. alle maner wronges. & fals couetise. & sleijtus. & cautelis. for to haue f i neijbtires good wrangely & agaynes his wille. ffor fou schalt not desire wilfully, ne scheche no good of his fat he hath un rijtwes fat were agaynes his wille for to leuen. Ne ]>ou schalt not by of him. bot fat he may selle f e laufully. nof er lond ne renthe. ne noon of er finge knawinge to f e bot in alle truths. & iustenes. ffor f is is haly scriptur. confermynge of f e ten commaundementis of god. And takuth heed, of rex achab. & of nabot. Non concupisces domihm. proximi tui. secun- dum Augustitium. hie prohibet concitpicenciam reialiene immobilis. ^ Altered from audite by the erasing of the e. ' In the margin by A. ^ Above the line by A. A Middle English Treatise on the Ten Commandments 35 Non desiderabis uxorem eius. non seruum nee ancillam. non bouem. non asiiium. nee omnia que illius sunt. ^ Hie prohibit concupicenciam rei mobilis. secundu??i. Origemim. tamen unum est ^jrecep^wm. ^ Zacharie piophete. v. Ego video volumen volans. longitudo eius. xx. eubitorum. & latitudo eius. x. cubitorum. & dixit ad me. Hec est maledixio que egredietur super faciem omnis terre. quia omnis/ur sicut ibi so'iptum est iudicabitur. Et omnis iurans ex hoc similiter ixcdica- bitur. 'Educam. illud dicit dominus exteri. & veniet ad domum Juris. & ad dovium. iurantis. in^ nomine meo mendaciter. et (fol. 1 ) commorabitur^ in medio^ domus eius. & conswyiet eum. & ligna eius. & lapides. & cetera. Math. vij. Omnia ergo quecumque uultis ut faciant vobis homines. & vos facile illis. hec est enim lex & prophete. Non omnis qui dicit michi. domme. domine. intrabit in regnum celorum. set qui facit voluntatem patris mei qui in celis est. Luce. vj. Quid autem vocastis me domine. domine. & nonfacitis que dico f lohannes. xiiij. Si diligitis me. mandata mea seniate. Mathei. xix. Si vis ingredi ad uitam serua mandata. Qui nobis concedat. qui uiuit. & regnat. ^ In the margin by A. NOTES p. 9, 1. 21 ille clearly for ilke. 1. 22 faf for saf. 1. 24 Between kepe and Ais a word has been completely scratched over. P. 10, I. 1 Eoson. So the MS. The difference between o and « in the writing is so slight that the two letters were easily confused. 1. 21 langes for landes. 1. 25 chirderen for childeren. P. 11, 1. 10 man & wemen for man & woman. 1. 35 After god three words have been written in the margin by B. The second of these words may be either />e or />i. The last word cannot be read with any degree of certainty ; seemingly it is fauer, though it may be trauell. Either of these readings makes good sense. The added phrase is not absolutely necessary. P. 12, 1. 2 shaplokur. Cf. Kluge, Paul's Grundriss, 1060. 1. 15 isrle for israele. 1. 23 sauuls for saluus. P. 13, 1. 32 for to with ho stall, etc. =for to wit who stall, etc. P. 14, 1. 1 And of, etc. probably for As. 1. 1 hues. It seems certain that soues= sieves is intended and that it is a reference to the practice described by Brand, Popular Antiquities, iii, 35 ff. 1. 14 dunnancia for dirdnacio, which probably was in the original from which the scribe was copying diuindcio, the a, of course, being a mistake for a. 1. 16 ydolatriam for ydolatna. 1. 35 gegor for gregor. P. 15, 1. 29 semetwel. One word in the MS. P. 16, 1. 22 At the foot of fol. 121b : 2. petri. 2. \ Melius enim erat eis non cognoscere viam iusticie. guam post agnieionem retrorsum conuerti ab eo quod illis tr&ditum est sancto mandato. ysidorus de swmmo. 6ono. Tanto enim mains cognoscitur pticca.tum ess«. quanta enim maior qui peccatoT [^—peccat'} habetur. ac^uum. 5. ^ Obedire oportet deo magis quam hominibus. dedit dens spiritwm sanctu»« omntJus obedientibus sibi. (/rcf/orius. Si ueraciter christianus esse, plus dei iudicium quain hominis voces timer es. 1. 23 man for maner. P. 16 Gloss, 1. 5 perdes for perdcL P. 17, 1. 1 me for men. 1. 12 commaundemetis for commaundcmentis. 1. 15 Quia for qui. 1. 16 adhibem for adhibet. P. 18, 1. 24 intandam for uitandam. 1. 2G swe for sivere. 1. 28 \>e for \>er. 1. 30 quod est. So the MS. 37 38 James Finch Royster P. 19, 1. 10 sau^th for sawj. P. 21, 1. 17 have evidently is omitted between & and rewarde. 1. 24 gorie for <;?orie. P. 22, 1. 7 Supply ese. Cf. vio%L'^e for mow5\>e (p. 32, 1. 3). The scribe may have intended s/mJjc, mistaking 5 for J>. Strattmann records : sleu\>e, slau]>e, slou]>e, sleu^\>e, slauh'^e. 1. 30 festiuus for festiuis. P. 24, 1. 10 bre for breke. 1. 16 gar lett. Interesting tautology, which is to be accounted for, probably, by the difference of usage in the scribe's dialect and that of the copy he was following. P. 25, 1. 1 caiherizatur for cathetizatur. 1. 5 quae is omitted between operantur and de. 1. 18 vocabitus for vocabitur. 1. 28 solus for solis. P. 26, 1. 15 huger for hunger. P. 28, 1. 14 longer. The contraction over the e in the MS. is surely that used for er. Longe is, of course, intended. 1. 23 cussynf/esV kissinges. clippinges : embracings. Clyppynge or kyssynge, or towchynge of lyth. Myrc, Instruction for Parish Priests, p. 39. ragynges : wanton playing. 1. 31 homlynes : intimacy, familiarity. Cf. N. E. D., and Wright, Dial. Diet., q. v. Not in Strattmann. halkus and hemes : corners and recesses. A conventional pairing. Speght's Chaucer (1598), Address to Chaucer : "Where hast thou dwelt good Geffrey al A Middle English Treatise on the Ten Commandments 39 this while ? ... In haulkus, and heme, God wot, and in exile." Trevissa (Rolls Series), i, 9 : " Dedalus haus ha}> many halkes and hurnes." Balis Raving (E. E. T. S. ), p. 121 : " In cauernys and in ernes." P. 30, 1. 7 At the foot of fol. 124 b : IS. Ad hebreos. Honorabile connubium in omnibus. & thorus inmaculatus. ffornieatores & adulter os iudicabil deus. id est in speciali iudieio. .5. Ad ephe- sios. Sacramentum hoc. magnum est. Ysidorus. de summo. bono. Principaliter hunc duobus vicijs diabolus humano generi dominatur. id est per superbiam mentis & luxuriam carnis. per hec duo vicia diabolns humanum possidet genns. ut dura mentem erigit. vel dum per luxuriam carnem corrumpit. Breuis est voluptas fornieacionis ■ set perpetua est pena fornicantis. 1. 8 wedues, widows. OE. widuwe. Promp. Parv. widue. 1. 24 sten/>e for stren/>e. 1. 33 hatradon. The N. E. D. records hatreden, haterdyn and haatredyn, but not the form here. P. 31, 1. 5 At the foot of fol. 125 : Actns. X. In veritate comperi[o] ^uoniam non personamm acceptor deus' set in omni gente que timet [eum]. et operatnr iusticiam acceptus est illi. 1. 29 recordurs : witnesses, glosers : flatteres, decievers. 1. 30 wriers : ac- cusers. P. 32, 1. 1 flas for/afe. risers ; enticers. 1. 3 mowge for mow5\>e. 1. 25 Agay for Agagnes. 1. 28 >a7i for ]>am. P. 33, 1. 1 neythe for neynthe. P. 34, 1. 7 bargenige for bargeninge. 1. 8 verba omitted between audit and mendacij. 1. 10 At the foot of fol. 125 b : Zacharie prophe^e. ^ Loquimini ueritatem unusquisqwe cum proximo suo ueritatem & indicium pacis indicate in portis vestris. & unusqwisqwe malum contra amicuni suum ne cogitetis in cordibus vcsiris. & iuramentum meum verax ne diligatis. Omnia enim hec sunt que odi dicit dommws. 1. 12 bargenige. Again the second n is omitted. 1. 14 be is omitted be- tween schulde and harmed. P. 35, 1. 8 exteri for exercitum. 1. 9 At the foot of fol. 126 : .^cclesiastici. xxiij. 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